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The keys to the Disney Vault have been handed over to Sony (at least when it comes to DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, and other physical media).
It’s been a busy few months for the DVD business, with Netflix announcing its intention to get out of the DVD mail-in business and Best Buy announcing it would stop selling DVDs and Blu-Ray discs in stores.
Currently, Disney has decided to withdraw from the physical media field as well and has decided to switch to a licensing model through an agreement with Sony Entertainment. Under the agreement, Sony will be responsible for marketing, selling and distributing Disney’s new releases and library titles.
Disney officials note that the company regularly evaluates its go-to-market approach, and that rapidly evolving changes in consumer behavior and media consumption have spurred that change.
Disney, along with Warner Bros. Discovery and Universal, decided that sharing resources was a better move forward for their declining physical media business. In 2020, Warner Bros. and Universal announced a joint venture (now called Studio Distribution Services) to produce, sell, market, and distribute their DVD and Blu-Ray businesses. SDS will also be responsible for DVD sales and distribution for partners such as STX, PBS, and Neon.
But Disney’s move is symbolic for the studio, which has a long history of embracing new trends in home entertainment to bring movies and TV shows to consumers. The company was early on with his VHS (it released Mary Poppins in this format in 1980), and the decision to favor Sony’s Blu-Ray over Toshiba’s HD DVD format was made in mid-August. It helped bring that disc format to victory.
Additionally, the “Disney Vault,” a marketing gimmick that released select library titles on home video for a limited time, was one of the most successful at the time.
Streaming, of course, turns physical media upside down. THR As noted late last year, some strategic decisions by streaming services (particularly the removal of some library titles and the addition of advertising) have at least placed value on movies and shows, even if you don’t want to watch them. I think it could lead to a resurgence of this format with enough consumer support. It will be removed at some point in the future.
Filmmakers are also participating. oppenheimer Director Chris Nolan urged fans to buy the Blu-ray version in case the film disappears from streaming, noting that he is very careful about physical releases of his films.
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