Dish to close 300 Blockbuster stores

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ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Dish Network Corp. said it would close 300 out of 800 U.S. Blockbuster stores at the loss of about 3,000 jobs.

The company, "continues to see value the Blockbuster brand, and we continue to analyze the store-level profitability as we have in the past," said Dish spokesman John Hall.

Dish bought video rental giant Blockbuster in 2011 for $320 million, pulling it out of bankruptcy. But it is still losing market share to companies that offer digital downloads, like Netflix, The Denver Post reported Tuesday.

Hall said the stores would close "over a period of time as many leases are ending."

Dish Chief Executive Officer Joe Clayton said recently that Dish was "still evaluating" the option of selling smart phones at Blockbuster outlets.

"Nothing has been done yet. It's still in exploratory phase," Clayton said.