LoveFilm postal DVD rentals service is shutting down, confirms Amazon
The service is closing due to a consumer shift towards streaming, but many customers say they will miss the vast range of films
Amazon is closing down LoveFilm, the service that rents out DVDs by post.
Due to “decreasing demand for Blu-ray and DVD rental as customers increasingly move to streaming”, LoveFilm will shut down on 31st October 2017.
Customers will not be billed after 30th September, meaning they can enjoy a month’s worth of free rentals before LoveFilm becomes unavailable.
LoveFilm was founded in 2002 and acquired by Amazon in 2011, when it had more than 1.4 million subscribers.
Despite Amazon quoting the reason for closure as a consumer shift towards streaming, many LoveFilm users have lamented the lack of variety of movies on sites like Netflix and Amazon Prime – especially when it comes to foreign and art-house films. Lovefilm's catalogue, meanwhile, covers more than 80,000 titles.
One user suggested the website Mubi, which offers a subscription service for cult, classic and independent films.
Others were disappointed about LoveFilm’s closure because bad internet connection can lead to agonisingly slow streaming, sucking the joy out of the movie-watching experience.
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