Sony has deleted movies & television shows that customers bought through the PlayStation Store, & has scheduled the deletion of hundreds more once its license to that content ends.[1][2] The most recent notice came in June 2026, when Sony told PlayStation users in the United Kingdom & Europe that on September 1, 2026 it would remove 551 previously purchased StudioCanal movies & TV titles from their video libraries, with no refund.[3][4] PlayStation's network terms state that use of words like purchase or buy does not mean or imply any transfer of ownership of the content, & that everything bought through the store is licensed on a non-exclusive and revocable basis.[5]
Background
Sony stopped selling movies & TV shows on the PlayStation Store on August 31, 2021.[6] It does not own the films & shows it sold through the store; it licenses them from the studios that produce them, & has said it holds no ownership of that content.[7]
September 2026 StudioCanal removal
In June 2026, Sony notified PlayStation users in the United Kingdom & Europe that on September 1, 2026 it would remove every StudioCanal movie & TV show they had purchased from their video libraries.[3][2] The notice became public after an X user, @somatyk, posted the message PlayStation had sent; Kotaku & other outlets then reported it.[8] The message read:
Due to our content licensing agreements, you will no longer be able to access your previously purchased content from Studio Canal, and it will be removed from your video library.
The list Sony posted on the PlayStation website covers 551 titles.[4][3][10] Affected films include Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Total Recall, Evil Dead, From Dusk Till Dawn & The Deer Hunter.[2][11] The removal does not extend to PlayStation libraries in the United States.[3] Sony's notice made no mention of a refund or compensation.[2][9]
Germany and Austria removal in 2022
Four years earlier, PlayStation had removed previously purchased StudioCanal films & TV shows from the libraries of customers in Germany & Austria, with the deletion taking effect on August 31, 2022.[1][12] The regional notice blamed Sony's evolving licensing agreements with content providers.[12] It covered 314 titles in Germany & 137 in Austria.[6] The deletion came a year after Sony had assured buyers that their earlier purchases would stay accessible.[1]
Discovery removal and reversal
On December 6, 2023, the New York Times reported that purchased Discovery shows, among them MythBusters & Deadliest Catch, would be deleted from PlayStation libraries on December 31, 2023, with Sony citing its content licensing arrangements.[13] The plan reached more than 1,300 Discovery TV shows.[7]
After consumer backlash, Sony reversed course.[14] On December 21, 2023, it said it had reached an updated agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery & would keep the shows available for at least the next 30 months.[7] The notice on its legal page was replaced with:
Due to updated licensing arrangements, the Discovery content removal planned for December 31, 2023 is no longer occurring. We appreciate your ongoing support and feedback.
PCMag's Emily Price wrote that the agreement guaranteed access only for a set period, & that PlayStation owners could still lose the content around 2027.[16]
"Buy" button and the PlayStation Network terms
The PlayStation Network Terms of Service govern what a customer receives when they buy a movie from the PlayStation Store, treating the transaction as a revocable license rather than a transfer of ownership.[5] Section 10.1 addresses the storefront language directly:
Use of the terms "own," "ownership", "purchase," "sale," "sold," "sell," "rent" or "buy" in this Agreement or in connection with the Content does not mean or imply any transfer of ownership of any content, data or software or any intellectual property rights from SIE, its affiliates, or its licensors to any user or third party.
Section 10.2 sets out the license itself:
Except as stated in this Agreement, all Content provided through PlayStation is licensed on a non-exclusive and revocable basis to you for your personal, private, non-transferable, non-commercial, limited use on a limited number of PlayStation Devices or other devices in the country in which your Account is registered.
Reviewing the September 2026 removal, Notebookcheck called it a reminder of the risks of purchasing digital content.[3]
California Assembly Bill 2426
California's Assembly Bill 2426 requires sellers of digital goods to tell buyers when a purchase is only a license.[17] Governor Newsom signed it on September 24, 2024 as Chapter 513, adding Section 17500.6 to the state's Business and Professions Code.[17][14] It took effect on January 1, 2025.[18] The statute makes it unlawful to sell a digital good using ownership language without a disclosure:
It shall be unlawful for a seller of a digital good to advertise or offer for sale a digital good to a purchaser with the terms "buy," "purchase," or any other term which a reasonable person would understand to confer an unrestricted ownership interest in the digital good, or alongside an option for a time-limited rental, unless either of the following occur:
A seller can comply only by getting the buyer's affirmative acknowledgment at each transaction that they are receiving a license, with the restrictions listed & a notice that access may be revoked, or by giving a clear & conspicuous statement that buying the good is a license, with a link to the full terms.[17] The law defines a digital good to include digital movies, music, books, codes & games delivered electronically.[17] According to an analysis by the law firm Greenberg Traurig, a violation can draw civil penalties of up to $2,500 per violation under California's False Advertising Law & Unfair Competition Law.[18]
The bill's author, Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin, cited Sony's 2023 Discovery removal as an example of purchased digital media disappearing. A statement from her office when Newsom signed the bill read:
Another instance saw Sony threaten to revoke access to Discovery TV shows in 2023, only to come to an agreement with Discovery on an updated licensing agreement following consumer outcry.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Porter, Jon (2022-07-08). "PlayStation Store removes purchased movies from libraries after service shutdown". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Sony is deleting over 550 purchased movies from PS5 users' digital libraries". Video Games Chronicle. June 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Fisher, Jacob (2026-06-28). "PlayStation to wipe 551 films from customers' accounts". Notebookcheck. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cripe, Michael (2026-06-27). "Sony to Delete Movies Owned by PlayStation Users, List Includes More Than 550 Digital Titles". IGN. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "PlayStation Network Terms of Service and User Agreement". PlayStation. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Muhammad, Isa (2022-07-11). "Sony removes purchased StudioCanal films from PlayStation Store". BeyondGames.biz. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Dring, Christopher (2023-12-21). "PlayStation will not delete Discovery TV shows after all". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
- ↑ Walker, John (2026-06-26). "PlayStation Is Deleting Terminator 2 And 550 Other Movies". Kotaku. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Khan, Zarmena (2026-06-26). "Purchased Studio Canal Content To Be Removed From PlayStation Library". PlayStation LifeStyle. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "PlayStation Video Content (UK)". PlayStation. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ "PlayStation to remove Studio Canal movies from libraries". Eurogamer. 2026-06-27. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Purchased Studio Canal films will be removed from PlayStation Store in Austria and Germany". Eurogamer. 2022-07-07. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ Medina, Eduardo (2023-12-06). "PlayStation Will Delete Purchased Discovery Shows". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2023-12-07.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Governor Newsom Signs AB 2426 into Law, Increases Transparency Surrounding Disappearing Digital Media". Office of Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin. California State Assembly. 2024-09-25. Archived from the original on 2026-02-06. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Discovery Entitlements Affected Titles". PlayStation. Archived from the original on 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
- ↑ Price, Emily (2023-12-22). "PlayStation Isn't Removing All That Discovery Content After All". PCMag. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 "AB-2426 Consumer protection: false advertising: digital goods". California Legislative Information. California State Legislature. Retrieved 2026-06-28.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "AB 2426: New California Law Requires Clear Licensing Disclosures for Digital Goods". Greenberg Traurig. December 2024. Retrieved 2026-06-28.