Say Yes To VHS, Ep 6: Fast Forward - ‘90s Heyday, the Decline of VHS and Video Nostalgia

In the final episode of Say Yes To VHS, Brian and Sam fast forward to the end of the series to discuss the ‘90s heyday of video sales, the eventual decline of physical media and the current wave of nostalgia for VHS.

In the 1990s, video sales became more profitable than video rentals, with films such as The Lion King, Jurassic Park and Titanic selling millions of copies. But only a few years later DVD supplanted VHS as the most popular home video format. The arrival of streaming platforms such as Netflix marked the death-knell for the remaining video shops in Northern Ireland, with the final XtraVision branch shutting its doors in 2016.

We finish the series by taking a nostalgic look at the impact and importance of VHS, asking what we have lost with the switch away from physical media.

Written and presented by Dr Sam Manning and Brian Henry Martin
Music by Score Draw Music
https://thewondercinema.buzzsprout.com

Chapters

• 1:57 Was the 1990s the heyday of video?
• 3:19 What are the best selling videos of all time?
• 6:32 What happened to the video shop in the 1990s?
• 10:00 New formats and the arrival of DVD
• 20:41 Why are people so nostalgic about video tape?
• 25:55 How did video shape the way we watch films today?

Transcript

Welcome to the Wonder Cinema Podcast. 

where we wonder about cinema. 

I'm filmmaker and film critic Brian Henry Martin. 

and I'm Cinema Historian and author Dr. Sam Manning.

Welcome to Series 2, where we'll be wondering about the remarkable story of home video in Northern Ireland. 

The rise and fall of videotape, from format wars to video nasties, piracy, paramilitaries and the wonder of the video shop. 

So we want you to... 

SAY YES TO VHS.