Blockbuster

Former Blockbuster CEO tells his side of Netflix story

One of the best stories in digital entertainment during the past decade was how Netflix wrested control of the home-video rental market from national chain Blockbuster.

Some of the main players in that race, including John Antioco, the former Blockbuster CEO, have been interviewed for a revealing new 30-minute TV documentary produced by Bloomberg.

It's a tale told by insiders of the emergence of Netflix and the Internet as a means of video distribution. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is known for being squeamish when it comes to talking about himself and he declined to participate, but some of his … Read more

New Dish CEO to Netflix: Watch out

Dish Network's incoming CEO Joe Clayton has some fighting words for Netflix, according to an Associated Press interview yesterday.

"If I were them, I'd be watching what's going on," Clayton told the AP in reference to Netflix and its streaming service. "I'd stay tuned. Because no one's going to have a monopoly on this and I'm sure it's not just our company that's looking at trying to take a small piece of the pie from Netflix."

Last month, Dish finalized its $320 million acquisition of Blockbuster, making it … Read more

The 404 822: Where there's too many chefs in the kitchen (podcast)

The Internet can be a breeding ground for bad ideas, and today's show highlights a few of them, like naming your kid after a Facebook button, making a fatal planking error, and replacing McDonald's cashiers with robots. There's good news today too, though--Seth MacFarlane just got the green light to reboot "The Flintstones."

The 404 Digest for Episode 822

Israeli couple names their kid "Like." Australian man planks to death...this is probably the Internet's fault. McDonald's in Europe to replace cashiers with touch-screen terminals. "The Flintstones" getting a reboot by Seth MacFarlane.

Episode 822 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Dish Network completes acquisition of Blockbuster

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge today approved Dish Network's $320 million acquisition of Blockbuster, once the largest movie rental chain.

"We are pleased to have purchased the assets of Blockbuster and look forward to building on the nationally recognized Blockbuster brand while improving the experience of delivering entertainment to consumers," Tom Cullen, executive vice president for Dish Network, said in a statement.

The satellite provider announced its intention to purchase most of the rental chain's assets earlier this month at a bankruptcy court auction. Under the terms of the deal, the acquisition was expected to … Read more

Dish needs more time on Blockbuster stores

Dish Network would benefit from an extension to determine which of Blockbuster's 1,500 store leases it wants to keep, the rental company reported in a filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court yesterday.

Earlier this month, Dish Network announced that it had agreed to acquire Blockbuster for $228 million, after adjustments were made for cash and inventory. Under the terms of the deal, the companies were required to finalize the acquisition yesterday. If that didn't happen, Dish would have been required to pay a $500,000 fine per day to Blockbuster until the deal is finalized.

But … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1451: Apple: finish Samsung!! (Podcast)

Tong stood in line all night for Mortal Kombat, while Molly went to bed with her laptop and her brand new Keynote download. Impressive, right? In the actual news, Apple files a major set of patent and trademark lawsuits against manufacturing partner Samsung, Netflix is doing family plans, and what happened to all those 1-800 numbers. Dial carefully children. Dial carefully.

Buzz Out Loud 1443: Google's Double Rainbow Strategy (Podcast)

"Hey, Buzz Crew ..." Google seems to be building out a version of Chrome OS for tablets, which we're calling their "double rainbow" strategy: it breaks your brain. Plus, what Epsilon knew about their social phishing vulnerabilities, and when they knew it. Samsung cuts tablet pricing again, why we're never using Pandora again until we get an email from Tim Westergren, and a seriously old-school hacker story. --Molly

Buzz Out Loud 1442: Netflix streams to the top, Xoom zooms to the bottom (Podcast)

Netflix reportedly will pay about $100 million to stream every episode of Mad Men: chump change, if predictions of an $800 million streaming TV market turn out to be true. Also, it seems that everyone wants to get in on the tablet market, but given reported XOOM sales of only about 100,000, it's possible the only tablet market there is is for iPads. Plus, AT&T iPhones and their dropped calls, and Obama goes to Facebook. -- Molly

The 404 793: Where Wilson's back with a vengeance (podcast)

The Bubble Boy gets released from quarantine and joins us back on today's episode of The 404, where we're chatting about Dish Network grabbing Blockbuster for $228 million; a Canadian service that could mean the end of missed packages; a girl who can't close her mouth; and the end of one of our favorite TV shows: "30 Rock."

The 404 Digest for Episode 793

Dish Network wins bidding war for Blockbuster Video. The BufferBox may signal the end of missed packages. Just for fun, here's the delivery guy spoof scene from "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Nurse uses Popsicle sticks to reset a jaw in mid-yawn. News anchor falls for Shock Top app prank. "30 Rock" will end next season, according to Alec Baldwin.

Episode 793 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Dish Network to buy Blockbuster for $228 million

Blockbuster has finally found a suitor.

Dish Network announced today that it will be acquiring the movie rental chain for $228 million. The satellite provider participated in a bankruptcy court auction for Blockbuster, making a winning bid of $320 million. With adjustments for cash and inventory, the companies agreed on the final price.

After failing to see the changing times and allowing Netflix's DVD-By-Mail service to grow under its nose, Blockbuster was met by significant challenges in the rental space. In 2009, a little over a year after it tried to acquire Circuit City for $1 billion, Blockbuster was … Read more