I never thought I’d see Netflix embrace physical media – but things are changing

In March, we reported that Netflix juggernaut Stranger Things would receive a 4K Blu-ray release.

Nothing unusual there, right? After all, Stranger Things is one of Netflix's biggest shows – number three according to Netflix itself – so there’s nothing remarkable about it receiving a lavish 4K Blu-ray set box now that the series has wrapped up.

Except, in the world of physical media, this was, er, a rather strange thing. You see, despite being a cultural phenomenon and Netflix's de facto poster child for several years, this is Stranger Things' first UK home video release since 2018.

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Given that Netflix relies on a subscription-based model, we can absolutely see why. And yes, despite our best efforts, there’s no denying that physical media sales have been falling over the past decade.

But with streaming services multiplying, adding adverts and endlessly hiking prices, having the option of physical media is becoming more important than ever. It's one of many reasons we continue to bang the physical-media drum here at What Hi-Fi?.

Not to mention the fact that Netflix has been culling its originals, along with the likes of Disney Plus – there's still no legal way to stream the Willow or Mighty Ducks reboots in the UK. Sure, Stranger Things is highly unlikely to get the chop – but there's absolutely nothing stopping Netflix from yanking it off the service if it wanted to.

Strangely, Netflix was quite cooperative with the physical media market in its early streaming years. Netflix's first hits, such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black, got fully fledged Blu-Ray releases a few months after their streaming premieres in 2013, and this trend continued for the next few years.

And then Netflix simply… stopped. Around 2018, as the media giant was growing in subscribers and producing more shows in-house, it made the tactical decision to pivot away from physical media. Stranger Things was one of many series to have its first few seasons available on Blu-ray, but then leaving no way to watch the later seasons without a Netflix subscription.

Nowadays, Netflix home video releases are few and far between. They’re either Netflix making concessions to auteur directors, such as Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman or Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein, or a release by boutique labels such as Criterion. Anything else, even the chart-topping megahit Squid Game, remains safely in the Netflix vault.

Until now. The entertainment juggernaut absolutely did not have to release Stranger Things on home video – the show and its upcoming spin-offs will continue to be subscription drivers in the years to come. Yes, Netflix probably smelled the money opportunity in a pricey deluxe edition set, but the fact that it would allow one of its crown jewels to slip into the physical media pool in 2026 is surprising, and perhaps rather telling.

Netflix and Arrow Films look to have taken care with the release, too. The original season one 4K Blu-ray came with no HDR and a Dolby Digital soundtrack; all episodes now come with Dolby Vision and lossless audio – with Dolby Atmos on the final two seasons. There are also plenty of collectable goodies available in the Deluxe Edition, even if it is rather pricey.

So what now? While the return to regular releases seems unlikely, and my dreams of a Bojack Horseman box set are all but dashed, we could be seeing future Netflix hits get a lavish 4K collection once they have wrapped up. 4K Blu-Ray sales are on the rise, helped very much by boutique collector’s sets, so it could all depend on how well the Stranger Things box set sells once it hits shelves in July.

Yes, this is only one of Netflix’s many shows, and a unique case given the nostalgic sci-fi show's long-running popularity. But maybe, just maybe, physical media fans can start prising a nail from the coffin…

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