PlayStation Store Loses Movies And TV Shows Later This Year
Sony revealed today that some big changes are coming to the PlayStation Store later this year. Nothing will change about how you buy games through the PlayStation Store, but this summer, you'll lose the option to purchase movies and TV shows through it. That goes for rentals too, so it seems that Sony is making a clean break from movies and TV shows altogether.
Today's announcement came in the form of a brief PlayStation Blog post. Sony cites "tremendous growth from PlayStation fans using subscription-based and ad-based entertainment streaming services" on platforms like the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 as the reason for this decision. Movies and TV shows will disappear from the PlayStation Store on August 31st, 2021, so we've got just under six months until the big day.
Thankfully, movies and TV shows you've already purchased will still be accessible after the PlayStation Store drops them. You'll be able to watch anything you've purchased as a video-on-demand, you just won't be able to make new purchases. In its blog post today, Sony doesn't indicate that purchased content will become inaccessible at any point in the future, either, which is probably a relief for those who own extensive media libraries through the PlayStation Store.
The PlayStation Store has been going through some rather dramatic changes in recent months. Before the PlayStation 5 launched, Sony announced that it was removing the ability to purchase PS3, PSP, and PS Vita games and add-ons from the desktop and mobile versions of the Store. On top of that, it removed the ability to purchase or claim PS4 apps, themes, and avatars from the desktop and mobile stores, though all of those can still be purchased by accessing the PlayStation Store from the respective platforms.
In the end, it seems like Sony has been attempting to streamline the PlayStation Store experience in the era of the PlayStation 5. The day of reckoning for movies and TV shows is August 31st, 2021, so make any last-minute purchases you may have been considering before then.