Microsoft has ended the sale of digital movies and series. What does this mean for Polish users?

Without any announcement and without a specific message – Microsoft has quietly ended the sale and rental of films and television programmes in its store. This sudden decision closes a chapter that has lasted nearly two decades.

Films and series disappearing from the Microsoft Store. What actually happened?

On Friday, all digital video content disappeared from the Microsoft Store – on Windows, Xbox, and the Microsoft.com website. The company has not issued any official announcement – only a brief note appeared on the support page:

“Microsoft no longer offers new entertainment content for purchase, including films and TV shows.”

This means that overnight, users lost the ability to purchase or rent any film or series in the Microsoft ecosystem. Importantly, no financial compensation has been provided. Even if someone made a purchase shortly before the offer was closed, they cannot expect a refund. The company is citing the terms of service, which preclude the possibility of refunds for video content.

Microsoft ends operations that lasted nearly 20 years

Although today’s decision may seem sudden, it is actually the end of a slow phasing out of this segment. Microsoft began its journey into digital video back in 2006 when it launched a movie store on its Zune players – devices that were meant to compete with the iPod.

Over time, the platform transformed into Xbox Video, and then into the Movies & TV app, which also appeared on Windows computers. Over the years, it was an attempt to create a complete multimedia environment, but in the face of dominance from Apple, Google, and Amazon – Microsoft never gained a large market share.

It’s also worth recalling that the company had previously abandoned its own entertainment services – for example, in 2017, the Groove Music platform was shut down. Today’s move therefore looks like the completion of a process that began several years ago.

What’s next for the Movies and TV app? Watch out for the question mark

At the moment, the Movies and TV app is still functioning, and users can watch previously purchased content. It hasn’t disappeared from libraries – at least not for now. Microsoft assures that access to past purchases will be maintained on Windows and Xbox devices.

However, an obvious question arises: how much longer will the app be supported? Since the company has ceased sales, it’s hard to assume that maintaining this functionality will be a priority for them. Therefore, one can expect that over time, the app itself may also be phased out, or simply stop working with the next system update.

For many users, this is a sign that digital purchases – even from giants like Microsoft – offer no guarantees for the future.