Netflix has been around long before it was even a streaming service. Just like the now-bankrupt Blockbuster, they offered DVDs for direct-to-consumer entertainment. With the rise of streaming services, people are less inclined to buy DVDs, and so Netflix decided to wind down the service.
The End of Netflix DVDs
Netflix's DVD.com has been operational for 25 years. In comparison, its streaming service has been around for 16 years. The DVD business eased the consumers' transition to a streaming service, and now that it has outlived its purpose and potential for profit, it's getting shut down.
The DVD-by-mail service will end by September 29, 2023, which means that it'll be the last time you'll see the iconic red and white envelope that comes with the rental Blu-rays and DVDs. It's truly the end of an era where movie rentals thrived.
While the streaming service Netflix brought subscribers several original titles for both TV shows and movies, the DVD business has also been instrumental in the company's original programming, which has spawned titles like "Sherrybaby" and "Live at the Purple Onion."
It's inevitable that the service would eventually die down, especially since streaming online is a much more convenient way to view movies and Tv shows, as opposed to waiting for them to arrive in the mail within two business days.
Netflix also added a few fun facts on the page, such as the first DVD it shipped which was "Beetlejuice" on March 10th, 1998, with "The Blind Side" as its most popular title. The service shipped over 5.2 billion DVDs.
It supported 20 main genres and 530 more subgenres. To give us an idea of the success that the DVD service had, the streaming giant claims that it had around 40 million unique subscribers throughout its years.
Ted Sarandos, the co-CEO of Netflix, expressed his gratitude and acknowledged the people who ever added a DVD to their queue and "waited by the mailbox for a red envelope to arrive." Now, Netflix can focus more on adding subscribers to its streaming service.
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Netflix is Relatively Doing Well
Despite losing subscribers in 2022, Netflix managed to keep its head above water. In fact, it's still the leading streaming service out of all its competitors, boasting a massive 230.7 million subscribers all over the world.
It has created many original titles that have kept its subscribers loyal so far such as "Stranger Things," "Arcane," "Orange is the New Black," "The Queen's Gambit," "Squid Game," "Beef," "Money Heist," "House of Cards," and more.
Even as they work toward shutting down their DVD rental service, the company earned more than $200 million in 2021 from it, as mentioned in Comparitech. Although compared to its 2017 revenue, which earned $450 million, the service has evidently declined since.
Netflix will have to put in the work to stay on top of the streaming service ladder, especially since Disney+ and Max (previously known as HBO Max) have been catching up, producing original titles of their own that have been massive hits.
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