Sony Interactive Entertainment announced Tuesday that it is shuttering its PlayStation Vue streaming video service as of January 30, 2020. The service launched in 2015 and most recently offered channel packages that ranged in price from $49.99 to $84.99 per month.
PlayStation Vue to Stop Streaming in January
In the blog post announcing the end of the streaming service, Sony Interactive Entertainment Deputy President John Kodera said, “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.”
According to the company, “current subscribers will continue to have full access to live, On Demand and DVR programs on all supported PS Vue devices until January 30th, 2020. After this date the service and all content will no longer be accessible.”
PlayStation fans will still be able to access movie and television content on their PS4s and via partnerships with entertainment apps, he said.
A PlayStation system is not required to stream PlayStation Vue, as it worked with a variety of streaming devices. As such, the service developed a relatively small but devoted subscriber base. As of this year, Vue had an estimated 800,000 subscribers, according to Flixed.io. Compare that to the estimated 150 million+ people who have subscribed to Netflix.
You can learn more about the PlayStation Vue news on the streaming service’s FAQ page.
PlayStation Vue Alternatives
If you are one of those PlayStation Vue subscribers, you might already be thinking about what you will replace the service with when it goes away early next year.
Team Clark’s Michael Timmermann, who has covered streaming extensively and tested out most of the major services, says that YouTube TV and Hulu with Live TV are probably the best alternatives.
