NEWS: Blockbuster Attempts to Acquire Hollywood Video

CULTURE: Blockbuster Attempts to Acquire Hollywood Video

Blockbuster Inc. has approached Hollywood Entertainment Corp. with an offer to purchase the rival video rental company for $700 million. They attempted to merge in 1999, but pressure from the Federal Trade Commission prevented the transaction.

It’s interesting to see how Blockbuster is reacting to its new independence from Viacom by attempting to position itself against a new rival (Netflix) by acquiring an old one. The unfortunate circumstance is that the future of video lies not in brick and mortar but in video on demand.

Where are you when we need the beautiful and downloadable VOB, TiVO/Netflix?

Sorry, you had me up until there. I don't even fucking have cable - fuck TiVO. I use Netflix, period. If Blockbuster (and Netflix) need to be worried about anything - it's Walmart.

Online rental is the future

yeah, that's why netflix and tivo are in joint talks with film companies to test VOD. warner brothers have actually approved part of their catalog so they can trial it.

fuck blockbuster and their high fees and shitty service!

[Edited on Nov 11, 2004 4:38PM]

I hope this does not happen. Hollywood Video is right across the street from me and I refuse to go to Blockbuster, ever.

you and me both

When did Bill Gates take over Blockbuster?

they edit films for content too

well i don't se th point is them byeing a video store

i meen its all DVD's now

Blockbuster Video

1) 1 Night Rental
2) If you have a late fee they send you harassing letters every week for a month and then bill your credit card on file if you dont go in to pay a measly $5 late fee.

Hollywood Video

1) 5 Days on All Releases including all new releases
2) If you have late fees, next time you go in they ask you if you want to "Pay for it now... or part of it now... or get it next time".

KEEP HOLLYWOOD AWAY FROM THOSE FUCKING ASSHOLES CALLED BLOCKBUSTER VIDEO. I HATE THAT CORPORATION WITH EVERY OUNCE OF LIFE IN ME!

word

maybe if blockbuster had better shipping, more reliable queuing and a selection to rival netflix, not just overpower them, they wouldn't have to lower their subscription price (Especially since Netflix countered by lowering their price as well...)

Movielink was going in the right direction, but for the wrong reasons...the reason Online services are popular is not the convenience, but the vast selection.

Movie Gallery, baby (formerly Video Update)
$.99 five day rentals on catalog titles


And Hollywood and Blockbuster don't carry porn.

VOD is the future folks.Trust me. Cox cable has plans to launch it here in my area and I promise you it will sell like crazy. I mean think about it,any movie ever made by any liscenced production company ANY time you want it! No sitting in traffic only to finally get to the place and find that every movie you wanted is all rented out!!

This will be a great business combination. One giant company losing huge amounts of money acquiring a sorta big company losing pretty large sums of money. I'm glad I'm not Blockbuster shareholder.

Blockbuster suck they are so much more exspensive than my local video shop and they have less selection wankers

ballbuster I will kill you in teh face

blockbuster here do. its allshit tho and stashed away in the mystery section

i can say as someone that works in a video shop, who has taken return of pornos covered in come, and who knows at least 50% of people that ever rented them were just plain fucking weirdos, many of whom would only ever rent porn, and often bring them back inside 20 minutes, when your boss finally decides that renting porn isn't cool anymore, you're happy.

still tho.

blockbuster is a cockblocker.

Well I love my Blockbuster. I'm friends with everyone who works there, and they "take care of" any late fees I may get. Yeah netflix has a bigger library available, but when I want to rent a Playstation game 'cause I'm sick and don't want to go to work, it's only 100 yards away from my front door.

Ugh. Managed for Hollywood for two years.....what a shitlicking company to work for. STOLEN WAGES.

sigh. as a manager at a blockbuster, coming across another of these "shit service, edited movies, pan and scan crap" comments makes me sad.

we don't edit movies. if we get edited movies, it's because that's what the movie companies send out. this is never an issue with domestic releases. where people think they're getting fucked is on obscure foreign releases, especially japanese horror and exploitation cinema like ichi the killer and the like. its the american DISTRIBUTORS that demand r rated cuts of these things because they're afraid of public outcry. one of the most requested titles we get is battle royale, and I hate having to tell people they aren't going to get an american dvd of it anytime soon. toei has the rights to release it here, but they won't, because it's a movie about junior high school kids KILLING EACH OTHER. if you're not smart enough to know that this would be likely to cause a furor over here, then i feel sorry for you. we get what we can buy here (with the exception of porn, which no, we don't carry, and having worked at an adult bookstore for over two years, I can say I'm happy about).

we do not support pan and scan. in fact, we don't carry pan and scan movies for rent as a general policy. rarely, one will slip through, but we will virtually never carry them, and receive flack from people about it, because they just "hate them black bars" or they're "being cheated out of seeing everything."

as far as shit service, well, work at a video store and talk to me. put simply, a lot of people are rude assholes. I don't have any pity generally for your late fees, because it's your own irresponsible ass to blame most of the time. if it's not, then tell me what happened, and I'll see what I can do. I do realize that people work at blockbuster with me can be rude, or antisocial, but that applies everywhere.

anyway, drop by my blockbuster sometime, and I'll help you enjoy your night. try to put the dvd on the fucking retainer clip this time.