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Redbox, Warner Bros. headed to war over new DVD delay

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Warner Bros. and Redbox are about to re-ignite a battle over how long consumers have to wait to rent DVDs.

The Time Warner Inc.-owned studio is instituting a new policy that all DVD rental outlets must wait 56 days from the time the disc goes on sale at retail outlets Wal-Mart and Best Buy until consumers can rent them, according to people with knowledge of the matter who were not authorized to discuss it publicly. That’s double the current 28-day “window.”

A spokesman for Warner Bros.’ home entertainment division declined to comment. But executives at the studio have previously said they were seeking a longer delay, which they believe will help boost flagging DVD sales and video-on-demand, both of which are more profitable than disc rentals.

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-- Ben Fritz, Los Angeles Times

Photo: Anja Murphy returns videos to a Redbox kiosk in an Albertsons supermarket in Santa Monica. Credit: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times

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