Netflix Ships Last DVD as Delivery Service Ends

Netflix DVD (Credit: Handout Photo)

Twenty five years after launching its DVD-by-mail service, Netflix shipped its last DVD on Friday.

The company made the announcement in a blog post on its website, letting subscribers on the DVD plan know the service was officially closed.

“In 1998, we delivered our first DVD. This morning, we shipped our last,” read the Sept. 29 post. “It’s the end of an era, but the DVD business built our foundation for the years to come – giving members unprecedented choice and control, a wide variety of titles to choose from and the freedom to watch as much as they want.”

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Netflix announced in April it would wind down the DVD service this year after changing its focus to streaming — calling this the “final season of red envelopes.”

When the company introduced its DVD service for U.S. subscribers in 1998, it offered a convenient alternative to driving to the nearest Blockbuster or Hollywood Video store — eventually contributing to the demise of the DVD rental stores.

Netflix customers could log onto their accounts, add DVDs their queue and the discs would be mailed in red envelopes.

But as interest in streaming surged, its DVD business began to decline. Although some reports say up to one million people still subscribed to the DVD service when Netflix announced it was ending.

Over the summer, the tech giant reportedly offered remaining DVD customers a “surprise” — saying they would receive up to 10 DVDs as a goodbye gift.

The company also said customers would not be charged for unreturned DVDs

In 2021, Netflix said its non-streaming revenue — mostly DVD subscriptions — accounted for just 0.6 percent of its total revenue.


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