PlayStation Store to discontinue movie and TV purchases and rentals

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PlayStation Store to discontinue movie and TV purchases and rentals

Details on upcoming changes to on-demand purchases.

Vanessa Lee Head of Video Business, SIE

At SIE, we strive to provide the best entertainment experience for PlayStation fans, and that means evolving our offerings as customer needs change. We’ve seen tremendous growth from PlayStation fans using subscription-based and ad-based entertainment streaming services on our consoles. With this shift in customer behavior, we have decided to no longer offer movie and TV purchases and rentals through PlayStation Store as of August 31, 2021.  

When this change takes effect, users can still access movie and TV content they have purchased through PlayStation Store for on-demand playback on their PS4, PS5 and mobile devices. We thank our fans for their continued support, and we look forward to further enhancing the entertainment experience on PlayStation.

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220 Comments

  • general-alex7698
    March 2, 2021 at 4:12 pm PST

    Well thats too bad. Guess I better get all that I can get and not just stop at Dark Knight Trilogy and Spider-Man Trilogy! Kind of getting tired of all the subscription entertainment programs.

  • chad_0513
    March 2, 2021 at 4:23 pm PST

    Not buying a ps5 now.

  • sithlordgusgus
    March 2, 2021 at 4:41 pm PST

    What a bummer 😕 my movie collection on there was just starting to grow. I love that I can stream on my phone anywhere so I guess I have to hurry and finnish my Christophe Nolan collection and other great films THANKS SONY FOR YOUR SERVICE

    • DingoBaby3000
      March 3, 2021 at 10:30 am PST

      Your movie library stays with you (profile specific), you don’t have to rush. Now, if you are purchasing new, then haul ass and buy! You have till August, lol.

  • diddydecoy
    March 2, 2021 at 4:53 pm PST

    They should be provided free anyway what do we actually pay ps plus for? I already paid £80 game , internet £30 , playstation £600. 🧐

  • matt_asa_hatter
    March 2, 2021 at 4:57 pm PST

    Does this mean that Twitch and Youtube will be able to be opened without needing to be housed within the TV/Video folder that is full of applications I don’t own and never plan to?

    Or are they just going to push the streaming services harder now?

  • gennaro_x
    March 2, 2021 at 5:21 pm PST

    Disappointing news… nothing wrong with the PlayStation store movie rental service I used this mainly for the PlayStation getting rid of features like this will draw people so sad to hear this

  • SpiderVenom2005
    March 2, 2021 at 5:24 pm PST

    Did people not realize that they said you can access all previous movies youve purchased through ps store still

  • harleyhitter
    March 2, 2021 at 5:26 pm PST

    The decision by Sony to abandon their PlayStation Video Rental service is a bad marketing decision that, is not in the best interest of of their dedicated loyal PlayStation users and customers that, make use of their system on a regular basis for more then just playing video games.

    This decision makes no sense at all and, adds to some of their other bad marketing decisions over the years as well.

    The PlayStation system has become as popular as its become over the years because, of Sony’s decision long ago to market their system as a Multimedia Entertainment System and, not just a game system and, they did it well.

    This decision along with some of their other decisions are an erosion of choice and, convenience that make using their system a great experience.

    Now, anyone wanting to take a break from their game play and, watch a new release movie without, having to wait months and years for it to wind up on Netflix or, Cable will have to look to other providers and, pay the same price or, more.

    Subscription services offer free movies but, not new release VOD rentals and, you always have to pay the additional rental price to watch them for a day or, two.

    Sony’s service offers their rentals for two days and, in two formats and, at a number different price points that make their service more attractive and affordable to their system users and, to anyone that might be interested in purchasing their system for more then just playing video games.

    Sad news because, I like watching movies just as much as I enjoy playing video games and, their service allows me to do that in a convenient and affordable way that, I prefer over all other new release VOD providers.

    Rather then abandon the service I would have liked to see them make improvements to it like the introduction of a free rental after a certain number purchased rentals and/or, a discount for PlayStation Plus subscribers.

    Just sayin,
    Harley

  • JettJones
    March 2, 2021 at 5:38 pm PST

    Since the Store is Shutting Down Can we get 80% off on all movies & tv Shows that way all sales are final?

    • DingoBaby3000
      March 3, 2021 at 10:22 am PST

      Hehehehh… I like this idea… Flash sale on all anime, tv shows, and movies.. Oh yeah, a couple of million profit… Just like that!

  • calmfury92
    March 2, 2021 at 5:59 pm PST

    Damn i like that i can rent movies, Bout to switch back to xbox

  • harleyhitter
    March 2, 2021 at 6:01 pm PST

    I’m stunned by this most recent news from Sony but, not as stunned as I was when they made another bad decision to abandon their portable gaming system the PlayStation Vita which, was a great companion to their PlayStation Game Console.

    Nintendo loved them for it though I’m sure and, it probably motivated them to come out with the Switch.

    Just sayin,
    Harley

  • bodercreed34
    March 2, 2021 at 6:19 pm PST

    I think this a stupid idea to do. I don’t have all the streaming services and would buy my movie’s and show’s i couldn’t get on tv ugh

  • stealthshadow36
    March 2, 2021 at 6:22 pm PST

    No. The only way I can watch a tv show in Australia is through this service because I don’t have anything else to watch it on. Thanks Sony, I’ll just give my money to Microsoft from now on.

  • alexander_66th
    March 2, 2021 at 6:57 pm PST

    After all the money I have spent over the years, and all the movies and tv shows I have bought , your going to do this to us? Sad thing to do to loyal customers. Just sad.

    • DingoBaby3000
      March 3, 2021 at 10:18 am PST

      It is sad, however your existing library stays with you (profile specific), had a heart attack for a minute there. Heheh

  • alexander_66th
    March 2, 2021 at 6:59 pm PST

    Looks like you’re going to lose another customer, Xbox it is.

  • D34DL1N3R
    March 2, 2021 at 7:25 pm PST

    That’s fine with me. What’s not fine is no Dolby Vision support for 4K Blu-rays on the PS5. Your tv’s touted as “PS5 Ready” have Dolby Vision but the PS5 does not? C’mon, Sony. Really?

  • DarkQueenHelba
    March 2, 2021 at 8:28 pm PST

    I’ll be honest. I never expected that Sony, an actual television and movie producer, would 100% pull the plug on PSN Video. It’s the only place I purchase digital movies and tv series. And that’s a decision I made 10+ years ago when buying digital was getting bigger. iTunes at the time was only on the computer and the tiny iPhone. I could watch PSN Video everywhere I wanted! On the computer, the TV, and even my PSP which had a bigger screen then the current iPhone. Things have changed since then but not really where I watch or why I buy.

    On last count I only owned 40 seasons of various shows and probably only 20 movies. BUT! PSN often had the best deals when it came to shows. Where will I purchase from now? AmazonPrime recently said that we don’t actually own our purchased videos and that they are “on-demand viewing over an indefinite period of time.” I’m not into streaming because I get headaches trying to use the search function on the sites. I much prefer physical copies but some stuff is much, much cheaper digital. (I bought an anime series last week for $5 on PSN. The BluRay cost of this series? For 12 episodes? $119.98)

    Only thing I can think to do now buy a portable hard drive, hook up the PS3, and download everything I have ever bought on to the hard drive. I should finish by the end of August… Hopefully. (Better get a etethernet cable as well…)

  • ilhacca
    March 2, 2021 at 11:16 pm PST

    To be honest, I’m not surprised.

  • skulloutofhell
    March 3, 2021 at 2:43 am PST

    But why I know there are people that use your guys service so they can get tv shows or movies that arnt on the streaming services they have like me for instance I only have Netflix and I use you guys to get TV shows that arnt on Netflix.

  • D382H
    March 3, 2021 at 4:28 am PST

    Thanks a lot SIE! I actually preferred to buy my digital movie’s on your platform and there’s some content streaming services don’t offer like alternative cuts and bonus extra content but, hey, you don’t want my money fine… I will spend my money at MicroSoft!

  • yt_doctor_d0m3
    March 3, 2021 at 5:19 am PST

    I sold my PS4 and Xbox One for the Xbox Series X and there are many reasons outside of scalpers why I still haven’t got a PS5 yet, this is one of them, Sony makes terrible decisions and decides instead of fixing them and making people not lose things they bought for it or feel scammed, but they remove it entirely to more than likely have a greedy route to make the money, I know they will make their own streaming service and I hope they add the movies we bought on there to it for free or at least support Movies Anywhere for the movies bought or else I’ll forever stay away from PlayStation, I loved PS in the PS2 days but the glory days are over, even Xbox is beating the PS5 and that’s nearly impossible after what happened to the Xbox One, sometimes I wonder if it is the fanbwse supporting irrational decisions Sony makes or just that PS was just a great brand for so long that it seems like they will never make a mistake even when they did stuff like the $600 PS3 back in 2006

  • Fantasymaker
    March 3, 2021 at 5:36 am PST

    Should have joined Movies Anywhere I would have continued using playstations options for buying movies if they had. I messaged them through the betas and suggestion site for years. They brought this upon themselves when all your competitors actually team up so we can enjoy our content cross platform. But Sony choose to ignore anything cross platform. Gaming movies music etc… and if they don’t adapt they will drive themselves out of business altogether.

  • luxbesoul
    March 3, 2021 at 6:00 am PST

    Well sounds terrible because I’m not making an account for another service instead of going directly off of psn you are losing out on money

  • crucifedcupcake
    March 3, 2021 at 7:48 am PST

    Does this mean you’ll actually allow bigscreen vr on playstation?

  • dragracer_0892
    March 3, 2021 at 9:16 am PST

    It’s understandable the competition against Netflix amazon video and the other streaming services. But me personally wouldn’t like to see this fade but at least improved, an idea of probably paying a subscription to see all the content that was already available as if you were buying or renting just streaming it. Thank you for listening.

  • DingoBaby3000
    March 3, 2021 at 10:07 am PST

    That’s a shame. I would purchase lots of anime during Golden week just to keep it in one place. Crazy sales sometimes – even free complete seasons were sold. Has anyone noticed that since PS5 inception the video portion tab in PS store has not been available? You can’t really go around saying there was no video purchase profit if it was never available to begin with. I guess it was doomed to fail on the new system.

  • Toe_Tag_
    March 3, 2021 at 11:53 am PST

    You should have just offered a monthly fee for the service. Instead of charging rental per movie. You would have succeeded in that approach.

  • jagfancascas
    March 3, 2021 at 1:15 pm PST

    U should rethink your desicion because you will lose money rather than make money because that is a profitable service …I ended up switching to nintendo because of some of the services you did away with i also agree with slopy box now would be good time to be able to link video services to vudu Amazon prime movies anywhere 😉..but what do I know lol

  • sniper-awakened
    March 3, 2021 at 3:04 pm PST

    I have not used this service luckily, but why can they not just transfer people’s purchased content to another video on demand service. I am reluctant to even buy digital movies now from any VOD service. I wish they could just create service in the UK; where all digital movies are in one place. So your not having to jump to different VOD services. The whole digital distribution process is a complete mess. People want a centralised service where all video on demand stores are inside it and different businesses can compete with pricing.

  • ryukandji
    March 3, 2021 at 3:11 pm PST

    This is ruining my entire “experience”. I know you’re not going to want to maintain the servers for any extended length of time, if you gave us the option to export our collections…like most other providers do, I’m sure most of us who still care would make purchases like crazy during this last time period we have left to do so…please Sony if anything negotiate a timed deal with Movies Anywhere. Please.

  • allforknott
    March 3, 2021 at 4:48 pm PST

    Is it safe to assume this also means removing the ability to purchase live events? Because currently the PS store is my only way to order anything on PPV.

  • AussieRanmaFan
    March 3, 2021 at 4:54 pm PST

    BOOO! I have a HUGE collection of Movies and TV shows purchased off the PlayStation Store. It became my go-to place for digital videos.

  • Giot5999
    March 3, 2021 at 10:16 pm PST

    It’s funny I suspected for Sony to stop supporting PlayStation video the moment the app wasn’t working properly on the PS5. But I am hoping that Sony does have a plan to help the ones that did purchase movies on the app to be able to recover them and redeem them to another platform like FandangoNow/Vudu or movies anywhere. Because if not it’s a shame that a company like Sony wouldn’t care for their customers that spend 100s of dollars in an app that they provided and wouldn’t have a back up plan to actually give the customers a chance to recover their movies once they stop supporting the app indefinite.

  • Last2Know
    March 3, 2021 at 11:10 pm PST

    Sony has been making some seriously questionable decisions lately… this being the latest. I really don’t understand this. We were told they didn’t put a 4K blu-ray drive in the PS4 Pro because people’s movie spending habits were tending towards digital. Then they turn around and put 4K blu-ray drive in the PS5 and close the digital movie section from the playstation store. What gives? Sony has a wealth of intellectual property to leverage for a digital movie store selection, and this just makes no sense. Looks like I’ll be spending less money on PSN.

  • AngelXtreme_II
    March 4, 2021 at 4:31 am PST

    You know, after giving it time to sink in. I’m actually glad I haven’t secured a PS5 yet. I have only stuck with Sony Playstation since the original. Not only do I think the loss of this option makes the PS5 overpriced. I think it’s time to switch to XBOX. This was so a move in the wrong direction.

  • JWeezy_91
    March 4, 2021 at 4:34 am PST

    Ok, but can they fix they My Videos app on PS5? The app crashes all the time and if you own multiple seasons of any show if only displays the most recent 16. I own almost all of Naruto Shippuden and I can’t watch most of it.

  • mrwalczak40
    March 4, 2021 at 12:05 pm PST

    No more HBO,Amzon,You tube,extc. Why??? I think it wrong and for community it the only way to learn about new update for ps4 games.

  • mrwalczak40
    March 4, 2021 at 12:25 pm PST

    I don’t understand this at all !!! Sony is doing a way with all apps and community for ps4 right??? So if you have nexflix,hulu,Amazon HBO max just name few . They will go Bye Bye as August 1 2021 for good. That is crazy!!! Why should anyone spend anymore money on ps4 /ps5 if Sony is just going to take it away down road. I like ps4 way it is now.

    • fallenone79
      March 7, 2021 at 7:56 pm PST

      no they are not none of that stuff is leaving the ps4 it is only the option to buy and rent movies and wherever you saw or whoever told you that is an idiot and needs to learn how to read

  • RagnarVikingsAce
    March 4, 2021 at 12:26 pm PST

    This is disappointing.. You did the same thing with PS3.. You should of added the feature to let us download the movies we purchased directly to our PS4. And now you are not even going to let us purchase movies and tv shows.. Just another reason I won’t be getting a PS5

  • feignedflight_
    March 4, 2021 at 1:04 pm PST

    This one hurts.
    First was Google Play for music and now PS Video. Cmon!!!
    I was just about to hit the 200 movies mark too. RIP Sony 2021 and my wallet… im done.

  • BlueAce2001
    March 4, 2021 at 4:09 pm PST

    I loved the Video Store it’s kinda sad that this is going to end because I have my ps3 with all of my download content like the Original Spider-Man Trilogy, the Amazing Spidey movies, Scott pilgrim vs the world, and many others. Wished that Sony let us download our purchases on the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 for convenience but I guess that’s what the PlayStation 3 is for.

  • icefell
    March 4, 2021 at 6:02 pm PST

    This seems like another example of desk jockeys, with no clue, making decisions. I feel this is a letdown. I purchase movies through PSN because it is so convenient to utilize. I can watch movies on my PS3, PS4, and eventually a PS5. Sure I use Vudu because of hard copies that come with a digital code. However, I don’t always buy a hard copy. They should ask the people who spend the money on the products.

  • mrwalczak40
    March 4, 2021 at 6:49 pm PST

    Does this mean That Sony is doing away with community apps and apps like HBO max Amazon hulu nexflix so on??? I think it is a bad idea. I like ps4 way it is now.

  • mrwalczak40
    March 5, 2021 at 7:15 am PST

    Are we loesing apps like HBO max Amazon hulu and community too??? Why Can’t Sony leave ps4 way it is.

  • viperdgx
    March 5, 2021 at 11:19 pm PST

    That sucks I rent n buy alot of movies if that is gone there no point in buying PS5 Back to xbox there no games to play on PS5

  • litsggaming
    March 6, 2021 at 5:55 pm PST

    Hey I have a question are you guys discontinuing PS4 consoles? YES or NO?

  • mrwalczak40
    March 6, 2021 at 11:15 pm PST

    Is ps4 apps like HBO max Amazon hulu nexflix are they discontinue as well??? You tube to??? From what I READ Is That community /apps are going bye bye in April 2021 Is That TRUE???

  • mib_agent_l94
    March 6, 2021 at 11:31 pm PST

    So what is ondimand for playstation if I need to save my purchase that I made would I have to do something do I need to download a app for this if I can get some support so I know what to before the deadline

  • fallenone79
    March 7, 2021 at 8:01 pm PST

    and have you all noticed Sony has not responded to anything we have said here they don’t care about their gamers or console users it’s all about the money for them and WE GET SCREWED EVERYTIME PERIOD!!!

  • stevehatesyouall
    March 8, 2021 at 5:38 am PST

    I think it’s really stupid to get rid of purchasing movies and tv it’s the only reason I still have my ps4 I don’t play the games anymore if u do get rid of movies I will not buy a ps5

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