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Sony is removing purchased Discovery television shows from its Playstation media platform by the end of this month, going into the new year. In a legal notice sent to users who had previously purchased Discovery content on the Playstation Store, the company said shows would become unavailable due to licensing issues from December 31.
“Due to our current licensing arrangements with content providers, you will no longer be able to watch any of previously purchased Discovery content and the content will be removed from your video library,” the notice said. “We sincerely thank you for your continued support.”
Over 1,300 seasons of shows like Animal Planet Presents, Cake Boss, Deadliest Catch, American Chopper, How It’s Made, and MythBusters will be removed. You can check out the full list here, which Sony provided.
The removal of the shows prompted even more support for the resurgence of physical media online, even when retailers like Best Buy and Target are getting out of that business, or at the very least, scaling back.
It’s interesting to note though that Sony does not own the content being removed and it’s under the Warner Bros. Discovery umbrella. It could be WBD isn’t renewing licensing for third-party apps and keeping everything on Max. Prime Video and even Google Play have similar agreements when your purchase something digitally in that you don’t own the product, but hold the license. Should that license be removed, well, you know.
Last year, Playstation removed purchased content from Studio Canal due to “evolving licensing agreements with its content providers,” leaving users unable to view purchased movies from their library.
