Microsoft’s Movies & TV Needs Movies Anywhere

The problem is not adding any of your purchased Microsoft movies to the Movies Anywhere service. Recently I was able to get a great deal on X-men Apocalypse on Google Play. It was cheaper to buy than any of the other services. So, after I bought it, with Movies Anywhere, it shows up in my movie collection on all devices — Apple TV, Fire TV, etc.

Now, I might find a film cheaper from Microsoft or want to use Bing Rewards toward one. During its 12 Days of Deals promotion this year, Microsoft was offering a huge discount on movies. While it’s a great opportunity to get the films on the cheap, now I’m hesitant to buy them. I will rent movies from Microsoft and watch them on a laptop or the big screen via the Xbox, but buying one is another story. If Microsoft doesn’t work out an arrangement with Movies Anywhere, I’m not too optimistic about the video store lasting. It’s worth mentioning that a couple of big Hollywood studios have held out with the service, too. Currently, Paramount doesn’t have an agreement with Movies Anywhere. But the most popular video streaming services are part of the program. The benefit is that no matter which service you buy a movie from, that title appears in your collection in the other apps. If a partnership isn’t reached, Microsoft’s video store and the Movies & TV app on Windows 10 and Xbox will remain alone and eventually fade away. Just like its Groove streaming music service. You probably didn’t even know it existed, but Microsoft has had a music streaming service for years that went through several name changes like Zune and Xbox Music. The company has given up on it, though, and after December 31st, 2017, you can no longer stream, purchase, or download music. I hope that isn’t the fate of buying movies from the Microsoft Store. Like the Groove Music app, the Movies & TV app might remain, but things aren’t looking promising for streaming movies. Do you think Microsoft could and should do a better job with its movie and other media content offerings or drop it altogether? Leave a comment below, let us know, or join our Windows 10 Forums for more discussion and Windows troubleshooting help. Comment

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