Microsoft has suddenly shut its movies and TV store on Xbox consoles and Windows PCs. As of today, you can no longer purchase new movies or TV shows from the Microsoft Store on Xbox or Windows, but you will still be able to access previously purchased content on your devices.
“Downloads will continue to be available on Windows and in HD max resolution,” Microsoft says, but you’ll have to continue using the Movies & TV app on Windows or Xbox to play the content you own, rather than accessing it from another service — unless your purchased movies are part of Movies Anywhere in the US. Microsoft is not offering a refund for purchases, either.
The closure has been nervously anticipated by Xbox and Windows users ever since Microsoft shut down its Groove Music service in 2017. Microsoft originally launched a movies and TV storefront with the Zune Marketplace in 2006, before it was replaced by Xbox Video in 2012. That then morphed into the Movies & TV app and store in 2015, and now, a decade later, it’s going away.
Microsoft is now leaving it up to Amazon, Netflix, Apple TV, and the many other streaming video services to cater for movies and TV content on Windows and Xbox. Microsoft will continue to provide support for any issues with previously purchased content, and users will be hoping the company keeps its servers online for many years to come.
