NCR’s DVDPlay Buy Sets Up Battle, But Is Fight Already Over? [Voices]
By Scott Austin, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal
“Ladies and gentlemen, in the red corner, out of Bellevue, Wash….You know this company for its coin counting, but it also operates more than 22,000 Redbox DVD rental machines across the nation. Here to defend its title in DVD dispensing, please welcome….Coinstar!
And in the blue corner, our challenger, hailing from the suburbs of Atlanta….A virtual unknown to consumers, you may have encountered one of its nearly 3,800 blue Blockbuster Express kiosks. This company grew up as National Cash Register, let’s here it for NCR!”
Okay, so this little rumble may not be as exciting as we’ve made it out to be. But after NCR (NCR) acquired 1,300 DVD machines through the acquisition of venture-backed start-up DVDPlay, it’s clear Coinstar (CSTR) and NCR will be slugging it out toe-to-toe for the right to rent DVDs for $1 a night in supermarkets and convenience stores.
