Netflix will allow customers to keep physical DVDs and get 10 more free before the company completely shuts down its rental service

Netflix DVD envelope
Netflix is shutting down its DVD-by-mail service after 25 years in operation.

Michael Liedtke/AP

  • Netflix is shutting down its physical DVD rental service on September 29.
  • The company announced that it will allow customers to keep any unreturned discs.
  • Customers can also enter a chance to get up to 10 extra discs with no charge.

Netflix will allow customers to keep its DVDs as the company winds down its physical disc rental operation after 25 years in service.

In the past decade or so, as streaming platforms burst to the forefront of the entertainment industry, physical copies of movies and shows have become increasingly unnecessary to many viewers.

But Netflix continued to offer its DVD-by-mail service through DVD.com. Then, in April, the company finally announced that it would shut down the service by September 29.

Netflix initially told customers that they would have to return the disc by October 29. On Monday, the company clarified that it will not charge for unreturned discs after the shutdown date.

Customers can also opt-in to get up to 10 free mystery DVDs.

Since it began its popular DVD-by-mail service in 1998, Netflix has mailed more than 5.2 billion physical discs, the company said.

DVD sales, on the other hand, peaked in 2005, reaching $16.3 billion, CNBC reported.

Some collectors abide by the quality and nostalgic feelings that DVDs can offer.

But Netflix had long anticipated sunsetting its rental service. In 2009, Netflix co-founder Reed Hastings said he expected to mail DVDs until 2030.

"On September 29th, 2023, we will send out the last red envelope," the company said in April. "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."

A spokesperson for Netflix did not return a request for comment sent during the weekend.

Read the original article on Business Insider


from Business Insider https://ift.tt/Aca4I3z

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Zombie startups

Image
Welcome to Startups Weekly, a fresh human-first take on this week’s startup news and trends. To get this in your inbox, subscribe here. People leave jobs for all kinds of reasons, but when it’s a CFO departing a richly valued company as the company itself conducts layoffs, the exodus can be a sign of a larger issue. This was one of the takeaways I had when chatting with Continuum CEO and co-founder Nolan Church about a recent spree of CFO resignations, including but not limited to OpenSea, Noom and Brex. The founder reiterated that we don’t know the exact reasons that people are leaving, but he also noted that it’s a red flag from a recruitment perspective. He also introduced me to the idea of zombie companies, which I appreciated as it is officially spooky season and we love a festive framework. Zombie companies are basically companies that raised a ton of money over the boom cycle but aren’t producing nearly enough revenue to justify the valuation. The late-stage market is full o...
Read more

Guilherme Rambo, who has published scoops about unreleased Apple products by examining beta software, says Apple locked his dev account with no stated reason (Buster Hein/Cult of Mac)

Image
Buster Hein / Cult of Mac : Guilherme Rambo, who has published scoops about unreleased Apple products by examining beta software, says Apple locked his dev account with no stated reason   —  Guilherme Rambo, one of the top Apple secret-spillers, says Apple locked him out of his developer account, preventing … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/37pX6fR
Read more

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wins tough reelection fight over a slew of challengers

Image
In this Feb. 17, 2021 file photo, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey addresses the media in Minneapolis. Richard Tsong-Taatarii/Star Tribune via AP, Pool File What's at stake: Minneapolis' first-term Mayor Jacob Frey won reelection against numerous challengers in the city's ranked-choice election, where all candidates ran on the same ballot. The main Democratic Farmer-Laborer challengers to Frey were former state lawmaker Kate Knuth, community organizer Sheila Nehzad, Cedar-Riverside Community Council leader AJ Awed, and attorney Clint Conner . A smattering of Republican, independent, and third-party candidates also ran. Frey has faced local and national scrutiny for his handling of crime and policing issues in the city following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin and the ensuing months of protests and civil unrest that Floyd's murder sparked around the country. The spotlight on that shooting made police and publ...
Read more