Redbox boost for UltraViolet
October 26, 2012
By Colin Mann
US disc and game rental operation Redbox, a wholly owned subsidiary of Coinstar and Warner Bros Home Entertainment have signed a multi-year agreement to bring Warner Bros’ Blu-ray Disc and DVD titles to Redbox kiosks 28 days after their retail release dates.
In addition, Redbox announced plans to join the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE) and has agreed to promote UltraViolet through a programme of mutually agreed-upon promotions and marketing tactics designed to help retail customers discover UltraViolet.
“For the past 10 years, Redbox has been committed to giving consumers affordable access to new-release entertainment,” said Galen Smith, senior vice president, Redbox. “This new agreement continues this commitment and represents an exciting new chapter in our relationship with Warner Bros., and an opportunity to explore our consumers’ interest in UltraViolet.”
For titles with street dates between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2014, the studio will grant Redbox the rights to offer Warner Bros. theatrical titles on Blu-ray Disc and DVD 28 days after their retail release dates. The arrangement will improve the economics for both Warner Bros. and Redbox while ensuring consistent availability of Warner Bros. titles for the consumer.
“We are pleased to once again have a direct relationship with Redbox, providing their consumers access to our movies,” said Ron Sanders, president, Warner Home Video. “In addition, we look forward to working together on other key initiatives such as UltraViolet and creating promotional opportunities to offer consumers great content when and where they want it.”
Coinstar has an online entertainment service joint venture with US telco Verizon – Redbox Instant by Verizon – which plans to offer subscription streaming, movie sales and rentals by Christmas, along with DVDs from the local kiosk.