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<td width="343" valign="bottom"><p class="date"><!-- InstanceBeginEditable name="date" --><a href="default.html">3/15/04• Vol.
128, No. 22</a><!-- InstanceEndEditable --></p></td>
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<p><a href="netflix.jsp">DVDs at your Door</a></p>
<p><a href="lookingglass.jsp">Through the Looking Glass</a></p>
<p><a href="deaddays1.jpg">DEAD DAYS</a></p>
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<h1 class="heading1"><font size="5"><img src="dvdcutout.jpg" width="43" height="42" align="absbottom"> <font size="6">DVDs
at your Door <img src="dvdcutout.jpg" width="43" height="42" align="absbottom"></font></font></h1>
<p class="subhead">Is it Blockbuster or Netflix for your next movie rental?</p>
<p class="byline">By Joseph Gidjunis, KRT Campus</p>
<p>After decades of driving to the local rental store and hoping your movie
is in stock, a popular alternative has arrived. </p>
<p> Netflix, with more than 15,000 DVD movie titles, links more than 20
nationwide distribution centers with its Internet Web site to provide
1.5 million
subscribers with movie rentals without late fees.</p>
<p> On the typical plan, a subscriber can rent up to three DVD movies at
a time and keep them as long as he or she likes for $19.95 per month.
The movies arrive by first class mail, usually within one or two business
days, and subscribers return the movie using the same envelope the movie
came in. All postage is paid by Netflix, and after the company receives
the returned movie, it sends the next one from the subscriber’s
online queue.</p>
<p> While Netflix offers the convenience of never leaving your home to
rent a movie, Blockbuster spokesperson Randy Hargrove said your local
video
store offers immediate gratification. </p>
<p> The traditional rental at Blockbuster Video is about $4 for a two-day
new release; $3 for a weeklong non-new release. Late fees apply.</p>
<p> But to compete with the no late fees, Blockbuster initiated a program
in 20 percent of its stores called the Movie Freedom Pass. For a charge
of about $25, subscribers could rent two or three movies at a time
and bring them back when they want. Blockbuster hopes to expand the service
nationwide later in the year, Hargrove said.</p>
<p> He added that all of their stores already use the guaranteed-in-stock
program that gives customers a free rental of a new release if it is
not in stock. Blockbuster also offers the $20 Game Subscription Pass
that allows unlimited game system rentals for a month, one rental at
a time.</p>
<p> With more than 48 million customers in the United States, Blockbuster
is the leader in the market, but Netflix hopes to reach five million
customers by 2007. In 2003 alone, subscriptions increased by nearly
75 percent to 1.5 million.</p>
<p> At both www.netflix.com and www.blockbuster.com, customers can check
to see if the film title they want is in stock, either at a warehouse
or at a local store. Both sites also offer reviews and detailed movie
information. Later this year, Blockbuster plans to integrate more Internet
features with in-store features so customers can choose to rent movies
at the store or online, Hargrove said.</p>
<p> </p>
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