PlayStation is deleting any Discovery TV/Movie content you previously paid for. Sony posted a new notice to their website today announcing that all Discovery content purchased by users will be removed and deleted on December 31. Users who paid for this content will not be receiving any compensation or refunds. The content will simply be revoked on December 31.
Hundreds of different TV shows like River Monsters will be pulled from libraries with no access to them permanently. It is cited that because of licensing arrangements, the content must be pulled and removed from all libraries. Even though you might have paid for it, you do not own it. In 2021, video and movie purchases were removed from the PS Store. No further movie/TV purchases have been available since. In an email to those affected, PlayStation said the following:
Dear PlayStation Customer,
As of December 31, 2023, due to our content licensing arrangements with content providers, you will no longer be able to watch. any of your previously purchased Discovery content and the content will be removed from your video library.
Click here for a full list of affected titles that will no longer be supported.
We sincerely thank you for your continued support.
Thank you,
PlayStation Store
A Glimpse of What’s to Come?
While this only affects Discovery content on PlayStation, this could happen to any other property. Unlike physical copies of content, digital content equates to a license. Therefore, PlayStation does have the right to revoke access at any time. Titles like Alan Wake 2 and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name were both released this year without a physical copy.
With the massive amount of digital content sold each year, will this be the norm going forward? How does this make you feel about the “digital only future” gaming seems to be headed towards? With consoles like the PlayStation 5 Digital and Xbox Series S, it feels like the next generation of systems could remove disc use entirely. Be sure to let us know on X (Twitter).
