Sony Corp. has released its own pay-tv service, PlayStation Vue, in order to compete in the online pay-tv market.
PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 console owners in Chicago, Philadelphia as well as New York now have access to PlayStation Vue starting at $50 a month, boasting over 85 unique channels.
Using price as a comparison point sheds some light into where Sony positions itself in the market. Netflix, an online video streaming service, charges users $8 to $11 dollars a month while PBS works in conjunction with providers like Apple TV offering content for free.
The decision of a gutsy $50 minimum for a PlayStation Vue subscription could be supported by the confidence Sony has in their market share. With the advent of the PS4, the company outperformed its weighty rival, the Xbox, and claimed 67% of all digital revenue generated by games designed for their console.
Added to this are product qualities, like convenience also helps the company, with users having quick access to their favourite video content at just a push of the button away.
Sony’s relationship with Netflix, however, which makes Netflix services available to PS3, PS4 and PS Vita, creates an interesting contradiction to what PlayStation Vue may be trying to achieve. Netflix is cheaper, has been around for longer and is currently available on Sony’s consoles.
With no official announcement or indications of a collapse in their partnership, hournalists and users alike can only speculate what changes may occur when the rollout of PlayStation Vue gains traction.