Netflix Shuttering its Original DVD-By-Mail Business
by Jill Goldsmith
April 18, 2023



Netflix said Tuesday that it’s closing down its original DVD-by-mail business, marking the end of an era as it focuses on retooling its streaming offerings including a new ad-supported plan.

“To everyone who ever added a DVD to their queue or waited by the mailbox for a red envelope to arrive: thank you,” CEO Ted Sarandos wrote in a blog post today titled “Netflix DVD – The Final Season.”

“After an incredible 25-year run, we’ve made the difficult decision to wind down at the end of September. Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members, but as the DVD business continues to shrink, that’s going to become increasingly difficult. Making 2023 our final season allows us to maintain our quality of service through the last day and go out on a high note,” Sarandos said.




The mail rental business was launched by founders Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in 1998, and it still has some diehard fans.

Randolph left the company in 2002. Hastings, the longtime CEO, segued to an executive chairman role last fall.

The last discs will be mailed out September 29, and must be returned by October 27. Final bills will go out in August. Service to subscribers with DVD and streaming accounts won’t be affected.

https://deadline.com/2023/04/netflix-to-shutter-original-dvd-by-mail-business-1235329844/

The way this headline was written kinda sums it for me. Didn't even know they were still doing that.

Netflix to send out its last red envelope — bringing an end to an era no one knew was still going on (https://ew.com/movies/netflix-mailing-last-dvd/)

I had also assumed the DVD by mail service was stopped a while ago.

Kind of related, I went to a Walgreens in Long Island a few months ago and saw one of those Redbox movie vending machines. I didn’t realize those were still around as well.

Since the rise of streaming movies has become popular the trend of renting movies has gone out of style ever since Blockbuster Video and Hollywood Video closed it's doors and when Netflix debuted as the first ever mail-order DVD rental service in history many fans were surprised that this new invention would go far as the new way to rent movies without having to drive to the video store. But as Netflix continued to grow beyond movie rentals the days of movie rentals were soon a thing of the past and with Netflix growing and expanding to focus on developing their own original shows we soon saw the rising popularity of streaming movies easily. Because I can imagine if you rented movies you deal with late fees and troubles when returning movies and with streaming movies you never have to deal with things like that. Now that Netflix is closing their movie rental department I think they will also become a mail-order DVD club much like Columbia House did and that will help Netflix a lot
Bestie

I had also assumed the DVD by mail service was stopped a while ago.

Kind of related, I went to a Walgreens in Long Island a few months ago and saw one of those Redbox movie vending machines. I didn’t realize those were still around as well.

Some suggestions in link for people who still want to rent DVDs (Redbox is one of them). Someone can also try to find them for free (hint, try the local library)

Netflix is quitting the rental biz, but lots of places still rent DVDs (https://www.techhive.com/article/1791978/netflix-is-quitting-the-rental-biz-but-lots-of-places-still-rent-dvds.html)

Netflix Subscribers Could be Sent as Many as 10 Bonus DVDs before the End Credits Roll on Disc Business
by Dade Hayes
August 17, 2023


As Netflix gets ready to mark the end of an era, it is sending customers some parting gifts.

The company said it will ship subscribers to its DVD plan as many as 10 discs (taken from their queues) before the division halts operations on September 29.



Subscribers need only to sign up for the promotion by the end of this month, though opting in doesn’t appear to be a guarantee of getting extra discs. The goods do need to be returned, however, along with any other outstanding DVDs by October 27.

In an email to customers that was also posted to Reddit, Netflix noted the surprise element. “You won’t know if any extra envelopes are headed your way until they arrive in your mailbox!” the company wrote.

https://deadline.com/2023/08/netflix-to-ship-10-dvds-to-customers-before-business-shuts-down-1235521799/

Netflix has Shipped its Final DVD! What Was It? (And What John Stamos Movie is John Stamos Holding Onto?)
by Matt Webb Mitovich
Sept. 29, 2023


Twenty-five years (…and a few months) after the launch of its iconic DVDs-by-mail business, Netflix shipped out its final little red sleeve on Friday.

The first DVD mailed out by Netflix back in April 1998 was Beetlejuice; the last one to go out was a copy of True Grit, the 2010 Western directed by Joel and Ethan Coen.

Netflix’s DVD business was a robust one through 2006. And I’m sure scores of you remember it well. In 2007, Netflix began offering “video on demand” via the Internet — aka streaming. And the rest, as they say, is buffering history.




“Today, after 25 years, we ship our last DVD,” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos shared on Friday via Instagram, along with photos of the DVD assembly line and such.

“It was a huge honor to join the incredible DVD team in Fremont this week to thank them for being a part something that changed people’s lives. Those iconic red envelopes were so loved that we shipped more than 5 billion of them to cities and towns, big and small that otherwise would have had no access to the variety of films and television shows we made available,” Sarandos added.

“Thank you to all of our members and DVD employees for 25 history making years!”




TV vet John Stamos let slip that he still has a handful of discs left to return.. or not. (Netflix told any such “squatters” back in August, “Please enjoy them for as long as you like! If you do choose to return the disc, we will continue to accept returns until October 27.”)

“I still have three I haven’t returned yet,” Stamos commented. “Vegas Vacation, Snakes on a Plane and Never Too Young to Die starring a young John Stamos and Gene Simons [sic].”

https://tvline.com/news/netflix-ships-out-final-dvd-true-grit-1235051657/