The hits keep on coming for Blockbuster as it sits crumpled in the corner of the ring, waiting for the bell.
Last week, Blockbuster UK was forced into administration, a move which imperiled 528 stores and 4,190 jobs. Then – just yesterday – BBC News reported that Blockbuster UK would close 129 stores across the pond, leaving 760 employees facing the threat of layoffs. According to Joint Administrator, Lee Manning, the move is a “… consequence of having to restructure the company to a profitable core which is capable of being sold.”
To top it all off, the third punch in the recent flurry landed today. Multiple outlets are reporting that Blockbuster now plans to close 300 stateside stores in the next few weeks, leaving the chain with only 500 stores in the U.S. Though that may sound like a healthy amount, consider that Blockbuster once laid claim to over 4,000 locations.
The surviving stores may now shift to selling smartphones and/or wireless subscriptions, as parent company Dish Network hopes something will stick to a wall that has repelled every projectile.
Dish insists that it still believes in the marketability of Blockbuster’s household name-brand, but if the company continues to be thwarted at every turn, we could see the complete dissolution of a one-time industry leader.
Can anything stop the internet from huffing and puffing and blowing brick and mortar down?
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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