Netflix Wins!

[jmet]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When the head of Netflix Inc. said rival Blockbuster Inc. threw "everything but the kitchen sink at us," the world's largest video rental chain responded by sending him ... a kitchen sink.

The message from last January's interchange was clear: Blockbuster, with $6 billion in 2004 revenue and 5,500 domestic stores, intended to own online DVD rental, an $8 billion industry pioneered by Netflix.

"This year was about Blockbuster taking a run at us," Netflix Chief Executive Reed Hastings told Reuters at the company's Beverly Hills offices. "They chopped price. They emptied their balance sheet."

But despite Blockbuster's costly offensive, Hastings said Netflix was on track for net subscriber additions of 1.5 million for 2005 for a total of 4.1 million -- the midpoint of its target range.

Meanwhile, Blockbuster, which has been roiled by management and debt problems, saw the subscriber base at its 16-month-old online service stall at 1 million.

Chief Executive John Antioco told Reuters that Blockbuster Online was "proud of what it has accomplished in 2005 with over 1 million subscribers in over a year after it was launched."

Antioco had threatened earlier this year to leave the company -- and take a $54 million severance package with him -- during a proxy fight launched by dissident investor Carl Icahn. Credit and more info: Yahoo News

[anonymez]

Chief Executive John Antioco told Reuters that Blockbuster Online was "proud of what it has accomplished in 2005 with over 1 million subscribers in over a year after it was launched."

Liar!

i hate blockbuster (edit: the store, not the online store. i don't rent often enough to rent online), they're so pretentious, hell they look like they don't even need my business. they also stock only new releases, which kinda makes you pay a $6 minimum each time you walk out of there with a dvd.

[BR7]

I agree I don't care for Blockbuster Stores or their online service either Netflix has them beat hands down even though it seems Netflix slips on their service from time to time I was getting movies 5 days after they was shipped but Now I am back to a 1-2 day wait. I love Netflix just for the fact I can get my hands on any movie I want and I don't have to wait for it as for Blockbuster online they had a lot of movies but there was a lot of short and long waits to get your movie I have very rarely had that with Netflix
Looks like jmet is becoming the CNN of the forums keep em coming I find them to be interesting

[Chewy]

I went with netflix, then walmart then blockbuster online rentals,
they all are a racket, as soon as you start renting too many movies
they delay shipping more so you never get more than 10 a month.
They can't make a profit past that point.

[jmet]

as soon as you start renting too many movies
they delay shipping more so you never get more than 10 a month.

Ain't that the truth!!! When I was on my "Trial" membership before I joined, I was getting like 6 a week. Now, I get 2 a week if I am lucky.

Edit: I'm on the 3 DVD membership.

[Chewy]

Some guy setup like 4-5 accounts with netflix and did a scientific study, kinda reverse engineering their profiles, put it on the internet!

[BR7]

I must be lucky I get 4 movies a week once every other month I may get 8 one week out of that month it don't happen a lot. So to me Netflix is worth it this gives me 12-16 movies a month if I went to blockbuster and rented that many I would be paying out $47.88 a month just for 12 movies and with Netflix I pay $24.95 a month for 12-16 movies

[tigerman8u]

Ain't that the truth!!! When I was on my "Trial" membership before I joined, I was getting like 6 a week. Now, I get 2 a week if I am lucky.

Edit: I'm on the 3 DVD membership.

same happened to me. I started the 2 week free trial from netflix and blockbuster on the same day. I got 3 dvd's from blockbuster the 1st week and 3 the 2nd week = 6 dvd's. Netflix ware house is 50 miles from me and I got 3 shipments of 3 dvd's per week for the 2 week trial = 18 dvd's. The same day they charged my card for membership (monday) it took till saturday (5 days) to get my dvd's and I only recieved 2 instead of the 3.

[MrClean]

The only reason I like Netflix is cause I HATE Blockbuster so much!!

[Gary D]

FYI

Sometimes the best supplier is the "Mom&Pop's corner store"! I pay $2.99 (Canadian) for 2 day new release rental (which includes one old release for a week) OR 99cents for an old rental. These stores are VERY busy which proves you don't need the advertising to work well!

[NightTran]

I must be lucky I get 4 movies a week once every other month I may get 8 one week out of that month it don't happen a lot. So to me Netflix is worth it this gives me 12-16 movies a month if I went to blockbuster and rented that many I would be paying out $47.88 a month just for 12 movies and with Netflix I pay $24.95 a month for 12-16 movies

BR7 you can rent 27.99 a month for movie passes, two at a time and as much as you like at the store you can watch 2, 4 or even 6 a day if you are really bore

[drfsupercenter]

The library is free, and unlimited rentals Can't beat one week checkouts, with one renewal (if it's not a Feature)! Features are the new movies (within 2 years) that you have to pay $2 for, but still $2 for one week is better than Blockbuster's $5 for 2 days But Blockbuster DOES have more copies - the library only buys one of each movie, so I sometimes end up in spot 40 in the queue

[Love2Burn]

Yeah drf, if I had a library like yours I'd go that route myself. You motivated me to try the one here again. Alas, out of 10 discs 3 were unreadable even after "repairing". They don't replace them either, at least not very fast as ones that I reported damaged long ago are still not fixed. Plus, this library is small they only have about less than 500 dvd's to choose from.

[Pikey Mutt]

Looks like Blockbuster upped the ante, now you can take your online rentals to participating brick and mortar stores and turn them in for free rentals including new releases. They scan them at checkout and immediately release the next movies off your queue for shipping. I just signed up for a 30 day free trial and have to admit its a pretty slick and innovative system can Netflix counter this?

[jm1647]

I don't think NF can meet or top BB latest move unless they go in cahoots with a brick and mortar store or give like 6-9 at a time and ship th next DVDs from onlinwe if there is a click on "I put this DVD in the mail today button" I have had BB online for a while and since the 2nd of November when I turned in my first batch of online DVDs to my local BB ya cant beat it with a stick!!!