Andre Yoskowitz
12 Dec 2009 15:51
NCR, the maker of Blockbuster's Express rental kiosks has acquired small kiosk maker DVDPlay, allowing for an expansion into the west coast, most notably California.
Although the financials were not disclosed, DVDPlay operates 1300 kiosks, mainly in the grocery stores Safeway and Kroger. Before the acquisition, NCR had 2500 kiosks, a fraction of Redbox, which now has over 22,000 and is still expanding.
"The DVDPlay acquisition really expands our presence,” adds NCR Entertainment VP and general manager Alex Camara, via VB.
All the current DVDPlay kiosks will be replaced by Blockbuster Express kiosks, which have larger capacities and can be upgraded to include digital downloads.
The acquisition will mainly give Blockbuster express "a higher profile in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and Chicago," says Camara.