Redbox Company

As more consumers leave DVDs behind for digital downloads, the company that brought movie vending machines to grocery stores nationwide is following the audience. Redbox on Thursday unveiled a new digital strategy that would expand the number of movies offered to consumers directly in their homes by next year, a move the Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., company hopes will set the stage for longer-term growth and soothe investors anxious about its prospects. The company is in talks with several potential partners for this expansion, which will include a Web-based service that works in conjunction with its $1-per-night movie kiosks, Chief Executive Mitch Lowe said.

As the major Hollywood studios line up for and against Redbox, Paramount Pictures is playing it down the middle. The studio, owned by Viacom Inc., has signed a first-of-its-kind trial deal guaranteeing that its titles will be available from the fast-growing $1-a-night DVD rental company through the end of the year. During that time, Paramount will study the effect of Redbox rentals on its total home-entertainment revenue, examining whether there is any decrease in the sales of its DVDs at Wal-Mart stores that house Redbox kiosks.