subject: The History And Future Of Blockbuster [print this page] Blockbuster stores seem to be everywhere these days. In fact, if you drive around for 10 minutes in any town in America, you are bound to run into a Blockbusters. In just over 2 decades, Blockbuster has expanded greatly. Today the brand is synonymous with films.
In this article, I will review some of Blockbuster's history, and discuss its possible future. Also, I will reveal how to get a Blockbuster free trial in case you want to check out their DVD rental service.
The first Blockbuster store opened in Dalls in 1985. Blockbuster grew very fast, and a decade later, it was purchased by the giant media company, Viacom. But that did not last long as Blockbuster ultimately went independent again in 2004. Because of all the competition it has faced from companies like Netflix, Blockbuster has recently fallen on hard times. Just recently, in 2010, it was reported that Blockbuster may file for chapter 11 bankruptcy.
This begs the question, what is in store in terms of Blockbuster's future? Blockbuster has certainly made efforts to stay competitive in recent years, including the launch of a DVD rental program a few years ago. This program competes directly with Netflix, and has the added advantage of letting consumers exchange videos at one of the many Blockbuster stores.
I actually believe Blockbuster can return to being profitable as long as it reinvents itself around the DVD rental program and expands its services on the Internet. The one thing in Blockbuster's advantage is its strong brand. They should give serious thought to using their brand to create a major online video presence, similar to Youtube but with an emphasis of film.
As for its Total Access program, I believe they are on the right track. It is a great service that I've enjoyed for years now. Normally, DVDs would arrive within 1 or 2 days, and I liked how there were no due dates. The membership plans were flexible, and many allow unlimited DVD rentals each month.
