Sony has announced the launch of its new streaming TV service for PlayStation owners. The new service, called Vue, costs $50 a month and is currently available to PlayStation PS3 and PS4 owners in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. The company has been testing the service since November.
PlayStation Vue offers users the kind of TV bundle that cable companies sell over the Internet using PlayStation consoles. Customers can watch both live programming and on-demand shows and there is a DVR-like service available as well. Sony expects to launch PlayStation Vue in more cities in the coming months.
Options are rapidly increasing for those who want to watch TV without a traditional cable subscription. Several companies have recently announced that they would be launching a cable-like package over the Internet. CBS and Viacom’s Nickelodeon both offer $6-a-month streaming network services.
Last month, Dish Network launched its 17-channel $20-a-month Sling TV service. Next month, HBO launches its $15-a-month HBO Now service, giving users the ability to stream live and on-demand HBO programming. Apple is launching its own streaming TV service via Apple TV later this year. Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu and Netflix are also competitors in the streaming TV market.
Sony has the largest selection of channels available among its competitors. The service currently carries more than 80 channels, but some of them are considered premium channels that you will have to pay an additional fee for. Channels owned by Disney, including ABC and ESPN, are not currently available with the PlayStation Vue service.
For the $50 rate, Vue users have access to 53 channels, including CBS, Fox, NBC, Bravo, CNN, Comedy Central, the Food Network, MTV, Nickelodeon and TNT. For an additional $10 per month, users can add local sports networks, including New York’s YES and the Big Ten Network. For the price of $70 per month, users get all of the above channels plus an additional 26 channels, including FXM, Logo and Sprout.