Blockbuster to Expand Blu-Ray to 1,700 Stores

Company will continue to offer HD DVD titles online and in select number of

stores

    DALLAS, June 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- In response to the growing
 demand for high-definition DVDs, Blockbuster Inc. ( BBI, BBI.B) today
 announced that it is rolling out an expanded Blu-ray disc inventory for
 rental to 1,700 corporate-owned BLOCKBUSTER(R) stores by mid-July. The
 Company will continue to offer both Blu-ray and HD DVD titles through its
 online rental service, www.blockbuster.com, and will continue to offer both
 formats at its initial 250 stores that currently carry both high-definition
 formats.
     "We intend to meet the demands of our customers and based on the trends
 we're seeing, we're expanding our Blu-ray inventory to ensure our stores
 reflect the right level of products," said Matthew Smith, SVP Merchandising
 for Blockbuster. "While it is still too early to say which high-definition
 format will become the industry standard, we will continue to closely
 monitor customer rental patterns both at our stores and online, so we can
 adjust our inventory mix accordingly and ensure that Blockbuster is
 offering customers the most convenient access to the movies they want, in
 the format they want."
     When Blu-ray and HD DVD were introduced to the marketplace in 2006,
 Blockbuster began offering the high-definition formats on all titles in
 which it was available through blockbuster.com. The Company also introduced
 both formats on select titles in 250 stores in November of 2006. With
 Blu-ray rentals significantly outpacing HD DVD rentals at its BLOCKBUSTER
 stores, the Company made the decision to expand the number of stores
 offering the Blu-ray format.
     With the expansion in July, the 1,700 stores will be carrying more than
 170 titles in Blu-ray and will continue to add titles in the format as they
 are released from the studios.
     "We are excited to be able to make more high-definition titles
 available to our customers in those stores where our research indicates
 there will be the most demand," said Smith. "Obviously, when customers are
 ready we can expand the Blu-ray offering into more stores and add HD DVD to
 more locations if that's what customers tell us they want. We'll continue
 to work with the movie studios to ensure we have the right assortment of
 products."
     Blu-ray formatted titles are available from Sony Pictures Home
 Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment, FOX Home
 Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Lionsgate Home
 Entertainment, Warner Home Video, and Paramount Home Entertainment and can
 be played on Blu-ray dedicated players, Sony PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) or a
 Blu-ray compatible computer drive.
     About Blockbuster
     Blockbuster Inc. is a leading global provider of in-home movie and game
 entertainment, with more than 8,000 stores throughout the Americas, Europe,
 Asia and Australia. The Company may be accessed worldwide at
 http://www.blockbuster.com.
 
 

SOURCE Blockbuster Inc.