Microsoft abruptly stops selling movies and TV shows on PC and Xbox, but past purchases will remain available

On July 18, Microsoft suddenly ceased offering purchases and rentals for movies and TV shows on PC and Xbox. The change comes as a surprise to fans of the service, but users will still be able to access past purchases on Microsoft's Movies & TV app, at least for now.

The change was revealed in updates on the Xbox and Windows FAQ pages for the Movies & TV app. The Windows statement explains, "Microsoft no longer offers new entertainment content for purchase, including movies and TV shows, on Microsoft.com, Microsoft Store on Windows, and the Microsoft Store on Xbox. However, you can continue to access your purchased content in the Movies & TV app on Xbox or Windows device."

The FAQs also clarify that you can "continue to play personal videos on Xbox devices" and "downloads will continue to be available on Windows and in HD max resolution." However, refunds are not available for movies and TV shows and there's no way to move content you purchased through Microsoft to a different service.

Microsoft backing out of digital movie and TV sales is disappointing, but mirrors similar moves from Google and Apple. In late 2023, with the release of tvOS 17.2, Apple stopped selling movies and TV shows on the iTunes store and moved them instead to the Apple TV app. Google did effectively the same thing earlier that year in October 2023 when it discontinued Google Play Movies & TV and moved all of that content to the Google TV app (and YouTube).

Credit where it's due, even years later, I can still access the movies and TV shows I purchased on Google Play Movies & TV (Family Library sharing even still works). However, it's understandable why some users might be worried about how long Microsoft will leave purchased content available. After all, there's very little users can do to prevent companies from effectively deleting digital content for any number of reasons (just look at the infamous Disney+ "purges" that have wiped entire shows and movies from the internet).

Gamers are all too familiar with this exact situation–for whatever reason, a publisher or developer decides they don't want to offer or support a game anymore and suddenly people who paid for it can't play it anymore. That's what the Stop Killing Games movement is trying to push back against. Things are even more complicated with movies and TV, though, many of which just go directly to streaming these days (meaning you never get the chance to buy them in the first place).

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