Hollywood Keeps Reminding Us Why We Need Physical Media More Than Ever

A new year means yet another shuffling of the films and television shows available on the myriad of streaming services that customers now have to keep track of. But despite the age of digital media promising unlimited access and more options than ever, we have often seen the opposite actually happen in practice. For a pressing recent example, most of the Star Trek films were taken off of Paramount+ in the United States at the start of 2024, with only the newest trilogy of films starring Chris Pine remaining on the service. Paramount may have promised that their in-house streaming service was the place for all your Trek needs, but if you want to watch the first 10 films on streaming, you’ll have to fire up HBO Max. This is not an isolated incident. Although most of the major film studios now have a proprietary streaming service of some kind, the idea of every piece of media from fan-favorite franchises all being in the same place has largely proven to be a mirage. So much confusion about where various installments are, and the anxiety of knowing that the powers that be could yank them away at any given moment, is further proof that it may be time for physical media to make a big comeback. Why should you consider going back to the way of the box set? Let’s take a look. #IGN