It’s happening in Germany and Austria but that doesn’t make it any less important. In a recent announcement, Sony has announced that due to the status of their license agreements with publisher Studio Canal, over a dozen movies and shows will be removed from the libraries of users that had purchased them.
This news is the latest reminder that purchasing a license to access media does not equal ownership of said media. In our increasingly online society, ownership of digital media is shakier than people realize. As instances like this occur more often, it’ll be up to large companies to navigate growing consumer awareness of the issue.
The recent post from Sony explains the removal of the content and also lists the content affected. The statement (made in German) can be found below.
Beginning August 31, 2022, 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.
Thank You
PlayStation Store
Official PlayStation Blog (Translation: DeepL)
Much of the content being removed is titled in German, but we’ve picked out some of the more familiar titles for our English-speaking audience. (In no particular order)
- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
- The King of the Hill
- The entire SAW movie franchise
- Apocalypse Now
- John Wick
- and more
While Steam used to host and sell movies and TV shows on their own digital marketplace (a practice which has since largely stopped), users are still able to access games and movies otherwise removed from purchase on the platform.
