Netflix inked a deal with Hart Sharp Video to distribute independent films acquired by the online retailer, Hart Sharp announced Wednesday.
Hart Sharp will distribute Netflix independent films to retailers 60-90 days after they are made available exclusively to Netflix subscribers.
I live in Greensboro, NC. My nearest Blockbuster distribution center is Charlotte, NC, based on the label on the envelopes in which my movies arrive. I subscribe to Blockbuster Online as well as Netflix. Blockbuster's Web site doesn't give me a way to check which of my movies I've reported as lost or damaged, but as I recall it's been just three or four since I signed on in January. However, I received an email from them today, telling me that they're experiencing "issues". It said:Hello Becky,It then goes on to say I should make sure my address is correct, that my mail isn't being delivered to a "visible location". Should I have an "unusual number" of missing discs, my account will be put on hold. Yada, yada, yada. Your friends at Blockbuster Online (tm).
We hope you are enjoying your BLOCKBUSTER Online™ membership.
We've noticed that in the time you've been with us you have reported a number of issues with DVD shipments getting lost or damaged in the mail. We know incidents beyond anyone's control occasionally happen with our DVD shipments. We take these issues seriously, and we are working closely with the U.S. Postal Service in your area to monitor the quality of your service.
"We have virtually every DVD published--from classics and new releases to TV and cable series" trumpets Netflix. The online DVD rental company may be a braggart, but with over 50,000 titles and a Panglossian "250 genres", it has seen second-quarter profit nearly double as it pulls in new subscribers.Read more
Despite formidable competition from the much larger Blockbuster (nyse: BBI - news - people ), Netflix (nasdaq: NFLX - news - people ) turned in profit of $5.7 million, or 9 cents per share, for the three months ended in June, compared to net income of $2.9 million, or 4 cents per share, for the same period last year.
What is the secret of Netflix's continuing popularity? Probably a combination of no late fees and free shipping both ways. A few industry analysts see a correlation between Netflix's growth and dwindling audience numbers at movie theaters.
This is not my experience with Netflix, Blockbuster or even Amazon or Half. (yeah yeah they're not available in India, but even if they were, the Chennai system of DVD acquisition would beat them any day) This is the chronicle of my encounter with the rather strange workings of a universal DVD purchase system available on the streets of Chennai.Read more.
"Well-placed industry sources confirmed Friday that the Los Gatos company is close to launching an on-demand rental service that is paired with a Netflix-provided television set-top box.But don't get too excited.
``We have said we're committed to testing a product this year and we expect the test to be of a very modest nature,'' said Netflix spokesman Ken Ross, who declined to discuss the timing of the launch or the nature of the service."
One industry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the new Netflix service would be similar to fledgling, studio-supported ventures like MovieLink and CinemaNow. Those services allow people to rent copy-protected movies and television shows over the Internet and watch them on their computers.Read more
Such services struggled because they offer a limited number of new releases. That is unlikely to change, so long as DVD sales and rentals remain the largest single source of revenue for movie studios.
``Given the very limited popular content now available, we don't believe that consumers will find this compelling until that balance changes,'' said Netflix's Ross of a new download offering. ``We don't foresee that changing for some time.''
Houston-area McDonalds restaurants are now offering DVD rentals at each of its locations through these high-tech vending machines. For $1 a night, you can visit your nearest Ronnie Mac's Steak House to rent one of several new releases through the Redbox automated service and simply return it to any vending machine when you're finished with it. This new service has been quite a "blockbuster" success.
By relying on its members for inventory, Peerflix has no need for costly warehouses (it has only 17 employees at the moment). But as eBay has discovered, not all members are wholesome, law-abiding folks. In fact, Peerflix had to terminate the membership of an Oklahoma woman who tried to game the system by claiming to send out multiple DVDs to earn Peerbux. (A newly-installed bar-code tracking system in post offices will prevent that abuse in the future, McNair says.) But most members play by the rules, and some are downright addicted to Peerflix: A homebound, disabled man in Florida trades upwards of 60 DVDs a month, says McNair.Read more
