Before the advent of streaming movies on mobile devices, people primarily depended on DVDs to watch movies. DVDs were considered the superior choice compared to cassettes, both in terms of quality and video resolution.
Even then, Netflix was still spearheading the distribution of DVDs. But eventually, the era of DVDs faded out, and then streaming came around. But it seems Netflix might be invoking the nostalgia of DVDs after it made a recent announcement.
Apparently, Netflix handles its DVD rental service through a subsidiary called DVD.com. This subsidiary, through its Twitter profile, announced a new plan.
Netflix will discontinue its DVD service by the end of September this year. However, there is some good news for Netflix users, particularly for those who enjoy watching movies on DVDs and want to experience it again.
Netflix says customers can keep any remaining DVDs they have after September 29. This is after the service finally shuts down. Also, the announcement says that users who are subscribed to their service will also get the right to receive up to 10 DVDs. All this seems like part of the plan to end Netflix's DVD service.
Netflix DVD Rentals Comes to an End
The subsidiary handling Netflix DVD service was prompted to comment on the situation when a user shared how she was eligible to receive up to 10 DVDs as part of the closure to the DVD service.
On Twitter, this user called on others to enter the chance of getting up to DVDs.
She said, "If you're a @dvdnetflix subscriber, you can enter for a chance to get up to 10 extra discs shipped to you on the final day of the service. You just have to visit https://dvd.com/FinaleSurprise to opt-in! It's not a guarantee but still worth giving it a shot!"
DVD Netflix on Twitter (now X) now took to their page to clarify the situation; they confirmed that the new development was actually true. Also, they mentioned they won't charge for any unreturned DVDs once the 29th of September passes.
"By the way, a happy clarification in response to all the news headlines out there:
We are not charging for any unreturned discs after 9/29. Please enjoy your final shipments for as long as you like," Netflix said in a Twitter post.
By the way, a happy clarification in response to all the news headlines out there:
— DVD Netflix (@dvdnetflix) August 22, 2023
We are not charging for any unreturned discs after 9/29. Please enjoy your final shipments for as long as you like! ❤️💿🍿 https://t.co/lpSJHq29ZX
History of Netflix's Transition to Streaming
Netflix has come a long way in its history of providing entertainment to the world. Apparently, during the early days of Netflix in 1997, the entertainment company had a pay-per-rental service. But in 1999, it transitioned from a pay-per-rental service to a subscription queue system. With this new system, their customers could order the type of DVDs they wanted, and then Netflix would ship them.
Due to this transition, Netflix ended a lot of DVD rentals then. But things have changed ever since; hence, the service further transitioned to the current streaming service. Also, they will be halting the DVD rentals this year. That's why they are making announcements about the new changes to their service.