Blaming “the highly competitive Pay TV industry,” Sony will shut down PlayStation Vue (its video streaming service) on January 30, 2020. Ironically, this announcement comes as Disney, Apple and WarnerMedia are all entering the business.
Although the timing makes the announcement more noteworthy than it ordinarily would be, there is nothing surprising about Sony shuttering PlayStation Vue. It has been losing money since its launch in 2015. Although entry-level pricing starts at $50/month, as SVOD offerings go, it’s expensive. You can get to $75/month easily and the offering is just not that compelling.
In the end, Sony could not make the numbers work. Which raises the question: Who can?
My Sunday Essay is entitled, Streaming Sticker Shock – The Sequel introduces the new players and current pricing as the streaming video wars begin. Sony already threw in the towel. We’ll see how many others have what it takes to stay in the fight.
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Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.a