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Blockbuster redesigns streaming rental service with focus on building a cross-platform store

Blockbuster redesigns streaming rental service with focus on building a cross-platform store

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via puu.sh
via puu.sh

Though Blockbuster moved into the streaming space years ago, it's now making a push for a unified, cross-platform online rental service. A redesigned version of Blockbuster On Demand has showed up on Android, with versions also available for Samsung smart TVs, Roku, Mac OS X, and Windows — though not iOS. The app offers about 4,000 movies to rent in 24-hour increments for between $2.99 and $4.99; HD rentals occupy the high end of that range and can only be watched on TVs.

Blockbuster On Demand isn't a new service, but it now looks more like a real platform in its own right, rather than an extension of Blockbuster's traditional (and struggling) storefront business. While its blue-and-yellow icon is the same as ever, the rest of the pink-and-black palette recalls Microsoft's old Zune store. What's not changing is the business model: Blockbuster doesn't appear to be offering a subscription service through On Demand. While that takes it out of competition with services like Netflix, though, the company is still operating in a space that's already occupied by iTunes, Amazon, and others.