How Streaming Services Have Shaped The Evolution Of At-Home Cinema

As a child, driving to Blockbuster or the “big blue ticket” as I used to call it was my favorite Friday night family activity.

Wandering through the aisles with no plan, browsing from wall to wall looking at the various DVD options completed my childhood. 

It was fun to get my mom to buy me popcorn or candy while we rented Aquamarine for the fifth time and we tried to avoid a return date that would bring those pesky late fees.

The ability to get any movie you desire within minutes, which has since changed to seconds, began in the mid to late 1980s and has progressed. 

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Blockbusters was at its peak. The company began with VHS tapes and transitioned to DVDs in 2001, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The company thrived throughout those years, but it all came to an end when the chain closed in 2010 after it filed for bankruptcy. 

In the world of at-home theater, Blockbuster could no longer compete with the newcomers.

Redbox was one of these competitors, and it’s still in operation today. It’s known for its bright red kiosks that can be found at places like Walgreens, CVS and, in the past, McDonalds. 

These kiosks feature a touch screen with a huge movie selection that, once picked and paid for with a debit or credit card, ejects the movie you’ve chosen. The DVDs have to be returned the next day, but they can be dropped off at any Redbox location across the country, which is ideal for road trippers.

Netflix was Blockbuster’s biggest competitor and ultimately led to the company’s downfall. 

Streaming services began as a DVD rental-by-mail business that could be paid for through their website. The website was created so subscribers could pay a monthly subscription fee and get unlimited access to movies that would be delivered to their homes in days.

That was the business strategy that took Blockbuster down. Netflix continued to develop and began its transformation into streaming service in the late 2000s.

Now, Netflix has almost 208 million subscribers due to the coronavirus pandemic forcing people to stay home.

While Netflix may have been the first successful streaming service, there are now an array of other services to choose from. 

Almost every major television network, including ABC, CBS, HBO, and Disney, has its own version. Hulu and Paramount are two other well-known streaming providers. To gain access to all of the shows and films available, each of these companies requires monthly payments.

Redbox is also breaking into the streaming world by launching on-demand movies.

Although I miss my trips to DVD stores, a preference for film and TV accessibility using a remote remains everyone’s favorite way to watch shows and movies. 

Everything that we want to watch is only a scroll away on any streaming service. 

The digital age has brought many new inventions and ideas so it’s impossible to know where the future of cinema will take us next.

However, one thing is certain, at-home cinema will keep on getting bigger and better.