If we cast our minds back about five years, many of us were using DVD-by-mail subscription services like LoveFilm. However, as most of us will also be aware, as online streaming became more and more accessible and varied the popularity of such services rapidly declined – as did the overall sale of DVDs.
That being said, DVDs (and Blu-rays) can still be found in the shops and are still mass produced for everything from cult classics the latest blockbuster releases – suggesting there is still a market for them in some form.
While Lovefilm may now be defunct, it begs the question of whether or not DVD and Blu-ray subscriptions could still be something people want. Especially as everyone is a fan of online streaming and not all needs are necessarily catered for through Netflix and Amazon Prime.
As such here is one potential subscription model which might be viable option for lovers of niche TV and cinema.
Community-Based Sharing
An online forum could be set up within local communities or groups of friends, over a shared love of film and TV which isn’t part of the mainstream. What these groups would do is subscribe to these forums and make suggestions on different cult DVDs to send one another, or simply it would be a place for them to discuss their favourite obscure titles and agree on what to watch.
A member of this group (or an external third party) would then be in charge of sourcing the DVDs as a purchase, or on a rental basis, and would have to distribute the chosen titles around the group.
Location and National Shipping
How these DVDs and Blu-rays are sent to the different recipients would be down to the discretion of the group leader who handling it. Seeking additional support for this to help make sure the supply chain is reliable would make sense, particularly if the items are sourced or sent to different parts of the country. Alternatively, organising a DVD and Blu-ray swap meet for local groups could also be an option.
Online Reviews and Wider Sharing
The final part of this subscription model could be for those who have watched, or re-watched, the selected shows and films to leave reviews, or open up discussions around what they thought about the content.
There’s also potential for this to grow and expand beyond the local communities. The online forums could also be accessed on a national – or even international – scale and in turn open more opportunities to access more DVDs and Blu-rays when the larger groups offer more and more recommendations.
This is of course all theoretical, but to return to the key point, there is still a use and need for DVDs and this type of business model could cater to those with more leftfield tastes.
In addition, as alluded to above, the community element could prove popular for groups of friends who are looking to keep in touch but also as a way for likeminded individuals to find one another. Whether any movie-enthusiasts decide to start such a venture though, remains to be seen.