Despite rising streaming costs, Best Buy removes DVDs and Blu-rays from the shelves in the USA

Buying films at Best Buy stores will soon no longer be possible. (Image: Best Buy)

Streaming providers are becoming more and more expensive in the US. In this phase of all times, Best Buy is suspending the sale of physical video media. Video games on the other hand will still continue to be on offer.

Andreas Sebayang (translated by Jacob Fisher), Published 01/08/2024 🇩🇪

Purchasing Blu-rays and DVDs is becoming more difficult in the USA and Best Buy is now implementing a plan to clear out physical video media from its store shelves, according to Kotaku and other media reports. This had been planned for a long time and anyone with a observing eye in recent years would have seen the trend coming.

The cessation of sales of DVDs, Blu-rays and even Ultra HD Blu-rays comes at a time when streaming providers are becoming increasingly expensive. In Best Buy stores, on the other hand, buyers could often still get a bargain. Older series and films in particular were available at low prices, making a streaming subscription less worthwhile for those who don’t consume a lot of media.

The bad news doesn’t end there: Sony, for example, is making purchased videos no longer accessible to its Playstation customers: “As of August 31, 2022, due to our evolving licensing agreements with content providers, you will no longer be able to view your previously purchased Studio Canal content and it will be removed from your video library,” it stated at the time. However, such examples do not appear to be generating enough demand in stationary retail. Instead, Best Buy is leaving the field to online retail.

The production of media is still in demand. While some studios have shut down their physical media businesses, there are also streaming providers who are still releasing films and series on Blu-ray. Even in-house productions such as Apple’s For All Mankind are available on Blu-ray. However, buyers are hardly able to buy them in US cities anymore.

This is mainly because the US market for electronic stores has weakened significantly after major companies such as Fry’s Electronics ceased operations. Best Buy is the last large chain to have physical stores in US cities. The decision is also surprising, as physical media still represent a large market share.

Ultra HD Blu-ray in particular is still selling very well in the context of high-quality home cinema systems. Best Buy will continue to sell home theater equipment, but no films to go with it. In addition, there is still a limited rental market in the US. For example, automatic rental stations from companies such as Redbox can still be found in US cities.

A DVD rental station in front of a supermarket in Las Vegas. (Photo: Andreas Sebayang/Private)

Estimated* market share for unit sales in the U.S.: Q4 2023 was the best quarter for Ultra HD Blu-ray disc since launch, at 20.3%.
A seasonal pattern emerges where in normal years (not 2020/2021), Q4 is the strongest quarter for UHD BD. pic.twitter.com/LPl6e9hZcw

— Ultra HD Blu-ray ???? (@UltraHDBluray) January 5, 2024

I’ve been involved in the IT business for over 20 years, first as a Sysadmin (Mac & PC; 2000-2014) and then as a journalist (2005 onwards). I have attended many industry events, such as IDF, Displayweek, Computex, CES, and IFA, to cover subjects like mobile and local networks, Bluetooth standards, and developments in the mobile sector. Since 2017 I have also worked as an aviation journalist, which involves traveling around the world reporting about both planes and trains.

Translator: Jacob Fisher – Translator – 579 articles published on Notebookcheck since 2022

Growing up in regional Australia, I first became acquainted with computers in my early teens after a broken leg from a football (soccer) match temporarily condemned me to a predominately indoor lifestyle. Soon afterwards I was building my own systems. Now I live in Germany, having moved here in 2014, where I study philosophy and anthropology. I am particularly fascinated by how computer technology has fundamentally and dramatically reshaped human culture, and how it continues to do so.

Andreas Sebayang, 2024-01- 8 (Update: 2024-01- 8)

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