Netflix and other streamer price hikes are driving people back to Blu-rays

With the rise of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and a myriad of other streaming services, you could be forgiven for thinking that the death knell has been ringing for physical media.

But, it seems that disc sales are actually on the rise again, with Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD BDs experience somewhat a resurgence.

The managing director of UK high street retailer HMV, Phil Halliday, has revealed that physical formats are starting to hold their own against streamers: "When streaming first came out I think a lot of people saw it as cheap and with huge breadth of choice, but I'm not sure people see it like that now," he said (via the BBC).

"People are willing to pay for a physical copy of shows or films they know they will rewatch."

His comments seemingly allude to the spate of price hikes that have hit most streaming platforms in recent times. It could also be that viewers are put off my the transitory nature of streaming – with movie favourites appearing on services for short periods of time, before being removed again.

Buying a disc means you'll have the option to watch it again, whenever you like.

This is something Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan also noted to the Washington Post in 2023: "There is a danger these days that if things only exist in the streaming version, they do get taken down. They come and go," he said.

"The home video version is the thing that can always be there, so people can always access it."

AV purists will also point to the fact that you still get the best picture and audio performance from a 4K Blu-ray. Higher bitrates are possible due to the increased storage capacity – something that cannot be promised when streaming data over the internet.

So, before you dismiss the notion of buying a movie from a store in favour of the convenience of digital, think exactly what it is you want. Lots of others are doing just that.

Maybe there was a reason to keep Blockbuster open, after all.