Netflix preps for an online world, Walgreens gets DVD-burning kiosks

File this under Dept. of Totally Related Events

Netflix is making moves to make sure it doesn’t become as obsolete as the business model it helped make extinct itself, according to The Washington Post. It know online movie viewing is coming even if no one, including itself, knows what exactly that will look like. But it’s experimenting with products like their “View it Now” feature and other partnerships to try and insure it doesn’t get left in the dust when the online world arrives.

Meanwhile, Walgreens is planning to roll out kiosks in stores that will give customers the ability to burn a movie to DVD in about 15 minutes. Titles available will mostly be older movies that aren’t frequently stocked, which is exactly as it should be for everyone involved. Customers get a wider selection and the kiosks don’t cannibalize loss-leader pre-packaged DVDS.

New media moves like these should absolutely focus on the Long Tail titles that are less frequently found among the major physical retailers. Search + Inventory = Profits you never knew you could realize because those older titles have already been paid for, in large part.