PlayStation owners will no longer be able to purchase or rent their favorite movies and TV shows from the PlayStation Store. The change to on-demand purchases was confirmed by Sony Interactive Entertainment’s Head of Video today, who published an article on the official PlayStation Blog explaining that the company had made the decision based on the increasing popularity of subscription- and ad-based entertainment streaming services. Access to previously purchased movie and TV content will, of course, continue to be available.
“At SIE, we strive to provide the best entertainment experience for PlayStation fans, and that means evolving our offerings as customer needs change,” Vanessa Lee wrote. “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.”
The PlayStation Store currently includes an Explore Movies & TV section that allows users to browse and purchase feature-length films and television shows. One theory is that Sony might be contemplating a streaming service that offers content from its various entertainment subsidiaries, such as Sony Pictures and Funimation.