Netflix shipping its final DVD rentals marked the end of an era that helped shape the company into the streaming giant it is today. In a post published on X yesterday, the company stated that Netflix will release its final DVD on September 29, 2023. Netflix announced this April that it would shut down its DVD rental business on September 29, saying declining demand for physical rentals was making it increasingly difficult to deliver the desired quality of service. The company released its first disc in 1998. It has since shipped 5.2 billion films in these red envelopes to more than 40 million customers.
Netflix ends DVD rentals on September 29, 2023
DVD rentals paved the way for Netflix to launch on-demand streaming in 2007. It grew rapidly in the process, becoming the company’s most popular offering by 2009. After that, Netflix expanded to produce its own streaming content. Currently, Netflix’s original content has surpassed 238. Meanwhile, DVD rentals have slowly become a small part of Netflix. Although video enthusiasts still love DVDs and Blu-Rays, worldwide sales have seen a 19 percent decline from 2021 to 2022 alone. In a recent move, Disney announced that it is ceasing DVD and Blu-Ray production in Australia.