$870 million
U.S. consumer spending on physical DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD sell-through in 2025.
Down 9.3% from 2024Digital Entertainment Group, Year-End 2025 Digital Media Entertainment Report ↗
U.S. market reference
Physical Media & Home Entertainment Statistics
Current, citable figures on DVD, Blu-ray, 4K UHD, digital transactions, streaming, and the home-entertainment market.
Last updated July 21, 2026. Figures cover 2025 unless noted.
The short version
Physical media is smaller, but still materially collectible.
U.S. spending on physical DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD sell-through totaled $870 million in 2025. That is a smaller market than streaming, but premium 4K UHD spending rose 12% over the prior year, showing continued demand for high-end editions.
Every number below comes from the same current industry report and links back to that source, so writers and collectors can check the original context before quoting it.
Key statistics
The numbers worth keeping close.
U.S. consumer spending, reported for full-year 2025.
12%
Growth in 4K UHD spending during 2025, even as total physical-format spending declined.
2025 vs. 2024Digital Entertainment Group, Year-End 2025 Digital Media Entertainment Report ↗$62.2 billion
Total U.S. consumer spending across digital and physical home entertainment in 2025.
Up 17.4% from 2024Digital Entertainment Group, Year-End 2025 Digital Media Entertainment Report ↗$57.5 billion
U.S. subscription-streaming spending in 2025.
92%+ of total home entertainment spendingDigital Entertainment Group, Year-End 2025 Digital Media Entertainment Report ↗$3.9 billion
U.S. digital purchase and rental spending in 2025, excluding subscriptions.
Down about 4% from 2024Digital Entertainment Group, Year-End 2025 Digital Media Entertainment Report ↗$8.1 billion
U.S. box-office revenue in 2025 for titles feeding the home-entertainment release cycle.
Up 5.8% from 2024Digital Entertainment Group, Year-End 2025 Digital Media Entertainment Report ↗Year-over-year view
Where the money moved in 2025.
The broad market grew with subscriptions, while physical formats and digital transactions moved in the other direction.
| Format | 2024 | 2025 | Year-over-year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical DVD, Blu-ray & 4K UHD | $960 million | $870 million | -9.3% |
| Digital purchase & rental transactions | $4.0 billion | $3.9 billion | About -4% |
| Subscription streaming | $48.0 billion | $57.5 billion | +19.8% |
| Total home entertainment | $53.0 billion | $62.2 billion | +17.4% |
Source: Digital Entertainment Group, Year-End 2025 Digital Media Entertainment Report, published February 11, 2026. The report defines physical product as consumer sell-through, rather than rentals.
What this means for collectors
Not every format has to be huge to matter.
Physical formats are no longer the mass-market default, but the 4K UHD result stands out: the premium, collectible format grew while overall physical spending fell. For collectors, that supports a simple idea: availability, edition quality, playback details, and the titles you care about matter more than buying whatever is newest.
That is the lane Retro and Classic Flixs is built for: out-of-print releases, hard-to-find titles, television, genre cinema, and the editions regular retailers leave behind.
Sources & methodology
Built to be checked and cited.
This reference summarizes figures from the Digital Entertainment Group’s Year-End 2025 Digital Media Entertainment Report, published February 11, 2026. The report is based on DEG member, tracking, and retail-platform input; it notes that its figures are preliminary.
The spending figures apply to the United States. “Physical product” in the report means sell-through product. Subscription-streaming figures are sourced by the report from Omdia and cover movie- and television-focused services as described in its methodology notes.
Suggested citation
Retro and Classic Flixs. “Physical Media & Home Entertainment Statistics (2026).” Updated July 21, 2026. https://retroclassicflixs.com/physical-media-statistics