To help compete with Redbox and other popular movie rental kiosks, Blockbuster announced that some of its first Blockbuster Express DVD rental kiosks will be located in Massachusetts and Connecticut.
Rentals will cost $1 per night, and will be located at 57 Big Y grocery stores in New England. The kiosks will be manufactured by NCR, which also makes The New Release and e-Play kiosks, and the company plans to move fast to roll out the kiosks as soon as possible.
"We looked at a number of different options of DVD rental kiosk companies, and we were convinced that NCR delivered the best experience, the best choice and the best brand," according to Phil Schneider, Big Y VP of sales.
I've had a seesaw experience with Redbox, but I'm very curious to see how Blockbuster's rental kiosks operate down the road. It's nice to be able to rent movies while in the grocery store -- something Blockbuster has finally figured out -- so I hope the company manages to not mess things up.
Redbox has garnered the most attention -- securing a $1.1 billion license agreement with several movie studios -- but Blockbuster may be able to avoid potential licensing issues with its rental kiosks. Consumers are continuing to lose faith in Blockbuster, with the company losing money and subscribers, so it will be interesting to see if this kiosk effort will help bring the company back to national prominence.
