Blockbuster: Total Access or Else
Were you aware-- because I certainly was not-- that there are certain movies that you can only rent at Blockbuster?
Let me first say that I am an avid Netflix fan. I've been a member for almost a year and I've been nothing but happy with the service. As far as Netflix's rival, Blockbuster Total Access, I have basically taken a "too-little-too-late" approach-- Netflix simply beat BTA to my business by providing an awesome service first.
And if you aren't familiar with BTA, they have a number of "perks" that allow them to compete with Netflix. For instance, you can exchange your movies at your local Blockbuster branch. Smart thinkin', and probably enough for some people to move their account away from Netflix.
Now back to my original point. Last night my dad rented School for Scoundrels from Blockbuster. The DVD itself was branded with a bold "Blockbuster Exclusive!" logo, and before the movie started there was a screen that said something to the effect of "Rent it only at Blockbuster!" We laughed about it at the time, but afterwards tried to "rate it" on Netflix.
Netflix doesn't recognize that the movie exists.
After a little digging, it turns out that there is a whole slew of movies that I can't rent through Netflix. That, my friend, has taken the rivalry one step further. Instead of an incentive, this feels like a punishment for not renting through Blockbuster.
I'm not saying this isn't a smart business move for Blockbuster-- it definitely is. I was not even aware that a company could own the rights to rent out the movie. Amazing.
What do you think? Aggressive last-ditch effort or cunning business tactic?
3 Comments:
I had a long comment and accidentally deleted it :/
To summarize - I think this is a smart move for Blockbuster to target high volume customers (like my friend on the 8-at-a-time program). As a minimal Netflix renter, I'm still trying to catch up on all the classics I never saw (I'm the shame of my family), so the BTA exclusivity deal isn't a big draw as I won't be seeking these lesser-known movies anytime soon.
February 22, 2007
I'm not sure these are all "lesser-known" movies. I visited the Weinstein Company's site (http://www.weinsteinco.com/), and ure, there were some I'd never heard of, but a few of the movies were ones I'd either really wanted to see or really enjoyed (like Bobby or Lucky Number Slevin).
Still, if this forum is any indication, (http://imdb.com/title/tt0462519/board/nest/67211820) there's a lot of confusion. You certainly weren't the only one to be surprised by this. I think it's a good idea to draw in business, but I don't think it'll do much if they don't advertise it.
I think it seems sort of unfair- but at least I don't think it's a huge number of movies that are exclusive, and the deal only lasts (as of now) for four years. I'm not a big fan of Blockbuster, and everyone I know with Netflix loves it, so I still don't think the collection of exclusive movies would sway my vote enough to get me to use Blockbuster Total Access instead.
February 22, 2007
I doubt it will make much of a long term difference.
Anyone with a Netflix account can easily drive down the street and rent this one movie if they are dying to see it.
I imagine the practice won't directly benefit the film companies and they'll eventually abandon this practice.
February 22, 2007
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