Due to declining demand for physical media, Best Buy made the strategic decision to exit the DVD business. The company will no longer offer DVDs for sale in its stores.
The popular consumer electronics retailer plans to stop selling DVDs and Blu-ray Discs both online and in-store starting in early 2024. It was reported that Best Buy decided to stop selling DVDs nine months ago, the Associated Press confirmed.
“To state the obvious: The way we watch movies and TV shows is very different today than it was decades ago,” the company said in a statement. “This change gives us more space and opportunity to offer new and innovative technologies for customers to explore, discover and enjoy.”
Best Buy will sell movies and TV shows on physical media through the end of the 2023 holiday season and then stop selling them at its 1,129 locations, including 969 in the United States. The company will continue to sell video games.
With Best Buy’s departure, Walmart, Amazon and Target are now the top retailers for DVDs and Blu-ray discs. However, Redbox, which is owned by Chicken Soup for Soul Entertainment and has a nationwide network of approximately 29,000 DVD rental locations, remains a strong competitor in the physical disc business.
According to Variety, Media Play News reported over the summer that Walmart was in talks with Studio Distribution Services, a joint venture between Universal Pictures and Warner Bros., to manage some of its physical media operations.
The rise of video streaming has led to a decline in DVD and Blu-Ray disc sales over the years. Digital Entertainment Group released its half-year report showing that U.S. physical media revenue fell 28% to $754 million in the first half of 2023, compared to $1.05 billion in the same period of 2023 previous year.
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Who else goes without DVDs?
On October 27th, Netflix is discontinuing its DVD delivery service, which the company offered long before today’s streaming giant.
According to multiple sources, Disney will cease physical media distribution in Australia and has already closed its Movie Club in Canada.
Where else can I buy DVDs?
Redbox is a DVD and Blu-ray vending machine. Use the search function on their website to find a kiosk location near you.
GameFly is a subscription-based service that rents video games, DVDs and Blu-ray movies, including 4K UHD titles. It offers a mail-to-me service, making it an excellent alternative to Netflix’s discontinued DVD service.
3D Blu-ray Rental is a DVD-by-mail option that offers monthly subscriptions and pay-as-you-go rentals for movies and video games, similar to GameFly and DVD Netflix.
You can also go to your local library and see what DVDs they have. You’ll be surprised at what else you can find.