Dish Network to Close All Remaining Blockbuster Stores
Posted on November 6, 2013
The Dish Network has decided to close the remaining Blockbuster stores. The company lept about 500 Blockbuster stores open when it acquired Blockbuster in 2011. There are about 300 stores still open today, but Dish says in a release that the time has come for them to close. The company is also closing Blockbuster distribution centers. The Blockbuster By Mail service will also end.
Joseph P. Clayton, DISH president and chief executive officer, said in a statement, "This is not an easy decision, yet consumer demand is clearly moving to digital distribution of video entertainment. Despite our closing of the physical distribution elements of the business, we continue to see value in the Blockbuster brand, and we expect to leverage that brand as we continue to expand our digital offerings."
The New York Times headline for the story reads, "Internet Kills the Video Store." Blockbuster had over 7,000 stores at its peak. CNN reports that some people have been tweeting that they now get to keep the VHS movie rental they never returned. Take a look: