Oh, Warner, will you ever just be satisfied with what you have? Warner Bros., by far the most outspoken studio when it comes to delaying new releases to Redbox and company, is rumored to be on the verge of doubling the current rental embargo of new release titles. If this turns out to be true, Redbox, Blockbuster, and Netflix customers will have to wait 56 days to rent new Warner titles after they are released for sale.
William Blair & Co. analyst Ralph Schackart thinks that while Netflix might not feel too much of a sting from this eventuality, the same can’t necessarily be said for Redbox:
“Although Coinstar was able to work through the 28?day window previously, we believe there is a better chance that the 56?day window could have a more material impact since the content will be roughly two months old when it hits a kiosk and a growing number of digital channels will have the digital content to view (i.e., digital channels will have the titles for rent or purchase during a 56?day DVD embargo),”
Redbox has released an official statement saying that no revised agreements are currently in place.
Would a nearly two-month long delay window change your Redboxing habits at all, Insiders? Do you think other studios will follow suit if Warner implements a longer window?
(via Home Media Magazine)
With the work around redbox customers will see warner movies in a week or two down from 28 days. So net net customers will come out ahead. Warner will get 10 days vs their 56 day expectation.
We’ll see what the other studios do. Teaching warner a nice lesson will certainly be helpful to coinstar in this battle.
@FLoN
The only drawback is that 56-day quarantine titles will be scarce to say the least. Maybe only *one in five* redbox kiosks will be stocked, just like the last work around. :(
Some titles might be scarce but since they are already starting from a 28 delay, among other reasons, it’ll largely go unnoticed by customers.
Most busy movie customers want convenience. That is the only reason Netflix exists. Their content has been old as hell forever. Our family loves movies, if we choose not to go to the theater- to save money we know it will take a while to get movies. By the time a movie runs at the theater, then the discount dollar theater, then the so call PPV on the premium pay sites, I am suprised DVD’s sell at all. The reason we use Red box is convenience and a fair price. The public will wait. Studios can stick it1
I don’t mind waiting 28 days but I can’t wait 56 days (nearly 2 months) to see some rental movies. This will hurt Redbox as I will look to amazon vod or vudu when it comes to Warner Bros. movies. I hope this doesn’t snowball and other movie studios start to do the same.
You can’t wait 56 days? You’ve already waited several months since they were released in theaters in the first place. What’s another 2 months?
I waited several months because I find going to movie theater an inconvenience with driving there, not as comfy, talkers and a real ripoff especially when it is a bad movie. The difference between redbox and say “amazon vod” is far less. If I can watch a certain movie that I wanted to see 2 months earlier than redbox and pay like $1.99-2.99, it is the better option for me. There are some positives for amazon vod/vudu and warner bros. may be one of them. I think this is bad for redbox.
New releases on amazon are $4. Old stuff is less. Also amazon doesn’t get stuff 2 months before others.
Not true especially during the weekends. I rent plenty of new released movies on amazon for .99-$1.99. On early December, I rented Fright Night (new version during release week) for $1.99 and Green Lantern for .99. And the newly released Planet of the Apes: Rise of Apes on Dec 25th for $1.99…. Amazon VOD does get movies as soon as it is released on dvd/blu-ray and many before netflix & redbox like Contagion is out on Amazon to rent but not available until Jan 31st on redbox.
You are right, new releases are all $3.99 not $4. $.99 to $1.99 is not major studio new releases. Green Latern was under promo on a few sites in early december. Google had this promo along with a few other movies for like 15 days. Now it is gone.
Here’s how to think about it…if amazon or google gets $2 VOD you can be sure as sh*t comcast, time warner cable et al will demand the same deal. Sustained $2 VOD would be great for consumers but would clearly hurt theatrical, destroy the home video window (sell through) and pressure the hell out of the pay TV guys. The whole pie would shrink even as VOD grew so therefore you’ll never see a studios do a sustained $2 new release VOD offering……..EVER.
Sure VOD comes out for some studios before redbox but it costs 2 to 4x the price which matters to a lot of people in a tough economy. Some people use redbox as a fill in for netflix or other services but many people use it b/c they can’t afford VOD and the movie theater. These are the facts of life in a weak job market.
I say coinstar should boycott all warner titles for a year and see how warner’s numbers stack up.
This is a great point. Studios make a decent share of their money selling product to rental companies. How smart would it be to completely lose that revenue source, were Redbox to refuse to carry Warner titles.
When, oh when, will studios and other content providers get it right?
This issue is not hard to understand. There are *renters* and there are *buyers*. Many times they could even be the same. How hard can it be to recognize that renters can wait and that buyers need added-value to buy?
The studios that get it right… release rental SKUs *AND* commercial disk through different channels. The latter disks containing everything from: menus; commentaries; featurettes; and event the kitchen sink.
The stooge got this one right. Miracle of miracles.
Oh, you mean by including many of the features that were touted as being features of DVD over VHS? Are they going to figure out how to override the DVD player’s ability to resume where you left off when you stop a disc, too? And what about how great it’ll be to be able to skip the trailers and junk at the beginning of a movie, and go right to the movie? Oh, wait, they’ve taken that away from us already, haven’t they?
We all know netflix won’t work around anything. If Redbox does, they’ll get my business for those titles if they bring them in within a week. I’m not going to pay $3.00 though (like bbx charges), maybe $1.50 but that’s about it.
If press reports are to be believed netflix will be emplying workaround on HBO DVDs. It is a fascinating tug of war. Consumers love cheap ways to watch movies and studios feel their product is undersold/rented.
Dear Warner,
You being cheap is not only going to make a LOT of Redbox fans upset, but we will make sure and carry this grudge on down the line when it comes time to buy DvD titles! Your a great company, this is truth, but to do this is only going to enrage ones that like your company to begin with! If you DO decide to make change with this decision, well my dog and I will rely on our stash of say 1,000 copied DvD titles until yours hits the RedBox, and than we will just copy yours! Buying this “StAsH” from a yard sale, I was a true believer in buying DvD titles as the actors who make your company what it even is, do deserve a paycheck! They DID work for it! Thanks Warner! Thanks a LOT
Signed,
A true Redbox fan!
Warners hasn’t had many hits last year, so I see why their attitude towards rental has changed. Until the Dark Knight Rises comes out on DVD, I’m not
Even thinking being a *buyer* when it comes to Warner, just a renter.
My video store will have it on release date. Too bad consumers let Wall Street companies run off the little guys. Not many of us left.
Waiting 56 days is going to make us run out and buy the DVD? No! The people who do buy DVD’s resell them on Ebay the same day. This is just going to make people renew/continue their relationship with the neighbor bootlegger! I’ll wait!
Great point! Well said.
I miss the small video store, maybe they can make a come back now. I’m not impressed with WB being so greedy. I love the convenience and price in redbox. I just Hate not seeing what I want when I want. I think redbox should refuse to rent WB videos at all if they have to wait that long to get them. gotta hit the big companies where it counts. just sayin’
Just another way for the movie pirates to have more time to make more money.
definitely!
Waiting a month to get a new movie is fine but waiting two months, I don’t think so. The people need to react big and hard! We the people need to let the big studios know that we will not go along with this. DVD’s are already too expensive to purchase and when we do we get less and pay more. We used to get extras with the dvd now it costs $5 or more for those extras. All you get on the dvd is the movie. Expanding the waiting period should require a boycott of all Warner Bros dvd product or any other studio that attemps this. Hit them in their wallet! The “bottom line” is the only thing that they understand. If the studios want to push the public we will push back and show our displeasure through our purchase power!
They could make the delay a year and I’d still wait. I refuse to pay exorbitant prices to see a movie in the theater, proving I’m already willing to wait months for a DVD release. I also refuse to buy a DVD I’m only going to watch once (read: just about every movie I’ve ever seen) and so I’m more than content to wait until it is rentable. What’s a few more weeks. Plus, my DVR is so chock full of viewing options at the moment I watch too much stuff as it is. Keep digging that hole, Warner.
Chalk up another one for the dvd pirates
The extra wait won’t bother me. I only rent a few a year now as most of the movies are just junk. Just like Harry Potter movies. I have been watching the Half Blood Prince for I don’t know how long!!! I can only get through 3 to 5 minutes a day because it is so very boring. I have watched 55 minutes of it so far.
When will it get interesting?..What do people see in them??? Netflix is the way to go. They have zillions of older movies and tv shows that I have never seen. I love Netflix and the quality of the video is superb. But I still love Redfbox too, it’s just that there are not many good movies coming out. I rented Cowboys and Aliens the other day. A complete waste of my time and $1.30.
I’ve bought, streamed, downloaded and rented movies. If I skip a movie in the theater then I am already “waiting” 120+ days to see it. I don’t care what their delay time is. If I want to see a movie then I will find a way to see it and most-often I’ll do it the cheapest way possible.
I totally agree with the majority of comments posted….the extra delay in dvds making it to Redbox won’t do anything good for WB. They’re just hurting theirselves. We’re waiting a long time already to see movies on dvd for a low price, so what’s 2 more months. People are DEFINITELY NOT going to rush to BUY dvds just cause it takes longer to be able to rent them. If anything, more people are going to turn towards FREE bootlegs on websites or buying bootlegs off the street. The whole reason people rent is because is cheaper, more convenient, and/or they don’t plan on watching a movie more than once. WB is making a very stupid move: decreasing their profits and pushing piracy to probably its highest peak in history.
I like the idea of boycotting Warner’s for a year and see what they have to say after that. There are plenty of movies and shows to watch in the mean time.
For me, the day a movie is available to rent IS the day the movie is “released”. Throwing in a 28, 56, etc. day wait isn’t going to increase my purchases. If anything, it would delay possible purchases because I end up buying some movies after I rent them. I just don’t blind buy anymore because there are too many crap movies being made. Limiting the supply of crap isn’t going to make crap more desirable. In other words, if you want to see better sales, then make better movies that people are likely to want to view multiple times and therefore buy.
I don’t mind waiting about a month to see a movie with the current delay. The $2.00 to Redbox is cheaper than the 45-50.00 for wife and I to see it in theatr, and thr 2.5 hours of discomfort from the seats, and the people throwing food. Especially for those who are disabled.
Oneivie is out on dvd or blursy, add another 40.00 to it if it was one we waned to purchase.
What we do is spend 2.00, watch it at home a couple of times, return it same day, and purchase if we want it.
Now waiting two months, is just plain stupid. But, Warner thinks they know best, so the think its not.
56 days? I have a hard time NOT forgetting the movie after 28 days! Guess outta sight, outta mind for warner.. If they think this will force us to go buy the dvd when it comes out, it wont for me. It just means that I will more than likely forget about the movie itself…. else wait til its in the $5 bin @ WallyWorld..
I think it will hurt Redbox. So many people wait to see on DVD, but having to wait an additional 2 months could put more people going to other ways of renting them. But, basically from what I understand, the only other way to see them is going to be to actually buy the movies, unless they are available on Pay Per View, as a lot of movies seem to hit PPV prior to getting in Redbox.
I get some of the movies from my public library. I have been able to get some of them faster that way, than I can trying to get them from Redbox. With a limited amount per kiosk, it can take a while to actually get to rent the movie.
That’s my 2 cents worth…. :-)
I just don’t understand even the 28-day delay. The number of DVDs’ of movies sold to people who NEVER SAW IT BEFORE is so small it’s not even statistically significant. The ONLY time I’ve bought DVD’s is after having seen the film first – 90% via rental (and the rest via theater or television). More than a 7-day delay causes interest to wane; 56-days and the shareholders are going to dump the stock due to declining revenue. And they wonder why their revenue is down! Talk about an industry that is so insulated it is losing touch with their customers.
I’m so tired of being held hostage by these movie studios! I’m not gonna buy movies ever, so go ahead and make me wait longer and longer to rent movies. We’ll see whose bottom line is hurt in the end.
I rent the new good movies from my library if i cant wait for redbox. I pay $1.50 at the library and $1.00 at redbox. The local libraries have now become the new local video stores.
Btw, i think people will eventually wait the 56 days just like they did for the 28 days once they get used to it.
Yep, the movie is out when it’s out in the convenience format a person wants. WB has to hope other studios follow suit though, if they don’t WB titles risk being seen as “old” compared to other studios titles. The people who almost exclusively rent “new releases” are doing so because the title is fresh in their minds. So WB may have to increase their marketing to keep the title fresh, which means an added expense for them.
If Redbox sees WB titles renting less often, they will buy less of them for their machines. If the rental frequency stays nearly the same, then WB made the correct decision. It’s as simple as that.
I say rent one copy from a video rental store and then let all your friends and family have it and pirate it as well as all of the Warner titles. If you want to delay…we will PIRATE your DVD’s. F-U-C-K OFF Warner!!!!!!!!!