VIDEO. US satellite DTH operator Dish Network has announced that it will start to offer streaming movies and TV series under the Blockbuster brand. The new service aims to compete with Netflix.
Called Blockbuster Movie Pass, subscribers will have access to 3,000 movies streaming to their TV and 4,000 movies streamed to their PC. In addition, the subscription will also include 100,000 movies by mail (sic) on DVD or Blu-ray.
The cost for the new service is set at $10 ($7.4) a month and new subscribers to Dish’s TV service will get Blockbuster for free for 12 months. The Movie Pass is also included to subscribers to the Dish Network Top 200 programming package at $39.95 a month.
The announcement comes at the time when Netflix has said it is doing way with its combined DVDs-by-mail and streaming subscriptions. Netflix will offer streaming services only, while the newly created Qwikster will continue to serve the DVD-by-mail market.
It is not quite clear how many – if any – of the current Dish satellite receivers are hybrid devices, which can connect streaming services to the TV screen.
Here is the video of the press conference announcing the new service from Dish network and Blockbuster
