Google’s own film and series service is saying goodbye in January. (Image: Google)
Google’s film and series service has been around since 2012. Until now, you have been able to buy and rent content and watch it on your devices.
How The Verge reported, this will end in January. Google is finally pulling the plug.
Discontinuation of the service was foreseeable
Google had already switched Android and iOS users to the Google TV app, removing the app from most smart TVs and also removing it from Android TV in October.
Sea 9to5Google Play Movies and Series (or “Play Movies & TV” as it is called in English) was already almost dead, at least on televisions. In 2020 it was renamed to Google TV, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the old service is in is sent into retirement.
On January 17th, Play Movies and Series will officially be discontinued on Android TV forever.
Can you still watch the films and series you have purchased?
The good news: Yes, you can. In a corresponding document Google tells you how you can access your purchased content in the future.
- If you have a TV with Google TV: Under “Shop” you can not only buy and rent films and series, but also watch them directly.
- If you use streaming peripherals without Google TV: The YouTube app is available here, which you can use to watch content you have already paid for.
- If you use a browser: Then the YouTube app is also the method of choice.
By the way, YouTube is getting two practical AI features:
So you can still enjoy the content you purchased, even if you find the content in a different location from January. However, this is not a given.
Just recently has Sony announced that it is removing digital content from its platforms, a painful reminder that the films, series and games you buy do not really belong to you.
So is it worth buying physical discs?
Google is putting an end to a service that has been around for 12 years: Play Films and Series will finally be discontinued in mid-January. What do you think? Have you used the service? Or do you get your content from somewhere else? Would you have even noticed the disappearance of the service? Feel free to write it in the comments.
