Netflix, based in California, is set to end its DVD-by-mail rental service, which laid the foundation for its pioneering video streaming service.
The service, which still delivers content in the red-and-white envelopes that were once synonymous with Netflix, will send its final discs on September 29th.
Although the company boasted more than 16 million subscribers shortly before separating from the streaming service in 2011, the DVD service’s popularity has dwindled in recent years, and it generated $145.7 million in revenue last year, serving between 1.1 million and 1.3 million subscribers.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos referred to the iconic red envelopes as a game-changer in the way people watch shows and movies at home, and the service’s history dates back to 1997 when co-founder Marc Randolph sent a CD to co-founder Reed Hastings, which sparked the idea of delivering DVDs through the U.S. Postal Service.
Despite the service’s imminent closure, it still has devoted subscribers who appreciate finding obscure movies that are not widely available on video streaming services.
