Blockbuster climbed high in the 1990s on the videotape-rental business . The company has been trying to reinvent itself as a streaming service for years, but it was unable to compete with Netflix and other online video services that offer unlimited access at low prices. Once-dominant chain was done in by DVDs , streaming , Internet . Reaction from that Internet was , of course , swift and pithy . But when Blockbuster was at peak , Friday-night visits were an American rite .
Blockbuster climbed high in the 1990s on the videotape-rental business . The company has been trying to reinvent itself as a streaming service for years, but it was unable to compete with Netflix and other online video services that offer unlimited access at low prices. Once-dominant chain was done in by DVDs , streaming , Internet . But when Blockbuster was at peak , Friday-night visits were an American rite .