For the past few weeks, it was rumored that the Dish Network satellite TV service would be using its recently acquired Blockbuster assets to launch a rival to Netflix"s streaming movie and TV company. On Friday, the company finally announced Blockbuster Movie Pass which will give its users access to over 3,000 streaming movies for both PC and TVs. Unfortunately, it seems that this new service will also require a Dish Network subscription to use, at least for now.
The Blockbuster Movie Pass will also offer Dish Network users access to a DVD mail order rental service with over 100,000 movies and TV shows available, along with video game rentals and unlimited exchanges of DVDs and games at Blockbuster"s remaining brick and mortar stores. Finally, Dish Network users will get 20 more channels with a Blockbuster Movie Pass plan. Current Dish Network users can add the new plan for $10 a month starting October 1. New Dish Network customers who sign up between October 1 and January 31 will be able to access Blockbuster Movie Pass for free for one year if the customers subscribe to the company"s America’s Top 200 programming package.
While this new program might have a limited appeal due to people unwilling to dump their current cable TV or satellite provider, that will hopefully change. The Los Angeles Times reports that Michael Kelly, the president of Blockbuster, indicated that at some point the company would also announce a stand alone streaming video service that would not require a Dish Network subscription. That kind of a service would certainly be a bigger rival to Netflix.