The DVD rental by mail industry was pioneered by the US company Netflix, launched in 1999 to take advantage of the power of the internet and easy delivery of DVDs by post, while eliminating hated late fees. Online rentals have also been around since 2001, pioneered by DVDRentals (now Screenclick) in Ireland, but even now, not many people have heard of them. Customers love not having to go down to the video store and the absence of late fees (which generate nearly a quarter of income at video stores like Xtra-Vision and Chartbusters). Instead of paying an average of €5 at a video store, by comparison, a 3-disc unlimited subscription, assuming you only watch a modest 3 discs a week, comes out at under half price, averaging €2.21 per disc with Screenclick.

 

To get a sense of scale, in early 2007 Screenclick received 230,000 visits per month from their 52,000+ members. In 2005, startup Busy Bee DVD also attracted some attention, while others like Rentastic never even got started. However, the summer 2006 launch of Moviestar really shook up the market, as they swiftly garnered 16,000 members and wowed critics with a very well-designed site and the latest in technological innovations. Alas, in late 2008 both Busy Bee and Moviestar fell prey to the global economic downturn and went bust or were absorbed by Screenclick.

 

Despite the lack of competition among companies, the Irish DVD rental consumer market will probably continue rapid growth for at least several more years as it goes mainstream, driving many traditional video shops out of business in the process. This expansion is occurring despite the global recession, as DVD rental-by-post is cheap entertainment, and as in other countries, such companies are flourishing. The exodus to rental-by-post will obviously hurt video shops, many of which will probably close. So enjoy the free trials and cheap subscription fees while you can.

 

We at Ireland-DVD-Rental-Guide.com will continue to guide the way with our reviews and rankings, helping you pick the best.