What is Blockbuster’s history?
Our business and operations were previously conducted by Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation, which was incorporated in Delaware in 1982 and entered the movie rental business in 1985. Blockbuster Inc., formerly an indirect subsidiary of Viacom Inc., was incorporated under a different name (Viacom) on October 16, 1989 in Delaware. On September 29, 1994, Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation was merged with and into Viacom. Subsequent to the merger, our business and operations were conducted by various indirect subsidiaries of Viacom. Over the year and a half prior to our initial public offering in August 1999, our business and operations were either (1) merged into Blockbuster Inc. or (2) purchased by Blockbuster Inc. and/or one of its subsidiaries. In October 2004, Blockbuster Inc. split off from Viacom and became a fully independent company.