Ingram Entertainment Leaves Physical Disc Market

[steve_dave]

First Disney Asia then Disney Australia. Now Ingram Entertainment in the US is exiting DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Blu-ray distribution. The largest distributor of physical media in the US still has DVD & Blu-ray inventory to deplete before shuttering that side of their business.

https://www.mediaplaynews.com/ingram...disc-business/

[bhampton]

Wow

I can't even count the number of Ingram Entertainment releases I have.
(I don't think I have any.)

But .. still ..... this is huge. (I think)... (I'll have to look up Ingram Entertainment as I have honestly never heard of them.)

Ingram Entertainment was founded in 1981. During the heyday of the VHS era.

hmmm..

[cheez avenger]

They're also a retailer fulfillment company.

[sonicyogurt]

Originally Posted by cheez avenger

They're also a retailer fulfillment company.

Yup. Any target.com orders you've placed recently for DVDs, BDs, or UHD BDs were almost certainly fulfilled by Ingram. Off the top of my head, GRUV uses them as well.

[bhampton]

Most of the discs I buy lately say made in Mexico.

Maybe the business is just moving to where labor or rent is cheaper.

[steve_dave]

Originally Posted by bhampton

Most of the discs I buy lately say made in Mexico.

Maybe the business is just moving to where labor or rent is cheaper.

Made in Mexico, shipped to retailers/etailers & consumers by Ingram Entertainment.

[bhampton]

I guess not anymore. Hopefully another distributer will step up.

[Spooked]

Yeah, this is... not good.

[bhampton]

Looks like they do some Funko type of stuff too so possible silver lining?

[An4h0ny]

This comes as Walmart may be considering taking over management of Studio Distribution Services (SDS), which handles the distribution of physical media.

Walmart submitted a request for proposal for SDS, according to Media Play News. The move would help streamline the distribution of merchandise from studios to independent suppliers. Walmart would assist SDS in managing physical entertainment merchandise.

The proposal marks a change in Walmart’s DVD and Blu-ray Disc sales process, valued at $936 million. Instead of selecting one representative from each studio to analyze data and conduct market research, SDS could consolidate efforts across a larger number of studios. In addition to crunching numbers, the deal would encompass shipping and distribution as well.

In 2021, Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. partnered to form SDS. The studios and other distribution partners use SDS to sell DVDs, Blu-Ray discs, and 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray discs throughout the U.S. and Canada. SDS offers end-to-end packaged media distribution services across sales, trade, retail marketing, finance, and supply chain services for dozens of studios and franchises.

Disney has also stopped selling physical discs in different parts of the world as the sales of these disks continue to decline, although it is releasing Blu-Ray and 4K Ultra HD versions of Disney+ shows such as Loki, Wandavision and The Mandalorean starting later this month.

https://cordcuttersnews.com/the-deat...ing-them-soon/

[flyry]

How will the disc lovers spin this?

[bhampton]

This disc lover knows it's already be spun.

This "once the largest distributer" is a business that is restructuring. Not a case of the sky is falling so don't get too excited.

Don't worry about the future. Try to enjoy the now.

I see plenty of upcoming disc releases. If you buy them they will sell them.

[Ishai]

Originally Posted by bhampton

I can't even count the number of Ingram Entertainment releases I have.
(I don't think I have any.)

They're a distributor. It won't be their releases that you have, it would be from any of the big studios or retailers that worked with them to distribute.

My recent Target and GRUV orders came from Ingram. I think some Best Buy orders as well. Every time something shipped from Byhalia I knew it was basically drop shipping from them and not from the actual store I bought it from

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by flyry

How will the disc lovers spin this?

We will feel justified when our discs are still watchable in a decades time and studios/lockers are charging monthly to keep the servers going for the flop that is Digital films. They offer them well before discs, they make them available on almost every device you can imagine and growth is STILL only single digits.

We chose the right side, no doubt about it. That’s not even taking into consideration the censorship, editing and removal of certain content to appease the snowflake brigade.

Disc for life.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by An4h0ny

https://cordcuttersnews.com/the-deat...ing-them-soon/

But, but disc is dead, I read it in this forum!

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by Ishai

They're a distributor. It won't be their releases that you have, it would be from any of the big studios or retailers that worked with them to distribute.

My recent Target and GRUV orders came from Ingram. I think some Best Buy orders as well. Every time something shipped from Byhalia I knew it was basically drop shipping from them and not from the actual store I bought it from

I didn't understand that at first but then I did. Thanks tho.

Sadly for a few of the people reading this thread, this isn't the end of physical media. It's a distributor that used to be the largest and is now focusing on other parts of the business.

I do sympathize with anyone who not only puts up with the over compressed inferior quality of online movie streaming but also waits endlessly for any small hope that superior physical media is in danger. Hurts to be them.

The insane amounts of new releases are the best indicator that the physical media business is alive and well.


-Brian

[t-mel]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

We will feel justified when our discs are still watchable in a decades time and studios/lockers are charging monthly to keep the servers going for the flop that is Digital films. They offer them well before discs, they make them available on almost every device you can imagine and growth is STILL only single digits.

We chose the right side, no doubt about it. That’s not even taking into consideration the censorship, editing and removal of certain content to appease the snowflake brigade.

Disc for life.

I said this in the other thread, but the "snowflakes" aren't asking for things to be edited (at least not the most of them). Most of these changes aren't after any complaints but corporations being corporations and attempting to have an image without any controversy. Sometimes they are pre-emptive changes to avoid "controversy".

And, if we are being honest, I could find a number of things review bombed on imdb, or the constant stream of outrage videos on YouTube, to demonstrate the actual snowflakes. 25% 1/10 rates on the 3rd episode of last of us. I wonder why? The snowflakes are such losers they can't handle seeing two guys kiss. Other recent examples: Little Mermaid (32.5% 1/10), Barbie (10% 1/10).

Then I merely have to type "Snow White" into YouTube to see an absurd number of videos made by people who obviously care a lot about the 1937 version (not) making up claims that the film is canned by Disney. And people watch this crap. Imagine spending so much effort into hating something you can just ignore like the rest of us who don't care about Disney's soulless approach to making these films.

The annoying thing is these videos are recommended to me despite my best efforts to try to stay clear from this garbage.

[EmberBlaine]

So uh, is this the end?

[dcx4610]

It's not good news period. They flat out said that the amount of money they are making distributing movies isn't enough to make them money now. The market is shrinking. They are also getting out of the vinyl business too.

I'm hoping the Walmart deal works out because that could be a silver lining. It should make things cheaper, more organized and gives us another distributing powerhouse.

At this point, you need these big companies involved that have the storage and logistics in place. I could see Amazon stepping in as well at some point and becoming a distributor. You need warehouses to store this stuff and someone to fulfill your orders.

Ingram is a big blow and unfortunately just helps the narrative that physical media is dying but hopefully this ends up working out for the better.

Still, it's not great to live in a world where Amazon/Walmart controls absolutely everything. An indie distributor that's been around for decades going away is never good.

[bhampton]

Originally Posted by EmberBlaine

So uh, is this the end?

Yeah.


Again.

Like always and stuff.