Netflix is killing its DVDs-by-mail service, shuttering one of the great libraries of physical media
It's still unclear what will actually happen to Netflix's DVD collection
Aux News Netflix
As The Buggles once said, “Streaming killed the DVD star, streaming killed the DVD star, in my mind and in my car. We can’t rewind, we’ve gone too far, pictures came and broke your heart. Put the blame on VCR.” Alright, the song parody falls apart there, but you get the idea, which is that Netflix is officially killing off its DVDs-by-mail service—a.k.a. the business that Netflix was built on before it shifted over to its current streaming focus.
Netflix’s DVD service has operated under the name (and domain name) DVD.com since 2016, offering separate subscriptions from the regular streaming service with old-fashioned tiered plans based on how many discs you can get at a time, but that service will be shutting down after 25 years on September 29. DVD.com made the announcement on Twitter, thanking subscribers for their support right up to “this final season of red envelopes,” and Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos shared a slightly longer statement (via The Hollywood Reporter) in which he thanked everyone “who ever added a DVD to their queue or waited by the mailbox for a red envelope to arrive.”
But, of course, Sarandos is the guy co-pulling the plug on the DVD service, so we don’t really care what he thinks. See, this is decidedly a bad thing for the general community of movie-enjoyers and culture fans, because—as Paste pointed out a couple of years ago—Netflix’s library of DVDs was a one-of-a-kind collection that the world will surely never see the likes of again. At one point, the company’s DVD collection had over 100,000 titles, which (according to Paste in 2021) is more than the current combined libraries of all of the major streaming services.
That means we as a society are losing access to a vast collection of things that may be prohibitively difficult to find otherwise, including things that simply aren’t on streaming or discs that are out of print. Sure, DVD.com didn’t have the numbers that Netflix did when DVDs were its main business, so it’s not like everyone in the world will necessarily notice that this is a bad thing (most of us probably don’t even remember the last DVD we got from Netflix), but it was still nice to know that this service still existed and it’s a bummer to know that it won’t for much longer.
We’ve written about why physical media matters here at The A.V. Club, including the fact that David Zaslav can’t take it away from you without breaking into your house (even if it’s just a rental), but also that a good Blu-ray player can produce better-quality video than streaming and DVDs sometimes have cool special features that have mostly been eradicated in the streaming era. Just a few years ago you could rent a DVD copy of, say, The Number 23 from Netflix and get a full-length commentary track from director Joel Schumacher! You shouldn’t need to buy a copy of The Number 23 in order to hear that (or maybe at all).
But this all leaves one lingering mystery: What’s going to happen to all of these DVDs? Unfortunately, we don’t know yet. The A.V. Club reached out to Netflix to find out what will happen to all of its discs once that September deadline passes, but we have yet to hear back. (Related: If anyone hears about some killer garage sale this fall with thousands and thousands of DVDs, let us know. We’re looking for a gently used copy of The Number 23 and we don’t want the box or anything.)
85 Comments
So pissed. My queue is well over 300 discs…no chance I’ll finish it by September.
Not with that attitude.
Ka-kow!
Yeah, this is goddamn aggravating. Mine’s 435 (though about 40 of those are tv show seasons). I generally get through one a week, so that’s, what…. 23 or so?If I scroll through the queue, I count 15 things also streaming on Netflix that’s ~3%. The rest are, well, probably streaming somewhere else (at least if they were made since, say, 1985), but how many services would I have to subscribe to to find them all? Never mind movies from the 40s or 50s.
I saw this day coming and got my queue down from 500 to under 40. Use JustWatch and be aggressive.
Right there with you. I’m definitely going to have to do some major pruning before the end. There was lots of “it’d be nice to see it one day” things that I’ll just take off the list. Most of the TV series too as it takes so long to get a new disk these days (at the peak, I’d send one in and have a new one 3-ish days later – now I’m lucky if I drop one in the mail on Monday if I get a new one by the weekend).
Well, whining about it is sure to help.
Mine, too. It’ll just mean I’ll need to prioritize.
Just pared mine down to 135. I got rid of movies that I frequently see are streaming somewhere, a few things I don’t want to see all that much, and a couple that I’ve managed to see elsewhere since I put them on my queue. Trying to maximize my last five months of DVDs. Now my one question is, will I be charged something if I keep the last couple that they send me?
This is a bit, right? It’s 2023.
Get the DVD’s, rip them, put them on a hard drive, watch them at your leisure later.
The postal service isn’t -that- fast.
That reminds me. I’ve been holding on to the first two discs of “Picard: Season 1″ for over 18 months. I should probably return those at some point.
maybe you should hold on to them until October instead.
It’s not too late to resurrect Quickster!My DVD collection has been sitting in a cabinet for nearly a decade, but all this nonsense about removing content from streaming services has me seriously considering buying Blu-Rays again and setting up a Plex Server.
Well, this sucks. I’ve had Netflix since ‘07 or around there because I hated Blockbuster so much.
Time for Blockbuster to buy up all of Netflix DVDs and rent them out!
This is a bad thing. I live in a rural area, and although I have access to streaming and cable etc, some friends of mine do not. And they’ve relied on the Netflix DVD plans for a long damn time.We still have Red Box around here which I guess they could use.. but of course they don’t have anywhere near the number of DVDs.
For a couple of years I lived in a rural area where streaming was impossible. I’d always go to thrift stores and but DVDs dirt cheap – this was the period where lits of people were getting rid of physical media. I have more than I could reasonably watch. It’s been a while, but I assume prices for used DVDs have gone up, and may continue to rise.
Nah, used DVDs of things still available on Amazon are so worthless I usually just give them all to goodwill. Blu-rays of most mainstream movies are the same deal. Absolutely not worth selling them with the tiny return on them you get unless they’re something that never got an HD upgrade and/or are out of print or are for some other reason desirable.Disney buying out the fox library temporarily bumped up a lot of old mainstream Fox-produced discs from like $5 to like $20, but they’re about to get reprinted by Mill Creek in even cheaper versions so that is going to make prices go back down to normal.I don’t see the used DVD market going up in price anytime soon. You just need to be aware of when things go out of print, cause if they do things will spike.
Sounds like you want an entertainment corporation to be solving a public utility issue.
Sounds like you want an entertainment corporation to be solving a public utility issue Sure. I mean, someone should, so how about someone with billions of dollars?
I was talking to a tech guy last month; told me he had moved his parents in from a rural area and that they were delighted to get internet. I wondered how the hell kids out there were able to take courses online during COVID. This f-ing country…
1. They have the DVDs, and I pay them money automatically. Why, oh why, cannot we still have the same relationship? AOL still sells dial-up internet access. Just let us all die off slowly. 2. I trimmed my list down to under 70; too much Bergman and Tarkovsky that I am unlikely to find easily. Is anyone on Criterion.com, and do you like it?3. If they have a garage sale, I am buying up Kieslowski’s entire damn ouvre, that’s for sure.4. Ugh, I accidentally clicked on another Barsanti article. Dude could not write his way out of a crossword puzzle with only one square blank.
You mean Criterion Channel? It’s fantastic. Also, Criterion has the majority of Bergman’s filmography (not necessarily on the Channel, but in the physical media collection). What Tarkovsky is hard to find?
DVD.com was my only current source for the latter. Thanks, I will give Criterion a try.
I tried to do a free trial with them, handed them my $1, then was told that my platform couldn’t support it – Windows 10. I just gave up. They took my dollar. Any idea why that would happen? I would love to get that service.
I have no idea. Do you have a Roku or Amazon Fire device? Those will support it. Also some Smart TVs.
I just watch everything on my desk computer monitor. Pretty basic.
Criterion Channel is amazing. They also have a lot of turnover. Stuff will be there for a month or two, then be gone. This has its downside, since you have to hurry up and watch stuff, but the advantage is that there is constantly good stuff to watch. They may not have any Tarkovsky right now, but maybe June will be Tarkovsky Month.HBOMax has Stalker and Solaris right now, btw.
Thanks; I recorded Solaris from Turner Classic and finally watched it, and now I want to see more. Next on DVD.com is Ivan’s Childhood.
Yeah, HBO Max has a solid selection of Criterion Collection films too.Speaking of the Criterion Channel, another great resource for streaming arthouse films is Mubi. I just finished a “$1 for 3 months” period and I’ll continue to subscribe at the regular monthly price.
Criterion is great and I’m probably going to have to sign up for it again once Netflix stops sending out DVDs. Not too many streaming services are going to have something like “The Turning Horse” on it.
Turin Horse
Ack, you’re right. Wrote too fast.
I feel like this is yet another way that they’re just telling people, “Hey, you know what? You should just pirate more.” A huge part of why I’ve maintained the disc membership this long is because it’s a legal way for me to watch a lot of movies that might require me subscribing to like 12 different streaming services. It also allows me to watch something that is out of print (but which Netflix already had in their library) and not streaming. While I’m sure part of why they’re killing this is because not a ton of people still subscribe anymore, at the same time, I suspect it’s gonna result in more pirating simply because it’s too hard to find certain titles (or to find them cost efficiently).
Unfortunately, a lot of the stuff that I was subscribing to this for is also hard to pirate. A lot of older movies aren’t even easy to find illegally.
Then now is also the time to move those to the top of the queue so you can watch them before it gets a lot harder.
Yeah, I spent a good chunk of time yesterday trying to figure out what I wanted to see the most, balanced with what I think is going to be the hardest to find elsewhere.
I haven’t used it in a few years, but there’s a free program called Handbrake that converts DVDs to mp4 files.
Yeah, if you’re looking at the usual suspects for sources you’re pretty much only going to find mainstream stuff. And a lot of that is like, AVI rips from DVDs done in 2005.
The last time I tried to subscribe to The Criterion Collection, I paid $1 for a trial then was told my platform didn’t support it? Windows 10? I just said “F -it” and gave up. They kept my dollar. But if I could get some help with that I’d try again.
When Criterion was on Hulu I found that, as good as most of the movies probably are, I was rarely in the mood for a 4 hour Japanese movie about death or whatever. My sweet spot is more or less mainstream American movies from like the 30’s to the 50’s. I might give the Criterion channel a try anyway. There’s plenty of good stuff on there, and sometimes I am in the mood for something kind of challenging.
Thanks. That’s a good point. I should check to see if I can access their menu before subscribing.
Yep, I only do netflix and amazon, so this is my last chance to get some disney movies for the kids before they’re stuck with whatever’s on the streaming services we have (unless we start rotating services) as I refuse to pay for more than we can currently watch.
Oh it’s definitely gonna result in pirating. I mean, it already has, but it’s gonna even more now. I feel like half the ads I see for VPN services have veiled references to “hey use us to torrent stuff” in there.
You have to subscribe if you want to see anything at all now. I refuse. If there’s a good show streaming, I wait until the season is over and pay one month (or free trial) to see it then. I wonder if some of these services aren’t owned by the same company.
I believe Disney owns Hulu. So yeah…
Something tells me public libraries are going to start getting a lot more attention in the movie loaning department.
YES. Patronize your local library, people!
My 87yo mother is going to be very upset. I can’t get her to use streaming options without ending up with a dozen mystery charges after a month’s time. She loves those discs.Me? I’m just constantly surprised movies I thought were lost to time keep popping up on Kino Lorber, Vinegar Syndrome, Arrow…I love the boutique selections these days. And Criterion’s streaming channel has been the best investment I’ve made in years. Prevented me from buying numerous Blu-rays, and got to watch almost the entire Les Blank catalog.
They were still doing that? News to me. Sorry I found out too late; love my DVDs.Maybe someone else will pick up a service if there’s still interest.
Here in LA there’s been a resurgence of the video store. I go to one weekly and Vidiots is about to reopen. I can only hope other places get hip to this and we get back to the good ol days.Physical media trumps digital. Always.
“Physical media trumps digital. Always.” Hell, no, not always.1) Streaming media is far more reliable than publicly shared discs, which can be scratched and/or broken in the mail.2) Streaming media can obviously be obtained without leaving the room.3) Streaming often lets one rent movies in HD for a reasonable price, whereas the same movie’s Blu-ray is too obscure for one’s neighborhood video rental store (assuming one even exists) and/or is out of print, and unreasonably expensive to buy.4) Streaming can allow for a less cluttered home.
5) Say what one likes about compression, streamed HD beats DVD resolution 99% of the time.6) YouTube video essays/reviews and podcasts are more informative and compelling than the vast majority of EPK, corporate-approved bonus content, so the lack of official bonus content is rarely that much of a loss.
Look, I like physical media also, and I very much like modest physical media collection. There are absolutely circumstances in which physical media is preferable, but there’s absolutely circumstances in which streaming wins, too.
Streamed HD beats DVD resolution is not remotely a fair comparison considering DVDs have been an outdated format for 15 years now. A good blu-ray is going to look better than any non-4K stream and not have the potential for buffering errors. And unless you have fiber AND you have one of the rare sources that properly encodes things, a 4K stream is probably still going to look worse than a blu-ray and is most definitely going to look worse than a 4K disc.6 is bogus unless you mainly watch mainstream movies or things popular with online people like 80s horror/action movies. Sure, they’re vastly better if you care deeply about a video essay on Marvel movies or Spielberg stuff or something that people will produce cause it gets clicks. But good luck finding anything if you’re watching like, Mondo Macabro or Vinegar Syndrome sorts of movies, or any of the many, many non-popular Criterion movies. Not to mention a lot of stream providers do things like not provide surround sound, crop aspect ratios to fill 16×9 screens, randomly censor movies (ex Disney Plus).
The clutter thing is a very valid argument. Disc damage is if you’re comparing to a public library – I would wager 25% of the discs I’ve gotten from the library won’t play all the way through due to scratches.
“Streamed HD beats DVD resolution is not remotely a fair comparison” – oh, but it is. It is when you’re faced with a choice of paying $4 for an HD streamed rental, or buying a new Blu-ray for at least $20, plus shipping (unless it’s a Amazon Prime order), or a used Blu-ray for maybe $10, plus shipping, or a used DVD for $4-5 dollars, plus shipping.Say you’d like to see an older/somewhat obscure movie, and you’re not sure if you’ll even like it. You can stream it in HD for $4, or spend four to five times that much to buy a Blu-ray, or twice that much to buy a used DVD. So, yes, DVDs are still in the comparison conversation.
“But good luck finding anything [bonus content] if you’re watching like, Mondo Macabro or Vinegar Syndrome sorts of movies, or any of the many, many non-popular Criterion movies.” That’s an excellent point I will happily concede.
I was being hyperbolic, but physical media is better in the long run in my opinion. Streaming is about convenience, I’ll give you that. But it still suffers from the same availability of a physical video store (except I can ask my local video rental joint/library to get a copy of something. I can’t ask Amazon to start streaming a niche horror movie from the 80s). For example: try streaming Near Dark. You can’t, and outside of small windows it’s been near impossible to for damn near a decade. I can watch it whenever I want with my physical disc, free from the whims of whatever corporate overlord decides when it’s available to stream.Look at shows like Final Space. Digital copies, even purchased ones, were removed. People who “owned” it suddenly didn’t.I’d also rather support a local brick and mortar than some streaming conglomerate, but that’s really neither here nor there. I agree, physical isn’t perfect, but to me it’s loads better than streaming.
“Streaming is about convenience, I’ll give you that. But it still suffers from the same availability of a physical video store…” Nope. Unless you live near one of the world’s biggest video rental shops, the availability of on-demand streaming movies will beat your local options 99% of the time, and your occasional Near Dark exceptions do not disprove that rule.(Granted, I’m talking same-day/on-demand availability here, not about buying discs in the mail.)
back in the day it was pretty amazing. got to see lots of movies/tv series that the local video stores didn’t carry. it worked surprisingly well
Obligatory plug to go check out your local public libraries and see if they have the DVDs you want. I know ease of access and the depth of their collection varies wildly depending on where you live, but perhaps it can help some of you who are bummed about this. Some also have the ability to request stuff from other library systems. Also… yeah I’m interested to see what they do with all those DVDs. Hopefully they do some kind of fire sale.
And while you’re at your library, ask if they have subscriptions to Kanopy and/or Hoopla. If you’re affiliated with a university you might have Kanopy access through them, too. Kanopy and Hoopla both have, in my experience, really solid collections of independent/art house films, old classics, and documentaries. Plus some more mainstream feature films.Also, archive.org has something like 10 million films uploaded, about 28k of which are feature films.
Yeah, free Kanopy access through the library is amazing, though mine does come with a relatively low ceiling on the number of titles I can watch per month.
Oh that’s a bummer. I’ve got access to Kanopy through my university and it’s unlimited, so it’s a free-for-all over here! My public library’s Hoopla service only lets me watch ten videos a month, but that’s usually fine for me.
Do you think the library would order DVDs from another library if they don’t have them on site?
I know mine will, but the caveat there is that I live in one of the most expansive and cooperative library districts in the country. Smaller library systems might have more limited services.
Thanks.
I was a longtime holdout of a DVD plan but gave it up several years ago the last time I moved. I actually think the value prop is becoming more compelling now as the streaming wars have moved from throw as much money as possible at content to try to make money and there are more services competing so it’s increasingly likely that any given movie I want to watch will not be on one of the services I have. Also, as TVs get better and cheaper, the quality issues with compression become more annoying. I know it doesn’t really matter to them (they’ve wanted to shut this down for a while, even though it’s still profitable) but if they would’ve offered special features discs, I may have rejoined. It’s now going to be extremely difficult or impossible for some people to access some movies that aren’t streaming (there are a fair amount with licensing issues making them effectively out of print).
But they’re sill doing photos, right?https://www.theonion.com/new-netpix-service-sends-unlimited-photographs-for-mont-1819570769
I’m sure that they could auction off the DVDs and make a fair bit of money, but I’d bet a CEO’s salary that it’s somehow more profitable to pile them up, light them on fire, and claim it as a tax write off.
Either that or bury them next to the Atari ET cartridges.
As someone who is firmly in the physical media camp I’m at best ambivalent about this in large part because it was Netflix that killed the neighborhood video store. I loved those once (often twice) a week trips out to grab a couple of movies, particularly when I was in a relationship because it was a best-of-both-worlds scenario. You got out of the house, sometimes went out for dinner first or grabbed take-out after getting your movies and then curled up on the couch with the better part of the evening still ahead. Those were lovely times.My ex signed up for Netflix right after moving in with me and it only brought out her worst narcissistic/gluttonous tendencies. She was one of those people who hogged the que and started watching movies/shows before I got home. It really did damage our relationship because often it is the little things that begin to chip away at a marriage and open the door to all kinds of shit to follow. After our marriage died I never signed up for Netflix in large part because of bad memories but also because I still buy a couple of discs a month and that works out fine for me. I’ve had access to a family members account for years but haven’t used it more than a few times and not for ages now. There’s something weirdly dispiriting about scrolling through that convoluted menu of doom. I’ve dated a few women and invariably found myself on a couch with them watching them numbly clicking the remote in search of something to watch as I thought to myself, “I’ve gotta get out of here…”I greatly appreciate what a bummer this is for other people but personally I feel the same way I did when Tower Records or Borders tanked which is more a sense of satisfaction than anything else.
A message board is a poor substitute for real therapy.
It would be cool if they transitioned to being some sort of non-profit org/library and somehow networked with ILL services. Won’t happen but it would be cool.
Possibilities for the DVDs (and also places you can find DVDs now):Libraries – they’ll take them I’m sure; not the biggest selection but generally free to check outHuge online garage sale – I still have a stack of $1 Blockbuster DVDs in a closet that I got back in 2011-12.
Resell stores – usually local/regional so not sure if this will be the destination for all those discsFreaking Amazon – buy them for 10¢ each and sell them for $5.99
Ooh, good reminder that I bought a copy of Moonrise Kingdom at a Blockbuster going-out-of-business sale and then never got around to watching it.
I both suspect and fear these discs are going to be destroyed. I would love it if the catalog was put up for auction in whole or in part. I would bid!
If anyone is in or near the Twin Cities, go check out Video Universe in Robbinsdale. It’s the last video store in the cities, but it is closing at the end of May. Every dvd they have is for sale from about $3-$7 each. They even have a Criterion Collection section. I’ve been twice so far and will be going back at least one more time before it closes for good. I’ve purchased everything from Don’t Look Now, Blow Out, and Diner to Over the Top, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, and So I Married an Axe Murderer. What I’m saying is they have a wide variety of DVDs for sale. That said. I don’t know if they have The Number 23, I’ll check next time I’m there.
I think the streaming services have done a great job of instilling a kind of amnesia on its customer base. Those of us who used the DVD service were the last to recall that there are SO MANY films and shows out there, well beyond the bland bounds of most streamer libraries. As others here have said, piracy and free YouTube uploads (where I finally saw Martin McDonagh’s Six Shooter) will have to take the place of physical media.
I would really encourage everyone who this will affect to, if you haven’t already, start using your local library to get hard to find DVDs. Some are moving away from keeping a physical collection, but plenty still have vast collections of physical media, and most librarians will be more than happy to help you get something from another library if necessary. Plus it’s free! Libraries are great resources.
Also, if you have one nearby and it’s open to the public, college and university libraries can get just about anything. Usually members of the public don’t have borrowing privileges at academic libraries, but some offer a “friend of the library” type membership that often comes with borrowing privileges.
This is bad. At the same time I’m encouraged by how many people still watch DVDS. I hope this doesn’t signal the end. We had a Disc Replay shop in town until the pandemic and were able to get a lot of good deals on used DVDs.
Time to start reporting discs missing until they ban your account.
Yeah, the writing has been on the wall for some time. I used to rent DVD’s through this service up to about a year ago. Then I found out for the price of a monthly subscription plan I could buy 1 movie a month or rent about 3 via Apple TV for the same price. Hopefully Netflix will let you buy movies/shows from them without a subscription.
Sounds like it’s Blockbuster’s time to shine!