Proof positive that Blu-ray collectors got it right all along – your digital movie library might soon disappear
Sony will soon delete 100s of digital movies from users' collections
Quick Summary
Over 550 movies and TV shows will soon be deleted from PlayStation owners' digital libraries, even if they purchased them outright.
An expiration of the content licensing agreements with Studio Canal means all of its content is being removed from the platform.
Sony has informed many customers that 100s of digital movies they've purchased will soon be deleted from their libraries.
PlayStation owners will lose access to over 500 movies from Studio Canal, after the expiration of content licensing agreements between the studio and Sony. There's a list of all the films that will be removed on the PlayStation website, but it includes the likes of the original Rambo trilogy, the Paddington movies, and The Evil Dead.
The cull list also includes many TV series, such as multiple seasons of Gomorra and The Young Pope.
They will be removed from users' libraries on 1 September 2026 (via VGC), and there doesn't seem to be a backup system or library swap service (to move your purchase rights to another platform).
Time to collect 4K Blu-rays?
Although this is just one storefront and one studio, the example it sets is clear. When you purchase a movie on a streaming platform you more often than not don't own it. You are simply purchasing the right to play it as often as you like, as long as it remains on that service.
But if, as in this case, the rights expire, you are left with nothing.
This is an argument Blu-ray, 4K Blu-ray and even DVD collectors have been making for years. While streaming is more convenient, the only way to ensure you own a copy of a movie is to have a physical version (and the player to spin it on).
Picture and sound performance is an obvious benefit, with higher bitrates afforded by 4K Blu-ray discs, but even they pale into insignificance to a movie being deleted from your collection by a third-party.
It's why I retain my physical disc collection personally, even though it takes up a considerable amount of space. At least I can watch Terminator 2: Judgment Day in 4K whenever I fancy, rather than find it has simply disappeared when I next get the urge.
