Customers are slowly running out of places to buy DVDs and Blu-rays as digital and streaming services become the preferred viewing option.
With websites such as Netflix and Paramount+ becoming the predominant sources for movies and television, users are buying fewer physical copies of the films and television they love. This development is forcing some businesses to slowly step away from offering DVD options to customers due to declining interest. The latest victim was Best Buy, which announced on Friday that it will no longer sell DVDs and CDs in their stores in 2024. They are not the only ones, however.
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Here are the latest companies moving away from selling physical copies of media.
Best Buy
The consumer electronics retailer confirmed to Variety on Friday that it is ending the sales of DVDs and Blu-rays in-store and online. "To state the obvious, the way we watch movies and TV shows is much different today than it was decades ago," a Best Buy spokesperson said in a statement. "Making this change gives us more space and opportunity to bring customers new and innovative tech to explore, discover, and enjoy."
Best Buy will have DVDs and Blu-rays available in its stores through the holiday shopping season but will discontinue sales in 2024.
Netflix
The company that pioneered DVDs-by-mail has discontinued the practice that made it the media mogul today. DVD.com, its physical delivery branch, sent out its last deliveries to customers on Sept. 29, stating that customers could keep the discs. The company announced in the spring that it was winding down the operation due to diminishing customer interest.
"Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the DVD business continues to shrink, that's going to become increasingly difficult," Co-CEO Ted Sarandos wrote in an April blog post. Consumers who stayed until the end received a "finale surprise" of up to 10 DVDs selected randomly from their queue.
Netflix launched the DVD delivery service in 1998. One of the first discs mailed out was 1988's Beetlejuice, according to the company. Its final mailed disc was 2010's True Grit, Netflix confirmed.
Ingram Entertainment
Ingram, once one of the country's most prominent physical media distributors, announced in September that it was winding down due to dwindling media sales over the last few years. "Expenses are exceeding sales [so it's] time to exit," chairman and CEO David Ingram told Media Play News. The company shut down its doors on Thursday, laying off 63.
The distributor was founded in 1981 to help get movies mailed to bookstores and vendors across the United States. The company proliferated with its acquisition of competitors, making it one of the largest media distributors in the industry. The company used to work with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, Disney, Paramount Home Entertainment, Lionsgate Pictures, and the major music labels, including Universal Music, Warner Music, and Redeye.
Shrinking DVD Sales
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Disney has slowly shrunk its international DVD sales. The company announced it would stop selling DVDs and Blu-rays in Australia and New Zealand over the summer. The company has gradually cut back on DVD sales in international markets, including parts of Asia and Latin America.
DVD sales have been declining overall. DVD and Blu-ray sales in the U.S. were an estimated $1.58 billion in 2022, according to the Digital Entertainment Group, a decline of nearly 20% from $1.97 billion in 2021. Disc rentals have also shrunk from $602.7 million in 2021 to $502.4 million in 2022.