Redbox App Axed, Dashing People’s Hopes of Keeping Purchased Content

Roku has removed the Redbox app from its platform, effectively cutting off users’ access to purchased content following Redbox parent company Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s bankruptcy filing. The move signals the likely end of Redbox’s digital streaming service, which launched in 2017 to complement its DVD rental kiosks. Customers attempting to use the Redbox app on Roku devices now receive an error message directing them to other streaming services. While the app remains downloadable on some platforms, including Apple’s App Store and Google Play, its functionality is severely limited. The shutdown raises questions about the fate of content purchased through Redbox’s streaming service and the company’s remaining 24,000 physical kiosks.