Blockbuster parent company Dish Network revealed that all 300 remaining U.S.-based Blockbuster retail stores will be closed, as well as all of its distribution centers.
“This is not an easy decision, yet consumer demand is clearly moving to digital distribution of video entertainment. Despite our closing of the physical distribution elements of the business, we continue to see value in the Blockbuster brand, and we expect to leverage that brand as we continue to expand our digital offerings.”
-Dish president and CEO Joseph P. Clayton
According to Dish president and CEO Joseph Clayton, Blockbuster won’t necessarily disappear into the abyss. Dish will still offer customers Blockbuster Home and the Blockbuster On Demand streaming service. Blockbuster Home offers various movie channels, which include Starz, Cinemax, and Epix, and includes 20,000 movies and TV shows that can be streamed to televisions, computers, and iPads. Blockbuster On Demand, meanwhile, offers “thousands of movies” that are watchable on several connected devices.
In other words, while Blockbuster will be all but dead in the real world, it continues to live on in the virtual world. Oh, and one more thing — the Blockbuster by Mail service will live on until mid-December.
[Source: PC Mag]