Netflix is officially sunsetting part of its business model, the entertainment company announced on Tuesday.
Starting as a DVD rental service in 1998, Netflix became an early streaming titan. Originals like Emily in Paris, Stranger Things, and Mindhunter changed the television industry. The company has struggled financially in recent years, surpassed by Disney+ as the most popular streaming service worldwide. Many loyal subscribers abandoned Netflix after it ended password sharing, something it previously encouraged online.
After announcing layoffs in March, Netflix has ended another part of its service to cut costs: its iconic DVD-by-mail rentals via DVD.com. Its final DVDs will ship on September 29. "Our goal has always been to provide the best service for our members but as the business continues to shrink that's going to become increasingly difficult," Netflix wrote.
"Those iconic red envelopes changed the way people watched shows and movies at home - and they paved the way for the shift to streaming. From the beginning, our members loved the choice and control that direct-to-consumer entertainment offered: the wide variety of the titles and the ability to binge watch entire series. DVDs also led to our first foray into original programming - with Red Envelope Entertainment titles including Sherrybaby and Zach Galifianakis Live at the Purple Onion."
"We feel so privileged to have been able to share movie nights with our DVD members for so long, so proud of what our employees achieved and excited to continue pleasing entertainment fans for many more decades to come."
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