Microsoft Abruptly Ceases Digital Movie and TV Sales

[SRW1000]

Not exactly streaming, but after seeing so many articles about how physical media is dying, it's worth taking note of this article from Variety:
Microsoft, after nearly two decades, has exited the business of selling digital TV and movies.

Without advance warning, Microsoft’s Movies & TV app as of Friday has stopped sales and rentals for movies and TV shows. “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,” the tech giant says in a support notice on its site. A similar notice appears on the Xbox support site.

The notice did not provide any explanation for the decision. A Microsoft rep declined to provide further comment when contacted by Variety. The company’s discontinuation of movie and TV sales and rentals was spotted earlier by tech site Windows Central.

Customers who have previously purchased content through the Microsoft Movies & TV storefront can continue to access it on an Xbox or Windows device, the notice says. Microsoft is not offering refunds; citing the Microsoft Store Terms of Sale, “Movies and TV shows are ineligible for refunds.”

Microsoft originally launched a movie and TV storefront for its Zune portable device (a would-be competitor to Apple’s iPod) in 2006. That evolved into the Xbox Video store in 2012 before getting renamed Microsoft Movies & TV in 2015.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s support site says users cannot directly transfer your purchased TV shows and movies to another service. U.S. customers can sign up for the Movies Anywhere cloud service to “connect select purchased movies” with participating retailers, according to Microsoft. Those include Apple, Amazon Prime Video, Fandango, Google Play/YouTube and Comcast’s Xfinity, according to the Movies Anywhere website. Studios that participate in Movies Anywhere, which is operated by Disney, are Disney/Fox, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros.
At least there might be some options to retain access for those that "purchased" these movies.

It's worth remembering that even if/when physical media goes away, we will still have those titles in our libraries (unless they eventually suffer from disc rot).  There's always the option of backing those discs up, as well.

[David Vaughn]

This is exactly why physical media is so important. I redeem all of my digital copies and over the years many of them have "disappeared" from my accounts because when the studio loses the rights to the movie (it sometimes happen if they shared production costs), the movie you purchased is no longer "yours." For example, if Paramount and Warner participated on a movie together and Paramount owns the home video rights for 20 years and then they revert to Warner, if you purchased (or redeemed a digital copy of the Paramount film) it will be taken from your digital locker since Paramount "sold" it to you and no longer owns the rights. Frankly, I consider this to be theft!

[Barry]

This is exactly why physical media is so important. I redeem all of my digital copies and over the years many of them have "disappeared" from my accounts because when the studio loses the rights to the movie (it sometimes happen if they shared production costs), the movie you purchased is no longer "yours." For example, if Paramount and Warner participated on a movie together and Paramount owns the home video rights for 20 years and then they revert to Warner, if you purchased (or redeemed a digital copy of the Paramount film) it will be taken from your digital locker since Paramount "sold" it to you and no longer owns the rights. Frankly, I consider this to be theft!

David, you are so right. Also, some movies and TV shows just disappear for reasons not released. In fact, there were movies and such they were on videotape that never made it to video discs. In another example is that I have a version of Star Wars on laser disk that never made it to DVD. In my version, Harrison Ford shoots first. And many interviews on discs that were bonus. Features will be lost forever.  

[SRW1000]

David, you are so right. Also, some movies and TV shows just disappear for reasons not released. In fact, there were movies and such they were on videotape that never made it to video discs. In another example is that I have a version of Star Wars on laser disk that never made it to DVD. In my version, Harrison Ford shoots first. And many interviews on discs that were bonus. Features will be lost forever. 

Yes, this is another concern.  Digital versions are at the whim of the owners, so if a movie is edited to reflect different sensibilities, that's the version you're going to get regardless of what you spent money on originally.