Sony to Shut Down the PlayStation Vue Streaming TV Service

Sony announced today, October 29, 2019, that it will shut down its PlayStation Vue streaming TV service on January 30, 2020.

PlayStation Vue was one of the better live TV streaming services available, but it seems competition and costs caught up with the Sony product.

It was a few years ago when I seriously considered dropping DirecTV and using a streaming service for my TV entertainment. PlayStation Vue, at the time, was my preferred streaming option.

Since then, the streaming landscape has become congested with a variety of streaming media platforms…some offering live TV that mimics cable/satellite service while others forgo the live aspect and focus on offering a variety of archived content, both new and old.

According to Sony Interactive Entertainment’s press release on the shuttering of PlayStation Vue, “Unfortunately, the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected. Because of this, we have decided to remain focused on our core gaming business.”

Interestingly, and without details more than this, they also say, “PlayStation fans can continue to access movie and TV content through the PlayStation Store on PS4 and via our partnerships with top entertainment apps.”

So it’s not clear if they’re moving toward a limited Netflix/Hulu/Amazon Prime Video model available on select media platforms, or just offering a small number of programs primarily for the gaming community.

No matter, with the loss of PlayStation Vue, cord-cutters have one less streaming option when looking for a live TV substitute for high-cost cable or satellite TV.

Of course, if you are a DirecTV subscriber, you can likely save on your DirecTV bill by reading our money-saving series of posts…”Lower Your DirecTV Bill with These Tips,” “How to Lower Your DirecTV Bill in 2019,” and “My 2019 DirecTV Retention Call Was a Mixed Bag, But in the End I Saved – and Made – Money.”

Cable subscribers…you’re on your own…while negotiating your cable bill isn’t impossible, it’s much more difficult and likely less lucrative than DirecTV.

But I digress from the main point of this piece.

RIP PlayStation Vue. You were a solid pay TV alternative. You’ll be missed.