Top Movie and Game Rentals

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When the head of said rival Blockbuster Inc. threw “everything but the kitchen sink at us,” the world’s largest video rental chain responded by sending him … a kitchen sink.

The message from last January’s interchange was clear: Blockbuster, with $6 billion in 2004 revenue and 5,500 domestic stores, intended to own online DVD rental, an $8 billion industry pioneered by Netflix.
Read more of   "BlockBuster’s Fortunes Falling; NetFlix’s Rise" »

Online DVD rental company Lovefilm said on Friday it has launched a movie download service in Britain, offering movies from the Warner Brothers catalogue including “Alexander” and “Poltergeist.”
Read more of   "Lovefilm (UK) to Launch Movie Download Service" »

Netflix Claim Form Process

Important Dates and Information

The important dates for you to know are:

• January 6, 2006 is the deadline to opt-out of this settlement (December 28, 2005 if mailed).
• January 5, 2006 is the deadline to intervene or object to this settlement (December 28, 2005 if mailed).
• January 18, 2006 is the Final Hearing Date.
• February 17, 2006 is the deadline to register for the benefit through the Claim Form Process.
• The Class Benefit will become available to eligible Class Members following the Effective Date, as described in the Settlement Agreement. The Effective Date depends on such factors as the pendency of any appeals and is therefore difficult to predict. All eligible Class Members will be sent an email when the Class Benefit becomes available.

Once you register for benefits under the NetFlix Class Action Settlement, you won’t receive those benefits until the settlement is final (refer to those dates above).

If you’d like to add to your personal movie collection, one way to do so is take advantage of the
Columbia House DVD Club offer of 5 DVDs for just $0.49. The movies are shipped to you on a ten day trial basis allowing you to cancel within that timeframe. Membership terms generall require purchasing another five DVDs within a year. Additionally, they offer discounted pricing for thousands of titles to entice you to purchase beyond the requirements of the membership program.

A class action suit has been brought against NetFlix for throttling their subscribers and not delivering one-day shipments. More information at: NetFlix Class Action Settlement

I just received an email from BlockBuster Online announcing their $29.99/month (first month $14.99) MovieSuite package. Billed as “the new, easy way to see all the movies you want at one low price”. This new package offers:

• Unlimited DVD rentals from BLOCKBUSTER Online (2 out at a time)
• 2 in-store rentals per month
• 2 previously viewed DVDs per month**
• 2 movie theater tickets per month

If you’re looking for an easy Christmas gift this year, give your favorite movie buff a gift subscription to NetFlix. With 45,000 titles to choose from and free shipping to their mailbox, it makes a wonder present. You can order a gift certificate online and either print out a certificate or have NetFlix email the gift certificate.

Whether for a birthday present, graduation or housewarming present, you can select from all available NetFlix rental plans (e.g., 2 out at a time, 4 out at a time, etc.) and extend the gift subscription for up to 12 months.

Subscriptions start at $9.99/month for 1-at-a-time, unlimited rentals.

Video Island, the UK’s largest independent online DVD rental company, today announced they have 3% of the entire UK market for DVD rental (note just online rentals). According to MRIB figures for 2004, Video Island, together with its consumer brand ScreenSelect and partners (Tesco, MSN, ITV) already account for a significant 3%(1) of the total DVD rental market in the UK. This is the one of the fastest growth rates of any e-commerce sector.

Read more of   "Video Island (UK) Captures 3% of Total DVD Rental Market" »