Achtung!
Sony‘s PlayStation Store, as of next month, will remove access to hundreds of movie titles from Studiocanal that customers in Germany and Austria previously purchased.
The move comes a year after Sony’s PlayStation group stopped offering movie and TV show purchases and rentals, as of Aug. 31, 2021, citing the rise of streaming-video services. At the time, Sony assured customers that they “can still access movie and TV content they have purchased through PlayStation Store for on-demand playback on their PS4, PS5 and mobile devices.” But clearly, that didn’t mean forever.
PlayStation posted notices about the impending removal of the Studiocanal content for German and Austrian customers on its website.
“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 Studio Canal content and it will be removed from your video library,” the notices read. “We greatly appreciate your continued support.” The PlayStation Store’s removal of the films was previously reported by German website 4KFilme.
It’s unclear whether PlayStation Store will refund customers for their purchases of movies that will no longer be available; a Sony rep declined to provide any details about that. Studiocanal reps for the Germany-Austria region had not responded to a request for comment.
The list of Studiocanal-distributed titles that will be removed include 314 in Germany and 137 in Austria.
Those include Studiocanal-financed films like “Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” the two “Paddington” movies, “Non Stop” and “Shaun the Sheep Movie.” In addition, the titles that will no longer be available to PlayStation Store customers in Germany and Austria include multiple Lionsgate movies, including the “Hunger Games” series, “John Wick” starring Keanu Reeves and the “Saw” series.
