Today, Netflix announced that it would shut down its iconic but now forgotten DVD rental business after over 20 years of operating the business. It isn't hard to imagine why this is taking place, as physical media has become less prominent over the past decade, and the company's core business becoming its streaming platform. Netflix will ship out its final discs from its DVD rental business on September 29, 2023.

In addition to the news, the company also shared some fascinating details about its rental business through the Netflix website. During its run, it shipped out over five billion DVDs, and at one point had 40 million subscribers. One of its most popular rentals was The Blind Side, and the first DVD the company shipped out was Beetlejuice. If all of that wasn't impressive enough, the company had 530 sub-genres of movies, with 20 main genres, which is quite a bit. Looking back now, it's hard to believe how quickly time has passed and so much has changed.

Back in 2007, Netflix first dipped its toes into digital movie streaming, and by the following year, it was offering the service for free as part of a customer's Netflix subscription. While there weren't as many titles back then, it was still a good way to get in some entertainment while you waited on discs to be delivered. It wouldn't take long before its streaming service really started to take off. The company began securing content from providers, and would eventually spin off its streaming service from its DVD rental business.

The initial cost for customers was just $7.99 per month for streaming, which is quite different from today's rates, which have increased quite a bit. But then again, the service pretty much stood alone back in the day, encountering much less competition than it sees in present times. While many will miss Netflix's DVD rental service, it won't be because the service is going away, but will most likely be due to nostalgia.