Redbox is reportedly getting back into the video streaming game with a new service called Redbox Digital.
The move, reported in Variety, comes two years after Redbox shut down its last streaming video venture. However, the new program won’t try to compete with subscription giants like Netflix or Hulu this time around; instead, it will reportedly work more like iTunes, where users can rent or purchase individual, and more recent, titles.
Redbox, owned by Bellevue, Wash.-based Outerwall, has seen falling revenue in recent years as physical rentals decline. The new program would let Redbox fans transition to streaming rentals by offering those rentals on the same site used to reserve physical copies.
Redbox Digital would also let users take advantage of Redbox’s rewards program, with digital rentals earning points just like physical ones. Of course, Redbox would need to create apps for Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast and Amazon Fire TV if they want users to be able to recreate the same experience they have with DVDs.
Even though Redbox is avoiding the subscription angle, it’s still trying to make its way into a crowded market that hasn’t seen much success. Target and Samsung both had failed attempts at breaking into digital rentals. And one big name in streaming, Amazon, also offers digital rentals, so customers already comfortable on that platform may be hard to sway.
