According to multiple reports, video streaming service Plex is set to launch its own film and TV storefront (TVOD) next month, and like other storefronts, it will offer movies and TV shows for rent and purchase.
The independent streaming platform has pulled back the curtain on its latest addition, adding paid movies and TV shows to its storefront. This report comes out from LowPass’s Janko Roettgers, who allegedly obtained the information from the streaming company at CES 2024 in Las Vegas last week. Plex has already proven it can play well with others by allowing consumers to add all their streaming services to the library in 2022, and this report can be another step forward for the company.
The report suggests the new functionality will arrive on the platform in ‘early February,’ but it’s worth mentioning that Plex has run afoul of issues regarding a rental storefront before (notably before the COVID-19 pandemic, as Yahoo reported then). The updated terms of service state, “The availability of such Content may change, and not all Content is available in all formats.
Use of the Content is subject to the license grant for the Plex Solution, but in addition, shall remain non-transferable and may be subject to additional license grant terms set by the respective third-party licensor(s).” This means consumers can watch platformed Plex media but can’t illegally transfer it, similar to the FCC warning home VHS tapes used to have.
The streaming company has longed to enter the TVOD (transactional video on demand) market for quite some time now, but this is the first of reports that claim the service will take off. What’s interesting is while TechCrunch has since corroborated the reports, there’s no word on whether the TV and film rental service will support the current free advertisement model of Plex or if users will be able to access the new offerings without ads.
Plex has yet to officially announce the new TVOD service, so fans should stay tuned until they do, but it could be an exciting addition to the platform if they do.
