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Redbox Acquires NCR, Blockbuster Express For Up To $100 Million
- hornokplease 15y agoThe headline here appears to be a bit misleading - according to a report in Forbes[1], Coinstar/Redbox has acquired NCR's DVD kiosk business (which ran under the Blockbuster Express brand), not the entirety of NCR. <edit> The Redbox press release [2] makes it clear that they have only acquired NCR's entertainment line of business. [1] http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/02/06/ncr-q4-tops-forecasts-full-year-outlook-above-street-ests http://www.forbes.com/sites/ericsavitz/2012/02/06/ncr-q4-top... [2] http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/redbox-to-acquire-the-assets-of-ncrs-entertainment-line-of-business-nasdaq-cstr-1615655.htm http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/redbox-to-acquire-th...
- Karunamon 15y agoThanks, the article wasn't terribly clear on this either. I found it kind of odd that Redbox would aquire a POS solutions provider...
- 18pfsmt 15y agoMy understanding is that NCR provided a service to Blockbuster (which simply branded it, and provided the consumer relationship, aka took payments). DISH Network is now the owner of Blockbuster, and I don't think they are the only consume-facing operator of these kiosks.
- ck2 15y agoIsn't that bad for the consumer when a near duopoly buys the competitor?
- fbpcm 15y agoThey have a monopoly on dvd kiosks but streaming is still an alternative.
- LeafStorm 15y agoYes, because it practically eliminates the competition in the market. Considering that Redbox recently raised their prices, the purchase of Blockbuster Express may have primarily been intended to ensure that BBX couldn't undercut them.
- baddox 15y agoIt's probably a balance. One of the most desirable traits of a convenience service like Redbox is the ubiquity of their kiosks. If every block had a kiosk run by a different service, it would be bad for the consumer because it would be difficult to know who to trust.