NetFlix Enters A Promotional Agreement With Circuit City

Internet movie rental destination NetFlix (www.netflix.com) and Circuit City (www.circuitcity.com) are joining forces to offer a promotion designed to bridge the online and offline DVD marketplace. The move, expected to accelerate DVD hardware sales at Circuit City's more than 600 retail outlets nationwide, will provide an in-store coupon good for 13 free rentals from NetFlix to purchasers of DVD players beginning March 15 through August 31, 2000. ""NetFlix's partnership with Circuit City capitalizes on the benefits that a combined online and offline retail effort can bring to consumers,"" said NetFlix CEO Reed Hastings. ""Through alliances and promotions such as this, we have continuously sought to make NetFlix a valuable service for DVD hardware owners by providing them with simple rental programs and access to virtually every DVD published."" With more than five million hardware players sold to-date since the format debuted in 1997, DVD has been lauded as ""the most successful consumer electronics product launch ever,"" according to the DVD Entertainment Group. Based on current estimates, hardware player sales are expected to exceed the five million mark this year.