Movie fans of a certain age may vividly remember the sad, somewhat rapid decline of the old video store. Whether your store of choice was the nearest Blockbuster or an independent shop, you probably smile at the nostalgia of heading to the video store on a Friday or Saturday night, anxiously hoping that a copy of the hottest new release was in stock. Or, better yet, just returned by another renter so you could swoop in and snag the last one.
Then streaming came along, and video stores around the world began fading into irrelevance, with locations closing as streaming services continued to grow in popularity. In 2006, Blockbuster — the undisputed king of video rental stores — made a last-ditch effort to stay current by offering Total Access, which allowed customers to exchange their mail-ordered DVD rentals in physical stores.
This perceived competition pushed Netflix to introduce a video streaming plan in 2007. Of course, Blockbuster's Total Access — and Blockbuster itself — vanished into oblivion (but remained in our hearts) while Netflix grew into the streaming giant we all know and subscribe to today. Of course, streaming Netflix in 2007 cost a fair amount less per month than it does today. Then again, that was nearly 20 years ago, and pricing is always relative.
It's strange to think that Netflix streaming was introduced, at least partly, to stay one step ahead of Blockbuster in the streaming realm. So Netflix added its first streaming option, called Watch Now, to its DVD rental plans.
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