As of this week, all Hasbro titles are no longer available on Vimeo for purchase or rental.
Nearly a year-and-a-half ago, online video content site Vimeo became the exclusive digital home for the Hasbro Studios animation library. Titles such as the classic 1980’s G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, Transformers (Generation 1), and Jem were available for both rental or purchase. They were joined by other series like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, G.I. Joe: Renegades, and Transformers Prime. Accessible via website or mobile app, the Vimeo deal was a bold new step for Hasbro which had only previously hosted digital content on Netflix.
As of Monday this week, the Hasbro Studios page on Vimeo told a very different story. All content appears to have removed from the site, for either purchase or rental. Users who had previously purchased animated episodes or series may still access them, but will also see a disclaimer attached.
For those who have purchased Hasbro Studio titles, the question remains: how long will users continue to be able to access that content? Vimeo titles may be downloaded DRM-free but, given the file size of both the Sunbow G.I. Joe and Transformers G1 series, this is not a simple task. We’ve reached out to both Hasbro PR and Vimeo but have yet to receive an answer back at this time.
With a new Transformers movie hitting theaters this summer, is Hasbro seeking a new digital partner for their content? Or is the Pawtucket toy maker seeking to develop its own online portal for content access going forward? As of now, all we know is that the Vimeo run was nice while it lasted. (My fiance’s nephew loves to watch animated Sunbow G.I. Joe on my phone.) We’ll post more information as we have it but, for now, it seems that Hasbro’s partnership with Vimeo has come to an end.
