Can Target Take On Netflix With Streaming Service?

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Retail giant Target has set its sights on a new market: streaming video.

It has a new service called Target Ticket. A promotional offer will provide 10 free movie rentals for signing up, although they’re not in high definition and “only pre-selected movies are eligible.”

Hopefully that’s enough to get you hooked on Ticket, where prices start at 99 cents and go up to $5 per rental, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal says. You can also purchase videos to keep. Target REDcard holders get a small discount.

The service has a library of about 30,000 movies, the website says, including some of this summer’s blockbusters. Also available are some popular TV shows such as “Game of Thrones,” “Girls,” and “Homeland,” which Netflix and Hulu don’t stream.

Target, like Netflix, has partnered with nonprofit Common Sense Media to provide reviews for its catalog of films and TV. The nonprofit focuses on the effects of media on children. There are also similar parental controls.

“Parents can customize user profiles for family members, so filters can be set according to age-appropriateness, level of violence, profanity, MPAA and TV Parental Guidelines, enabling guests to control content they deem appropriate for viewing,” Target says. “Target Ticket offers customized profiles for each family member, so Mom and Dad can watch the latest sci-fi thriller in the living room while kids take in their favorite animated feature in the playroom down the hall.”

The exclusives could help, but movie lovers will probably continue to see better value in Netflix. For $7.99 a month, users get unlimited access to its streaming library. Do you think you’ll give Target’s service a try? Let us know on Facebook.

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