Sadly (but probably wisely) it's all but impossible to invest in the long-dead video rental legend Blockbuster... That's barring a miraculous repeat of the 2020/2021 frenzy of interest.
Blockbuster bit the dust back in 2010 – filing for bankruptcy after consumers stopped heading out to rent physical DVDs in favour of streaming from the comfort of their homes. What remains of Blockbuster, aside from that old card in the back of your drawer, is a couple of zombie tickers for liquidation/trust remnants – with next-to-no liquidity (i.e. nobody trades them).
BB Liquidating (BLIAQ) is an example, and interest in its stock surged in 2020/2021 following threads on social media channels including Reddit. The Blockbuster mania was like a side-meme to the broader GameStop mania. Kids, eh?
In theory that could happen again – lightning could strike twice. Stranger things have happened… I just can’t think of any right now. But it’s crucial to be aware that there’s no real underlying company to speculate on… no revenue, no profit, no staff, no service. A bunch of Redditors decided to pile into a zombie ticker for a laugh, and then everyone lost interest. A light-hearted pump-and-dump.
And so as such, most trading platforms don’t support trading shares in BLIAQ or BLIBQ. I’m checking Trading 212 and eToro as I write, and….. nada. Soz.
Can we interest you in a little Netflix, Sir/Madam?
There aren’t really any stocks like Blockbuster… I mean, how many video rental stores can you name? But there are modern equivalents – see the table below. Google’s in the mix representing YouTube – arguably the largest source of video consumption globally. But bear in mind the fortunes of most of these companies is about more than just how many Friday-night-movie-watchers use their specific service.
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
There are of course other meme stocks too, and for that you might want to head over to r/wallstreetbets or r/WallStreetbetsELITE – which is where the 2020/2021 saga all began.
Chris Lilly is Head of publishing at finder.com. He's a specialist in personal finance, from day-to-day banking to investing to borrowing, and is passionate about helping UK consumers make informed decisions about their money. In his spare time Chris likes forcing his kids to exercise more.
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