PlayStation Store To Pull John Wick And Hundreds Of Other Purchased Movies
There are several good reasons why some people still prefer physical media over the convenience of digital downloads and streaming content. Highlighting one of those reasons, Sony is getting ready to pull hundreds of purchased movies from people's PlayStation Store libraries, without any refund that we're aware of.
Sony blamed the unfortunate situation on "evolving licensing agreements with content providers," which in this case it's referring to StudioCanal, a French film production and distribution company with the third-largest film library in the world.
"As of August 31, 2022, due to our evolving licensing agreements with content providers, you will no longer be able to view your previously purchased StudioCanal content and it will be removed from your video library. We greatly appreciate your continued support," Sony states.
We're so far aware of legal notices being posted in Austria and Germany, so this move affects those two regions at minimum. It remains to be seen if other territories will be affected as well. Either way, it's a disappointing development, and it underscores that when it comes to digital licenses, you don't truly own the content (or own the privilege to watch it indefinitely, to be a little more accurate).
This isn't an issue with offline, physical media because so long as you own supported hardware (like a Blu-ray or DVD player), you can fire up a purchased movie whenever you like, and as many times as you like. Or until you wear it out.
In the realm of digital media and streaming, though, it's all about ongoing license agreements. This is an example of how things can turn sour in a hurry. The announcement comes a year after Sony stopped offering up movies and TV shows on its PlayStation store. It affects 137 titles in Austria, and 314 in Germany. Some of them include John Wick, All Dogs Go to Heaven, Apocalypse Now, Cruel Intentions, Dear John, Longshot (2019), Saw 1-7, and many others.
As of right now, there's no mention of Sony offering affected users a consolation prize, like a discount on a future purchase or anything of the sort.
