It’s the end of an era.
On Tuesday, Netflix announced the discontinuation of its DVD-by-mail rental service. According to the streaming business, Netflix delivered 5 billion DVDs in America over the years, beginning in 1998.
The video powerhouse wrote on Twitter, “After an incredible 25 year run, we’ve decided to wind down DVD.com later this year. Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the business continues to shrink that’s going to become increasingly difficult.”
The company’s site dvd.com will officially shut down on Sept. 29, 2023, ending a major era of Netflix’s rise to stardom.
On September 29th, 2023, we will send out the last red envelope. It has been a true pleasure and honor to deliver movie nights to our wonderful members for 25 years. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey, including this final season of red envelopes.
After an incredible 25 year run, we’ve decided to wind down later this year. To everyone who ever added a DVD to their queue or waited by the mailbox for a red envelope to arrive: Thank you!
Netflix will ship its final DVD on Sept 29th
As the world has largely switched over to various digital platforms, contributing to a dramatic decline in the physical media business, fans shared heartfelt messages celebrating Netflix’s long success and cultural impact mailing films in its trademark red envelopes. Others called for the gigantic collection of DVDs to be donated somewhere useful.
See a handful of reactions below:
Netflix is saying goodbye to DVD’s. The company is winding down its DVD by mail rental business after 25 years. The last discs will be mailed out on September 29th.
Wait I still have a criterion DVD from 2003 I still need to return! I swear to God I was getting around to watching it!!!!
@dvdnetflix
there are significantly less films available for streaming than were at video stores / on home video and because of licensing rights and algorithmic curatorial demands, there always will be. netflix dvd remains the only way you can see *many* films. this is a true loss.
In 2013, Netflix made more than $900 million from renting DVDs by mail. Last year, it couldn't top $150 million. So $NFLX has announced "the last season" for the business that took down Blockbuster Video, with the final discs going out in Sept.
Somebody needs to pick up this model. There are way more titles available in hard copy than streaming and not everyone is gonna pay a high price for Criterion stuff. DVDs/Bluerays are still useful.
It’s time for a hero to return.
I've been in a long-term relationship with @dvdnetflix for over 20 years. Being a subscriber and then a writer for them has brought me so much joy. Thank you to the team at DVD Netflix for all you do. I will enjoy these final months together!
