DVD rental kiosk giant Redbox will now offer Blu-rays. That change means that the chain, long synonymous with providing dollar-a-night rentals, will be upping its prices.
Blu-ray discs will rent for $1.50 per night, Redbox’s parent company Coinstar announced on Thursday. The Blu-ray titles will be available in 13,300 kiosks starting today. The company said it anticipates having the discs in 23,000 locations by this fall.
“Offering Blu-ray rentals is an exciting opportunity for Redbox to expand our product offerings and build on the relationships that we’ve established with millions of consumers nationwide,” Mitch Lowe, Redbox president, said in a statement.
“The Book of Eli,” “Bounty Hunter,” “Brooklyn’s Finest” and “Green Zone” are among the Blu-ray titles currently available at Redbox’s locations.
Even without the addition of Blu-ray titles, the days of the dollar rental may have been waning. Over the past few months, the company has been experimenting with price increases in five American cities ranging from $1.15 to $1.50.
This may not be the only big change taking place. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Lowe said the company was looking to break into the online video streaming business. That particular sector is dominated by Redbox’s chief competitor Netflix.
