It’s the top of an era.
Netflix is winding down its shipment of little red envelops containing DVDs, mailing the ultimate batch on Sept. 29 after 25 years of sending subscribers DVDs by mail.
Following many years of the shipments, the streaming behemoth announced what people can do with DVDs they never returned: Keep them freed from charge.
“We usually are not charging for any unreturned discs after 9/29. Please enjoy your final shipments for so long as you want,” DVD Netflix posted to its X account Monday.
Sending DVDs directly to people’s homes helped land Netflix on the map years ago as consumers moved away from brick-and-mortar stores akin to Blockbuster to pick up their movie or TV show selections within the early 2000s.
“Those iconic red envelopes modified the way in which people watched shows and flicks at home – and so they paved the way in which for the shift to streaming. From the start, our members loved the alternative and control that direct-to-consumer entertainment offered: the wide range of the titles and the flexibility to binge watch entire series,” Netflix said in a press release back in April.
Netflix DVD enthusiasts may have a final promotional offer before the shipment program officially ends, allowing subscribers to apply for up to 10 free and random DVDs to be mailed to their homes, according to DVD Netflix’s X account.
“We feel so privileged to have been able to share movie nights with our DVD members for therefore long, so pleased with what our employees achieved and excited to proceed pleasing entertainment fans for a lot of more many years to come,” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos said in the corporate’s press release on ending this system in April.
“To everyone who ever added a DVD to their queue or waited by the mailbox for a red envelope to arrive: thanks.”