Dish Chairmain: We Bought Blockbuster to Get Into Wireless
Posted by Shane Smith on Feb 12, 2013 under news
A few years back, Dish Network picked up bankrupt Blockbuster Video, the once-mighty titan of the movie rental business. According to company chairman Charlie Ergen, the move was made in anticipation of creating a large retail footprint for wireless device and network sales.
Said Ergen:
“The [Blockbuster store] real estate was really good for us to get into the wireless business . . . Half the store would be wireless and half the store would be TV and whatever else we were going to put in. Because we got delayed, it hasn’t exactly worked out the way we planned.”
The delays that Ergen refers to include wireless spectrum regulatory delays and other issues that prevented Dish from launching a subscription VOD service to rival Netflix.
Is it too late for Dish to make a move into the Netflix and Amazon-dominated streaming world?
[via Home Media Magazine]
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4 Responses to “Dish Chairmain: We Bought Blockbuster to Get Into Wireless”
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Visitor [Join Now] Sunny [visitor] February 18, 2013 at 10:40 am
Dish is advertising a Friday – Sunday BB month. Just tune in 102 on F – S nights and watch lots of old sad movies. What a waste.
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Visitor [Join Now] tinybrat [visitor] February 18, 2013 at 7:36 pm
Of course its too late. If Blockbuster couldn’t make it in their own store, why would Dish think they could make it? Of course I stated this the day the deal was announced with Dish purchasing BB, and how stupid of move it was on their part… Whats next for Dish? Maybe they could buy Kmart/Sears, or Best Buy, or GameStop, or maybe they could buy the Postal Service from the government!! There are soooo many businesses under water in profits which they could waste their revenue on.
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Visitor [Join Now] Bob In Tulsa [visitor] February 19, 2013 at 12:14 pm
A few years ago, Blockbuster partnered with Radio Shack and put a small Radio Shack home entertainment store inside every BB location in Tulsa. The theory was, folks who stopped in to rent a movie might decide to buy a new DVD player or other home entertainment equipment. The pilot project died a quick, quiet death. There is no doubt Blockbuster’s ongoing poor judgement has infected Dish.
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Is this a joke? BB is a dead brand.