Netflix DVD service, you will be missed

On Friday, Sept. 29, Netflix will mail out its final DVDs to subscribers. It will mark the end of company’s legacy DVD-by-mail service, which started some 25 years ago. And I will be sad to see it go.
I have subscribed to the DVD service continually since March 2001. In that time, I’ve watched about 1,660 discs, including movies, TV series and documentaries. That’s a lot of discs.
The end has been coming for a while. Consumers clearly prefer the immediacy of streaming video, whether that’s subscription video on demand or transactional video on demand.
The beauty of the Netflix DVD service was that it carried virtually every theatrical Hollywood release in one place. Now, you have to use a service like Reelgood or JustWatch to find out where to access a particular movie online, if it’s even available.
Netflix’s DVD.com also offered many movies, particularly older titles, that weren’t available for streaming anywhere.
My movie watching now is split across Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Kanopy, Max and Netflix. In the future, I’ll likely switch off with other services such as Hulu, Paramount+ and Peacock. There also are niche services I’d like to try such as horror movie specialist Shudder.
I have a watch list on Reelgood to keep track of all the movies I’d like to see. Reelgood lists where those movies are available to stream, if they’re available.
I’ll miss the little thrill of finding Netflix DVDs in my mailbox every week.
However, I may try another DVD rental service. But those offerings seem limited. Video game rental service GameFly has a movie rental service offering DVD and Blu-ray Disc titles. There’s also 3D Blu-ray Rental, 4K Blu-Ray 4U and Scarecrow Video.
Plus, there’s Redbox and its video rental kiosks. But those machines are getting harder to find in my area.

Related articles:

Netflix Prepares to Send Its Final Red Envelope (The New York Times; Sept. 23, 2023)

Netflix is shutting down its DVD service this week. (Trung Phan; Sept. 25, 2023)

The high tech behind Netflix’s old-school DVD service (The Verge; Sept. 25, 2023)

Redbox to Increase Catalog, Niche Titles in Kiosks as Netflix Exits Disc Biz (Media Play News; Sept. 26, 2023)

Photos: My last few Netflix DVDs (Patrick Seitz)