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Staten Island official demands Netflix restore DVD service [1]

['Rob Beschizza']

Date: 2025-08-31

Before it became the top TV streaming service, Netflix built its empire by mailing movies on-demand to viewers' homes, obliterating the rental video business and producing an estimated 5 billion DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. It finally shut down that service in 2023, after 25 years in operation¹, but some were sad to see it end. And now Republican councilmember Frank Morano, of Staten Island's South Shore, is asking for a revival.

"Streaming is wonderful, but it is not everything," Morano wrote in a press release sent to Staten Island live. "DVDs filled a vital gap for seniors and technophobes, film lovers and collectors, and consumers with limited broadband access. For many, those little red envelopes weren't just discs — they were lifelines to cinema."

Morano's letter stated the DVDs filled a vital gap for:



• Seniors and technophobes who never warmed to smart TVs or apps, but who could still open a mailbox and pop a disc in.

• Film lovers and collectors who cherished the variety and depth of titles — foreign, classic cinema and obscure gems that remain unavailable on streaming platforms.

• Consumers with limited broadband access who relied on physical discs to enjoy high-quality entertainment without buffering or data caps.

Morano suggested a "streamlined, boutique form" of service aimed at specific communities.

Best idea I've heard from a Republican in a while. Netflix, of course, is a private business and under no obligation to mail anyone DVDs. Perhaps Morano might consider a state-owned or subsidized alternative to fulfill those needs? The next mayor in New York City might be into that sort of thing. Failing that, maybe tax Netflix to fund public libraries. So many possibilities!

1. It turns out that Blockbuster outlasted Netflix, in a sense: the last remaining franchisee is still open in Bend, Oregon. The last one operated by the company itself, bankrupt since 2010, closed in 2014.

Previously:

• Video proof of Verizon throttling Netflix

• Someone watched all 500+ Netflix original movie, and tried to rank them all

• A fascinating look at Netflix's now-defunct DVD shipping assembly line

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[1] Url: https://boingboing.net/2025/08/31/staten-island-official-demands-netflix-restore-dvd-service.html

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