Sony removes hundreds of purchased films from PlayStation libraries
Sony is removing hundreds of purchased films from UK PlayStation libraries. Switzerland is not affected. Nevertheless, this case highlights just how fleeting digital ownership can be.
You buy a film, pay the full price and then find it in your digital library. Years later, it disappears anyway. That is exactly what will happen to some PlayStation users in the UK from 1 September 2026.
Sony is removing 551 titles from the film distributor Studiocanal from users’ personal video libraries. This affects previously purchased films and TV series seasons, including «Terminator 2», «Apocalypse Now: The Final Cut», «Hot Fuzz», «Moonlight», «Paddington» and several «Rambo» films. You can find the full list here.
Sony cites expiring licence agreements with Studiocanal as the reason. The company makes no mention of a refund or any other form of compensation. Particularly ironic: The notification email to affected users ended with the PlayStation slogan ‘ «, Play has no limits’».
Sony has not yet announced any such removal for Switzerland. However, the former PlayStation video service was also available here, meaning Swiss users could also purchase digital films via Sony’s platform. Germany and Austria were already affected by a similar incident in 2022.
Purchased films disappeared as early as 2022
The current case is not an isolated incident. Sony had already removed purchased Studiocanal content from the libraries of German and Austrian users on 31 August 2022.
In Germany, the list comprised 314 entries; in Austria, 137. These included films such as «John Wick», «La La Land», «The Hunger Games», «Paddington» and several instalments of the «Saw» series.
What made the situation particularly sensitive was that Sony had only stopped selling and renting films via the PlayStation Store a year earlier. At the time, the company stated that previous purchases would remain accessible. However, this promise no longer applied to the affected Studiocanal titles shortly afterwards.
«Buying» does not automatically mean owning it
This case highlights the difference between a physical and a digital purchase. A Blu-ray disc remains on your shelf, even if the retailer terminates its contract with the film studio. With digital content, on the other hand, you usually acquire a licence that is tied to your account, the platform and its agreements with the rights holders. The fact that the term ‘ «’ (Buy» ) can be misleading in this context has already led to a lawsuit against Ubisoft.
This also applies, in principle, to games. Whilst titles that have been withdrawn from sale usually remain available to previous buyers, if they require servers, online activation or additional downloads, their use may still be restricted or cease entirely. My colleague Philipp outlines the disadvantages that the increasingly digital world of gaming brings for buyers in his commentary.
My interests are varied, I just like to enjoy life. Always on the lookout for news about darts, gaming, films and series.
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