Blockbuster And TiVo Join Forces - Movie Rentals On Demand

Blockbuster and TiVo have joined forces to bring you movies on demand. The joint venture will provide TiVo users with classic movies starting at $2.99 and new releases at $3.99 a pop. A news release states:

Over the coming weeks, Blockbuster will expand its available catalog, adding to TiVo subscribers’ growing choice of premium digital entertainment, including select HD titles. In addition, TiVo DVRs will be sold at thousands of participating BLOCKBUSTER stores nationwide, making it even easier for consumers to transform the way they experience entertainment.

“Blockbuster nights are synonymous with family and fun, something that goes perfectly with the TiVo experience,” said Joe Miller, senior vice president of sales and marketing at TiVo Inc. “By bringing Blockbuster’s content direct to TiVo subscribers, we show once again that TiVo offers much more choice and convenience for our customers compared to other DVR offerings. We are very pleased to say that customers can now walk into a participating BLOCKBUSTER store to purchase TiVo DVRs and that together both companies have succeeded in bringing even more entertainment direct to the living room.”

“When people see BLOCKBUSTER on their TiVo DVR, they’ll instantly recognize that they have a movie lover’s trusted source of entertainment at their fingertips,” said Bruce Anderson, senior vice president and general manager of BLOCKBUSTER On Demand. “We’re thrilled to give consumers another way to enjoy the movies they want most now with the convenience of their TiVo remote control in the comfort of their living room.”

Interesting, but I think Blockbuster and TiVo may be late for the party. This reminds me of what the big three auto companies are trying to do: convince the American consumer that this is a deal. Well, no offense to the folks at Blockbuster and TiVo, but this is no deal. With Netflix offering movie rentals for a low of $8.99 a month, and on demand movies included in the price, I seriously doubt this scheme will save Blockbuster.

But what do you think? Deal or no deal?

Comments welcome.