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Dish's 'Netflix Killer' Arrives With a Very Loud Thud
Dish-Subscriber-Only Service Rehashes Existing Offerings

As expected, Dish Network today unveiled their streaming video service that they plan to run under the Blockbuster brand. Dubbed "Blockbuster Movie Pass," the service bundles many of the existing Blockbuster services, including games by mail, DVDs by mail, and video streaming, with access to premium movie channels and Dish VOD. Only current Dish subscribers can subscribe to this service, which will cost users $10 a month, or $40 a year if they subscribe to Dish's America's Top 200 package.

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The service offers access to 100,000 DVD by mail titles, 4,000 movies streamable to PC, and 3,000 movies streamable to your television set. While Dish was clear today to note that the service is "only the beginning" of their use of the Blockbuster brand, the announcement arrived amid great yawns from consumers and the tech media.

Given Dish's pre-announcement hype, many assumed that Dish planned to launch a new streaming service that directly competes with Netflix. Instead, what Dish today announced appears to be a vaguely-interesting mish-mash of existing (and often underwhelming) Blockbuster services, wrapped in a public relations bow designed to cash in on the ill will generated by recent Netflix rate hikes.

The Dish-customer-only restriction mirrors the standard cable-industry tactic of trying to keep existing customers from leaving -- as opposed to trying to launch a video streaming platform service for everyone. Dish has indicated an interest in launching this service to a broader audience, but for the time being it appears that Netflix's 64% digital streaming market share is very safe.
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v35_pilot
Whoops, there goes another AMU
Premium Member
join:2005-12-12
Fayetteville, NY

v35_pilot

Premium Member

Unfortunate that it wasn't a bigger deal

but as a 16 year Dish customer I am looking forward to taking advantage of this deal myself. Heck, I may even cancel Netflix if it comes close to what Netflix offers.

siouxmoux2
@sbcglobal.net

siouxmoux2

Anon

Re: Unfortunate that it wasn't a bigger deal

No Surprise there. BlockBuster was always a Bust from the every start.

Snakeoil
Ignore Button. The coward's feature.
Premium Member
join:2000-08-05
united state

Snakeoil to v35_pilot

Premium Member

to v35_pilot
I agree. It sounds interesting. I could kill gamefly and netflix. 40 bucks a year isn't bad.
crk2h
join:2003-03-19
Murfreesboro, TN

crk2h

Member

Re: Unfortunate that it wasn't a bigger deal

You know that with blockbuster.com the rates get you movies and games including blu-ray right? So why would you want netflix and gamefly?
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: Unfortunate that it wasn't a bigger deal

said by crk2h:

You know that with blockbuster.com the rates get you movies and games including blu-ray right? So why would you want netflix and gamefly?

Let's see Netflix( Qwikster's )pricing on video games before we compare.

Snakeoil
Ignore Button. The coward's feature.
Premium Member
join:2000-08-05
united state

Snakeoil to crk2h

Premium Member

to crk2h
Can I get games and movies at the same time?

I'll wait until the full details are released, then make a decision.
Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO

Skippy25

Member

Must agree.....

it landed with a big dud!

MuDvAyNe
Premium Member
join:2002-03-02
Brooklyn, NY

MuDvAyNe

Premium Member

Just as expected

I figured this would be a Dish exclusive item. They are trying to bring people back to their service but they have lost out. They want to be know as a movie company, which is fine if you don't love sports. Dish Network has given up trying to keep the local RSN in NYC. I can see them doing this for every market. I was lucky to even get half of my games in HD when the RSN was available. What a joke of a company.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

I told you so

I lol at all the Netflix haters that said "I'm going to Dish streaming!" Oh and if $10 for Dish customers you can be sure that when it's offered to the general public it will be MORE than that.

dcurrey
Premium Member
join:2004-06-29
Mason, OH

dcurrey

Premium Member

Re: I told you so

True but just to get the convenience of one website for both I would have paid the $15 or so bucks. Looks like I am going to pay that anyway no matter how I do it.

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

mod_wastrel to 88615298

Member

to 88615298
Well, like they said, "It's a $20 package." ...so I guess we can expect it'll be $20 for non-Dish subs, if not more [if it lasts that long]. If Amazon buys Netflix, then everyone who left Netflix due to annoyance might rush to get Amazon's "triple-play": the Netflix catalog [plus more from Amazon], the pay-per-view of On Demand, and purchasing physical discs ...one-stop shopping.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: I told you so

said by mod_wastrel:

Well, like they said, "It's a $20 package." ...so I guess we can expect it'll be $20 for non-Dish subs, if not more

In other words MORE than what Netflix charges.

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

mod_wastrel

Member

Re: I told you so

That's right [I think $20 is still more than $10]. (I was quoting them as confirmation of your statement. They were even taking their numbers from Netflix pricing.)

tstolze
Premium Member
join:2003-08-08
O Fallon, MO

tstolze to 88615298

Premium Member

to 88615298
said by 88615298:

said by mod_wastrel:

Well, like they said, "It's a $20 package." ...so I guess we can expect it'll be $20 for non-Dish subs, if not more

In other words MORE than what Netflix charges.

This will include Bluray at no additional cost, games and unlimited in store exchanges.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned)

Member

Re: I told you so

said by tstolze:

said by 88615298:

said by mod_wastrel:

Well, like they said, "It's a $20 package." ...so I guess we can expect it'll be $20 for non-Dish subs, if not more

In other words MORE than what Netflix charges.

This will include Bluray at no additional cost, games and unlimited in store exchanges.

OK

Blockbuster with blu-ray included = $10
Netflix DVD only $8 + blu-ray add-on $2 more = $10.

$10 = $10

Unlimited store exchanges? Great I'll just drive 65 miles to the nearest Blockbuster.

openupshop
join:2000-11-25
Chandler, AZ

openupshop

Member

Re: I told you so

Get your game right.

Netflix is $7.99 add BluRay for $2.00 more=$9.99 with a No streaming option.

Blockbuster $9.99 includes streaming, BluRay, and games.

Apparently Netflix lost this battle.

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536

Premium Member

Re: I told you so

said by openupshop:

Get your game right.

Netflix is $7.99 add BluRay for $2.00 more=$9.99 with a No streaming option.

Blockbuster $9.99 includes streaming, BluRay, and games.

Apparently Netflix lost this battle.

But does BB have them same size library as netflix?

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

mod_wastrel

Member

Re: I told you so

BB < 5,000; Netflix > 30,000. (details from Cnet articles)

Discs about the same (100,000). (That's BB vs. [now] Qwikster.)

Of course, now there's going to be the Dish + BB "bundle" for, what?, $40/mo? (Dish subs will be able to stream about 30,000 titles, maybe with a few newer ones before Netflix(?), but it'll cost.)

For now, it's still Netflix with more for less (but the quantity vs. quality is undetermined). I don't think it's really worth comparing right now, though; everything could change in the next 3 months (with BB [plans to open up to non-Dish subs anytime soon?], with Amazon [will they/won't they buy Netflix?]). Personally, I'm just going to wait 'n' see; there's plenty of good stuff on Netflix that I haven't seen yet ('cause I've watched virtually nothing over the past 7 years or so other than a few big "blockbuster" hits [movies] and even less TV). It's only $8/mo for several hours of viewing per day, so... it's a bargain.

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru

MVM

Re: I told you so

said by mod_wastrel:

BB < 5,000; Netflix > 30,000. (details from Cnet articles)

30,000? Is that counting every TV episode as a different item? I can't imagine that the number is that high, and definitely not if you cut out all the worthless B- and C-list movies that were direct to $5-discount-bin DVD.

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

1 edit

mod_wastrel

Member

Re: I told you so

I don't know for sure, but I think it's titles (so, not episodes**). I think it's fairly close to that; I seem to remember it being somewhere around 20,000+ some time ago (though, of course, it could have been a typo--that's a number attributed by Dish, too). Of course, you can't really cut out the "crap" (which they both have [and, anyway, "one man's crap is another's prize"]). In any event, I'm pretty sure the Netflix catalog is at least several times larger than BB's. (I don't really think 20,000 is all that many. I have a small disc library of my own, but it's several hundred titles. I certainly don't have even a tenth of what's out there, or even a hundredth.)

Edit: **thinking about it for TV shows--I can see how each season might be counted as a separate "title" (not saying Netflix does, but some cataloging sites, for instance, do that).

thedragonmas
Premium Member
join:2007-12-28
Albany, GA
Netgear R6300 v2
ARRIS SB6180

thedragonmas

Premium Member

Re: I told you so

said by mod_wastrel:

(..snip..)
Edit: **thinking about it for TV shows--I can see how each season might be counted as a separate "title" (not saying Netflix does, but some cataloging sites, for instance, do that).

not to mention "split" seasons, especially true for anime, example.

D gray man, season 1 part 1
D gray man, season 1 part 2
D gray man, season 2 part 1
D gray man, season 2 part 2

those counted as 4? or 2? (they make you think thats all there is, but theres really 103 espisodes on those 2 seasons, but netflix only has half! one more thing i hate)

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

mod_wastrel

Member

Re: I told you so

Are the DVD box sets split like that? (It would make some sense to mirror streaming with DVD that way. On the other hand, some titles are just a bunch of episodes--InuYasha, Bleach.)
whurlston
Premium Member
join:2006-05-06
USA

whurlston to cdru

Premium Member

to cdru
I've programmed with their developer API which lists all those titles (when it's working). In that "30,000", each TV episode, each "10 minute workout", each part of a compilation counts as a separate "title". That number also declines drastically when you remove the sub par video from the Starz offerings.

Snakeoil
Ignore Button. The coward's feature.
Premium Member
join:2000-08-05
united state

Snakeoil to dvd536

Premium Member

to dvd536
Depends. Back when I was a blockbuster customer, they wouldn't carry Unrated or NC-17 movies. They tried to keep a wholesome family image.
I dunno if that changed or not. I know netflix carries unrated and NC-17 movies. It carries a lot of anime, foreign films as well.
I dunno what the modern blockbuster carried, last time I was a member was mid-90's.

cdru
Go Colts
MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN

cdru

MVM

Re: I told you so

said by Snakeoil:

Depends. Back when I was a blockbuster customer, they wouldn't carry Unrated or NC-17 movies. They tried to keep a wholesome family image.

It always cracked me up when I worked there in college that they wouldn't carry the unrated director's cut of say Eurotrip because it shows a little extra boobs, but they will carry the much more graphics Skinimax softcore porn.
88615298 (banned)
join:2004-07-28
West Tenness

88615298 (banned) to openupshop

Member

to openupshop
said by openupshop:

Get your game right.

Netflix is $7.99 add BluRay for $2.00 more=$9.99 with a No streaming option.

Blockbuster $9.99 includes streaming, BluRay, and games.

Apparently Netflix lost this battle.


Only $10 for DISH subcribers. Or did you not read the article?

When available to public will NOT be $10.
dr_jack
join:2002-04-21
Irving, TX

dr_jack

Member

Re: I told you so

said by 88615298:

said by openupshop:

Get your game right.

Netflix is $7.99 add BluRay for $2.00 more=$9.99 with a No streaming option.

Blockbuster $9.99 includes streaming, BluRay, and games.

Apparently Netflix lost this battle.


Only $10 for DISH subcribers. Or did you not read the article?

When available to public will NOT be $10.

You speak so definitively about the pricing. Do you actually have some evidence that the price would not be $10? Perhaps you could post a link. Or maybe you could state that this is YOUR opinion.
mogamer
join:2011-04-20
Royal Oak, MI

mogamer

Member

Re: I told you so

said by dr_jack:

said by 88615298:

said by openupshop:

Get your game right.

Netflix is $7.99 add BluRay for $2.00 more=$9.99 with a No streaming option.

Blockbuster $9.99 includes streaming, BluRay, and games.

Apparently Netflix lost this battle.


Only $10 for DISH subcribers. Or did you not read the article?

When available to public will NOT be $10.

You speak so definitively about the pricing. Do you actually have some evidence that the price would not be $10? Perhaps you could post a link. Or maybe you could state that this is YOUR opinion.

I'm not saying that he's right. But remember Blockbuster already charges $9.99 per month for "1 disc out" mail order service. Do you think that Dish will just throw in streaming for free?

I'm already a Dish subscriber with the Platinum package. That package, to me, is very well worth it. Throwing in the disc service is just a bonus. A bonus that will allow me to save $8.47 (including MI sales tax) per month by dropping Netflix/Qwikster by mail. I'll still keep Netflix streaming though. I'm one of those people who really enjoy watching the tv shows that I missed and nobody else comes close to what Netflix offers.

I feel bad for those who don't have a BBV store nearby. But we have one about a 1/2 mile away that will get business from us with the in-store exchanges.
Kamus
join:2011-01-27
El Paso, TX

Kamus to tstolze

Member

to tstolze
said by tstolze:

This will include Bluray at no additional cost, games and unlimited in store exchanges.

That's all fine and well.. but who the hell wants more physical media in the internet age?

This is nice for people stuck with yesteryears technology. but the future is streaming.

Just think about it for a minute, and how stupid it is that you have to rely on physical media for the newest movies.

What Netflix and newer services like it should do, is get some sort of deal where your subscription includes a maximum of 2-4 "new" movie releases a week, to add to their other titles.

That way it wouldn't be any different from "one blu-ray at a time"

mod_wastrel
anonome
join:2008-03-28

mod_wastrel

Member

Re: I told you so

said by Kamus:

What Netflix and newer services like it should do, is get some sort of deal where your subscription includes a maximum of 2-4 "new" movie releases a week, to add to their other titles.

Can't get what the studios won't allow.
biochemistry
Premium Member
join:2003-05-09
92361

biochemistry to Kamus

Premium Member

to Kamus
said by Kamus:

said by tstolze:

This will include Bluray at no additional cost, games and unlimited in store exchanges.

That's all fine and well.. but who the hell wants more physical media in the internet age?

This is nice for people stuck with yesteryears technology. but the future is streaming.

Just think about it for a minute, and how stupid it is that you have to rely on physical media for the newest movies.

What Netflix and newer services like it should do, is get some sort of deal where your subscription includes a maximum of 2-4 "new" movie releases a week, to add to their other titles.

That way it wouldn't be any different from "one blu-ray at a time"

Right now streaming is yesteryears technology. The absolute best video and audio quality available today is on blu-ray.
BullyRED
join:2004-04-08
Grayslake, IL

BullyRED

Member

"beta" test?

Maybe they're using the existing customer base as the "beta" before they go live to the world? An alternative to Netflix that might be "cheaper" but has capacity issues could be dead on arrival.

ht
@qwest.net

ht

Anon

wtf?

i thought this was suppose to compete with netflix?

joshuaren
@ascentdata.com

joshuaren

Anon

Dish network customers

I am a dish network customer and I subscribe to America's Everything Package, and I am so excited for this...I have a month long trial of Netflix and I will be cancelling it, I love getting games in the mail and for $40 a year that is awesome (esp with streaming)!!! I wonder if they will offer this to non dish customers...

Tron4Net
join:2010-01-14
Corrales, NM

Tron4Net

Member

Loud Thud

I for one I'm glad it made a loud thud!! That's the sound of shit hitting the floor!!!! I have no love for this company!!!!! There the AT&T of Satellite/cable serice, in my opinion of course!!!
sam64
join:2006-07-31
Newtown, PA

sam64

Member

Re: Loud Thud

@Tron4Net - I could not agree with you more. Dish Network is comparable to AT&T. I had them for 3 years before I dropped them .. their customer service is horrible. I had billing issues with phantom $5 charges appearing on my bill every couple of months and then they would take 90 days to credit the money back. After I dropped them they kept calling trying to get me back with teaser offers. With all the issues I had with them I would never go back.

io chico
Premium Member
join:2003-12-30
Marble Falls, TX

io chico

Premium Member

Goodbye Dish

If it extends my contract, I won't sign up. I'm counting down the months until I cut the cord. Also, I enjoy having Netflix on my Android phone, tablet and TV.

Also, Dish has the worst customer service that I've ever encountered.

••••••
slckusr
Premium Member
join:2003-03-17
Greenville, SC

slckusr

Premium Member

Cool!

Dish has a 3 month free trial of this\ or the movie blockbuster service on myacct/my offers section.

As far as service goes these guys have been awesome, ive never called in to talk to customer service (just my initial sign up which was awesome), however i have dealt with their online chat/facebook/twitter support and been very pleased with them.

This blockbuster service combined with the free slingbox is a great step to meet some of the cable co's offerings (on demand etc...). the only thign i see putting a kink into the hole setup is my local ISP capping my internet.

Cheers dish, and thanks for trying to innovate your service.

commbunch
join:2007-06-25
Hampshire, IL

commbunch

Member

So Disappointing

Had Blockbuster announced that they were going to be a true Netflix competitor with recent, GOOD movies (unlike Netflix) + last season's TV shows (like Netflix) I would have dropped Netflix in a heartbeat, even if they were a little bit more costly.

Since I am currently ineligible to receive this product (cancelled Dish a few months ago) Netflix gets to keep my $$$ coming for the time being.

MonkeyLick78
join:2002-01-27
Hixson, TN

MonkeyLick78

Member

..

Netflix has spent years building what they have so it's not surprising that this isn't equal or better.

norbert26
Premium Member
join:2010-08-10
Warwick, RI

norbert26

Premium Member

does NOT compete with Netflix

this is not an alternative when they ball and chain you to the dish. what good is this if you have trees blocking the line of sight and can't get dish ? Until these things are offered to anyone no strings attached they do me and many others NO good.
floydb1982
join:2004-08-25
Kent, WA

floydb1982

Member

My how the tables have turned

As Marve from Home Alone 2 said "My how the tables have turned" First it was Netflix killing off Blockbuster and now Netflix is going to be damaged by Blockbuster. Netflix was doing such a good job on Blockbuster until they screwed them self up big time.