Blockbuster Gives Netflix Renters Presidents' Day Pardon

DALLAS, Feb. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Presidents' Day is just one of the 62 days in the year when online movie renters can't receive movies by mail. For the upcoming holiday weekend, Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) is extending to Netflix subscribers the in-store benefits enjoyed 365 days of the year by members of BLOCKBUSTER Total Access(TM). When there's no mail or just when the mood strikes, BLOCKBUSTER Total Access gives its online subscribers the option of exchanging their DVDs at a participating BLOCKBUSTER(R) store for free in-store movie rentals.

From Feb. 15 through Feb. 21, including two days when post offices are closed, current Netflix members can bring the tear-off address flaps of their Netflix rental envelopes to any of the more than 5,000 participating U.S. BLOCKBUSTER stores. In exchange for every flap they present, they will receive an on-the-spot free movie rental.

"With this Presidents' Day offer, we're celebrating freedom of choice for American movie lovers, who no longer have to wait for the mail to get DVDs," said Nick Shepherd, president, Blockbuster North America. "Tens of thousands of customers are joining BLOCKBUSTER Total Access every day because no one else provides the convenience of online rentals backed by in-store services which enables consumers to access the movies they want 365 days a year."

The offer gives Netflix subscribers the opportunity to experience BLOCKBUSTER Total Access, America's fastest growing movie subscription service on a percentage basis. Blockbuster ended 2006 with approximately 2.2 million online rental subscribers, including approximately 2 million paying subscribers. Approximately 700,000 subscribers joined BLOCKBUSTER Total Access in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Netflix subscribers who wish to participate in the program can tear off the address flaps they normally discard when mailing back their DVDs and turn them in at any participating BLOCKBUSTER store to receive a free in-store movie rental. They can continue to bring in their envelope flaps and exchange them for free in-store rentals for the duration of the promotion, which runs from Thursday, Feb. 15 through Wednesday, Feb. 21. Netflix customers do not need to subscribe to Blockbuster's online program to participate. To utilize the free store rentals, Netflix customers need to have a Blockbuster store membership, which they can sign up for on the spot. Store membership is free.

The name on the Netflix tear-off flaps must match the name on the holder's Blockbuster membership account. In-store movie rentals are subject to store rental terms, including due dates, and must be returned to the store from which they were rented.

Netflix subscribers, as well as movie lovers who do not currently subscribe to an online rental service, can experience the full benefits of BLOCKBUSTER Total Access by signing up for a free two-week trial, available for a limited time at http://www.blockbuster.com/ or in participating BLOCKBUSTER stores.

BLOCKBUSTER Total Access is a movie rental program that gives online customers the option of returning their DVDs through the mail or exchanging them at more than 5,000 participating BLOCKBUSTER stores for free in-store movie rentals. When subscribers return their online rentals to a participating store, the store check-in process automatically initiates the process of shipping of the next available movie(s) in the subscriber's rental queue, whether they take advantage of the in-store exchange or not. That means BLOCKBUSTER Total Access members generally will get their online movie(s) a day faster than if they had dropped the return movies in the mail themselves.

With more than 65,000 titles to choose from online, Blockbuster delivers DVDs right to subscribers' mailboxes in pre-paid postage return envelopes. There are no due dates or late fees with movies rented from Blockbuster's online rental service, and subscription plans start as low as $5.99 a month, with the $17.99 three-out unlimited movie plan being the most popular. All subscription plans also include a coupon good for one free in-store movie or game rental per month.

About Blockbuster

Blockbuster Inc. (NYSE: BBI) 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/ .