A FEW months ago a friend of mine opened a DVD rental shop in Gauteng. I asked him why he did this as I truly believe that DVD rental in South Africa will soon be a service that will start to decline. This will be due to video distribution via the Internet.
Maybe a service like Netflix, which has gaining popularity in the United States. Needless to say, he was pretty upset with my comment.
I am very excited to announce that things are happening faster than I thought they would. Last Friday DStv announced and launched their new BoxOffice Service. Truly a huge step in the right direction. I do feel sorry for video store owners, as I really think this service will have an impact on DVD rentals in the coming years. Not only are you able to watch some of the latest releases directly on your television without having to get in your car and drive to the shop, but you are also able to watch the movies in high definition if you have the necessary PVR and television. I believe that some of the main advantages are that the price for movies (R25) is exactly right. You will also have 48 hours to watch the movie.
For most people the greatest feature would be the fact that you will not have to remember to return the DVD the following day. You watch it and your access to the movie is automatically removed after 48 hours.
No late fees and no worries. I think Multichoice has changed the way we rent movies for ever.