Even though they had a major decline in the 2010s, DVDs, Blu-rays, CDs, and other sources of physical media are making a comeback despite the rise of streaming services. The reason why people are going back to physical media is because, when they pay money to streaming services, it is not guaranteed that they will own the movies on the catalog, as companies can remove titles from their service at any time. One example of this is Breaking Bad being removed from Netflix by 2028.
Some reasons why studios license to streaming services instead of granting them ownership are explained by Senior Liam Gay, “If the studios give them ownership, then they lose ownership,” he said. “Then, it’s not their money.” Due to this, studios tend to get greedy about it and exploit the meaning of “ownership.” However, this can be countered, in the words of Senior Lena Banks, ”to protect other people from things that can happen and to protect youth.” She said, “To keep the media safe.”
Some could argue that going back to physical media can be too much work because of making it, which could take a long time to do. “It’s too much work,” Gay said. “It takes too long to build it.” Banks argued, “Now, in the time we’re in currently, our technology is so advanced that we have to use it.” She said, “I do think, to some extent, being more personal would help our society.”
Some experiences certain people had with streaming services that could lead them to physical media is titles getting removed, streaming prices going up, and (in the words of Junior Will Tanner) “I like putting in the DVD; it’s fun.” Overall, physical media may be lots of work, but gives out nostalgia and conveniences. Banks said, “It’s memories that you had when you’re younger, and you can recreate them by reusing the physical media.”
