(February 20, 2024) It's been a big day for the Mouse. First, Disney announced the closure of its Disney Movie Club, a service that provides exclusive Blu-ray and DVD titles and discounted pricing on catalog titles.
“We’ve enjoyed serving you for the last 23 years, but consumer behavior and viewing preferences continue to evolve, so we have made the tough decision to close Disney Movie Club,” read an official statement from Disney. "After serving over 10 million valued Club Members, we have made the difficult decision to close the Disney Movie Club. We will miss the opportunity to be part of the lives of so many Disney fans, including you, but we will be forever grateful for the time you've chosen to spend with us. But we're not done yet! In the months to come, we'll be piling on the perks to celebrate you, our loyal Member. Look for amazing offers to help you finish building your collection with movies you love - for memories that are yours to cherish forever."
The Movie Club has enjoyed a 23-year run, giving fans access to films and special collectibles, focusing on hard-to-find catalog titles and 4K versions of some releases. According to Disney, the club will officially close on July 20th and new orders can only be submitted until May 20, 2024. What happens next is an unknown, particularly because many obscure titles aren't available on the company's Disney+ streaming service.
In a second bit of HUGE news, Disney also announced an agreement with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to take over all of Disney’s physical media production; it's a licensing deal. According to Variety and The Digital Bits, Sony will manufacture, distribute, and market Disney's physical media to US and Canadian customers. Disney, however, will maintain control over its digital media and video-on-demand content.
Disney says the deal is a move toward efficiency, though it's unclear how it will impact the company's internal workforce.
As we reported on this week's Home Theater News Review Podcast, data recently released by the Digital Entertainment Group (DEG) paints a bleak picture for physical media. The DEG says 2023 home entertainment spending across digital and physical formats topped $43 billion, a 17% increase over 2022. But that number is primarily carried by digital mediums. Sales and rentals of physical formats, including DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K discs, declined over 25% during 2023, slipping from $2.1 billion to $1.6 billion. Contributing to that decline is a reeling rental scene, which crashed during the fourth quarter of 2023 when Netflix shuttered its physical subscription business.
Physical media is on life support. Obviously, the Mouse is one step closer to helping pull the plug.
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