The PlayStation Store will stop sales and rentals for TV shows and movies later this year. Sony announced the change in a post on the PlayStation Blog, letting players know that on August 31st, 2021, the ability to purchase or rent video content on the PlayStation Store would cease.
Sony says the change comes from a shift in customer behavior, which sees players leaning towards subscription-based and ad-based entertainment options, rather than directly purchasing or renting video content right from the PlayStation Store.
Players should note that any previously purchased video content will still be available for on-demand playback via PS4, PS5, and mobile, but the ability to make new purchases will be going away.
With PlayStation consoles, players can access a variety of streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and more. In addition to the accessibility of video streaming services outside of the console, this left the selection of video content on the PlayStation Store in a weird place, strictly offering sales and rentals while other services provided subscription or ad-based options. Rather than try to compete with those other services by evolving the video content offerings to match their competitors, Sony has opted to discontinue further sales and rentals via the PlayStation Store.
It’s unclear just how much players were using the PlayStation video options in the PlayStation Store, but with Sony choosing to close down the service, it seems pretty clear that the audience was not big enough to continue maintaining a library of video content for purchase with other media options available to players. It’s unknown if any new release movies or TV shows will enter PlayStation Store video section over the next six months leading to cessation of sales or if the catalog of available content will stagnate until August 31st, when it is shut down for good. Again, all content purchased prior to August 31st, 2021 will still be available to the owner for on-demand viewing for the foreseeable future.
Have you ever purchased or rented any video content from the PlayStation Store? Let us know your experience with the PlayStation video offerings in the comments below.
[Source: PlayStation Blog]
