Now the home delivery expert ParcelHero says what’s going on Down Under may be just the start. Is physical media in the UK on the verge of being phased out?
ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: ‘Digital media such as streaming services look set to make DVDs and Blu-rays defunct. It’s easy to see why. In a bid to free up space, many of us have already got rid of our collections in favour of watching favourite films and shows on streaming services such as Netflix, Prime, Apple TV and Disney Plus.
‘It’s also preferable for many media companies, who will no longer need to pay the middleman for retail sales of Blu-rays and DVDs. Companies are desperate to drive up subscriptions to their streaming channels. Disney is even about to launch a budget channel with adverts here in the UK.
‘Of course, just because Disney has stopped physical media sales in Australia (which has displeased Aussies in rural areas where internet speeds are too slow for streaming), that doesn’t mean it will axe their sales in the UK or US. The supply chain costs involved in distributing physical media to Australia are notably higher.
‘However, we believe it is the start of the slippery slope. How long before other media companies tied-in with streaming channels decide to follow suit in Australia? That could start the ball rolling across the world. For media companies, streaming sales are so much cheaper to fulfil than physical media sales.
Having my physical collection has been so useful. I’ve probably got around 200 in my collection at this point. Many of which were on streaming at the time of purchase but are no longer available. I’d be really sad to see them go. And it makes me even more glad I have the ones that I do. There are plenty of times I’ve wanted to recommend one of the movies I own to a friend, found that it was no longer available for streaming and it was a simple matter of loaning it to allow for it.
Yeah, that’s the great thing - recommend something from a streaming service and they may never get around to it, bung them the disc and you help narrow the choice down for them.
It’s not like Disney was putting out a lot of discs before this. I don’t think other companies are necessarily looking to Disney for the answer here, especially with a new content drought looming. Certainly Warner Bros. isn’t, for example; they put out a lot of discs and don’t look like they have any intention to slow down.
It does definitely feel like Disney are testing the waters in Oz - if they can raise subs, stop password sharing, stop physical media distribution and raise subs then it’s win win for them and we’ll likely see it roll out elsewhere. And where Disney go…
Its definitely worrying yet we’ve just got Prey announced with a physical release but I guess that’s a rare exception.
Bizarrely, there seems to be a trade on Etsy with people burning streaming only shows onto Blu-ray.
Perhaps I should start looking at Blu-ray burners… 😁
I’ve run across such things on eBay - I haven’t ordered one but they look to be quite professionally made, presumably in China.
