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Fairfax County Public Library cardholders will lose access to Kanopy after Jan. 31 because the streaming service has become too expensive for the library system’s limited budget.

The library announced Sunday, Jan. 5, that it would not renew its annual subscription to the on-demand movie and television platform. It apologized for the inconvenience and said it would continue investing in resources that best serve the community.

Acting Deputy Director Dianne Coan said there was enough public interest to retain Kanopy, but this year’s renewal price would have been nearly twice the library’s original cost.

“It simply was no longer viable,” Coan said.

FCPL launched Kanopy as a pilot program in February 2022, when pandemic-related staffing shortages had reduced in-person hours at library branches. An American Rescue Plan Act grant covered the subscription’s first year. Fairfax County received a direct allocation of $222 million through that federal program for pandemic response and recovery.

Founded in Australia in 2008 as a DVD distributor, Kanopy later became a streaming service for academic and public libraries. Cardholders can watch programming for free using a monthly allotment of views, or “tickets,” while participating libraries pay fees based on usage.

Coan said that pay-per-view arrangement is among the most expensive pricing models for digital library materials. However, when FCPL introduced Kanopy, then-library director Jessica Hudson said other streaming options cost even more.

The Board of Supervisors approved $500,000 in one-time funding last year to help the library purchase books and other materials, but Coan said the base collection budget has remained flat for several years.

FCPL received just under $35 million in the fiscal 2025 budget, which took effect July 1, 2024, a slight decrease from the prior year. Spending had risen from $32.5 million in fiscal 2023 largely because of employee expenses, including salaries and recruitment. Operating costs, meanwhile, declined from $9.2 million to $5.7 million.

More funding appears unlikely as county agencies search for possible cuts to help close a projected $292.7 million deficit. County Executive Bryan Hill is scheduled to present his proposed budget on Feb. 18.

FCPL plans to use last year’s one-time funding to update its nonfiction print collection. Coan said the library will also watch for streaming services with more sustainable pricing for public libraries.