As of August 31, 2022, PlayStation customers will no longer be able to access their films “purchased” digitally from StudioCanal. These are simply deleted from the video library.
This may be the first time that users have lost their digital movie purchases. Sony Interactive Entertainment will no longer be renewing the licensing agreement with content provider StudioCanal, which is why the affected films can only be accessed through the PlayStation Store video library until August 30, 2022. The soon-to-be-gone catalog of films includes over 100 tracks, including Apocalypse Now, Django, Logan Lucky, Paddington, SAW movies, and more. The full list can be viewed in this informational article on playstation.com.
PlayStation Videostore closed for almost a year
August 31, 2022 is not a random date that appears in the licensing agreements with StudioCanal. Because exactly a year earlier, on August 31, 2021, the digital sale of films and series via the PlayStation Store was stopped. At that time, it was still said that users could still access films and series as long as Sony offered a suitable application. At that time, Sony justified the procedure by growing streaming competition from Netflix, Disney+, Prime Video and Co. Additionally, sales through the PlayStation Store were manageable.
Digital is and will remain the trend
Certainly very ugly for those concerned, but the feeling left by Sony’s decision may be even worse. The old question of whether you can really buy digital films and series, or whether you only have a right to use, immediately comes to mind. In the PlayStation Store example, this is definitely an event with manageable damage. We also don’t believe that such news can increase sales of physical media such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays and Ultra HD Blu-rays. To our knowledge, this is also the first case to date where a still-existing digital platform no longer makes “purchased” films available to its customers.
Digital video purchases stay safe
We assume that films and series purchased through large digital markets such as Prime Video, iTunes and Co. should be spared such decisions. In the past, it has often happened that individual titles disappear from the Cinematheque, only to reappear in updated form (often with an AV upgrade). Unfortunately, we don’t know if Sony will refund its customers or offer a compensation offer. At the level of the legal notices, Sony just says thank you for the “continuous support” of the PlayStation Store.
Many thanks to user Schmuser Kadser for the tip.
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