Disney To Cease Supplying Physical Media – In Australia
All Image Credit: Sanity
Well having found many of the recent Disney audio mixes on Blu-ray 4K lack luster, it now appears that this behemoth of a movie studio is starting to pull out of some Blu-ray markets due to lack luster sales, adding Australia to the several Asian and Latin American markets. Where next?
According to Sanity, a large distributor and reseller of physical media in Australia, they posted the following on Facebook:
Image Credit: Digital Bits/Facebook
Further references to this issue appears to have been removed from all social media sites, but here is the original post from Digital Bits revealing the issue.
Read this post on Digital Bits for the confirmation:
” CONFIRMED: DISNEY IS EXITING PHYSICAL MEDIA IN AUSTRALIA
As to the matter of today’s other Disney hot topic, I’m afraid, the news is not good. Despite the fact that Sanity has now pulled down their original Facebook post announcing it, we at The Digital Bits have confirmed today with multiple industry, distributor, and retailer sources in the region that Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is indeed pulling out of the Australian market in terms of physical media. This follows similar moves in Asia (save for Japan) and Latin America, and the reason is apparently down to the gradual collapse of physical disc sales in the region, the growth of Disney+ Starz streaming, and also the rise of global retailers (think Amazon, Zavvi, etc). None of that will be of any comfort to disc fans in Australia, who will now have to pay a hefty shipping premium to import titles from outside the country. But it is true that Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 3 will be the last new-release Disney title to get a physical release in the region. Previously-released titles may continue to be available for purchase until the end of the year, but that will be up to individual retailers.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks, but there it is.”
Well if this isn’t another preverbal nail-in-the-physical-media-coffin I do not know what is! Clearly the revenue generated from streaming is the over-arching issue here when compared against the revenues earn’t from physical media. For those of you who actually still care about quality you may want to give Disney a “piece of your mind” and remind Disney that they are in business because of us, not the other way around! It may not make much difference to Disney’s ultimate financial plans, but let’s hope that the larger markets like the USA, UK, Europe and Japan will keep the toe of all Studios in the physical media market for the long haul.
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