Amber Neely
Netflix has announced that it will ship out its last DVD on September 29, transitioning existing DVD subscribers to streaming-only subscriptions.
On Tuesday, Netflix announced that it would end its DVD subscription, which allowed users to rent DVDs via the mail system.
Founded on August 29, 1997, Netflix started as a mail-based rental system for DVDs. Users would receive a DVD in the mail, watch it, and then return the DVD via a prepaid envelope.
It wasn't until a decade later, in 2007, that the company would introduce streaming media and video-on-demand.
Now, the company is ending its 25-year-long DVD subscription service. Netflix will ship out its final red envelope on September 29, and subscribers will have until October 27 to return any discs in their possession.
On September 29th, 2023, we will send out the last red envelope. 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. pic.twitter.com/9lAntaL2ww
— DVD Netflix (@dvdnetflix) April 18, 2023
Those with a streaming and DVD subscription will be converted to streaming-only services. All users with DVD subscriptions will be canceled automatically.
Subscribers who have more questions are encouraged to visit the Netflix DVD FAQ.
DVD and Blu-Ray sales have been on the decline for several years, while the U.S. streaming market has continued to grow.
According to data analytics company Kantar, 89% of U.S. households stream video content into their homes. In addition, the average household now subscribes to 5.4 different streaming services.
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15 Comments
Honestly I thought they had phased that out a few years ago.
Kind of what I figured would happen after they spent so much time hyping the "25 years!" aspect to the remaining subscribers (like myself). Ultimately, the disc-rental-through-the-mail idea was one of the best ideas to come out of the original 1990's internet boom.
Like others, I thought they ended the mailed DVD service years ago. I remember my twin and I were the first in our circles to try it. Oy, the times we held on to a DVD forever, trying to find time to watch with our busy schedules. Took me forever to try streaming with Netflix.
For those of us who had there 70th birthday this year….