Netflix announced back in April it would be ending its DVD-by-mail service after 25 years. Now, in an email this week sent out to subscribers, Netflix announced a ‘finale surprise’ in the form of an offer to members.
Users who received the email have until August 29th to decide to join in. Those who do can receive up to ten extra discs (while supplies last), selected from their DVD queue, to be shipped out on September 29th – the final day the company will mail out discs.
Netflix says they will choose the discs based on the movies listed in a user’s film queue, adding: “You won’t know if any extra envelopes are headed your way until they arrive in your mailbox.”
However, Netflix expects subscribers to return those discs by October 27th. The company is said to have mailed out more than 5 billion DVD and Blu-ray rentals to subscribers across the United States.
The original DVD-by-mail service is what got Netflix started but as streaming gained prominence, the physical media lending business steadily declined to the point of last year generating $145.7 million – just 0.5% of its total revenue.
Still, the loss of another physical media rental outlet has gotten cinephiles upset as it means less access to older and more obscure titles along with their disc extras.
Source: The Verge
