RIP Redbox, a Bad Idea at the Worst Time
The parent company of Redbox is liquidating, leading to the closure of 24,000 kiosks and its streaming service. Redbox's demise mirrors the decline of physical media amid streaming's dominance.
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The parent company of Redbox, known for DVD-rental kiosks, is liquidating, signaling the decline of physical media. Redbox's bankruptcy move will lead to the closure of 24,000 kiosks and its streaming service. Initially launched in the early 2000s, Redbox offered a Blockbuster-style rental experience but struggled to compete with evolving technologies like Netflix's DVD mail service and the rise of streaming platforms. The demise of Redbox reflects the broader trend of physical media disappearing, with companies like Netflix and Best Buy phasing out DVD and Blu-ray sales. As streaming dominates how people access movies and TV shows, the availability of obscure titles on physical media diminishes. Redbox's closure marks another step in the transition away from physical media consumption, highlighting the challenges faced by those seeking to preserve access to a wide range of content in an increasingly digital landscape.
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4 commentsOnce physical media dies and subscriptions are the only option, I think we’ll realize we screwed up and how good we once had it.
If your time means nothing, streaming. otherwise
- redbox had a good selection of current movies
- you had to decide in a short amount of time
- you had to watch specific movies in a dedicated time
- the movies were associated with getting out of the house
redbox was good for families. You could go to the grocery store and let your kid choose what movie they wanted to rent. Kids don't have that many choices in an adult world. They got a physical disk they had to play themselves, and when it was returned it was gone.
For couples, they could browse together and take a movie, maybe two home.
I think netflix/streaming is sort of the opposite. Unbounded time picking a movie, so an endless search for something not-as-terrible, sometimes not even coming up with something to watch. Quickly finishing anything decent (fewer new movies than redbox), then vast quantities of wasted time watching not-decent content.
The convenience of streaming is hard to beat, but the quality and price of disk rentals would have been competitive if the studios didn't muscle their way into the streaming business so destructively.
Ultimately I think Redbox COULD have been fine if only it had better access to new releases. People blame their pivot into streaming, but at that point the studios had already killed them and the company was flailing.
What really killed it was the attempt to do a streaming service. That was a suicidal desperation move that killed Redbox 5-10 year’s early. They could have limped on for quite a bit longer without that.
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Say Goodbye to Redbox
Redbox, under Chapter 7 bankruptcy, will close, laying off 1,000 employees and shutting 24,000 kiosks. Financial struggles, competition with streaming services, and failed asset sales led to this outcome, impacting customers.
DVDs are dying right as streaming has made them appealing again
Redbox, a DVD rental kiosk company, is closing due to its parent company's bankruptcy. This mirrors a decline in physical media as streaming services dominate. Consumers face uncertainties about content access and quality.