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Verizon punches RED button on Redbox Instant video-streaming service
US Netflix rival shutting down permanently on 7 Oct
Verizon will shut down its Netflix competitor Redbox Instant on Tuesday, a mere year and a half after the firm first launched the video-streaming service in the USA.
It's set to shut down permanently in a little over 48 hours from now, Verizon told subscribers. Redbox Instant said in a post on its website:
Information on applicable refunds will be emailed to current customers and posted here on October 10.
In the meantime, you may continue to stream movies and use your Redbox kiosk credits until Tuesday, October 7 at 11:59 pm Pacific Time.
We apologise for any inconvenience and we thank you for the opportunity to entertain you.
Verizon reportedly hit the kill switch after execs admitted that the service had failed to gain enough traction against popular video-streaming service Netflix.
So @redboxinstant is, indeed, shutting down on Tuesday. Just got the email. Guess I should have used it more. pic.twitter.com/q25PSHqipx
— Will McKinley (@willmckinley) October 4, 2014
"The joint venture partners made this decision after careful consideration," Reuters reported the company as saying. "The service had not been as successful as either partner hoped it would be." ®