Video City managing director realistic about future

Since ‘Netflix and chill’ made its way into the vernacular of the masses, video stores have faced an uphill battle to remain relevant as an entertainment option.

Chains such as Blockbuster have been forced to close their doors in what were once hot spots, while others have folded completely. 

In Tasmania, Video City has three stores remaining, after once holding 29 locations around the state. 

Managing director Michael Ewing said he remembered the point when he began to take notice of streaming services and how they impacted the video industry.

“Illegal downloading had been around for a while, but I first started noticing the impact of Netflix about four years ago,” he said.

“Some of the big distributors packed up and left, and now we have resellers in their place.”

Video stores used to work on a 12-month cycle, by which a movie would spend six months in the box office, upon which it would be released in video stores for another six months, before going to free-to-air television.

Mr Ewing said the process had become redundant in the past few years, and there is now no definitive timeline to when the stores receive new movies.

“I’ve always been of the philosophy that we run a library, not a store, which meant we would buy across the board, but there has been a significant reduction in the product available,” he said.

“Whereas eight years ago we would have had 2500 videos to choose from each month, currently we only have about 600.

“The lower class of movies we used to get along with the ones everyone wants, are non-existent.”

While Netflix will mark its 20^th anniversary at the end of this month, Mr Ewing believed streaming services were yet to reach their full potential.

“I think there is still some room for the technology to move,” he said.

“People are doing up their sound systems to make the quality better, so that is one area they could potentially make improvements in.

“I think the big movie studios could also play a part in how the the service progresses into the future.” 

Video City may have been started in Tasmania more than three decades ago, but Mr Ewing was realistic when asked about what the future held for the stores.

“Video stores have reached their potential, in terms of what they can offer,” he said.

“The technology has moved on, and while they may find a niche market moving forward, they will most likely be non-existent in the next five years.”