Will Rogers Video follow Blockbuster Canada out of business?

[Exid0r]

The comment in Post #29 describes my local Rogers Video as well. The separately enclosed (by sliding glass doors) area for cable TV and wireless sales is only about a quarter the size of the video rental section. I almost expect to see them switching places.

My local Rogers Video store is on my way home from work so I use it at least once per week.

The deal of 3 new-release BR discs for $15 for 7-nights is my usual rental. I also receive coupons from Rogers Video twice a month for 2/1 rentals on older releases. In addition, the Rogers "Star Rewards" program gives points towards rentals or purchases.

Personally, I prefer BR disc rentals over ROD. Rentals often have extras on the disc e.g. unrated/alternate versions of the film, deleted scenes, gag reels, behind-the-scenes docs etc. while ROD is more expensive ($7.99 for HD), the FF/RW controls are slow/clunky and the video is only available for 48 hours.

Having said that, it does seem that my local Rogers Video store is in a bit of a decline. The BR section is less than a quarter the size of the DVD section and is poorly organized. Many of the older release BR titles are displayed in stacks making it difficult to read the titles when they are on the sides, especially on lower shelves. There are often DVD titles mixed in with the BR titles and the BR titles are not sorted by genre.

The prices to purchase BR/DVD videos are much higher than the big box dealers so I don't know why anyone would buy new videos at Rogers. There can be some deals on previously viewed videos though, particularly if buying multiple titles. I rarely buy discs as there are not many films I care to watch multiple times.

In my opinion, Rogers is more likely to only keep stores open for the TV, cellphone and home phone sales side of the business, have a smaller area for movie rentals and eventually only stocking discs for sale to push customers towards ROD or PPV.

[hugh]

Thinking about it. Small Rogers stores in high traffic malls that handle wireless sales and cable bills seem to make a lot more sense than big video stores in standalone locations.

[Digital_Frank]

Rogers Video will be gone in the next few years. Revenue is down $51 million (46%) over the same 9 month period compared to last year. And they have lost $16 million in the same period.

The convenience and lower cost of streaming (Internet Connected TVs, Netflix, Apple TV, Boxee Box, etc) will continue to decrease their Customer base and their losses will increase.

I have not rented a DVD from Rogers in the last 18 months. We use Netflix often, I can't see ever going back. One rental is a MONTH of Netflix.

One thing I will miss about Rogers Video: the scratched disks.

[mct123]

Our only Rogers video just announced it is closing. Blockbuster closed a few months ago, and the Movie Gallerys closed at least a year ago. All thats left is a couple of ma and pa video stores. I used to rent a lot of blu rays from Rogers, but in the last few years have rented more at the ma and pa store. I found Rogers blu ray selection wasnt as good and their prices were higher. Hopefully we continue to have some options for renting blu rays as at this point the sound and picture quility of streaming movies isnt close to blu ray. For some movies it would be ok, but there are some you just have to get in blu ray.

[Jase88]

Originally Posted by Digital_Frank

Rogers Video will be gone in the next few years. Revenue is down $51 million (46%) over the same 9 month period compared to last year. And they have lost $16 million in the same period.

As mentioned, revenue is down due to more stores closing. Though in reality, much of this is likely a "revenue shift", as more people rent VOD and PPV movies.

Originally Posted by Digital_Frank

I have not rented a DVD from Rogers in the last 18 months. We use Netflix often, I can't see ever going back. One rental is a MONTH of Netflix.

That's great if Netflix and other online services offer programming that you want to watch. Unfortunately these services, AFAIK, don't rent first-run rental releases. New releases generate the bulk of revenue for video stores.

[TorontoColin]

How much of that revenue drop is off-set by increased ROD sales in their cable markets? When I go to Rogers Plus now it seems like 90% of the people there are there for their other Rogers services, especially cable and mobile.

Maybe in the west and Quebec that's not enough to off-set the losses on rental revenues, but in their cable markets the Rogers Plus locations give Rogers a large local presence to sell and service their products and take bill payments, which people appreciate. As I said earlier, I think those markets will remain as a loss leader.

[audacity]

Originally Posted by Jase88

That's great if Netflix and other online services offer programming that you want to watch. Unfortunately these services, AFAIK, don't rent first-run rental releases. New releases generate the bulk of revenue for video stores.

Check out the Zune movie rental service.

[sharc]

Our Rogers store in my area seems to be busy since the BBC shut down. My mom (60) prefers to use the stores for her New release DVD rentals. She is not all that comfortable with on demand, I am guessing this applies to a lot of people in that demographic.

After being a BBC monthly pass holder for the last two years, I switched to the Rogers unlimited pass ($10/month). This is great value for watching tv series that I did not know about or wanted to get caught up on. Also good for taking my kids to pick out a movie on a Saturday afternoon. This is the only reason I have for going in to the stores and would prefer to spend my $$ here than on Netflix. If Rogers did not offer this, they wouldn't be getting any of my money for video.

I think (hope) the stores will be around for a while.

[Blackloz]

Well I have only 1 Rogers left and no Blockbusters of course. Im not that big of a renter but when the last rogers store does close I will then buy all my movies as im not into streaming or any type of BD by mail service.

[PokerFace]

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/art...135759473.html

Rogers is now in the process of closing about 40 per cent of its video shops as it continues to transition away from renting and selling DVDs, Blu-rays and video games.

By the end of January, the company will have finalized the closure of 63 video outlets across the country, leaving behind just 93, a Rogers spokeswoman said.

"It's a declining marketplace, all we're doing is meeting market need," Sian Doyle, Rogers's vice president of retail, said in an interview.

"When Blockbuster closed we were expecting the market to be very different ... but what the customer said was, 'You know what? I'm not going to drive another five kilometres (to the nearest video store). I'm going to PVR, watch video on demand.'

While Rogers is slowly walking away from its video stores, it's not getting out of retail. It will still have about 1,000 stores at the end of January — including the existing video shops — and is working on a new chain-wide revamp that puts expensive smartphones and tablets front and centre.

"It's a story not about closing, it's about transformation and evolving for us," Doyle said.

"It was very much about getting the (business) that we had to a place where we reflect where our future state is to be."

[Jase88]

It really is the end of era. Not just for Rogers, but video stores in general.

[PokerFace]

I jokingly picked the Ides of March (March 15th) of this year as the end for Rogers Video, but it might not have been such a bad guess. Several online posters have echoed the comments mentioned within the link below.

The Ides of April?

I say turn 'em all into Strip Clubs.

Eject this:

http://www.latinos-canada.com/deals2...video-closing/

[Digital_Frank]

Rogers Video is closing:

In December, the company announced it was shuttering 40 per cent of its video shops as it continued to move away from selling and renting physical copies of DVDs, Blu-rays and video games.

“It's a declining marketplace, all we're doing is meeting market need,” Sian Doyle, Rogers's vice president of retail, said at the time, and added that the disappearance of more than 400 Blockbuster stores last year did little to boost its rental business.


More from: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/repor...rticle2405407/

[canadianauditor]

Yes the rental days for Rogers is over......went to the Rogers in Brampton today to rent movies and for sale only no rentals......I feel sorry for those parents with kids where are they going to rent their video games for their xboxes and ps3 and wii now.....

[57]

Rather than having two threads active with a bunch of duplicate posts and since it's confirmed that Rogers is closing, I'm closing this thread and leaving the following open.

http://www.digitalhome.ca/forum/showthread.php?t=68058