PlayStation is officially debuting its live streaming video service in the U.S. today, launching PlayStation Vue
in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia with pricing beginning at $50 per
month. The on-demand and live-streaming video service includes content
partners like Fox News, AMC and Turner Broadcasting and offers channels
like CBS, Discovery, Animal Planet, Syfy, Food Network and many more,
depending on the package you select.Vue was originally announced late last year, and is intended to turn the PlayStation family of home consoles into a more powerful all-in-one media solution, in addition to their role as gaming devices. In addition to live broadcast and on-demand content, Vue also offers trending channels, granular personalization over the interface, cloud-stored DVR for recording tagged shows for instant storage for up to 28 days post-air date, without storage limits, and new discovery tools.
Packages don’t require any kind of commitment beyond a month, and come in three flavours at launch. Access is $50 and provides CBC, Fox and NBC as well as over 45 additional networks. Core offers all that, plus regional sports networks and more movie channels at $60 per month. An Elite offering is $70, provides access to everything in the other two packages, and also offers an additional 25 “lifestyle, music and family channels.”
Vue comes alongside other over-the-top services, including Sling TV, and ahead of a similar service from Apple reportedly launching this fall.