Andre Yoskowitz
18 Oct 2009 18:35
Redbox has begun testing selling DVDs through their kiosks this month, offering new and catalog releases for about $20 USD alongside their $1-a-night DVD rental kiosks.
The sell-through kiosks will sell the DVDs under the brand name Vidigo and is currently being tested in five locations in Los Angeles. The kiosks look almost identical to Redbox ones in shape and size but will be colored black instead of red.
Redbox will begin testing smaller sell-through kiosks made for convenience stores soon however, adds president Mitch Lowe. In other news, Lowe says videogame and Blu-ray rental testing is going well.
The rental company recently began circulating a study that showed that Redbox renters are not taking a big chunk out of studio sales like Fox, Universal and Warner have been claiming and instead actually support the figures.
According to VB, "In the past six months, Redbox renters said they bought 3.3 new DVD or Blu-ray titles and 1.4 used DVD/Blu-ray discs. That compares to non-Redbox renters who say they purchased 3.1 new DVD/Blu-rays and 1.2 used DVD/Blu-rays. Additionally, the heaviest Redbox users, who rent at least one $1 title weekly, say they’ve bought 4.4 new DVD/Blu-rays and 1.9 used DVD/Blu-rays."
Lowe also noted that despite Fox, Warner and Universal's 45-day restriction on new titles for the rental company, Redbox would still buy the titles from wholesalers and have them available on retail launch dates.