Netflix Bids Farewell to DVD Rentals After 25-Year Long Run

Netflix has officially retired its DVD rental service, marking the end of a remarkable 25-year era. This service, which once revolutionized how people enjoyed movies at home, played an instrumental role in shaping Netflix into the entertainment powerhouse it is today.

The journey began when Netflix's founder, Reed Hastings, grew frustrated with a Blockbuster store's exorbitant late fee, charging him a staggering $40 for returning the movie "Apollo 13" six weeks overdue. This frustration led to the inception of a groundbreaking idea – a subscription-based DVD-by-mail service.

"In 1998, we delivered our first DVD. This morning, we shipped our last," declared Netflix on its website, reminiscing about the iconic red envelopes that once graced millions of mailboxes.

Netflix's co-CEO, Ted Sarandos, acknowledged that these iconic mailings profoundly influenced how people consumed entertainment at home, paving the way for the shift to streaming.

Over the years, the DVD rental service garnered a whopping 40 million unique subscribers, primarily in the United States.

Netflix shared that the very first movie they mailed out was the comedy classic "Beetlejuice," with over 5.2 billion DVDs sent out since then. Notably, the most-rented DVD in the service's history was "The Blind Side," a heartwarming sports drama featuring Sandra Bullock. Released in 2009, it gained immense popularity during the height of DVD rentals.

However, it's important to note that "The Blind Side" later faced controversy as Michael Oher, the former NFL star and the film's subject, claimed that the portrayal was exaggerated and filled with inaccuracies.

All in all, Netflix's journey from a DVD rental service to becoming one of the topmost OTT platforms in the world is an inspiration for the generations to come. We hope that Netflix will continue to maintain its best services to the customers after retiring the DVD service.

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