Verizon partnering with RedBox to take on Netflix: report

By Andrew Couts December 8, 2011

verizon-redbox

More details have emerged concerning Verizon’s plans to destroy Netflix. According to Devin Coldewey at TechCrunch, the telecommunications giant has plans to partner with automated DVD rental kiosk company RedBox to launch a new TV and movie streaming service early next year.

There’s no word on what the new service will be called, but it reportedly has the internal name Project Zoetrope. The service will deliver both streaming and downloading capabilities to a wide array of platforms, including iOS, Android, Xbox, Roku, Google TV, as well as via Web browsers.

Both standard definition and high-definition video will be available. Content-wise, the details are apparently still be working out. But Coldewey says that it will likely include a more back-catalog items, as Netflix does, rather than offering new releases or live TV broadcasts. This lines up with the Tuesday’s report, which cited an anonymous source close to the matter.

The Verizon-RedBox service would be separate from Verizon’s FiOS cable TV business, meaning you won’t have to be a FiOS subscriber to get in on the video-watching action. Verizon already has a FiOS app, available on the Xbox 360, which gives FiOS subscribers access to 26 live TV channels.

Of course, all of this bodes ill for Netflix, which is still struggling to retain customers following a series of highly-public missteps, starting with a 60 percent increase on the monthly cost of receiving both DVD rental and streaming services. According to a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Netflix expects to lose money throughout 2012, until it can begin to win back subscribers — a task that becomes increasingly difficult when put head-to-head against a Goliath like Verizon.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Entertainment

The best romantic comedies on Netflix right now

Renee Zellweger and Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire.

If you're struggling to figure out what you want to watch on movie night, you may default to a romantic comedy more often than not. Love is a universal language, after all, and rom-coms allow us to engage with it from a safe distance, without the emotional roller coaster.

However, popularity breeds production, and there are a lot of rom-coms out there these days, especially on streaming giants like Netflix. Between a slew of originals and classics (and duds) from other studios, Netflix's rom-com collection can be harder to navigate than the dating pool. To save you some time, we've filtered out the bad ones to present to you the best romantic comedies on Netflix right now.

Entertainment

The best mysteries on Netflix right now

Cristina Rodlo in No One Gets Out Alive.

At some level, mystery lovers seem to believe that they are amateur detectives at heart. After all, one of the most appealing aspects of watching a mystery play out is the desire to see if you can solve it before the characters can. Admittedly, some movies don't necessarily play fair with the information provided to the viewers. Alternatively, sometimes the casting of the villains is a little too spot-on because it makes them the obvious suspect from the start.

But even if you're not trying to out-detect the detectives and private investigators, there's an abundance of mysteries to explore on Netflix. Rather than forcing you to search through a mountain of content, we've already narrowed the choices down to the best mysteries on Netflix right now.

Audio / Video

How much does Netflix cost? A breakdown of the streamer’s plans

Netflix Who's watching/manage profiles screen.

When it comes to the myriad of streaming options available to us, Netflix still reigns supreme with more than 232 million subscribers as of early 2023. One of the original platforms for web-connected viewing, the streamer is home to thousands of movies, shows, and exclusives. While many of us already count Netflix among their roster of services, there are still some users who may be opting into their first Netflix membership. Maybe you're checking your options since Netflix announced its pending password crackdown or, since the rocketing emergence of Free Ad-Supported Streaming Television (FAST) services such as Tubi, Pluto, and The Roku Channel, you're asking yourself what Netflix's pricing looks like lately, especially since launched its $7 per month Standard with ads tier (formerly called Basic with ads) at the end of 2022.

So, how much do Netflix plans cost? Well, that depends on what exactly you need from it. Netflix's streaming plans feature tiered offerings based on the price you're willing to pay. If you can make do with the most basic offering no-ad offering, you can get away with handing over just $10 as a Netflix subscriber each month, which is $5 less than you'd pay for streaming competitor Hulu with no ads. However, if you find yourself needing a bit more than what the base plan has to offer, you could spend as much as $20 for a Netflix Premium plan each month. In the meantime, here's a breakdown of Netflix's plan options.