Blockbuster

In another bit of good economic news, the list of U.S. business bankruptcies will likely get shorter, and probably less distinguished, in 2011, just as it did this year. Still, several factors beyond an improving economy are also at play here.

That's the price tag for a Prima Cinema system that'll let you watch the latest releases at home from day one. The cost is sure to keep the market small, for now at least. The promise is that this is just the first step to more widespread at-home distribution.

Coinstar, the parent of Redbox self-service DVD-rental machines, said second-quarter profit fell less than analysts expected and that forecast 2011 sales would exceed analysts' estimates.

Netflix said it boosted profit by 26% in the third-quarter. The largest U.S. DVD-by-mail service gained new subscribers by expanding its digital and packaged-media offerings.

Blockbuster, (BBICP) the movie-rental chain that filed for bankruptcy last month, may have a new CEO by the end of the year. The company has agreed to hire a headhunter to look for new blood once it emerges from bankruptcy protection, The Wall Street Journal said without naming its sources....

Netflix says it mistakenly coached extras used in a corporate video to tell the Canadian media how enthusiastic they were about the company's videostreaming service, which launched in Canada this week.

It's easy to blame Blockbuster's collapse, which culminated Thursday in a voluntary Chapter 11 filing, on the rise of streaming Internet video and kiosk rental options. But Netflix faced the same threats and it's thriving. So what did Netflix do smarter than its bankrupt rival?