A woman looking at a redbox DVD movie rentals vending machine.

(Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images)

in the red

Chicken Soup for the Soul has become a $1 billion debt fiasco thanks to Redbox

The acquisition of the movie rental kiosk company has been a disaster for its new owner.

7/1/24 2:59PM

The parent company of Redbox — the chain of movie-rental kiosks decimated by the rise of streaming platforms — filed for bankruptcy protection on Friday, revealing it owes millions of dollars to film studios and retailers.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which owns Redbox as well as the steaming service Crackle, is almost $1 billion in debt.

One of its biggest creditors is Universal Studios, which is owed $16.7 million in unpaid licensing fees. The company sued Redbox earlier this year, saying it hadn't made a payment since summer 2022.

Redbox also owes Sony Pictures and BBC Studios about $9 million each, with smaller debts to Warner Bros., Lionsgate Entertainment, and Paramount.

CSSE also owes money to some of the retailers that host the kiosks; it owes Walgreens about $5 million and Walmart about $4 million.

The company acquired Redbox in 2022, which included assuming ~$360 million in debt.

Since the acquisition, it's struggled to secure new content, and its relationships with studios soured, according to the company's quarterly earnings report from May, which told investors that the company was looking to refinance its debt.

CSSE's stock has dropped 90% in the past year and has received several delisting notices from Nasdaq because its shares have been worth less than $1 for more than 30 consecutive days.

The entrance of Allbirds seen from Hayes St. in San Francisco, Calif.

Allbirds, the once buzzy multibillion-dollar sneaker startup, is selling up for $39 million

That’s less than 1% of its peak market cap about four years ago.

Tom Jones16h

Max Knoblauch3/30/26

JetBlue is raising its bag fees as fuel costs squeeze airlines

JetBlue will reportedly hike its bag fees, as the cost of jet fuel continues to climb amid the war in Iran. It’s the latest example of carriers finding ways to push rising costs onto travelers.

Last week, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said that if fuel prices remain elevated, fares would need to rise another 20% for his airline to break even this year.

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

Earlier this month, JetBlue hiked its first-quarter outlook for operating revenue per seat mile to between 5% and 7%, saying that strong Q1 demand helped “partially offset additional expenses realized from operational disruptions and rising fuel costs.” Now, the carrier appears to be making moves to further boost revenue to offset those costs.

Earlier on Monday, JetBlue rival Alaska Air lowered its Q1 profit forecast. The refining margins for the carrier’s cheapest fuel option — sourced from Singapore and representing about 20% of Alaska’s overall supply — have spiked 400% since February.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

JetBlue Airways raises bag fees as fuel prices soar

As CNBC reported, when one airline raises fees, others tend to follow.

JetBlue did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tom Jones

flavor of the month

3/30/26

Americans won’t tolerate bland food anymore — and it’s turned McCormick into a ~$7 billion-a-year spice and sauce giant

Now, McCormick is eyeing Unilever’s food business.

Bottles of Frank's RedHot Xtra Hot and Sweet Chili on a

Foam party!

Crocs’ prince charming

ByChrisStokel-Walker

FriMar 272026

Max Knoblauch3/26/26

Netflix is hiking its prices again

Netflix is raising its subscription prices for the fourth time in four years, a move first spotted by Android Authority.

Per Netflix’s US pricing page, the cost of an ad-supported plan is climbing $1 to $8.99 per month, while the cost of a standard ad-free plan is going up $2 to $19.99 per month. The premium tier has also risen $2 to $26.99 per month.

The streamer last raised its subscription costs more than a year ago in January 2025. It also hiked prices in 2023, 2022, 2020, and 2019. Netflix shares climbed about 2% on the news.

“Our approach remains the same: we continue offering a range of prices and plans to meet a variety of needs, and as we deliver more value to our members we are updating our prices to enable us to reinvest in quality entertainment and improve their experience by updating our prices,” said a Netflix spokesperson, in a statement to Sherwood News.

Netflix is hiking your prices yet again: Standard, premium, and ad-supported all going up