Sony Pictures Entertainment has announced that they will be discontinuing support for their digital movie files after 2020. This means that if you own a Sony digital movie player, you will not be able to watch your movies after that date. This announcement comes as a surprise to many people, as Sony had previously stated that their files would last indefinitely. However, it seems that the company has had a change of heart and no longer believes that their files will last forever. This news comes as a major blow to those who have invested in Sony digital movie players. Many people are now worried about what they will do with their devices after 2020. It is possible that some people may choose to upgrade to newer models, but others may simply be forced to discard their devices. It is unclear why Sony has made this decision, but it is likely related to the increasing popularity of streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. These services offer users access to a wide range of movies and TV shows, which may be more appealing than the limited range of content available through Sony’s digital movie players. ..
Variety and 4K Filme report that hundreds of movies from French film distributor Studiocanal, as well as some Lionsgate films, will be removed from the libraries of anyone who purchased them in the past. The change only affects people in two countries — Germany and Austria — but it’s never good to see digital purchases suddenly disappear for buyers. The list of affected content includes Paddington 1 & 2, Robocop, American Gods, Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, and The Hunger Games series.
Sony said on the German PlayStation site (translated), “due to our evolving licensing agreements with content providers, you will no longer be able to view your previously purchased Studio Canal content and it will be removed from your video library. We greatly appreciate your continued support.”
The PlayStation Store is mostly intended for buying digital PlayStation games, but Sony also sells other content through the store. You could rent and buy movies and TV shows at one point, but that functionality was shut down in August 2021. Sony said existing purchases would still be playable on the PS4, PS5, and mobile devices… which didn’t turn out to be accurate.
Even though this specific shutdown has a small reach, it’s yet another sign that digital movie purchases (and digital purchases of any kind, really) don’t last forever. The Microsoft Store stopped selling books in 2019, and access to purchased books was removed shortly afterwards, but at least Microsoft offered refunds — something Sony isn’t doing here. UltraViolet, another popular digital library for movies, shut down in 2019 but allowed purchases to be migrated to other services using Movies Anywhere.
If you want to make sure your movies and TV shows aren’t at the whim of contracts between tech companies and distributors, good ‘ol Blu-ray discs are a great option. Many movies come with codes to register digital copies anyway, and you can rip the discs to make your own DRM-free version.
Source: Variety, 4K Filme, Sony
