Sony announced Monday that it would remove all Discovery content, including shows like “MythBusters” and “Deadliest Catch,” from users' libraries, even if they were purchased from the PlayStation Store.
The company, which owns and operates PlayStation game consoles, said in a short statement that Discovery shows would be removed on December 31, attributing the decision to “our content licensing agreements with content providers.”
The move came as Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns Discovery content, looks to add more subscribers to its Max and Discovery+ streaming services, in competition with others such as Netflix and Disney+.
Users can also stream and purchase content on PlayStation.
More than 1,200 purchasable titles will be removed from the PlayStation store. Forbes reportedincluding “Cake Boss,” which followed the adventures of a family-owned bakery in New Jersey for more than a decade, and “American Chopper,” a reality series about the hotheaded owners of the Orange County Choppers motorcycle garage.
Some PlayStation console users expressed frustration with Sony for taking away content they had already purchased. An user posted on social media who expected a full refund for products purchased on PlayStation. another wrote that Sony's message to customers was essentially: “If you 'bought' any of these titles through PlayStation, they will be gone soon and it will be a shame for you.”
Sony did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
The removal of Discovery content has raised questions about what it means to “own” digital products and highlighted how customers are increasingly at the mercy of licensing deals between media companies and online stores.
PlayStation Network conditions of service states that “all content” provided, including that of the PlayStation Store, is “non-exclusive and revocable.”
Users of other streaming services and devices have made similar complaints to the companies, including some e-book owners this year who learned that buying an e-book doesn't actually mean it's theirs.
Automatic e-book updates, which are a common feature of many popular platforms including Amazon's Kindle Store and Google Play, caused some references and sentences to be changed in the works of popular authors such as Roald Dahl, RL Stine and Agatha Christie.
Last year, the PlayStation Store also removed StudioCanal movies and TV shows from devices in Austria and Germany despite user purchases, citing “evolving licensing agreements.” The Edge reported.
