Starting in 2024, the Best Buy chain could end physical media distribution.
Founded in 1966, the American distribution chain Best Buy is a true institution in North America, the brand overflowing with books, CDs, DVDs, Blu-Rays, video games… A true paradise for fervent defenders of physical format, facing a market of “ all digital » which continues to increase. However, by 2024, Best Buy could well fall to the dark side of the force.
The end of physical media at Best Buy in 2024
Indeed, according to the American magazine The Digital Bits, the Best Buy chain is reportedly planning to gradually withdraw from the physical media sector starting next year. Concretely, this would sign the end of the presence of many media on shelves, such as DVDs or Blu-Rays.
According to certain rumors, this decision could also extend (in the more or less long term) to another market, namely that of video games. Remember that various brands have already (more or less significantly) reduced their sales of physical media in the United States. According to some, the end of DVD/Blu-ray could come as early as the first quarter of 2024 at Best Buy.
Towards 100% digital media?
Best Buy’s decision would obviously apply in stores, but would also concern online sales, through its website. If Best Buy remains very popular in North America, it should be remembered that it is another chain, namely Walmart, which takes 45% of the market share in the DVD/Blu-ray sector in the country.
If the video game market still tends to maintain a solid base of fervent defenders of the physical format, the video market appears to be much more fragile, the “ mistake » to many digital platforms, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ or Paramount+.
On the video game side, the various manufacturers would also be very inclined to accelerate on the “ all dematerialized », the PS5 and Xbox Series S already lack a physical drive.
On the Sony side, we have just made a new PS5 official with a removable physical drive, while recent leaks from Microsoft suggested a new version of the Xbox Series X, also devoid of any disc reader.
Source : The Verge
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