Marketplace All-in-One Physical media's comeback
Feb 26, 2026
Nova Safo, Marketplace reporter who tracked the resurgence of physical media, explores why discs and tapes are back in style. She tours video stores, meets a nonprofit revival and collectors who reissue rare VHS titles. Short interviews reveal younger buyers, rental revivals and the community value of tape culture.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Surprising Persistence Of Older Video Formats
- Consumer Reports finds physical formats remain widely used: Blu-rays/DVDs and even VHS persist.
- Nearly half of U.S. respondents watch Blu-rays/DVDs and 15 percent still watch VHS tapes.
Vidiot's Reopened And Rentals Exploded
- Vidiot's reopened as a nonprofit video rental in a refurbished 100-year movie theater and regained strong community interest.
- Robbie McCluskey says rentals rose from a few hundred a week to over a thousand, with screenings subsidizing the shop.
Celebrities Used Vidiot's For Research And Rentals
- Working at Vidiot's produced memorable celebrity encounters that reflect its cultural cachet in Los Angeles.
- McCluskey recounts Christian Bale calling for Moses films and Keanu Reeves stopping by on a motorcycle the same day.