desperado
01-13-2012, 04:06 PM
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/01/13/blockbuster_270x150.jpg (http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/01/13/blockbuster_270x150.jpg)
It turns out Dish was a bit more confident in Blockbuster's rental stores than it should have been.
"We are committed to keeping the profitable stores open that are generating positive cash flow, but there are ones that aren't going to make it," Dish CEO Joe Clayton said in an interview published yesterday with Reuters. "We will close unprofitable stores. We will close additional stores."
After Dish bought Blockbuster last year for $320 million, the company said that it planned to keep 1,500 Blockbuster rental stores open, and maintain 15,000 employees. Clayton told Reuters that more stores than anticipated have slipped into the red, and therefore it won't actually have 1,500 stores operating. Clayton stopped short of saying how many stores Dish will close, Reuters said. He also wouldn't say when the closures will start.
Although some stores will be shuttered for good, Clayton told Reuters that some locations will be converted to Dish customer-service operations. According to Clayton, subscribers will be able to go into the Dish stores and swap out boxes, "so you don't have to stay at home and wait for an installation."
Since completing its Blockbuster acquisition in April, Dish has been focused on getting value from the once-dominant rental chain. Back in September, Dish announced Blockbuster Movie Pass, a bundle of services that includes streaming video; DVDs; Blu-Rays and games by mail; and access to premium movie channels. The service is available to existing customers for $10 a month and new subscribers who choose the satellite provider's America's Top 200 package for $39.99 a month.
Dish did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on the Blockbuster closures.
Don Reisinger CNET News January 13, 2012 6:23 AM PST
It turns out Dish was a bit more confident in Blockbuster's rental stores than it should have been.
"We are committed to keeping the profitable stores open that are generating positive cash flow, but there are ones that aren't going to make it," Dish CEO Joe Clayton said in an interview published yesterday with Reuters. "We will close unprofitable stores. We will close additional stores."
After Dish bought Blockbuster last year for $320 million, the company said that it planned to keep 1,500 Blockbuster rental stores open, and maintain 15,000 employees. Clayton told Reuters that more stores than anticipated have slipped into the red, and therefore it won't actually have 1,500 stores operating. Clayton stopped short of saying how many stores Dish will close, Reuters said. He also wouldn't say when the closures will start.
Although some stores will be shuttered for good, Clayton told Reuters that some locations will be converted to Dish customer-service operations. According to Clayton, subscribers will be able to go into the Dish stores and swap out boxes, "so you don't have to stay at home and wait for an installation."
Since completing its Blockbuster acquisition in April, Dish has been focused on getting value from the once-dominant rental chain. Back in September, Dish announced Blockbuster Movie Pass, a bundle of services that includes streaming video; DVDs; Blu-Rays and games by mail; and access to premium movie channels. The service is available to existing customers for $10 a month and new subscribers who choose the satellite provider's America's Top 200 package for $39.99 a month.
Dish did not immediately respond to CNET's request for comment on the Blockbuster closures.
Don Reisinger CNET News January 13, 2012 6:23 AM PST