PlayStation Vue
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PlayStation Vue (PS Vue) was an American
History
This section may be too long and excessively detailed. (June 2018) |
Prior to the advent of cord-cutting, Sony had created add-on devices for the PS3 in international markets, specifically the PlayTV in Europe and Australia and the torne in Japan, to allow PS3 users to view live TV through their PS3 consoles and an over-the-air television antenna. However, no such device was created for the PS3 in North America, likely due to less of an interest in antenna-based TV viewing at the time and the fact that either the PlayTV or Torne devices would have to be modified or else a new device created, as to be compatible with North American digital TV signals (which utilize the ATSC standard, as opposed to the DVB-T standard used by the PlayTV or the ISDB-T standard used by the torne).
In a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on January 7, 2014, Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Andrew House announced that the company was developing a new cloud-based service that would include the "most popular live TV programs combined with a large library of VOD content" from outside streaming services. Neither House nor representatives with Sony Computer Entertainment offered any specifics on these plans.[4][5]
During the summer and fall of 2014, Sony reached carriage agreements with various cable channel owners to obtain the over-the-top distribution rights to their networks as part of the planned OTT offering. On September 10, Sony and
Sony Network Entertainment International and Sony Computer Entertainment formally disclosed the planned service on November 12, 2014, when the subsidiaries jointly announced the launch of PlayStation Vue, an over-the-top television service which "reinvents the television experience," offering live feeds of 75 channels owned by groups as CBS Corporation, Viacom,
PlayStation Vue initially launched on March 18, 2015, in the form of a limited rollout in the major markets of Chicago, Dallas–Fort Worth, Miami, New York City and Philadelphia.[15] Vue reached its first pact with a major premium channel on June 8, when CBS Corporation announced that PlayStation Vue would add Showtime in early July as an à la carte package, consisting of the network's linear east and west coast feeds as well as its standalone over-the-top streaming service (joining Apple and Roku as the latter's launch partners).[16]
On June 15, 2015, in a
On November 5, Sony announced an agreement with
On November 12, 2015, PlayStation Vue expanded support to the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV stick; support for Google Chromecast devices was added the following month on December 15, however, it was limited to iOS users as PS Vue had not yet launched an app for Google's Android operating system.[15][23][24][25]
Sony rolled out PlayStation Vue to the remainder of the United States on March 14, 2016. However, pricing and channel offering would differ for subscribers in the seven initial PS Vue markets and the 203 newly added markets. Because of the business ecosystem of broadcast television, Sony initially limited distribution of linear feeds of the five major broadcast networks (The CW, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) to markets where each of the networks has an owned-and-operated station, as it does not automatically have the rights to stream affiliates owned by other broadcasting companies. As a workaround, Sony stated that PlayStation Vue would offer on-demand content from The CW, ABC, Fox, NBC, Telemundo and Univision as a substitute in areas where a local station feed is not available, with new episodes of their series being made available the day after their initial broadcast; on-demand access to CBS programs would become available in select markets at an unspecified later date.[26][27][28] Upon adding owned-and-operated stations of ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox located outside the service's initial markets on May 25, 2016, Sony representatives stated that the company intended to reach carriage deals with the independently owned station groups to provide their live signals for PS Vue, stating that it would "continue to work on adding more local stations nationwide."[29]
Sony expanded its relationship with
On July 26, 2016, Sony and NFL Media announced an agreement to distribute the
It was reported on October 24, 2019 that Sony was looking to sell the Vue service.[42] Days later on October 29, it was reported that the service would be discontinued on January 30, 2020.[43]
Features and availability
PlayStation Vue was not necessarily designed as a substitute for a "traditional" pay television provider, but as a complement to subscription-based online services (such as
Initial activation of PlayStation Vue (including setting the "home" location) and required profile creation could only be performed with a "supported, TV-connected device" (PlayStation 3 or 4, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, PC or Mac) with Internet access. Activation and required profile creation with mobile or Chromecast was not supported.[44] Activation through the PlayStation website could not work if third-party cookies had been blocked in the web browser. Packages were billed on a monthly basis and could be canceled at any time. No contract was required to subscribe, and a free one-week trial was offered to any user who would normally be able to access the service who have not previously redeemed a trial. The monthly rate was charged to the viewer's credit card if the service was not canceled before the end of the trial period.[45]
For contractual reasons, the service was accessible only within the
PlayStation Vue featured video on demand ("VOD") content, including catch-up programming from the channels carried on the service and content provided by over-the-top services operated by individual networks; an alternative VOD channel featuring content from each of the major broadcast networks was available as a substitute for a local station in certain markets. Vue also offered Cloud DVR functionality, which allowed users to automatically save and store recorded content for 28 days after their recording to the "My Shows" app and sort them to a personalized list; both VOD and DVR content were subject to availability by channel, program and location, particularly content from many CBS-affiliated stations that could not be stored to the "My DVR" or "My Shows" apps due to contractual streaming restrictions.[44] Some PlayStation Vue live content and Cloud DVR recordings of content saved in the "My Shows" app were restricted from being accessed on mobile devices (including Chromecast), even if the user uses their home network.[44]
On March 6, 2017, the service introduced the "Multi-View" picture-in-picture feature, which allowed users to watch up to three channels simultaneously on a single screen; the feature was initially available only to PlayStation 4 users, though it was expected to be rolled out to additional platforms in the near future. Concurrent with that announcement, Sony also revealed that it would introduce a score alert feature, which provided recurring updates on sports events currently being held and airing on channels carried by PS Vue; the feature would include an option for the alerts to be turned off while the user still watching a game in progress.[46][47]
Content
Around the time of its March 2015 soft launch, Sony announced that it had reached agreements with many major content providers to supply channels for PlayStation Vue's lineup, including
As of October 2016, the channels of
Upon adding the owned-and-operated stations of ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox in May 2016, Sony representatives stated that the company intended to reach carriage deals with the independently owned station groups to provide their live signals for PS Vue, stating that it would "continue to work on adding more local stations nationwide."
Supported devices
PlayStation Vue restrictions limited simultaneous streams to five devices at any given time. A single PlayStation Vue account could simultaneously stream live channels from the service on up to one PS4 console and one PS3 console in the same home. Additionally, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Chromecast, iOS, and Android devices could be used for additional streams, with up to five total devices supported at once.[44]
On October 27, 2016, Sony announced that PlayStation Vue would become available on Android TV, requiring users of the device to have or update to Android OS 4.4 or higher. In that same press release, support for
Supported devices for PlayStation Vue at the time of the closure included:[59][60]
TV-connected
- PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles
- Roku (both device and stick)
- Amazon Fire TV (both device and stick)
- Android TV
- Shield Android TV
- Apple TV
Mobile
- Android mobile devices
- iOS mobile devices
- Google Chromecast (cast from mobile device)
Computer
See also
References
- ^ Lempel, Eric (March 18, 2015). "PlayStation Vue Launches Today in Chicago, NYC, Philadelphia". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ Bouma, Luke (March 29, 2017). "Discovery CEO: DIRECTV Now & Vue Have 400,000 Subscribers". Streaming Observer. Retrieved March 30, 2017.
- ^ Statt, Nick (2019-10-29). "Sony is shutting down its live TV service PlayStation Vue in January 2020". The Verge. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ^ Cohen, David S. (March 18, 2015). "Sony to Introduce Cloud-Based TV, Streaming Game Services". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Bohn, Dieter (January 7, 2014). "Sony announces cloud-based TV service with live TV, DVR, and video on demand". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Baumgartner, Jeff (September 10, 2014). "Sony To Take Viacom Over-The-Top". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Baumgartner, Jeff (November 5, 2014). "CBS, Discovery To Join Sony's OTT Mix". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Steinberg, Brian (November 5, 2014). "CBS Unveils Digital Moves: Streaming News Programs and Sony OTT Pact". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Frankel, Daniel (November 5, 2014). "Sony adds CBS and Discovery for OTT service". Fierce Cable. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Lieberman, David (November 10, 2014). "CBS' Les Moonves Says Sony's Streaming Service Will Offer "Bells And Whistles"". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Szalai, Georg (November 10, 2014). "CBS CEO Leslie Moonves Discusses Dish Carriage Talks, Showtime Web-Only Service". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy (November 13, 2014). "Sony Unveils PlayStation Vue; Web-Based TV Service To Launch With 75 Channels". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Reilly, Luke (November 12, 2014). "Sony Announces Vue, a Cloud-Based TV Service". IGN. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ a b Webster, Andrew (November 12, 2015). "Sony's PlayStation Vue streaming service expands to Amazon Fire TV". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ a b Lieberman, David (June 8, 2015). "Showtime Online Launch Adds Roku And Sony PlayStation Vue". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Pedersen, Erik (June 15, 2015). "Sony Brings Streaming Service To California, Claims To Offer A La Carte". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Lempel, Eric (July 7, 2015). "SHOWTIME Streaming Service Now on PlayStation Vue". PlayStation Blog. Sony Network Entertainment International. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- Time Warner. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Chen, Lynda; Lempel, Eric (September 29, 2015). "EPIX Hits and Machinima Launch on PlayStation Vue". PlayStation Blog. Sony Network Entertainment International. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Lieberman, David (November 5, 2015). "Disney To Add ABC, ESPN And Other Channels To Sony's PlayStation Vue". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Lieberman, David (March 2, 2016). "Disney Adds ABC, ESPN And Cable Nets To Sony PlayStation Vue Line Ups". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "PlayStation™Vue Live TV Service Expands To Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick And Google Chromecast" (Press release). Sony Network Entertainment International. November 12, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2017 – via PR Newswire.
- ^ Alvarez, Edgar (December 15, 2015). "Sony's PlayStation Vue internet TV gets Chromecast support". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Baumgartner, Jeff (December 15, 2015). "PlayStation Vue Adds Chromecast to Device Mix". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Lempel, Eric (March 14, 2016). "PlayStation Vue Goes Nationwide". PlayStation Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ Jesdanun, Anick (March 14, 2016). "Sony's PlayStation Vue Rolls Out Nationally". TVNewsCheck. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "PlayStation Vue Streaming TV Goes National". Fox News Tech. Fox News Network, LLC. March 14, 2016. Retrieved November 7, 2016 – via Consumer Reports.
- ^ a b c Baumgartner, Jeff (May 27, 2016). "PlayStation Vue Offers Big 4 Broadcast TV Feeds in All O&O Markets". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
- ^ Patrick Hipes (September 15, 2016). "HBO & Cinemax Strike Deal To Land On Sony's PlayStation Vue". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ David Wharton (September 15, 2016). "PlayStation Vue Adding HBO And Cinemax". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "PlayStation Vue: How to watch HBO NOW". HBO NOW Help Center. Home Box Office Inc. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ Timothy J. Seppala (September 29, 2016). "Watch HBO and Cinemax on PlayStation Vue starting today". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ Dwayne Benefield (September 29, 2016). "PS Vue: HBO, Cinemax, New Ultra Plan Arrive Today". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ David Katzmaier (July 25, 2016). "PlayStation Vue adds NFL Network, RedZone and more local CBS stations". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ S. Garrett Shaw (July 26, 2016). "Sony's PlayStation Vue will include NFL Network & NFL Redzone". Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "New Channels, Additional Lineup Change Coming to PlayStation Vue". PlayStation Blog. PlayStation.com. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
- ^ Artie Beaty (November 9, 2016). "Playstation Vue Drops All Viacom Channels Starting November 11". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "PlayStation Vue Has Made a Small Change to Their Channel Lineup". Cord Cutters News. January 25, 2017. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
- ^ "PlayStation Vue Adds MLB Network". Cord Cutters News. March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
- ^ Artie Beaty (March 21, 2017). "MLB Network Launches On PlayStation Vue Just In Time For Baseball Season". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Toonkel, Jessica; Dotan, Tom. "Sony Explores Sale of Vue, Signaling Shift on Streaming". The Information. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- ^ "Sony Interactive Entertainment to Shut Down PlayStation Vue". October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e "Frequently asked questions". PlayStation Vue. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. Archived from the original on October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ Austin Meadows (March 19, 2016). "Sling TV vs. PlayStation Vue: Which Live Streaming Service is Better?". Cut Cable Today. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
- ^ Dan Myers (March 6, 2017). "PS Vue: Watch Multiple Channels at Once with Multi-view, Out Today on PS4". PlayStation Blog. Sony Network Entertainment International. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Artie Beaty (March 6, 2017). "Live Sports Scores, Simultaneous Viewing Option Coming To PlayStation Vue". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ David Lieberman (March 18, 2015). "Is Sony's Playstation Vue Streaming Service Too Big, Too Small, Or Just Right?". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ alphasierra42 (29 August 2016). "An Observation: the CW MIGHT be coming to Vue for Chicagoland". Reddit. reddit inc. Retrieved November 6, 2016.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Eric Anthony (July 22, 2016). "PlayStation Vue Adds More CBS Local". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Jeff Baumgartner (September 30, 2016). "PlayStation Vue Expands Access to CBS Live Local Feeds". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ Artie Beaty (January 13, 2017). "PlayStation Vue Adds 20 More Local CBS Affiliates". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Artie Beaty (February 2, 2017). "PS Vue Adds More 27 More Markets To Live CBS Offerings, Including Louisville, Charleston, And Savannah". Streaming Observer.
- ^ Dan Myers (October 27, 2016). "PS Vue Expands to Android TVs Today, PC and Mac Web Support Coming Soon". PlayStation.Blog. Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC. Retrieved October 27, 2016.
- ^ Artie Beaty (October 28, 2016). "Playstation Vue Now Available On Android, Web Version Coming Soon". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Artie Beaty (November 8, 2016). "Sony's Playstation Vue Makes Web Debut For Mac And PC". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ "PlayStation Vue Launches on Apple TV Today". PlayStation Blog. PlayStation.com. 17 November 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
- ^ Artie Beaty (November 29, 2016). "PlayStation Vue Makes Apple TV Debut". Streaming Observer. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
- ^ Nick Statt (March 2, 2016). "Sony's PlayStation Vue adds ESPN and is $10 cheaper". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
- ^ Eric Frederiksen (June 23, 2016). "PlayStation Vue is heading to Roku, Android". TechnoBuffalo. TechnoBuffalo LLC. Retrieved November 7, 2016.