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The writing is finally on the wall for Blockbuster: the video rental chain, ubiquitous for years across the US, is finally closing its last 300 retail stores across the country. With that, the company has effectively exited the US retail market — in addition to closing its stores, the companys Netflix-style disc-by-mail service will also be shuttered. This is not an easy decision, yet consumer demand is clearly moving to digital distribution of video entertainment, said Dish CEO Joseph Clayton in a press release. The online streaming rental service Blockbuster Now will live on, and Dish will retail licensing rights to the Blockbuster brand. Both the retail stores and Blockbusters disc-by-mail service will be shut down by early January 2014.