DVDs and Blu-rays are going the way of VHSs. Best Buy is the latest to announce that it’s quickly phasing out the now-archaic technology. 

A source with the electronics store recently shared that the discs will be unavailable both online and in stores by early 2024, according to Variety. The company allegedly made the decision in January. On Friday (Oct. 13), a Best Buy spokesperson confirmed the rumors. 

“To state the obvious, the way we watch movies and TV shows is much different today than it was decades ago,” they told the publication. “Making this change gives us more space and opportunity to bring customers new and innovative tech for them to explore, discover, and enjoy.”

Best Buy will give customers a final chance to buy DVDs and Blu-rays this holiday season before scrubbing its inventory completely around January 1st. The store made it a point to clarify that it will still sell physical video games. 

Best Buy is Among Several Companies Discontinuing DVDs and Blue-Rays

Best Buy’s announcement comes two weeks after Netflix ended its DVD mailing service. Sept. 29th marked the final red-envelope shipment. The customers who received those discs were allowed to keep them, reports CNBC. 

“Those iconic red envelopes changed the way people watched shows and movies at home — and they paved the way for the shift to streaming,” said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos.

Thanks to streaming, nearly—if not all—movies and TV series are available in a few clicks. So, most people have gravitated away from discs. The Digital Entertainment Group shows that physical media sales dipped by 28% this year alone. Because of the downward trend, Nashville-based Ingram Entertainment, one of the largest DVD distributors in the country, is shutting down. 

“Expenses are exceeding sales [so it’s] time to exit. Every associate who fulfills their obligations and parts on good terms is getting a severance,” chairman and CEO David Ingram told Media Play News in September. “Our exit from the industry is orderly, and most customers and studios have been notified. We will be around for a while as we reduce inventory. We have no bank debt.”

While DVDs and Blu-rays seem to be on the way out, there are still several ways to buy or rent them. Retailers such as Target, Amazon, and Walmart are still carrying discs and haven’t hinted otherwise. Also, around 29,000 Redbox kiosks are still standing across the United States. And anyone in Bend, Oregon, can rent physical media from the last Blockbuster standing.