Sony Is Killing On-Demand Video in the Playstation Store as Streaming Takes Over

Sony Is Killing On-Demand Video in the Playstation Store as Streaming Takes Over

The streaming video business is booming, and while that makes it easier to access tons of content, for some companies like Sony, it makes it less attractive to manage digital storefronts, so at the end of August, Sony is disabling the ability to buy on-demand videos in the PlayStation Store.

In a new blog posted by Sony Interactive Entertainment head of video Vanessa Lee, Sony outlined its plans to shut down movie and TV show rentals and purchases on the PlayStation Store, which will go into effect on August 31.

When explaining its decision, Sony says after seeing “tremendous growth from PlayStation fans using subscription-based and ad-based entertainment streaming services on our consoles,” Sony saw that shift and decided to stop supporting on-demand content purchases in the PlayStation Store across all of the company’s consoles and portables including the PS5, PS4, PS Vita, and more.

Thankfully, anyone who owns previously purchased content will still be able to access their shows or movies after August 31, you just won’t be able to buy or rent any new titles.

[referenced id=”1528412″ url=”https://gizmodo.com.au/2020/11/sony-ps5-review-breaking-the-mould/” thumb=”https://gizmodo.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/11/rlcbysrqabtnggqmzznf-300×169.jpg” title=”Sony PS5 Review: Breaking the Mould” excerpt=”This week, video game consoles are taking a big step into the next generation with two new systems sporting upgraded CPU, GPUs, SSDs, and a bunch of fancy new features. So on the eve of the PlayStation 5’s launch, there’s no better time to take an in-depth look at what…”]

For people who already get their video content from streaming services like Netflix or Stan, this may not change much. However, for people who prefer purchasing digital content, this change may force you to turn to other on-demand content stores.

If you’re already invested in Apple’s ecosystem, you can simply install the Apple TV app on your PS4 or PS5 to access Apple’s library of content. However, for people used to buying content from Google, things are slightly trickier as the Google TV app is not yet available on PlayStation consoles.

Instead, you’ll need to download the YouTube app on your PS4 or PS5, and then go into the console’s general settings, find the Users and Accounts tab, and then select the Link with Other Services option to connect your Google account with the YouTube app on your PlayStation. Once that’s done, you’ll be able to buy and play content purchased from Google TV (previously called Google Play and Movies) directly within YouTube.

Alternatively, if you’re not a fan of Apple or Google, you can also rent or purchase content from the Vudu app, which is also available on PlayStation consoles.

Unfortunately, for people who prefer buying content from Google, until Google adds support for the Google TV app to Sony’s consoles, things are going to be a bit clunky. But at least when Sony takes away the ability to rent or buy on-demand videos directly from the PlayStation Store later this summer, you’ll still have options.


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