Google Play Store on Android is Losing Support for Movies & TV

Google announced that its Play Store app on Android will soon lose its Movies & TV content section. Starting in May 2022, the Google TV Android app will become the main place where Android users can purchase movies and TV shows from Google.

“Google Play will continue to be your store for apps, games, and books. On Google TV, you will find the same experience you are used to on Google Play Movies & TV with the latest new releases, rentals, deals, and great recommendations for you,” Google explained.

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For those unfamiliar, the Google TV app on Android is a rebranded version of the previous Google Play Movies & TV app, which still exists with this name on iOS. Following the name change to Google TV, the Android app has become an entertainment hub that still provides access to movies and TV shows from the Google Play Store, but the app also integrates with third-party streaming apps, similar to how the Apple TV app works on iOS devices.

If you purchased movies and TV shows on the Google Play Store, all this content will continue to be available in the Google TV app. The app also provides access to wishlisted items, and all movies and TV shows purchases in the Google TV app will continue to be eligible for family sharing and Google Play Points.

This change won’t impact the Google Play Store on the web, which will continue to offer movies and TV shows. YouTube also remains another location where consumers can purchase and access Play Movies & TV content.

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Conversation 8 comments

  • Daninbusiness

    Premium Member
    23 March, 2022 - 9:32 am

    <p>This seems like a pretty arbitrary change; I suppose this could bump up the numbers for Google TV users?</p>

    • adampankow

      23 March, 2022 - 3:55 pm

      <p>It’s a sales funnel. It’s the same reason they added Google TV to their Chromecast.</p>

  • thalter

    Premium Member
    23 March, 2022 - 10:55 am

    <p>Interesting that Apple is doing almost the exact same thing at the exact same time. </p><p><br></p><p>Movie and TV rentals are moving from the iTunes store to the Apple TV app. This move makes a lot of sense (meet the users where they are and all that – who thinks of iTunes when renting movies anyways).</p><p><br></p><p>AFAIK, they are not taking away the movie and TV functionality from the iTunes store.</p>

    • yoshi

      Premium Member
      23 March, 2022 - 1:06 pm

      <p>Huh, I had no idea they added a store to the TV app. I must have been the last person still going through iTunes to buy my movies. Thanks for this comment! I’d much rather use the TV app for those types of things.</p>

      • philly30

        23 March, 2022 - 1:54 pm

        <p>You can’t buy Box Sets for tv shows through the Apple tv app though</p>

      • Laurent Giret

        Premium Member
        23 March, 2022 - 4:51 pm

        <p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I also prefer to use the iTunes app for purchasing stuff, mostly because it has a wishlist. To my knowledge, the Apple TV app doesn’t</span></p>

    • rbgaynor

      23 March, 2022 - 8:04 pm

      <p>It’s been that way for at least 2 years on Apple’s platforms, back when they removed iTunes.</p>

  • Rob_Wade

    23 March, 2022 - 4:33 pm

    <p>No impact with me. I never watch TV or movies on an Android device. Heck, I don’t even watch it on my Surface Pro devices. No point. I watch it on an actual TV. A big TV. The experience of TRYING to watch TV or movies on small screens is just painfully lame.</p>

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