It appears that Sony is shuttering its Playstation Vue Live TV streaming service as of January 30, 2020. This probably come as a surprise to some since news broke not too long ago that Sony was shopping its streaming service around. Unfortunately, as of the writing of this article, there have been no takers.
Sony may have found out the hard way, what the cable & satellite companies have known for a long time. Being a TV provider is expensive. Sony cited the following as being the key reasons for the closure: “expensive content and network deals,” a marketplace that’s been slow to adapt to the rise of live TV streaming, and a desire to focus more on Sony’s “core gaming business.” With the launch of the highly anticipated Playstation 5, it’s understandable if Sony if wants to focus more on its highly popular and profitable video gaming biz.
Once Playstation Vue shutters, that will leave the PS4 without any live TV streaming service. Since the inception of the Vue, Sony has been reluctant to allow any other TV streaming platforms onto their Playstation eco-system. However, with the demise of the Playstation Vue, we have to assume that this will probably change in the near future. Despite the lack of live streaming TV options, users still have a plethora of movies and TV shows that can be rented and/or purchased through the Playstation Store. Also, streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu offer plenty of original content options.
