Proponents and opponents of Coinstar’s Redbox brand have been waiting for months for concrete plans regarding the company’s long-rumored streaming service. Recent comments from a Coinstar executive do not reveal a launch date or price, but do hint at the streaming service’s content focus.
Coinstar VP Galen Smith says that one of Redbox’s streaming service’s differentiators from rival Netflix may be a focus on film rather than television episodes. Says Smith:
“Unique about our consumer is that they … consume a lot of movies, and so it may be a different consumer base than the kind of core Netflix one that wants to stream a lot of TV,”
Is a focus on movies instead of TV the right move for Redbox streaming? How much longer do you think Coinstar/Redbox execs will keep playing coy rather than divulge actual details on Redbox’s forever-gestating streaming offering?
(via MediaPost)
While I think its very important that Redbox get into the streaming business (in the next 90 days if possible, before Amazon takes off too much), I think they will find themselves hurting for content if they only focus on films. Films cost a lot more to license than tv shows. You can get several seasons of a tv show for less than the cost of a big hollywood movie. I think they should target the exact same content as netflix, just at a lower price. Maybe by ‘films’ they aren’t talking about newer stuff though. Maybe their streaming would be the thousands of films made over the last couple of decades that Netflix doesn’t have.
Yes, they will have less content. I think that’s the point though. If they license TV and catalog items they will be just another in the market. They have three people ahead of them. Even if amazon doesn’t take off then they will still be a distant third.
However if they instead use the same strategy as with their kiosk, less content but only relevant content, they may carve out a niche. A few hit movies that rotate out with new movies every month.
Well, for me personally to switch from Netflix to Amazon, or Redbox streaming, they would have to offer the same content that I can get from Netflix, plus more. I would not give up my tv content at netflix just to go to films at redbox, nor would I subscribe to 2 services. I will choose the service which offers the most of everything, so if they want my vote, they need to step up and cover all the bases.
The problem is that I don’t think they can. Actually I’m quite certain that they can’t even come close. Netflix has way too much money and a huge head start. Redbox will have to accept the Netflix plus crowd. People who will have two services. They will have to offer something different and keep it at a price that people will accept.
What if they had 3 movies, brand spanking new and guaranteed not to be available streaming anywhere else? Would you pay 5 a month for that service if it also included, as has been hinted before, at least one free Redbox rental a month?
Nope, I just simply won’t do 2 services. Right now I can do Netflix for $8/month streaming, and if I want a new movie, Redbox dvd for $1. There aren’t that many good movies coming out these days anyway, so a limited ‘newer film’ streaming wouldn’t be beneficial to me. There are two possibilities that would make me switch:
1> Same content as netflix, lower price, available on all platforms such as blu-ray players, wii, xbox, ps3, etc.
2> Newer movies than Netflix, with same existing content as netflix, for around $10-$12/month. I would pay a couple bucks extra per month to have the same content, PLUS a few newer titles each month.
As for netflix being way ahead of the game, I don’t think so really. They have the exact same contacts in place as redbox, they’ve dealt with the same studios, they probably have the same contracts in place in anticipation of streaming, as this isn’t a new idea for redbox, they’ve had to of been working this for quite some time. If they are partnering with somebody, maybe they are partnering with someone who already has content available and ready to go.
I’m just saying, if you want to compete, you have to offer at a minimum, the same content people can get elsewhere, at a lower price, and/or bring extra content on top of it to make people go “Yes, I will give up netflix and join redbox”. Thats what it comes down to. I don’t think redbox wants to be sloppy seconds to netflix, they want to beat netflix.
My take would be for them to just stream the movies they offer at the kiosk but put an annual membership at $5 and then you can stream all their movies. They could lock in a subscription base, still keep their kiosk business going for non-streamers and not worry about taking on the giant NETFLIX.
Not ever going to happen.
No studio is EVER going to license streaming of new release content to Redbox, Netflix, Apple, Google, or anyone else at such a low price point.
Where are all the people complaining that thay didn’t get their “first Monday of the month” free rental code?
That’s way, way too low. If you mean 5 a month then it’s more likely but it won’t be EVERYTHING. At best it will be a few things that just left the kiosk.
While streaming options are nice I see Netflix as being a company who has spent alot of years and money to get to this minimally acceptable level now that finally has me spending money on a subscription for streaming only instead of justing using VOD on amazon. It’s going to a long hard road for everyone. Streaming will always been an issue with the amount and kind of content, the pricing which will never been Redbox low for new titles, and issues with internet bandwith/throttling, and tiered/overage rates
I waited all month for the first Monday of the month code….NOW WHERE THE HECK IS IT??
I haven’t received my code either for the first Monday of the month. What is going on here. Anyone have a code they are not going to use?