Sony could be about to begin including movie content as part of a PlayStation Plus subscription. If a leaked Polish Sony listing is to be believed, the service will be called "PlayStation Plus Video Pass" and will presumably mean PS Plus subscribers can watch some movies at no additional cost to their subscription fee.
What is the PlayStation Plus Video Pass?
This listing was originally spotted by VGC. In the listing - which has now been removed - Sony included a new logo for the PlayStation Plus Video Pass service, as well as a brief disclaimer. According to VGC's translation, the Video Pass will be "a new benefit available for a limited time on PlayStation Plus". The trial period appears to begin on April 22nd this year and run until April 22nd next year. The listing only confirms that the PlayStation Plus Video Pass service will be available to Polish users, with no mention of the rest of the world.
The listing shows Venom, Zombieland: Double Tap, and Bloodshot as movies available through the PlayStation Plus Video Pass service. These are all movies distributed by Sony Pictures, so it's reasonable to assume that Sony content would be prioritized through the service, if not the only content that's available. It's not currently clear whether Video Pass would also include TV shows, but it's worth noting that the name of the service is "Video Pass" and not specifically "Movie Pass", so it's entirely possible.
What kind of content will be on PlayStation Plus Video Pass?
Assuming the listing is legit, PlayStation Plus Video Pass could bring a wide variety of content to subscribers. Sony owns anime distributor Funimation, so we could well see lots of Funimation-related anime content on the service. Sony is also working on a number of original movie projects including movie adaptations of Ghost of Tsushima and Uncharted, both of which could even come to the service before being released in cinemas.
This could well be a move on Sony's part to compete with the Xbox Game Pass service, which is seen by many as being more valuable than Sony's PlayStation Plus subscription model. It's ironic that Sony seems to be making this move towards TV and video content with its Plus subscriptions, given that the original Xbox One presentations showed it off with a heavy focus on TV, which was widely mocked and capitalized on by Sony for the launch of the PlayStation 4. We'll have to wait and see what happens and whether Sony officially announces PlayStation Plus Video Pass in the coming weeks. Watch this space.
Would you like Sony to bring movies and TV to PlayStation Plus? Let us know in the comments below!
