Summary
Sony will not be removing access to Discovery TV shows onPlayStationafter all. At the beginning of December, many users became very upset when it was announced that numerousDiscovery TV shows would be removed from PlayStationat the end of the month. Additionally, purchased shows would be wiped from user libraries, and the list of affected programs had over 1300 items.
This announcement sparked outrage not only because it came with very short notice, but it also reinforced an underlying fear of many people who purchase digital content. Themove away from physical gamesand movies is potentially a big gamble for consumers because digital items aren’t really owned, and access can be removed at any time with little warning. And the fine print often means that buyers have little recourse to recover money spent or regain access to their purchases.
Luckily, the imminent removal of dozens of Discovery TV shows fromPlayStationhas been halted and users will no longer lose access on December 31. Sony amended the original announcement to state that it has “updated licensing arrangements” with Warner Bros., which owns Discovery, and the content removal will no longer take place. However, the new agreement only guarantees access to the purchased content for the next 30 months, after which Sony will hopefully again renegotiate licensing for the shows.GamesIndusty.biz shared a longer statementfrom Sony on the matter:
“Similar to other services, we do not own the licensing rights to TV/movie content that was previously available for purchase on PlayStation Store. However, we’ve worked with Warner Bros to update our licensing agreements, ensuring that consumers will be able to access their previously purchased content for at least the next 30 months.”
This is not the first time PlayStation users have lost, or been at risk of losing, access to TV shows they’ve purchased. All Studio Canal content was removed in August 2022 due to expiring licensing agreements, much like what would have happened with the Discovery content.
