A year and a half after launching its digital download store in the UK, the BBC has announced that the store will close later this year. The BBC Store website and apps - which included a Windows 10 app with Cortana support - will stop working on November 1.
"Although you will still be able to watch your purchases until then," the BBC said today, "from now on we are no longer making programmes available to buy on BBC Store."
Shows purchased on the BBC Store can currently be streamed via the BBC iPlayer website, or downloaded for offline viewing through the BBC Store app. Since all of the content sold through the BBC Store is DRM-protected, users will no longer be able to watch the shows that they"ve bought after the shutdown on November 1, 2017.
The BBC is offering cash refunds to customers for all the shows that they"ve purchased from its store; alternatively, users can choose to receive a voucher that can be used to rent or buy digital downloads - but not DVDs or Blu-ray discs - from Amazon Video.
The value of the Amazon Video voucher is actually higher than the value of the cash refund; the BBC says that if you choose the Amazon voucher, you"ll get "the total amount you have spent on BBC Store, with a little bit extra added, to thank you for your support and custom." Customers who opt for the Amazon voucher will have until May 31, 2018 to use it.
All content already purchased from the BBC Store will remain available to watch until it closes in November, unless you choose to close your account and request a refund or voucher before then. Further details are available on the BBC Store site.