Sony confirms it’s ‘testing’ PlayStation Plus Video Pass in Poland

Sony Interactive Entertainment has confirmed PlayStation Plus Video Pass is a “test service” launching in Poland today.

The service, which was leaked via PlayStation.com yesterday, allows PS4 and PS5 users in Poland to access over 20 movie and television shows from Sony Pictures as part of PS Plus subscriptions, with more content being added every three months.

The test will run for a year in Poland, SIE’s global services VP Nick Maguire told Spider’s Web. The exec said the company decided to hold the test in Poland based on specific data, and that Sony would monitor the popularity of the service before deciding on a full launch.

“We want to see how players will benefit from such a service,” he explained. “What titles do they watch, what do they care about, how often do they use them.

“At this stage, however, I cannot say whether it will be created and what the test process will look like for other markets, as well as what the future is for PlayStation Plus Video Pass after the test period.

“We are currently focusing only on the Polish market, on Polish players and what will be their reaction to the additional benefit under the PS Plus program.”

Asked to elaborate on why this test was behing held in Poland, Maguire said: “We know very well that we have a large base of players in Poland who stand out due to their commitment and activity in the network and social media.

“They also like to use VoD platforms. For us, this is the perfect combination, the perfect market, to introduce a test service as part of the PS Plus program and see what our key users think about it.

“Of course, I cannot share the exact data on the basis of which we chose Poland. However, I can emphasize that Poland meets all the criteria that are important to us, your country is a mixture of very important factors from this perspective.”

Last month, Sony announced that the PlayStation Store would stop offering TV and movie content for purchase or rental later this year.

From August 31, 2021, video content will no longer be available via the digital storefront, the company said. However, existing purchases will still be available to access.

It could be that the platform holder is considering increasing the value of its paid subscription service, in the midst of strong competition from Xbox Game Pass, by rolling some video offerings into PS Plus.

Sony owns a significant amount of television and movie content through Sony Pictures, and anime content through Funimation.

A large number of streaming services are currently available on PS4 and PS5, including Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV and more.