Physical Media Isn't Dying (You've Been Lied To)
Rumours of the demise of Blu-rays and DVDs have been greatly exaggerated. Here's why.
Exactly two decades ago, in 2005, physical media recorded its biggest ever year in terms of sales, accruing over $15 billion in revenue from a combination of DVD and VHS releases. This peak came following a boom for the two home video formats during the 1990s, which presented affordable ways for moviegoers to take the theatrical experience home when it had once been out of reach. It became a core pillar of the entertainment industry, extending the cultural footprint of box office smashes and giving a second life to those films that weren't as successful. Rental stores emerged as communal spaces in towns and cities. The whole ecosystem of cinema had been transformed.
But as we all know, it wasn't to last. 20 years on, in 2025, the forecast for physical media is decidedly more gloomy. Renting giant Blockbuster collapsed over a decade ago, beaten and bloodied by the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Prime Video, while yearly headlines declare that the industry is dead or near-enough close to it, thanks to a combination of streaming competition, shifting attitudes towards media consumption, the rise of video-on-demand premieres and so on and so forth.
We're also privy to the knock-on effects of this contraction, as hardware manufacturers shift attention away from 4K disc players, retailers shrink their physical media shelves, and Hollywood overall is forced to adapt to a reality where films now live and die in their opening weekends - as Matt Damon so eloquently explained in his appearance on Hot Ones in 2021.
The overall picture being developed from this isn't particularly rosy, and while I would be lying if I said the state of physical media overall is totally problem and/or worry-free, it would also be fair to say that the hyperbole surrounding the topic isn't all that helpful. As the industry pertains to movies and television, yes, physical media is not as popular as it once was. However, it has proven far more adaptable than the bulk of mainstream commentary has intimated, shifting towards a collector-first model led by boutique brands, cinephiles, and scholars, meaning that, for those who are investing in a 4K or Blu-ray collection right now - such as yours truly - things have never been better.
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