The PlayStation Store is removing hundreds of films – and it’s a stark reminder of the importance of physical media

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(Image credit: A24 / Plan B Entertainment)

If you have purchased a movie on the PlayStation Store, then you may well be impacted by the brand’s latest announcement.

In September, PlayStation will remove more than 550 films from its catalogue. Which means any affected films will be wiped from your video library, even if you paid for them.

The company is not offering refunds to users, and there’s not even an option to offload them to another device. Sony, which owns PlayStation, says that they will be removed due to content licensing agreements with Studio Canal.

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You can read the full list of affected movies on PlayStation’s website but some of the most notable titles include Moonlight, Rambo First Blood, Apocalypse Now, and Pan’s Labyrinth.

At the moment, this affects only customers in the UK, although the brand pulled the same move in Germany and Austria back in 2022.

It’s a rather unpleasant reminder that you can never truly own a piece of media online, as you are always at the whim of licensing battles. We have seen the issue with streaming services before, with Netflix most recently hitting headlines for removing all seven series of Gilmore Girls from its US site.

That’s why physical media is still so important. There is no substitute for holding a copy of your favourite movie or TV show in your hands.

Investing in a 4K Blu-ray is usually the more expensive option, but it gives you proper ownership while also providing the best picture and sound quality you can get at home.

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Robyn Quick

Robyn Quick is a Staff Writer for What Hi Fi?. After graduating from Cardiff University with a postgraduate degree in magazine journalism, they have worked for a variety of film and culture publications. In their spare time, Robyn can be found playing board games too competitively, going on cinema trips and learning muay thai.

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