Lovefilm, the once-popular postal DVD service, has officially announced that it will be closing down after 15 years of operation.
According to Amazon, Lovefilm's parent company, there has been a decreasing demand for DVD and Blu-ray rentals as customers increasingly move towards streaming services.
The closure of the service is expected to affect those who are hard of hearing and those living in areas with poor wifi connections.
Lovefilm Postal DVD Service Closing: Impact on Amazon and Netflix
Lovefilm was a unique service that offered specificity at an affordable price. Unlike streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, Lovefilm catered to people with specific tastes, offering a vast collection of films that were not available for streaming. Users could create two lists on Lovefilm; one for new releases and another for classics they had never gotten around to watching. This allowed users to immerse themselves in film, while keeping it affordable.
The closure of Lovefilm means that there is even less subtitled content available for those who are hard of hearing. People living in areas with poor wifi connections will also be affected as they must now watch films as if they're being held hostage by their broadband, constantly on guard for it to start buffering or pixilating.
Streaming services are for people who want to watch something when they get home and aren't really that fussed what it is. They struggle to cater for people with specific tastes, who are into Korean horror or screwball comedies from the 1930s and 40s. Lovefilm, however, did cater to these people. It allowed users to carefully write down the names of films when they read a good review, or whose first response to a film they loved was to watch everything else that director ever did.
Although all the films available on Lovefilm are available for streaming, film rentals cost between £3 and £5 a go. Lovefilm, on the other hand, was around a tenner a month, for unlimited films, two discs at a time. This made it an affordable option for those who wanted to immerse themselves in film.
Lovefilm's closure doesn't feel like a step forwards. It feels like a step backwards. It offered something no one else was offering at an affordable price. It was a unique service that allowed users to immerse themselves in film, while keeping it affordable. It will be missed by those who held out against the streaming trend.
How Much Does Lovefilm Subscription Cost in the UK?
Lovefilm was a DVD and Blu-ray rental service that was owned by Amazon. The service was discontinued in 2017 due to a decrease in demand for physical media rentals and an increase in streaming services. Lovefilm offered a subscription service that allowed customers to rent DVDs and Blu-rays by post for a monthly fee. In this section, we will discuss the cost of a Lovefilm subscription in the UK.
The Lovefilm subscription service offered a range of plans to choose from. The plans varied in price depending on the number of discs rented at a time. The most popular plan was the two-disc plan, which allowed customers to rent two DVDs or Blu-rays at a time. The cost of the two-disc plan was around £10 per month.
Lovefilm also offered a one-disc plan for around £6 per month and a three-disc plan for around £14 per month. Customers could choose to upgrade or downgrade their plan at any time, depending on their rental needs.
It is important to note that the Lovefilm subscription service included access to Lovefilm Instant, a streaming service that offered a selection of movies and TV shows. Lovefilm Instant was later rebranded as Amazon Prime Video and is now available as part of an Amazon Prime subscription.
In addition to the monthly subscription fee, Lovefilm also charged a late fee for discs that were not returned on time. The late fee was around £2 per disc per day and was automatically charged to the customer's account.
Overall, the cost of a Lovefilm subscription in the UK was affordable and offered customers the ability to rent physical media at a time when streaming services were not as prevalent. The service was popular among movie enthusiasts who appreciated the ability to rent specific titles and genres that were not available on streaming services.
10 UK Websites to Replace LoveFilm
If you're looking for an alternative to LoveFilm, which closed its DVD-by-post service in 2017, there are plenty of options to choose from. Here are ten UK websites that offer streaming and DVD rental services.
Netflix UK (£7.49 a month) - Netflix UK is one of the most popular streaming services in the UK, offering a wide range of titles, including international films, TV series, and documentaries. While some people may complain about the lack of variety, Netflix UK still has a lot to offer, including award-winning films like Manchester by the Sea and The Handmaiden.
Amazon Prime Video (£5.99 a month) - Amazon Prime Video is another popular streaming service that offers a wide range of films and TV shows. With its investment in indie films and partnerships with major studios, Amazon Prime Video has a diverse catalogue of titles, including critically acclaimed films like Paterson and The Salesman.
NOW (£9.99 a month) - NOW offers a subscription-based streaming service that features Sky Cinema's catalogue of films. With around 1,300 titles, NOW is one of the closest services to LoveFilm's old subscription-based streaming service.
MUBI (£5.99 a month) - MUBI is a streaming service that curates its catalogue of films, adding one film a day and removing it 30 days later. With a focus on world cinema and a selection of classic and contemporary films, MUBI is a great choice for cinephiles.
BFI Player / BFI Player+ (£4.99 a month) - BFI Player offers both titles available to buy and rent and, with BFI Player+, to stream on a subscription basis. With a library of classic films from world-renowned directors like Kurosawa and Rossellini, BFI Player is a great choice for film buffs.
Curzon Home Cinema / Curzon12 - Curzon Home Cinema offers a selection of films that are released day-and-date, making it a great choice for people who want to stay up-to-date with the latest releases. With a focus on independent and foreign films, Curzon Home Cinema is a great choice for cinephiles.
TalkTalk TV Store - TalkTalk TV Store offers a pay-per-view service that allows you to buy or rent films. With a library of over 10,000 titles, TalkTalk TV Store is a great choice for people who want to watch a specific film without having to subscribe to a streaming service.
Google Play - Google Play offers a pay-per-view service that allows you to buy or rent films. With a library of over 10,000 titles, Google Play is a great choice for people who want to watch a specific film without having to subscribe to a streaming service.
Rakuten TV - Rakuten TV offers a pay-per-view service that allows you to buy or rent films. With a library of over 10,000 titles, Rakuten TV is a great choice for people who want to watch a specific film without having to subscribe to a streaming service.
iTunes - iTunes offers a pay-per-view service that allows you to buy or rent films. With a library of over 25,000 titles, iTunes is a great choice for people who want to watch a specific film without having to subscribe to a streaming service.
Overall, there are plenty of options available to replace LoveFilm, whether you prefer streaming services or DVD rental services. With a wide range of titles available, you're sure to find a service that meets your needs and preferences.
Lovefilm users report price hikes of up to 500%
Lovefilm, a postal DVD rental service provided by Amazon, has reportedly increased its monthly fee up to 500% for its Lovefilm by Post customers. This increase is causing concern among existing customers who have been with the service for years.
The price hike for the Lovefilm by Post service is due to take effect from February 2016. Customers are reporting that their monthly fee will increase from £4 to £11.99, which is an outrageous 200% increase. Some customers have reported even higher price hikes, up to 500%.
This sudden increase in price has left many customers feeling frustrated and unsure about whether they will continue with the service. Some customers have expressed their disappointment on various online forums, such as MoneySavingExpert and AVForums.
If you are a Lovefilm by Post customer, it is important to review your options and decide whether the service is still worth the cost. With the rise of streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, it may be more cost-effective to switch to a streaming service instead of continuing with Lovefilm by Post.
Here are some key points to consider if you are a Lovefilm by Post customer:
The monthly fee for Lovefilm by Post is increasing up to 500% from February 2016.
Some customers have reported even higher price hikes.
Consider reviewing your options and switching to a streaming service instead.
Streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and Netflix may be more cost-effective.
It is important to weigh the pros and cons of each service before making a decision.
Overall, the sudden increase in price for the Lovefilm by Post service has left many customers feeling frustrated and unsure about the future of the service. If you are a Lovefilm by Post customer, it is important to review your options and decide whether the service is still worth the cost.
A love letter (of sorts) to LoveFilm
For those in the UK with slow internet connections, LoveFilm was a great service with no buffering and no monthly bandwidth limits. However, it is no longer available. Physical media maintains its high-quality allure, and many people still prefer it over streaming services. LoveFilm was acquired by Amazon in 2011, and by 2014, Amazon had launched Prime Video in the UK, which led to LoveFilm's slow decline into obscurity.
Despite this, the appeal of LoveFilm and physical media lives on. Returning home to a new disc delivery was, in a sad-yet-pleasing way, great fun. And the weekly “event” of sitting down to watch a DVD or Blu-ray rental will always beat swearing at an algorithm’s inability to recommend anything worth watching.
Under the ownership of Amazon, LoveFilm lasted longer than expected. Prime Video, LoveFilm's successor, now forms a part of the company's ever-growing bundled subscription service. Although the idea of one of the world's largest technology companies sending you a DVD rental in the post has become pure whimsy, it leaves a legacy of sorts.
Long neglected, our letterboxes have once again become the portal through which pretty much any subscription service can be shoved. Postal coffee, postal razors, postal bacon – the thrill of good news by post isn't going away just yet.
In an era when everything we do online is tracked and marketed against, it's refreshing to receive something physical in the post that we can hold and enjoy. LoveFilm may be gone, but its legacy lives on in the hearts of those who still love physical media.
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