DALLAS, March 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Blockbuster
Inc. (NYSE: BBI, BBI.B), a leading global provider of media
entertainment, announced a new agreement that continues to provide
immediate availability of Warner Bros. titles, with Academy
Award-winning The Blind Side available on March 23, in BLOCKBUSTER® stores and by-mail. The
digital agreement already in place remains unchanged. On
March 30, Blockbuster will have
Sherlock Holmes available for
immediate release.
"This new agreement reflects our strategy to be the only
multi-channel provider for movies. We are excited to offer
our customers the best home entertainment from Warner Bros., such
as The Blind Side and Sherlock
Holmes, with significantly greater availability in
BLOCKBUSTER® Stores and through BLOCKBUSTER By Mail, as well as
digitally through BLOCKBUSTER On Demand®," said James W. Keyes, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Blockbuster Inc. "This agreement reinforces
Blockbuster's position as the most convenient source for new
movies, and we are pleased to offer our customers the opportunity
to get hot new movies as soon as they are released. This
gives Blockbuster a full four week lead before either kiosk or
other subscription services can offer any Warner Bros. titles."
"Warner Bros. and Blockbuster have enjoyed a cooperative and
successful relationship for more than 25 years," said Ron Sanders, president, Warner Home Video. "The
updated agreement will continue to provide Blockbuster customers
with access to Warner Bros. titles the same day they are
released."
The new agreement, which covers DVD and Blu-ray, means
Blockbuster is the only multi-channel provider that has every hot
new movie on the day of its release. For example, customers
can rent a movie like The Blind Side through its BLOCKBUSTER
By Mail service, return it next week to a BLOCKBUSTER® store after
watching, and pick up Sherlock
Holmes for more family entertainment. In addition,
customers can access these movies through BLOCKBUSTER Direct
Access®, a new service that gives store customers access to the
more than 95,000 titles carried in Blockbuster's distribution
centers. For those customers with BLOCKBUSTER On
Demand®-enabled devices such as PCs, over 40 different Samsung
products and most TiVos, these new Warner Bros. movies will
continue to be available digitally simultaneous with their release
on DVD and Blu-ray.
Warner Bros. is currently a leader in many home video categories
including total video (DVD and Blu-ray combined), Theatrical
Catalog video, TV on DVD, and Blu-ray.
About Blockbuster Inc.
Blockbuster Inc. is a leading global provider of rental and
retail movie and game entertainment. The company provides customers
with convenient access to media entertainment anywhere, any way
they want it – whether in-store, by-mail, through vending kiosks or
digitally to their homes and mobile devices. With a highly
recognized brand and a library of more than 125,000 movie and game
titles, Blockbuster leverages its multichannel presence to serve
nearly 47 million global customers annually. The company may be
accessed worldwide at www.blockbuster.com.
About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group (WBHEG) brings together
Warner Bros. Entertainment's home video, digital distribution,
interactive entertainment, technical operations and anti-piracy
businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation
distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception,
WBHEG oversees the global distribution of content through packaged
goods (Blu-ray Disc and DVD) and digital media in the form of
electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite,
online and mobile channels, and is a significant developer and
publisher for console and online video game titles worldwide. WBHEG
distributes its product through third party retail partners and
licensees, as well as directly to consumers through WBShop.com.
SOURCE Blockbuster Inc.