with Paul Uniacke adding, "when someone joins Flash Rewards, they can then rent from any participating Video Ezy store and access their Flash benefits without the need to sign up with each store every time." In addition, Flash Rewards offered discounts from partner companies such as Donut King, Eagle Boys, AMF Bowling, Anytime Fitness, ACP Magazines, and 25% off cinema ticket prices at Village Cinemas, Event Cinemas/Greater Union/Birch Carroll & Coyle, Hoyts, Reading Cinemas, Wallis Cinemas, Dendy, and Palace Cinemas. However, the deals involving outside partner companies ended in early 2013. In June 2011, a select group of Video Ezy and Blockbuster franchises incorporated Metcash's Lucky 7 convenience stores, stocking more than 500 different products including newspapers, bread, milk and various snacks. In October 2011, it was announced that Daryl McCormack, a former chief executive officer of Video Ezy and their largest franchisee, would partner his 15 stores with Franchised Food Company's Cold Rock Ice Creamery to open smaller, Express outlets within stores becoming dual franchises. The first Video Ezy and Cold Rock Express outlet opened in Kew, Melbourne. In November 2011, Video Ezy found itself embroiled in a social media backlash when it refused to end its long-term sponsorship with Southern Cross Austereo's networked radio program Take40 Australia after its co-host, Kyle Sandilands made sexist comments about a News Limited journalist on his 2Day FM breakfast program, The Kyle & Jackie O Show. Even though the comments were made on another program with Video Ezy having the added complication of being a naming rights sponsor of Take40 Australia, complaints piled up on its Facebook page to such an extent that after a month the brand was forced to pull advertising from the show temporarily during the summer. Sandilands was removed as co-host of Take40 Australia during this period, and Video Ezy continued to sponsor the program. International expansion Video Ezy opened its first international location in Auckland, New Zealand in 1988, with master licensor Video Ezy International Ltd established in 1991 to expand the brand worldwide. In January 1997, partnering with Berjaya Group, Video Ezy expanded into the Asian market with its first outlet in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In May 1998, Video Ezy Chairman Robert Maidment told the Australian Financial Review that the company was "looking to make Video Ezy an international brand name", and had held discussions with potential partners in Singapore, Indonesia, Taiwan, Brazil, Mexico and the