Sony Announces the Removal of Discovery Channel Content From the PlayStation Store, Including User’s Purchased Shows

Peter_Brosdahl

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Sony has announced that it will remove all Discovery content from its PlayStation Store, which includes content purchased by its users. The very short announcement was made as a legal update notice and is followed by, according to VGC, what amounts to 1,300 seasons worth of material. The announcement does not include any offer of compensation for users who've purchased any of the listed shows, just that Sony's licensing deal with Discovery is up, hence the removal. This unfortunately is becoming par for the course with Sony after it made a similar move last summer when it removed content from Studio Canal in Germany and Austria.

See full article...
 
I've never used the Playstation store so this does not impact me personally, but man,**** this.

There needs to be a law that once purchased the users content can never be removed for any reason.

You can't alter a deal after the fact.

Grimlakin said:
This is why I hate the idea of purchasing digital only content. Even though I do it.
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It shouldn't be a problem if the proper legal protections are in place, which either they aren't, or someone just hasn't sued yet.

We also need to end the status quo with EULA's filled with weasel words that let these corporations get away with murder, and force you into binding arbitration when you complain.
 
Zarathustra said:
I've never used the Playstation store so this does not impact me personally, but man,**** this.

There needs to be a law that once purchased the users content can never be removed for any reason.

You can't alter a deal after the fact.



It shouldn't be a problem if the proper legal protections are in place, which either they aren't, or someone just hasn't sued yet.

We also need to end the status quo with EULA's filled with weasel words that let these corporations get away with murder, and force you into binding arbitration when you complain.
Click to expand...
As I understand it the whole binding arbitration for clicking OK is just deflective of the non committed. In most cases a reasonable judge will throw that out with the bathwater.

**** that's a statement that doesn't make sense ANY more.
 
I thought they had already pulled the plug on Playstation video a while back. Although looking at the notice, it looks like they were still allowing access to previously purchased stuff. I guess Discovery still holds the license and if they won't allow Sony to continue hosting (or, more precisely, you as the purchaser to continue acquiring after purchase)- that's how that works...

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Yeah, I'm always nervous about digital only purchases. I've gotten around a dozen over the last decade, and all at either Amazon or Vudu. I feel pretty safe with them. Vudu's stuff has all been sales for a few dollars here and there so I'm not worried about it since they were all non-priority purchases made for convenience and nothing more. Amazon, well even when something has been dropped they've kept it in my library so that's a plus for them and the only things I've gotten there were bizarre one-offs that hadn't gotten a physical release for the format they have. However, I don't trust anyone else to take a chance on with this kind of stuff and these two mostly work seamlessly with each other, but I usually just watch things through Vudu because searching on Amazon sucks.

Otherwise, the only digital stuff I have comes via the codes from purchases. I've already seen one provider go under though. UV went under about 3-4 years ago but they at least notified people beforehand and gave the option to migrate your content to another provider. I keep wondering how long the same happens to Movies Anywhere since some of the codes I've gotten have only worked there, but I've at least been able to link it to Vudu so everything is there.
 
Stores selling passive media like shows, movies, and music should follow the same rule as the major digital video game retailers: even if removed from the store, a person should always be allowed to re-download stuff they have already purchased. The only digital storefront I truly trust (video-game-wise, cuz I don't purchase shows/movies) is GOG. At least I have the option of downloading DRM-free standalone copies of every single one of my GOG games and hoarding them somewhere, so even if GOG goes down I still have the sh1t that I myself truly own. GOG games are the only digital games that I feel I truly own, the same as for a physical copy of a game that doesn't require any online functionality. The few times I've bought music since the year 2000 has either been on Bandcamp or in one case directly off an artist's site (who ended up moving to Bandcamp). One guy I bought music from, f*cking @sshole ended up denying people who had already purchased music from re-downloading some years later. Good thing I keep backups. I had half a mind to just spread the music I legally purchased from him around for free.
 
DrezKill said:
person should always be allowed to re-download stuff they have already purchased.
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I gotta admit,

I can even understand not having it available for re-download. I mean, if I wanted to buy that old GNR cassette tape new in the store, I couldn't because it hasn't been in production for .. decades. So I could see a digital product not being available any more because of licensing. Even though, technically, I agree there is no real reason for that to be the case - I can just see a physical analog and so I don't bemoan it too much.

But to go and delete it from someone who purchased it, then downloaded it legally, and still has it in their possession. That should be illegal. And in fact, I think it is.

Now, enter streaming. In the streaming model, you can't download and maintain a copy in your possession. So, shame on us for believing it would always be there and allowing companies to charge us the same as if it were. Same thing with games with always-online architectures that will no longer function when they pull the plug on the server.
 
easy... rip it to disk. Ok NOT easy because they have made that as intentionally NOT easy as possible. But if we can get that figured out... with the price of storage only coming down... (for bulk) writing all of that to disk for later perusal should be doable.

Who's going to download all of DIsney+? What about MAX? Netflix? I have a feeling those streamers would see the activity and cut off accounts. But that's just me.
 
We need better options for cold storage. What scares me the most is the fragility of online/digital identity management, but that's a separate topic.
 
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