Sony Is Launching Its Own Internet TV Service, PlayStation Vue, In Early 2015

Sony is the latest contender to throw its hat into the content streaming ring after it announced plans for PlayStation Vue, a cloud-based service that includes programming from 75 channels. PlayStation Vue will be able available for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.

The TV service, which Sony said will initially be available in an invite-only beta starting in New York this month, will include content from the likes of CBS, Fox, NBCUniversal and others. It revealed that a full commercial launch will take place in the first quarter of 2015, but it isn’t revealing how much it will cost as yet.

The company did explain, though, that it will be available via a monthly subscription plan at a “fair and competitive price.” It isn’t clear yet whether (or indeed when) it will be available outside of the U.S..

sony ps vue

Image via USA Today

PlayStation Vue will offer customers live, on-demand, and catch-up shows and movies. Sony said the last three days of content from each channel will be available without the need to pre-record, but viewers can plan ahead and save their favorite programs before they air, after which they’ll have 28 days to watch them.

Sony proclaimed triumphantly that its new service will “reinvent the traditional viewing experience,” and, while the line-up it has lured is particularly impressive, the Japanese entertainment giant isn’t the only big gun jumping into the U.S. streaming market next year.

HBO last month announced its intention to offer a standalone online subscription service in 2015, rivaling the likes of Netflix, Hulu and others. Sony’s offering will be limited to those who own its PlayStation consoles, but gamers tend to be a loyal bunch and while it isn’t likely to steal a large chunk of Netflix’s customer base, it is another service that locks customers into the Sony ecosystem. That’s certainly not good news for U.S. cable operators.