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  • Target Ticket, a Thing That Was Kind of Alive, Is Now Dead

    Target Ticket, a Thing That Was Kind of Alive, Is Now Dead

    Companies launch new products and shutter flailing products all the time, and it often goes unnoticed. You might not know anything about Target Ticket, and you might not care.

    But Target Tickets exists, at least for now. Target has just announced that the service will shut down on March 7, in order to let it “focus efforts on other entertainment offerings.”

    “Thank you for choosing Target Ticket for your digital entertainment. We Hope that you’ve enjoyed your movies and TV shows with us. Target has made the decision to end the services offered on Target Ticket and will be focusing efforts on other entertainment offerings. Effective March 7th, 2015, Target Ticket will no longer be accessible on your device applications, gaming consoles, tablets, smartphones, or on the web,” says Target on a notice posted to the Target Ticket landing page.

    So, what is was Target Ticket? In September of 2013, after months of beta testing, Target launched Target Ticket wide. At Target Ticket, you could rent and buy movies and TV shows on-demand. It was a Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu Plus competitor in that it offered over-the-internet, on-demand content – but it really wasn’t a competitor in that it didn’t offer any streaming subscription plan.

    The content wasn’t ever a problem with Target Ticket – it offered major movie releases and top TV shows. I guess it was that nobody needed it. Target marketed it as a “family friendly” product, but you know, if that’s your selling point…

    So, are you a Target Ticket customer? Probably not. But if you are, here are your options moving forward:

    – Do you have purchased movies lying around? Are they UltraViolet? Good, they’ll be available on other platforms like Vudu and Flixster.

    – Do you have purchased movies/TV shows lying around? Are they also available on CinemaNow? Good, because Target has partnered with CinemaNow to allow users to transfer their libraries over. Of course, if the movie you purchased via Target Ticket isn’t available on CinemaNow then you’re…

    – Shit out of luck. Well, not exactly, you’ll receive store credit according to Target.

    Target will give us more info as the March 7 deadline approaches. Till then, pour one out for Target Ticket. RIP.

  • Target Ticket Enters Crowded On-Demand Video Space with a Focus on Being ‘Family Friendly’

    Target Ticket Enters Crowded On-Demand Video Space with a Focus on Being ‘Family Friendly’

    After months of beta testing, Target has just launched its new on-demand digital video service to the public.

    It’s called Target Ticket, and at launch it boasts over 30,000 individual titles. Many of these titles are available to either buy or rent, and Target says the lowest price starts at $0.99. Every video has to be paid for individually – a la iTunes of Amazon Instant Video. There’s no subscription plan offered that would turn Target Ticket into a Netflix, Amazon Prime, or Hulu competitor at the moment.

    Target seems to have brought the goods with this one – at least offering the same high-caliber content that competitors like iTunes offer. We’re talking major movie releases, next-day TV episodes from shows like The Walking Dead and The Big Bang Theory. Target Ticket also lets users buy whole seasons or individual episodes of popular premium content from the likes of HBO and Showtime. At launch, it’s available on a multitude of devices including Android and iOS, Roku, Xbox LIVE, and Samsung’s line of internet-ready devices. Target says that more availability is coming soon.

    “Many of our guests told us that streaming and viewing videos is complicated, so we created Target Ticket to simplify the experience,” said Anne Stanchfield, Target’s divisional merchandise manager of entertainment. “Target Ticket will help guests who are looking for a kid-safe, easy-to-use service that mirrors what they have come to expect from Target’s entertainment offerings – a premium selection of the newest titles plus exclusive content, all at an affordable price.”

    And that family-friendly aspect of the service is one that Target Ticket could use to separate itself from a crowded field of digital video providers. Whether it’ll help their cause is yet to be seen, but they are pushing it pretty hard. Through a partnership with Common Sense Media, one of Target Ticket’s noted features is extensive reviews and ratings guides and built-in filters for parents to use to make sure their kids aren’t buying the latest Game of Thrones boob-fest. Target Ticket also has support for multiple user profiles.

    Other incentives to use Target Ticket over other similar services include a 5% off bonus for Target REDcard holders and “exclusive to Target” bonus footage attached to some content.

    Still, Target Ticker enters a ring full of big, scary, established fighters. And that ring is filling up fast. You can check out Target Ticket here