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. Customers love not having to go down to the video store and the absence of late fees (which generate 18% of video store income). Online rentals have also been around for years in New Zealand (video store Arovideo did the first rentals by courier in 1997), but even now, many people have not heard of them.

The New Zealand DVD rental 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. 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.

The three main subscription-based online services all launched since 2003 were DVD Unlimited, Fatso, and Movieshack. In 2008, the three companies merged under the Fatso banner, leading many, including us, to worry about lack of competition, and how this may hurt the consumer. But to be fair, thus far prices have actually fallen, and DVD and Blu-ray disc inventories are considerably larger, so these fears may be unfounded (though there's admittedly not much point to having a guide if you only have one DVD rental and only two games rental companies.

Even with the lack of competition, we'll keep charting and reviewing New Zealand DVD and game rental, helping you pick the best.