Warner Bros. Takes 28 Day Banhammer to Blockbuster
About two years ago, Warner Bros. decided that declining DVD sales were the result of ubiquitous, inexpensive rentals and pushed Redbox into a 28 day delay on new movie rentals. Netflix came next, then Blockbuster Express. Blockbuster had managed avoid a similar agreement, presumably because the company’s bankruptcy proceedings had made the company too weak to push into signing on. Well, congrats to Dish Network on turning Blockbuster’s fortunes around. I honestly don’t understand how the 28 day delay is supposed to improve DVD sales. If I was waiting to rent the DVD instead of going to the theater, am I really going to care about an extra couple of weeks when my queue is already full of movies and TV shows. Has the 28 day delay prompted you to buy more movies?
While Blockbuster has had delays at its kiosks already, being first to get new flicks in stores has been a part of its marketing for a while. The LA Times reports Blockbuster so far is turning to simply buying the copies it needs at retail to rent them out immediately, but we’ll see how long that lasts.
Same, here, matt. I’ve got
Same, here, matt. I’ve got so many movies in my NetFlix queue that another four weeks’ wait won’t make any difference. Besides, if I end up on a waiting list for a given title it will probably be at leasrt a 4-week delay before I get it anyway. High ticket and concession prices, not to mention mediocre sound systems, have kept me out of the theaters for quite some time. If I can wait months for a movie to be released on Blu-Ray, another four weeks won’t matter.
The 28-day window has
The 28-day window has increased sales for the studios. It isn’t surprising because it doesn’t take that large of a percentage of buyers to make the policy worthwhile. It’s a good way for the studios to exploit the supply/demand to extract the maximum value from purchasers.
I admit that it’s a little
I admit that it’s a little bit of a bummer to have to wait the extra 28-days, but like captain_video said, If I can wait months, I can wait another 4 weeks. The film industry is digging in the wrong place if it wants to find out why physical media sales are down.