Post by matt on Oct 13, 2023 16:27:32 GMT -5
Best Buy is axing physical DVD and Blu-ray business in this depressing digital world
variety.com/2023/digital/news/best-buy-ending-dvd-blu-ray-disc-sales-1235754919/
collider.com/disney-physical-media-release-discontinue-australia/
variety.com/2023/digital/news/best-buy-ending-dvd-blu-ray-disc-sales-1235754919/
UPDATED: Best Buy is checking out of the DVD business.
The consumer-electronics retailer will phase out sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs both in-store and online in early 2024, according to industry sources familiar with the company’s plans. Best Buy made the initial decision to end DVD sales nine months ago, according to one source.
Best Buy confirmed Friday that it is ending sales of DVDs. “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 to Variety. “Making this change gives us more space and opportunity to bring customers new and innovative tech for them to explore, discover and enjoy.”
Best Buy will continue to sell movies and TV shows on physical discs through the 2023 holiday shopping season online and in stores, before discontinuing sales in the new year. The company will continue to sell video games. As of mid-2023, Best Buy had 1,129 store locations, with 969 of those in the U.S.
News of Best Buy’s ending DVD sales was first reported by home-entertainment blog The Digital Bits.
The move comes as Netflix, 25 years after launching its pioneering DVD-by-mail service, shipped out its last DVDs to customers on Sept. 29 (and let them keep their final discs if they chose to).
Best Buy’s exit from the market will leave Walmart, Amazon and Target as the top retailers in the U.S. stocking DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Also still in the physical-disc game is Redbox, now owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which maintains a network of about 29,000 DVD rental kiosks nationwide.
Amid the ascent of streaming video, sales of DVDs and Blu-Ray discs have been shrinking for years. U.S. physical media revenue in the first half of 2023 dropped 28%, to $754 million, compared with $1.05 billion in the year-earlier period, according to data from trade association DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.
Ingram Entertainment, a leading DVD distributor, recently announced that it would wind down operations after more than 35 years in business. The company said it will “continue to provide catalog product” to customers into the fourth quarter of 2023.
Meanwhile, Walmart has been in talks with DVD distributor Studio Distribution Services (SDS), a joint venture of Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., to assume management of portions of its physical-media operations, Media Play News reported this summer.
The consumer-electronics retailer will phase out sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs both in-store and online in early 2024, according to industry sources familiar with the company’s plans. Best Buy made the initial decision to end DVD sales nine months ago, according to one source.
Best Buy confirmed Friday that it is ending sales of DVDs. “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 to Variety. “Making this change gives us more space and opportunity to bring customers new and innovative tech for them to explore, discover and enjoy.”
Best Buy will continue to sell movies and TV shows on physical discs through the 2023 holiday shopping season online and in stores, before discontinuing sales in the new year. The company will continue to sell video games. As of mid-2023, Best Buy had 1,129 store locations, with 969 of those in the U.S.
News of Best Buy’s ending DVD sales was first reported by home-entertainment blog The Digital Bits.
The move comes as Netflix, 25 years after launching its pioneering DVD-by-mail service, shipped out its last DVDs to customers on Sept. 29 (and let them keep their final discs if they chose to).
Best Buy’s exit from the market will leave Walmart, Amazon and Target as the top retailers in the U.S. stocking DVDs and Blu-ray discs. Also still in the physical-disc game is Redbox, now owned by Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, which maintains a network of about 29,000 DVD rental kiosks nationwide.
Amid the ascent of streaming video, sales of DVDs and Blu-Ray discs have been shrinking for years. U.S. physical media revenue in the first half of 2023 dropped 28%, to $754 million, compared with $1.05 billion in the year-earlier period, according to data from trade association DEG: The Digital Entertainment Group.
Ingram Entertainment, a leading DVD distributor, recently announced that it would wind down operations after more than 35 years in business. The company said it will “continue to provide catalog product” to customers into the fourth quarter of 2023.
Meanwhile, Walmart has been in talks with DVD distributor Studio Distribution Services (SDS), a joint venture of Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., to assume management of portions of its physical-media operations, Media Play News reported this summer.
collider.com/disney-physical-media-release-discontinue-australia/
Disney's decision to stop DVD and Blu-ray sales in Australia reflects the shift towards streaming services and digital sales, indicating a changing landscape for media release.
The removal of physical media suggests that viewers will have less control over access to movies and TV shows, relying more on media companies and exclusive streaming platforms.
While this decision only applies to Australia, fans will have to turn to international markets for physical media once remaining copies of Disney DVDs and Blu-rays are sold out.
There is no indication that Disney's decision to end physical media sales in Australia will impact other markets, however, it does signal a sharp shift in how media is released. Media such as DVDs and Blu-rays have fallen out of fashion with the increasing popularity of streaming and digital sales. However, with streaming services shelving and shuffling media at a dizzying pace, it seems clear that the future of film and television releases will inevitably give less control over media access to viewers.
Media such as Blu-ray and DVDs allow viewers to retain movies and television series away from the whims of corporations who may choose to scrub or shuffle properties to and away from a large swath of exclusive streaming platforms. The removal of physical media from the marketplace is a clear indication that the public's access to media will become more reliant on the media companies themselves. In essence, future releases will come down to access rather than ownership of new titles.
The removal of physical media suggests that viewers will have less control over access to movies and TV shows, relying more on media companies and exclusive streaming platforms.
While this decision only applies to Australia, fans will have to turn to international markets for physical media once remaining copies of Disney DVDs and Blu-rays are sold out.
There is no indication that Disney's decision to end physical media sales in Australia will impact other markets, however, it does signal a sharp shift in how media is released. Media such as DVDs and Blu-rays have fallen out of fashion with the increasing popularity of streaming and digital sales. However, with streaming services shelving and shuffling media at a dizzying pace, it seems clear that the future of film and television releases will inevitably give less control over media access to viewers.
Media such as Blu-ray and DVDs allow viewers to retain movies and television series away from the whims of corporations who may choose to scrub or shuffle properties to and away from a large swath of exclusive streaming platforms. The removal of physical media from the marketplace is a clear indication that the public's access to media will become more reliant on the media companies themselves. In essence, future releases will come down to access rather than ownership of new titles.
