MCLEAN, Va. - DVD kiosk rental powerhouse Redbox is now
offering instant movie streaming, an attempt to take on Netflix, Hulu Plus and
Amazon.
Verizon and Redbox, a subsidiary of Coinstar, started
testing the joint venture, RedBoxInstant.com, in December 2012. USA Today
writes that Redbox Instant is seeking to differentiate itself the
well-established competition by mixing instant streaming with its network of
35,000 DVD rental kiosks.
For $8 a month, customers can stream movies without a
monthly limit and receive four credits to rent DVDs at Redbox kiosks. For $9,
customers can have streaming and four credits for Blu-ray rentals.
Like Amazon and iTunes, Redbox Instant allows customers to
rent or buy newly released movie titles. RedboxInstant.com also has an app for
smartphones and tablets that run on the Apple iOS and Google Android mobile
operating systems.