Amazon, which owns Lovefilm, says it will cease offering DVDs and Blu-ray discs via post on 31 October.
The Lovefilm By Post DVD rental service will cease to operate on 31 October this year, its owner Amazon has said.
Amazon cited a « decreasing demand » for the discs and a growing number of customers who were streaming movies and TV series instead.
The move has irritated some fans, who argue that a wider range of films is available to rent on DVD and Blu-ray.
Lovefilm was founded in 2002 and acquired by Amazon in 2011, when it had more than 1.4 million subscribers.
For a monthly subscription fee, Lovefilm customers could receive a DVD or Blu-ray disc of their choice via post that they would send back once watched.
From 2010, some content could also be accessed via online streaming instead.
« We have very much enjoyed delivering the Lovefilm By Post service to our customers, » said Amazon in a statement.
« However, over the last few years we’ve seen a decreasing demand for DVD and Blu-ray rental as customers increasingly move to streaming.
« We are committed to finding alternative roles for all Lovefilm employees within Amazon. »
Some fans of Lovefilm were left disgruntled by the decision.
« It’s not great, to be honest, » customer Michael Harrison told the BBC.
He argued that there was a wider selection of films available to rent in physical form than with streaming services.
« You don’t have to buffer it, or worry about pixilation, » he added.
« I live in a small town and we don’t have many shops around – it was great for me to get films posted to me. »
Another customer wrote on Twitter: « Well, Amazon stopping its Lovefilm service is comfortably the worst news I’ve had this year.
« So many films not available to stream. »
