TDC Group buys Blockbuster brand in Denmark

Danish telco TDC Group has acquired the Danish rights to the Blockbuster name, in its latest push into the digital film rental market. 

TDC said that it will use the “familiarity of the Blockbuster name to encourage Danes to rent films online,” adding that it expects to implement the brand name in the first half of this year.

“Blockbuster is a very powerful brand, which for many years has offered the biggest selection of the best and latest films to Danish consumers – and will continue to do so in future. We will, of course, also revamp the concept by utilising the wide range of possibilities that digital technology has to offer,” said TDC senior executive vice-president, Anders Jensen.

Blockbuster Denmark announced last year that it will rebrand its physical shops and launch an online store under the name RecycleIT.dk. This will be a marketplace for pre-owned popular consumer electronics, films and games.

The first of these stores opened in Copenhagen last year, with the rest of Blockbuster’s physical stores be rebranded over the next six months.

“I am delighted that the Blockbuster name lives on in the digital world, but I also want to emphasise that RecycleIT.dk will continue to serve the part of the market that still wants to buy and rent physical films and games,” said Søren Heilmann, CEO of RecycleIT and Blockbuster Denmark.

The TDC Group launched its first digital film rental service in 2006 and has since expanded to include all films released in Danish cinemas. The firm claims to be Denmark’s largest TVOD provider with a market share of more than 50%. The TDC Group also offers film rentals through its YouBio subscription service.