The digital age is officially upon us. During the 80s, 90s and 2000s Blockbuster Video and other companies provided consumers with the opportunity to rent media. From VHS tapes to CDs, DVDs to video games, Blockbuster had a variety of media forms that people could rent for a certain amount of time and then return it by a certain date.
It was like going to the library and paying a small fee to gain access to something that you really wanted to read. IOT devices, smart devices in general, put Blockbuster out of business because streaming music and video are far more convenient ways to connect to media rather than getting in the car, driving through the bad weather and standing in a long line just to rent a copy of The Shawshank Redemption. Now you can rent or download the film without leaving wherever you are. The same technical innovations put the music stores out of business as well.
Throughout the years, Blockbuster LLC had been closing all of its stores except for one. Netflix has created a documentary on the last Blockbuster store and it will release on its streaming platform later this month. The documentary is entitled The Last Blockbuster and it follows the company’s success and failure in the market. As a side note, when Netflix was first getting started as a company, Blockbuster LLC considered acquiring the video streaming service but they declined, and now the company that they probably should have purchased is doing a documentary on their last store, which is likely to make the owners of Blockbuster LLC think that Netflix is the acquisition that they should have pursued. There are many successful companies that miss out on the opportunity to acquire emerging companies with good ideas.
For example, in the 90s Sony wanted Nintendo to acquire their newly created gaming division so the two companies could collaborate on making video games and a console. Nintendo rejected the idea, and Sony went on to make the PlayStation, which is the gaming console that has sold the most units in nearly every generation except for the era of the Wii and the various Nintendo DS products. As it relates to consoles sold, the PS2 currently holds the record for the most units sold ever.
As for the documentary it focuses on the operation of the last Blockbuster which was located in a small town in Oregon. The store’s manager, Sandi Harding is one of the stars of the documentary and she shares information on the ups and downs of the company. It also features the rise of Netflix as a company, showcasing it as a method of media being sent to consumers by mail initially before becoming a large-scale video streaming service.
Harding discusses the impact of Netflix on her Oregon-based store and Blockbuster LLC overall. Taylor Morden and Zeke Kamm are the filmmakers behind the project, and they set a creative goal to show how economics can affect business operations and consumer behavior. They showcase Blockbuster LLC as a successful company that provided a service that millions of consumers across the U.S. needed when the company was popular. It also highlights digital media and its role in reshaping businesses that provide content.