Sony Is Removing TV Shows and Movie Titles from Its PlayStation Store

Sony announced recently that certain users from different regions will no longer have access to hundreds of movies and TV shows on its PlayStation Store service starting next month.

According to the tech giant, it will be removing hundreds of content from its services next month which means that users who had previously purchased movie titles and TV shows such as Paddington and The Hunger Games to mention but a few will no longer be able to watch them.

The planned shutdown will be affecting users in Germany and Austria respectively. The reason behind the shutdown is due to legal notices posted on two regional sites and covers films produced by StudioCanal.

The shutdown affects users in Germany and Austria, according to legal notices posted on the two regional sites, and covers films produced by StudioCanal, reports Gadgets Now.

The shutdown will come into force on August 31, exactly one year after Sony discontinued movie and TV show purchases through its digital store. At the time Sony said that its customers will still be able to access previously purchased content, the report said.

Notices posted on the PlayStation website blame “evolving license agreements with content providers” (via machine translation) for the change, and say that purchased content will be removed from customers’ video libraries.

Sony to remove access to hundreds of movies and TV shows bought through its Playstation Store

The list of Studiocanal-distributed titles that will be removed includes 314 in Germany and 137 in Austria, according to Variety. In addition, some Lionsgate movies will also be on the chopping block. This includes titles such as Spirited Away, Paddington, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Saw, The Hunger Games, and John Wick.

There haven’t been any reports on whether Sony will refund its users for all the movie and TV show titles bought from its service at the moment. How the company will approach this issue is yet to be determined.

This has also opened up the eyes of many users who buy entertainment services digitally, and how easy it is for one to lose all their collected content if the service provider or platform decides to pull the plug suddenly.

The shutdown serves as a crucial reminder that even when you “buy” a title digitally, your ownership often still relies on a retailer continuing to exist and having the correct licensing deals in place. Also, buying local copies is still the best viable option since DRM rights are hard to predict.

Also, read: Sony Looks to The Future with Electric Cars as The Next Big Hit