Google TV’s Missing Movie Purchase Feature: A Major Limitation
Google TV Loses the Ability to Buy Certain Movies – What’s Going On?
Last year, Google TV stopped letting users purchase all TV shows. Now, we’ve noticed that Google TV is no longer allowing users to buy certain movies either. This change is a surprise, especially considering that Google initially said movie purchases would not be affected.
In 2024, Google announced that "you will no longer be able to purchase TV episodes and seasons from Google TV on Google TV devices, Android TV devices, and the Google TV Mobile app." Users would be redirected to the YouTube app on all platforms, with future TV show purchases no longer synced across both services.
When these changes were made last year, Google assured that there would be no impact to movie purchases. However, it seems that the company is now limiting the availability of movie purchases, at least for certain titles.
What’s Happening?
Over the holidays, I encountered this issue firsthand. When searching for a movie on Google TV, I was only shown options for streaming services, with no option to purchase. This problem affects older movies from Disney (e.g., Star Wars, Toy Story) and other studios where only their streaming service provides access to the film. On the other hand, newer titles (like Inside Out 2) still offer purchase options.
What Does This Mean?
This likely indicates that Google TV is experiencing a catalog/directory bug rather than a removal of the ability to purchase movies overall. The vast majority of movies on Google TV still offer both purchase and streaming options, but Disney is a significant player in this space.
The Bottom Line
As the movie-watching experience on Google TV is more focused than YouTube, this change may cause frustration for some users. We’ve reached out to Google for more information and will continue to monitor this situation.
Questions?
Do you have any concerns or experiences with Google TV’s movie purchases? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
