Last summer, Verizon and Redbox started work on a joint venture to add streaming video subscriptions to the video-kiosk company. After a period of closed beta, Redbox Instant is now available to the public, as reported by Gigaom . But while Netflix is now dipping its toes into original content with shows like House of Cards, Redbox Instant CEO Shawn Strickland says that topic is "really premature" for the new service.

Redbox Instant currently offers 4,600 streaming titles and four Redbox kiosk DVDs for $8 a month. Blu-rays are also available for an additional $1 per month. Strickland told Gigaom that the results of the beta test showed that most subscribers were interested in the ability to still watch discs. Netflix infamously changed its pricing structure to discourage disc rentals back in 2011.Ultimately, it's hard to say at this point how Redbox Instant will compete with the likes of Netflix or Amazon Instant. The ability to grab new releases on disc is definitely an added bonus, and perhaps, there is some opportunity for the movie service to coincide with the more television-heavy Netflix. Redbox announced in February the Xbox 360 would be the exclusive game console home of Redbox Instant.

Matt Clark is a freelance writer covering the world of videogames, tech, and popular culture. Follow him on Twitter @ClarkMatt and MyIGN at Matt_Clark