Microsoft is no longer selling or renting movies and TV content
Out of the blue, Microsoft has killed off its digital storefront for movies and TV shows. The sudden change means that the Microsoft Store can no longer be used to buy or rent this type of content on Windows or Xbox.
There has been no big announcement about the decision to stop offering such content, but a support document makes Microsoft’s decision clear. The company stresses that anything that has been paid for will remain accessible.
On a support page headed “Watch movies and TV shows on the Microsoft Movies & TV app”, news of the change was spotted by Windows Central:
Important: 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.
Microsoft moves on
Although Microsoft offers no explanation for stopping selling such content, it is likely because of a preference users have for streaming services as well as the number of other company selling movies and TV shows. This is a rare example of Microsoft being squeezed out of a market by competitors – and the company even suggests some of its rivals when advising its customers what to do next:
What other options do I have to purchase new movies and TV?
The Xbox and Windows stores have other entertainment services that offer the latest home entertainment releases. The following transactional services are available today: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home, among others.
There will be many people concerned about what the change means for the content they have already purchased, and Microsoft offers assurances that this will remain accessible – although this could, of course, change in the future.
What other options do I have to purchase new movies and TV?
The Xbox and Windows stores have other entertainment services that offer the latest home entertainment releases. The following transactional services are available today: Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home, among others.
If you’re hoping to be able to get your money back, you’re out of luck; it is simply no going to happen. Microsoft reminds customers that “per the Microsoft Store Terms of Sale, Movies and TV shows are ineligible for refunds”.
In an FAQ about the changes, Microsoft addresses the desire that many may have to migrate purchases to another service. Unsurprisingly, the news is not good here:
You cannot directly move your purchased content to another service. You will still be able to access and play purchased content on the Microsoft Movies & TV App. If you're in the U.S., you can sign up for Movies Anywhere to connect select purchased movies with other Movies Anywhere retailers.
Interestingly, as well as telling customers that purchased content will remain accessible, Microsoft says that “downloads will continue to be available on Windows and in HD max resolution” – suggesting that people might expect quality to be reduced for some reason.
While it was not perhaps entirely unpredictable that Microsoft would stop selling TV shows and movies, the suddenness of the cutoff is something of a shock.
Is this a service that you will miss? Were you a happy purchaser or renter of movies and shows from the Microsoft Store, or had you already taken your allegiances elsewhere – if, indeed, the were ever with the Microsoft Store?
After more than a decade of operations, this was not a short-lived service, but perhaps it was one that was very much of its time. Share your thoughts, reactions and suggestions about where to spend money on digital viewing in the comments below.