Sony Takes Internet TV Service PlayStation Vue Nationwide
Hoping to attract cable TV cord-cutters and cord-nevers, Sony ( SNE ) on Monday took its Internet-based PlayStation Vue service nationwide. Sony launched its live and on-demand TV service in March 2015 in test markets, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas, San Francisco and Miami. PlayStation Vue offers “skinny TV” bundles of channels starting at $29.99 a month, with no long-term contracts or hidden fees. It competes with a similar online service from Dish Network ( DISH ) called Sling TV. PlayStation Vue boasts that it offers the most popular channels, including AMC, CNN, Discovery, Disney and ESPN. However, content from ABC, FOX ( FOX ) and NBC is available for now only as on-demand content in Vue’s Slim multichannel plans. Most on-demand content will be available within 24 hours after broadcast. CBS ( CBS ) programming will be added later, Sony said in a press release . Sony Network Entertainment International (SNEI) said that it is working to add live local broadcast stations across all networks. Vue offers three service plans. Access Slim has over 55 channels and costs $29.99 a month; Core Slim has over 70 channels for $34.99 a month; and Elite Slim has over 100 channels for $44.99 a month. The Vue service is accessible through Sony’s PlayStation 3 and 4 game consoles, Amazon.com ( AMZN ) Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, as well as the Apple ( AAPL ) iPad and iPhone with the Vue mobile app. “Since launching a year ago, our priority with PlayStation Vue has been to secure the best TV content for our audience and make it available to consumers nationwide; today, we’re delivering on that promise,” Eric Lempel, senior vice president of marketing and head of SNEI’s PlayStation Network Americas, said in a statement. “PlayStation Vue has been an ambitious project from the start, and national expansion demonstrates our ability to innovate in an industry that’s overdue for a reinvented experience. “Thanks to the strong network relationships we’ve forged and technology we’ve built, consumers nationwide can enjoy a better way to watch TV.” Sony PlayStation Vue has program deals with AMC Networks ( AMCX ), CBS, Discovery Communications ( DISCA ), Disney ( DIS )/ABC Television Group, ESPN, Fox, NBCUniversal, Scripps Networks Interactive ( SNI ), Turner Broadcasting and Viacom ( VIAB ). Vue also offers customers a cloud-based DVR, which allows users to store thousands of hours of content with conflict-free recording.