In a significant move towards a fully digital future, one of America’s largest retail chains, Best Buy, has announced its decision to cease the sale of DVDs, Blu-rays, and 4K Ultra HD films in both its physical stores and online operations. This move is set to take effect in the coming year.

While the existing inventory will be sold off until depleted, it marks the end of an era for physical media in the United States. Among major players in the market, only Amazon and Target remain, with the latter having already scaled back its physical media offerings in recent times. There’s a looming risk that even they might follow suit in the near future.

Is this the death knell for physical media? Not quite, but the writing is on the wall, as sales continue to plummet. It’s evident that people prefer the convenience of streaming their movies digitally, and the golden era of physical media sales from 1997 to 2012 is now a distant memory. It’s not just the retailers scaling back on physical media; film studios are doing the same.

For instance, Disney has recently ceased releasing films on disc in Australia. “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 3” marked their final disc release in the region, showcasing their clear experimentation in this digital shift. What is abundantly clear now is that 4K UHD is likely the final format for physical media, a bittersweet truth.

Source: The Digital Bits