Microsoft shuts down movie and TV service with no warning | Official Website of Louis Velazquez, entrepreneur, finance guy and tech innovator

Blockbuster at least had the decency of dying a slow, protracted death.

That chain, which brought VHS tapes, and later DVDs, to tens of millions of people slowly closed stores and even today, has one remaining location. Microsoft’s Movies & TV app, which was perhaps not quite as famous as Blockbuster, simply stopped working.

Fans of the app did not get any sort of warning or a countdown to closure; they simply logged in and found the following message:

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

That’s a cold-hearted way to end a product that may never have become a mainstream name, but was still used by millions of people.

Microsoft did not completely abandon its customers. It hasn’t erased your account, and your purchases can still be accessed.

You can still stream purchased content through Xbox and Windows devices.
You can’t buy or rent anything new.
No refunds will be issued. According to the Microsoft Store Terms of Sale, movies and TV shows are labeled “ineligible for refunds.”

The company declined a request from Variety for comment on the shutdown.

Microsoft gave customers no warning before shutting down its TV and movie rental and sales platform.

Image Source&colon; Matt Cardy/Getty Images

Microsoft has done this before

One of the reasons vinyl albums have made a comeback is that digital libraries lack permanence. Microsoft has not removed the Movies & TV apps from Windows or Xbox, but there’s no real reason for the company to maintain it.

The app no longer produces revenue and keeping it operating comes with expenses. Microsoft has not said it, but the shutdown is essentially a warning to people to either move their purchases to another app, or maybe watch them one last time.

Unfortunately, digital rights don’t really transfer. Some movies may still be accessible on the Movies Anywhere platform, but that’s limited to the limited number of studios and films participating in that project.

There’s no similar option for TV shows, and history suggests that Microsoft will eventually simply remove the app and make it inaccessible for existing users.

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Microsoft also shot down another potential solution in a Q&A on its website that was posted before the shutdown.

“Yes, you can download purchased movies or TV episodes to your local hard drive using Windows 10. However, there’s a catch: Movies and TV shows purchased from the Microsoft Store are often protected by Digital Rights Management (DRM). This means they cannot be played with just any media player, including Windows Media Player. Instead, you’ll need to use the Movies & TV app to play them,” a Microsoft worker shared in 2024.

Microsoft previously left digital library holders empty-handed

Microsoft once tried to create its own answer to Apple’s iPod, the Zune. To say the Zune was a failure would be an understatement — much like saying those Kevin Costner epic Western movies (“Horizon: An American Saga”) he made after leaving “Yellowstone” were a bad choice.

Zune was not a sales success, but it provided excellent fodder for jokes by late-night comedians. It wasn’t that the product was bad, it was that it was very late to the party — a bit like IBM coming out with its own i(BM)Phone right now.

When Zune closed, users essentially lost their digital libraries. The shutdown was a bit drawn-out.

History of Microsoft’s Zune closure:

Zune Marketplace closed in 2012, and full service functionality ended by 2015.
Zune software and devices stopped receiving support in 2017.
Microsoft officially discontinued Zune services entirely on November 12, 2015.

It was possible to back up your purchases to another drive or music player, but most songs were protected by digital rights management. That meant you could download them, but no longer play them — digital relics that mocked you for not buying an iPod. (iPod libraries were easily transferred to Mac or iPhone via iTunes.)

Other key apps Microsoft has killed

Skype (consumer)

Shutdown Date: May 5, 2025
Function: Pioneering VoIP messenger for video and voice calls (launched 2003)
What Happened: Microsoft retired the consumer Skype service, migrating users to Microsoft Teams Free.

Paint 3D

Discontinued: Removed from Microsoft Store on November 4, 2024
Function: 3D editing application launched as an enhanced version of classic Paint in Windows 10
Why: Microsoft pivoted to focus on the built-in Paint app (on Windows 11) and its 3D Viewer for handling 3D content.

Remote Desktop App (Microsoft Store)

End of Support: May 27, 2025
Function: Remote desktop client from Microsoft Store
Replacement: Users must switch to the new Windows App, which supports Windows 365, Azure Virtual Desktop, and Microsoft Dev Box features.

Cortana (Virtual Assistant)

Discontinued Period: Phased down between 2019–2023; fully retired by late 2023
Function: Built‑in assistant across Windows, mobile, Xbox, and IoT
Outcome: Replaced by Microsoft Copilot; standalone app support ended on Windows and mobile platforms.

Groove Music (and Groove Music Pass)

Streaming Service Ended: December 31, 2017
App Discontinued: Android/iOS apps ended December 2018; on Windows replaced by Media Player by early 2023
Function: Music player and subscription streaming service
Note: Microsoft encouraged users to migrate to Spotify at the time.

Wunderlist

Shut Down: May 6, 2020
Function: Cloud-based to‑do list and task manager
Outcome: Users transitioned to Microsoft To Do, with import tools provided before sync ended.

Windows Live Writer

Discontinued: January 2017
Function: Desktop blog-publishing tool (part of Windows Live Essentials)
Aftermath: Microsoft released an open-source fork called Open Live Write.