Microsoft Store Stops Selling Movies and TV Shows

Microsoft has quietly stopped selling movies and TV shows on its Microsoft Store for Windows PCs and Xbox consoles. While entertainment content still appears on the Store as of this writing, purchasing options have now been removed.

In a support page spotted by Windows Central, Microsoft confirmed that consumers will still be able to access previously purchased content in the Movies & TV app on Windows PCs and Xbox consoles. Downloads will also remain available on Windows, including in “HD max” resolution.

Microsoft’s Movies and TV app was never ported to mobile devices, and that entertainment content being locked to Windows and Xbox devices was always a big problem. If you’re in the US, however, it’s possible to transfer select purchased movies to other entertainment apps using the Movies Anywhere service.

You may remember that a while ago, the Microsoft Store used to offer music, but that was discontinued in 2017 alongside the sunsetting of Groove Music. The same thing happened for ebooks, which disappeared from the store back in 2019. The writing was probably on the wall for movies and TV shows, even though Microsoft may have had a good incentive to keep a built-in entertainment store on Xbox consoles, which are mostly used in the living room.

Going forward, Microsoft recommends that consumers purchase movies and TV shows from other apps such as Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango at Home. YouTube is another platform where consumers can purchase movies and TV shows on demand.