Best Buy could be saying goodbye to physical media — DVDs, Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD discs — for good.
The consumer electronics retailer will exit out of the physical media business as soon as the end of the first quarter of 2024, according to The Digital Bits.
The move is another hint at the possible end of physical media as consumers gravitate towards streaming services and their extensive libraries, or digital downloads. This comes as one of the largest distributors of DVDs and Blu-Rays, Ingram Entertainment, said it was exiting the business just as Walmart is looking to take over management of Studio Distribution Services (SDS), which handles the distribution of physical media. Disney ceased selling physical media in Australia.
Best Buy has been phasing out DVDs from its stores, but The Digital Bits reports that Best Buy would even stop offering it on its site as well, signaling a complete break from physical media.
The report noted that some studios have shifted their inventory of Blu-Ray and 4K Steelbook titles toward Amazon.
Walmart, meanwhile, remains a massive source of physical media sales, which likely aren’t going away any time soon. And while Disney exited Australia, it just released Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD discs for Disney+ original Loki last month, with The Mandalorian coming in December.
A spokesman for BestBuy wasn’t immediately available for comment.