Sony confirms new ‘PlayStation Plus Video Pass’—but you probably can’t try it yet
Update: Sony has confirmed that it’s testing the PlayStation Plus Video Pass—but only in Poland, at least for now. PlayStation Plus subscribers in that country can now access a small library of movies and TV shows. Here’s the list:
Movies:
- Bloodshot
- Jumanji: The Next Level
- Zombieland 2: Double Tap
- Charlie’s Angels (2019)
- Venom
- The Equalizer 2
- Baby Driver
- Blade Runner 2049
- Underworld: Blood Wars
- Arrival
- Sausage Party
- Inferno
- American Hustle
- This is the End
- Bad Boys
TV shows:
- Future Man (Seasons 1-3)
- SuperMansion (Seasons 1-3)
- Community (Seasons 1-6)
- Deadly Class (Seasons 1)
- S.W.A.T. (Seasons 1-2)
- Lost Girl (Seasons 1-5)
No word from Sony on any plans to expand beyond that initial test market, but this Polish trial program will run for a year.
Original story: Sony may be planning to add movie streaming or downloads to the list of PlayStation Plus member benefits, if a recent leak is to be believed.
Per a report from VGC, the PlayStation Poland site briefly uploaded a logo and banner for something called the “PlayStation Plus Video Pass.” The imagery, which has since been pulled offline, described a “new benefit” for PS Plus subscribers, describing it as a “trial service” available from April 22nd, 2021, to April 22nd, 2022.
The banner featured three Sony Pictures films: Venom, Zombieland: Double Tap, and Bloodshot, implying they’d be a part of whatever this new service is.
The logical assumption is that Sony will add video from its studios to existing PlayStation Plus memberships as a way to offer a bit more value. Given that Xbox Game Pass offers subscribers all first-party exclusives on day one exclusives—a move PlayStation has said it will not replicate—Sony may be looking for a way to set PS Plus apart.
Still, it’s not clear whether this service will be available globally or in a few select regions. Maybe the Polish are getting VIP treatment here, though that seems unlikely given the size of the market and, you know, all of recorded history.
If the addition is indeed going live tomorrow, as the graphics indicate, we’re likely to learn more soon.
Curiously, this news comes after Sony announced it would be removing the ability to rent and buy movies from the PlayStation Store. That feature will sunset on August 31st of this year.
