Marketplace Tech Physical media's comeback
4 snips
Feb 26, 2026 Nova Safo, a Marketplace reporter who covered the resurgence of physical video media. She explores Consumer Reports data on Blu-ray, DVD and even VHS use. She visits Vidiot’s revival, hears why younger viewers prefer rentals, and talks with a collector who reissues rare videotape-only films. The story highlights community, preservation and why discs are making a comeback.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Survey Shows Robust Demand For Physical Video
- Physical media usage remains significant with nearly half of U.S. respondents watching Blu-rays or DVDs and 15% still using VHS.
- Consumer Reports survey highlights that analog formats persist despite streaming dominance.
Vidiot's Reopens As Nonprofit And Sees Rentals Surge
- Vidiot's long-running video rental store survived, closed, then reopened as a nonprofit to subsidize rentals with screenings.
- Robbie McCluskey says rentals rose from a few hundred to over a thousand per week since reopening, driven by renewed demand for physical media.
Celebrities Used Vidiot's For Research And Rentals
- Robbie McCluskey shares celebrity anecdotes from Vidiot's heyday, like Christian Bale calling for Moses films and Keanu Reeves grabbing movies.
- Those stories illustrate the store's cultural cachet before its 2017 closure due to streaming competition.