The consumer electronics retailer plans to phase out its DVD and Blu-ray sales by early 2024 — with physical movies set to be sold in-stores and online as they are today through the holidays, Best Buy confirmed to The Associated Press Friday. Video games will not be impacted.

Does Best Buy stop selling physical media?

Best Buy has confirmed that it will discontinue sales of physical DVDs and Blu-ray discs in-store and online in early 2024. News about the move by the consumer electronics retailer to phase out physical media sales was initially reported by home entertainment blog The Digital Bits on Thursday.

Will Best Buy still sell movies online?

The consumer-electronics retailer will phase out sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs both in-store and online in early 2024, according to industry sources familiar with the company's plans. Best Buy made the initial decision to end DVD sales nine months ago, according to one source.

Is Best Buy exiting the physical media business in 2024?

In yet another sign of the triumph of streaming, Best Buy will reportedly stop selling physical DVDs in-store and online beginning in 2024, according to CNBC and other media outlets.

Will Best Buy no longer carry physical movies in 2024?

If you still play your favorite films and TV series on DVD, you'll soon have one fewer place to shop. Driving the news: Beginning in 2024, Best Buy will stop selling DVDs and Blu-ray discs in-store and online — marking a major shift for the electronics company as streaming platforms continue to dominate the arena.

Report Claims Best Buy Will Stop Selling Physical Media - IGN The Fix: Entertainment (YT Edition)

Will Best Buy stop selling DVD?

In September, Netflix NFLX +1.8% ended its DVD service, and Best Buy BBY -0.3% announced it will stop selling DVDs and Blu-ray discs at the end of the 2023 holiday season. "To state the obvious, the way we watch movies and TV shows is much different today than it was decades ago," Best Buy said in a statement.

Are they phasing out DVDs?

Due to a decline in demand for physical media, Best Buy has strategically decided to exit the DVD business. The company will no longer offer DVDs for sale in its stores. The popular consumer-electronics retailer plans to discontinue the sale of DVDs and Blu-ray discs both online and in house starting early 2024.

Is Best Buy getting rid of Blu Rays?

Best Buy will stop selling Blu-rays, DVDs in 2024: 'The way we watch movies and TV shows is much different today' It's going to get a little bit harder to get your hands on a physical copy of your favorite movie.

Is Best Buy getting rid of physical games?

Best Buy told Variety that it will sell DVDs and Blu-Ray through the holiday 2023 season before ceasing sales of physical media in 2024. Best Buy also said it will continue selling video games.

How many Best Buy stores are closing in the US?

State of play: Best Buy closed 70 of its stores nationwide over the past three years, including 17 this week. That's about 7% of its store count.

What will Best Buy discontinue selling?

Best Buy customers looking to purchase DVDs or Blu-ray discs will have to find another retailer after the 2023 holiday season. Starting in 2024, sales of hard copies of movies and TV shows by the consumer electronics seller will cease, according to Variety and The Digital Bits.

Why is Best Buy getting rid of movies?

Best Buy is bidding adieu to DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. The electronics retailer announced on Friday that it will stop selling the once-essential movie-viewing tool online and in stores after the 2023 holiday season as consumers continue to shift to streaming services over physical discs.

Will physical media end?

But, to repeat, this isn't the end of physical media. Now, Disney will likely cut back its 4K releases in the future because the medium isn't taking off like it hoping it would. But we'll still see general Blu-Ray releases, as well as re-releases of stuff from Star Wars and Marvel that still caters to fans.

Is Walmart getting rid of physical media?

The state of physical media — whether it's DVDs or video games — is in question as people increasingly move to streaming services. Walmart could be the next to make a move with one video game executive suggesting the retail giant could drop Xbox games soon, and potentially retreat from physical games even more in 2024.

Why you should buy physical media?

If you really love a film or series, it behooves you to pick it up on Blu-ray. Besides the impressive sights and sounds, Blu-ray discs ensure that you'll always have your favorite content readily available. Sadly, video streaming services often remove popular content.

When did Best Buy stop selling CDs?

The decision to fully exit from physical discs — Best Buy stopped selling CDs in 2018 — marks the end of an era, and leaves Target, Walmart and Amazon as the only major retailers selling them. For Best Buy, the move frees up in-store space for more lucrative products.

Do more people buy physical or digital games?

The ERA estimates 89.5% of games sold in 2022 were digital downloads. Only 10.5% of copies sold were physical discs or cartridges.

Are physical copies of PC games still sold?

You can still find physical copies of PC games, but (A) it's a very small selection and (B) the main games I've seen physical copies of consisted of collections of games (2 or more) usually pertaining to the same subject or genre.

Why do people still buy physical games?

Another big reason for owning physical is the ability to lend a game, sell a game or gift a game to other people. 17% said they buy physical so they can play the game in different locations or lend to a friend/family member, while 13% said they want the ability to give the game to someone else.

What will replace DVD & Blu-ray?

Blu-ray technology is a storage medium for video, audio and data. As with any technological innovation, it will eventually be replaced by the next big thing. The next generation of video storage is likely to be called "4K". 4K UHDTVs have four times more pixels than full HDTVs and offer a much better resolution.

Why you should still buy Blu-ray?

Blu-rays deliver the best picture and sound experience.

Most streaming services can deliver a 4K picture with a video bitrate, which is the amount of data sent to your screen, at between 15 Mbps and 40 Mbps. For example, Netflix maxes out at 17Mbps, while Apple TV+ maxes out at around 41 Mbps.

Why buy DVD over Blu-ray?

The DVD laser is too big to read a Blu-ray disc. Secondly, DVDs are currently cheaper than Blu-rays, so if you're not looking to spend the extra money and don't care that much about picture quality, you can still buy DVDs. You also may not be able to find the movie you want yet in a Blu-ray format.

What is replacing the DVD?

It has been indicated that the current UHD Blu-ray Disc format (aka 4K Blu-ray) will probably be the last physical disc format.

Do they still make DVDs in 2023?

Goodbye, DVDs, you helped us make memories. It wasn't exactly shocking news. It's 2023, after all, not 2003. But it still hit me hard when Best Buy announced it will wind down sales of DVDs and Blu-ray discs, ending sales completely early in 2024.

Will DVDs ever make a comeback?

Many Blu-ray and DVD selling stores and collectors are planning to revive more than 700 million discs in the market in 2022. Most of the awaiting customers are 90s kids aged between 25 and 39. This tells us the possibility of DVDs and Blu-rays coming back to the top by the overwhelming responses from their enthusiasts.