Imagine, the date is May 4th, 2012, and a 10 year old child just walked out of the movie theatre for Marvel Studios “The Avengers.” He loved this movie and all he wants to do is watch it over and over again. However, there’s an obstacle in his way preventing him from doing that. This obstacle is the five month wait he has for the movie to come out on DVD. He gets his long awaited DVD after the long five months of course, and he now has the ability to watch the movie to his heart’s content.
Now cut to modern day. This same kid, much older now, just watched Marvel Studios “Deadpool and Wolverine”. And it’s the same story, he wants to watch it over and over again. Except now, he has a Disney+ subscription so when November 12th, 2024 comes around, why buy the DVD? There’s no point in him if it’s on streaming. This scenario is the same one plaguing the physical media industry as we enter the era of streaming services.
Streaming apps make consuming media so much easier, with so many shows and movies being available at one’s fingertips.
“I can watch everything on my phone,” said tech department staff member Tim Miller.
Making a trip to the store to buy a movie or TV series seasons on DVD is now unnecessary and irrelevant to most teens.
“I definitely prefer streaming services compared to buying something and owning it forever,” said Miller.
Before we had the multitude of streaming services we have now, the only way kids could really watch their cartoons was from a cable television. They would have to see what show was on at a certain time and see if it’s the one that they want to watch.
“When I was growing up, that was probably the only way to watch TV… Go through the guides or menus to what shows are playing at a certain time,” said Miller.
However, in this day and age, any kid with the right streaming service can watch whichever show they want, at any time, and any episode, with some people barely even watching any shows on Cable now.
“I feel like watching TV isn’t as big of a thing now…they’re really only using streaming services or free sites,” said Miller.
A lot of people simply just prefer the ease of digital media and streaming services. It is something that they are now accustomed to, and it is a part of ones everyday life.
“I’ve been pretty comfortable with consuming my media through streaming for a while. Part of it might be not having to deal with the collection of DVDs,” said science teacher Justin King.
Now that these streaming services and digital media are here to stay, many people have no need for their DVD’s or CD’s anymore. They have become obsolete in their everyday lives
“When I was younger I had the CD holder that went on the visor of the car so you could keep 10 CDs with you… I had plenty of DVDs… I don’t have any CD’s, not a CD left in my possession anywhere. I think the only DVDs I have, I’ve kept because they’re special in some way,” said King.
There are even some cases of people getting rid of their DVDs, as they have no reason to keep them around anymore.
“In terms of Hollywood feature films, I don’t have any. Various movings, yard-sales, given away, and in some cases thrown away… I don’t intend on setting up a DVD player,” said King.
DVD shelves in stores are much smaller than they once were, with the decrease of DVD sales as of late. But, they’re still there for the market of people who still like to get them.
“I can imagine that there might always be a market for physical media,” said King.
The physical media market is real, however, differs from what would be imagined by the general public. There are still plenty of people who buy DVDs of new movies and TV series seasons.
“I do still get DVDs… Last year I got the “Spider-Man Across The Spiderverse” Blue Ray with the director’s commentary and all of the bonus content but it came with a digital code so I technically own it twice and more often than not I’d say I watch it on the DVD,” said sophomore Nathan C.
Physical media markets appeal to movie enjoyers who like to have a nice collection of DVD’s that they can watch for a family movie night. These people also enjoy the physical feelings of a DVD.
“I like the tactile feeling… I have this whole bin full of DVDs… I watch them pretty often,” said Nathan.
It is clear that for people like this, the appeal of DVDs has not disappeared. The feeling of getting a DVD disc out of the box and putting it in the player has more of a sense of commitment to them that can not be replaced by just a few clicks on a screen.
“Streaming services are definitely more convenient… But I feel like it takes away from the movie experience… I feel like once you put the DVD in the player you’re committing to the movie,” said Nathan.
While streaming and digital media services have drastically changed the way we consume media, it hasn’t entirely killed the physical media industry. Due to the market of people who still appreciate what they bring to the table for movies, TV, video games, and music, it’s safe to say that while the market has shrunk, it is here to stay. ◼️
