News

Verizon, redbox may offer video streaming

December 11, 2011

Rumor has it that Verizon and redbox are joining forces to create a video streaming service.

Redbox, whose parent company is Coinstar, could give Verizon new-release movie options to integrate into the service, the same way DISH Network is tapping its recent Blockbuster acquisition, according to Rapid TV News.

Redbox officials won't confirm the deal, however.

"Coinstar does not comment on speculation," Marci Maul of Coinstar, wrote in an email to KioskMarketplace.com

By having content partnerships and relationships already in place, pay-TV operators can eliminate much of the complexity and cost associated with populating a movie-streaming service.

Bloomberg recently reported that Verizon was looking at several partners with which to develop the service, but redbox is a top priority because of the content licensing advantages it could bring.

The service, called Project Zoetrope internally, will launch in May, according to TechCrunch, which cites an unnamed source. That source also reported that the companies will charge users a monthly fee for credits that can then be used for game and video rentals. It will also be multiplatform, the report says, targeting the Web, smartphones, Google TV, gaming consoles like Xbox, and Roku.