Home theater

Netflix Brings Back DVD-Only Subscriptions

Netflix's DVD-only subscription plan is back, available now for $8 monthly. The move is aimed at appeasing disgruntled former customers who ditched Netflix last year, after the company tried to steer customers towards streaming-only and separated its DVD-by-mail and streaming services, charging a minimum $8 per month for each instead of $10 per month for both.

Santosh Hegde, director of DVD engineering at Neflix, said in a blog post: “Our DVD and Blu-Ray loving audience can now easily sign up for a DVD only plan. Starting at just $7.99 pet month, you can enjoy around 100,000 titles on DVD. We are also offering a one month free trial for eligible customers.”

The DVD-only subscription plan is actually a step back for Netflix, as the company strives to separate its streaming and DVD rentals businesses. The company treated DVD rentals as a $2 add-on to the unlimited streaming plans until last summer, when Netflix decided to charge $7.99 each for streaming and DVD options, a hike from $9.99 per month altogether, which offered unlimited streaming and one DVD out at a time.

Then Netflix decided to split into two operations, one for streaming, and one for DVD rentals, to be renamed Qwickster, which would have required users to manage two individual subscriptions, for streaming and for DVDs. Not long after the announcement though, due to user backlash, Netflix said it was abandoning plans for the Qwickster spinoff, and bring back DVD rentals under one roof once again. Netflix lost some 800,000 members with the price rise and the failed Qwickster separation plan.

Netflix is now aiming to get people to watch original shows via its streaming service. The company just launched its first original eight-episode TV series called Lilyhammer, as part of a plan to become less reliant on studio and network content. Some of Netflix's best and newest content will disappear at the end of February, as the company lost its contract with Starz.

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