Redbox Instant will be shutting down on October 7th

If you thought that Redbox Instant would have trouble competing against a streaming video behemoth like Netflix, you were right. The Verizon-backed service is telling customers that Instant will shut down just before midnight on October 7th, roughly a year and a half after it got off the ground. Should you be a customer, you’ll get a notice about any relevant refunds on October 10th.

Redbox Instant, the streaming video service jointly operated by Redbox and Verizon, is shutting down on October 7. Redbox Instant subscribers were informed via email Saturday of the shutdown, and a notice posted to the website reads: “Thank you for being a part of Redbox Instant by Verizon. Please be aware that the service will be shut down on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. Information on applicable refunds will be emailed to current customers and posted here on October 10. In the meantime, you may continue to stream movies and use your Redbox kiosk credits until Tuesday, October 7 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time. We apologize for any inconvenience and we thank you for the opportunity to entertain you.”