Dish Gives Up Plans To Morph Blockbuster Into Netflix Rival
Sad days for Blockbuster. The once mighty video rental chain has fallen on hard times in a world where Netflix, VUDU and other video streaming services are proving more affordable and convenient. There was, however, a glimmer of hope. Charlie Ergen had planned to have Dish Network acquire Blockbuster from bankruptcy in April of 2011, and then morph it into a Netflix rival. His master plan was to equip Blockbuster stores with Dish mobile devices that could then be used to stream Blockbuster movies. The plan didn't work out. U.S. regulators weren't willing to immediately approve a waiver for Dish to use its spectrum in new ways, and slowly, time took its toll.
Now, according to a Bloomberg report, that plan is behind them. Now, there are still plans for Blockbuster -- Dish isn't given up entirely -- but it probably won't be as glamorous. Dish is still hoping to crank out some sort of streaming service with video providers, but that's probably still "years away." Seems like even Apple can't crack that nut.
Now, according to a Bloomberg report, that plan is behind them. Now, there are still plans for Blockbuster -- Dish isn't given up entirely -- but it probably won't be as glamorous. Dish is still hoping to crank out some sort of streaming service with video providers, but that's probably still "years away." Seems like even Apple can't crack that nut.
