Sony Interactive Entertainment to Shut Down PlayStation Vue

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Sony Interactive Entertainment to Shut Down PlayStation Vue

PlayStation fans can continue to access movie and TV content through the PlayStation Store on PS4 and via our partnerships with top entertainment apps.

John Kodera Deputy President, SIE

Over four years ago, we made a bold decision to change the rules and revolutionize the traditional TV-viewing experience in the U.S. with PlayStation Vue. We set the bar high and sought to innovate an established industry by delivering a modern TV experience. By completely rethinking live and on demand television, we offered an incredible user experience that allowed viewers to discover and watch content in completely new ways.

Today we are announcing that we will shut down the PlayStation Vue service on January 30, 2020. 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.

PlayStation fans can continue to access movie and TV content through the PlayStation Store on PS4 and via our partnerships with top entertainment apps. With 100 million PlayStation 4s in the market today, our community continues to grow and thrive. We will continue to deliver the best entertainment experiences across the network, along with other key gaming services, including PlayStation Now and PlayStation Plus.

We are very proud of what PlayStation Vue was able to accomplish. We had ambitious goals for how our service could change how people watch TV, showcasing PlayStation’s ability to innovate in a brand-new category within the Pay TV industry. We want to thank all of our customers, some of whom have been with us since PlayStation Vue’s launch in 2015.

We appreciate your continued support as we move through this transitional period and look toward the future.

playstation vue

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237 Comments

  • shadysaiyanz
    October 29, 2019 at 7:11 pm PDT

    I’ve had Vue from the beginning, best interface as well, and I’ve loved every moment of it. The only downsides however have been the removal of Viacom channels and the random increases in price multiple times a year…. I mean it used to be $29.99 when it started out, not it’s $49.99. My question however will be, will the other Internet TV services be added to the PS4 or will I have to buy Fire Stick or Roku or some nonsense to get one of those other apps?

    • Sielbear
      October 30, 2019 at 7:33 pm PDT

      So frustrated by this. I subscribed a couple months ago and LOVE multi-channel streaming on the Apple TV. Being able to watch 4 channels at once is a game changer. I am gutted they are shutting down.

    • Killingforce0420
      October 31, 2019 at 11:33 am PDT

      I was going to ask the same thing because I bought the PS for a one stop shop for entertainment. Look the money is not the problem with me. It’s just the fact I bought the PS for one purpose entertainment. Now they are failing at that. Sure they got Hulu on it but not YouTube tv. They need to make it where these other streaming tv provider can run on the ps

    • blbbc
      November 1, 2019 at 5:43 pm PDT

      Agree with all, sorry to see this go. Sony really did have the best product out there, but IMHO, not communicated well. So many folks I talked to thought they couldn’t use it because they didn’t have a Playstation. Also, I believe there is an untapped market of people who need a nudge and a bit of education to start streaming. A little bit of effort and Sony could have grown the base if they truly wanted too. Over the past 2-3 months, I had 6 friends/family convert and they had really liked PSVue and the nice interface. Sony PS Vue, you really did have a nice product, great interface and good line up. Sorry to see you go.

  • The_Scraggler
    October 29, 2019 at 7:32 pm PDT

    This sucks. Really, really sucks. I got rid of cable almost three years ago, went with Vue and never looked back because it had everything we wanted, especially NFL Redzone. Now I either have to start all over researching services for what we want or just go back to Comcast. Not to mention I convinced everyone in my family to drop cable and go with Vue. Thanks for screwing it up, Sony.

  • Python-Eyes
    October 29, 2019 at 7:43 pm PDT

    This makes me incredibly sad, I tested out all the streaming services and PSVue was the only one that had a great interface, a good line-up and cloud DVR service.

  • sdd17
    October 29, 2019 at 7:56 pm PDT

    Love PS VUE. Sad to see it go. Will Playstation create a partnership with Youtube, to allow for a YouTube TV app soon??

    • Killingforce0420
      November 1, 2019 at 4:50 am PDT

      I think they should let you download any app like the fire stick, and Roku.
      I’m a single father so to me the Vue was awesome. Really helped me a lot. I don’t think they are going to bring that to PS4. Not until PS5 comes out because that could be one of it’s selling point. I’m not sure about that. If I was them though that’s what I would do. Just because it will bring more of a market to the PS5. They can’t just drop something good and not replace it with something better. That would not be logical to do. There is no way I could afford PS5 if they are really coming out this coming year.
      But all in all I’m going to drop them because I can’t afford a new PS.

  • mebekkum
    October 29, 2019 at 8:03 pm PDT

    I am so sad. I really loved all the different channel choices, the layout, and the value. I will really miss PS Vue. Please change your mind. Thank you for a very pleasant and positive cable tv Experience for once.

  • madhungarian73
    October 29, 2019 at 9:07 pm PDT

    Wow….gut punch. I’ve been a user since launch day in my area. Was such an awesome service, never let me down…..until now.

  • KUBEERGUT
    October 29, 2019 at 9:35 pm PDT

    this news absolutely sucks! I’ve heard news that sucked before, but this news is the suckiest sucks that ever sucked. Hugely disappointed!

  • M95MSHOOTER
    October 29, 2019 at 10:23 pm PDT

    I have been PSV holder since inception. I buy Sony TVs. Sling and Hulu do not recognize PS3/PS4. Sony needs to rectify or they will lose a TV purchaser.

  • bse8691
    October 29, 2019 at 10:54 pm PDT

    I would agree with a request for hulu live. Kind of sucks not being able to view TV with my playstation. First console I have ever owned, needed device to utilize streaming service and gaming was a bonus. Not giving up gaming, but will not utilize everyday now. Loss of marketing games and other services on daily basis. Turning on the console is now occasional thought versus daily. It would benefit your gaming business to have me turn on your product on a daily basis. Think about it!!!

  • bse8691
    October 29, 2019 at 11:09 pm PDT

    John Kodera

    HULU LIVE PLEASE

    I watch football and therefore want live streaming of football games. This means I will be looking for a service that provides access to sports streaming. Please provide access to such a service via your systems, ie Hulu live. It gives me incentive to utilize your product on a daily basis as I watch tv on demand or dvr on a daily basis and thus exposure to your other products on said daily basis.

  • Bandana4892
    October 30, 2019 at 12:14 am PDT

    This is awful news! We’ve tried you competition, and Vue is by far our favorite! Had all of our channels, easy to navigate, didn’t break the bank, EVERYTHING we needed was on the PlayStation.

    HOWEVER, I do hope that now you’ll allow the competition to be used on the PlayStation, such as Hulu live, YouTube TV, etc. Otherwise, I guess it’s back to the XBox

  • Maeve444
    October 30, 2019 at 12:50 am PDT

    So sad to hear this. We joined early on when our cable bill was ridiculously high. We saved at least $75/ moth by moving to streaming TV. We start with SLING but found PSVue to be so much better. Not sure what option we will moved to but it won’t be cable LOL

  • Premier_Class
    October 30, 2019 at 1:06 am PDT

    What a shame, Vue was by far the best of the streaming TV options. I really think it would have been smart to re-brand the service before making the decision to shut it down, as it was clear Sony put a lot of effort (and money) into developing a class leading feature set that put it ahead of the competition.

  • princegroove
    October 30, 2019 at 2:20 am PDT

    Disney Plus, take my money please!

  • DarkPsycho202
    October 30, 2019 at 4:08 am PDT

    Would have been nice to get an email about this rather than finding out from the news. Oh well, was good while it lasted

  • zirocrath
    October 30, 2019 at 5:12 am PDT

    I just hope this reflects on the Ps Plus service, or at least in the Store server. I’m getting sick of it freezing on the PS

  • SUPERNINTENDOsnk
    October 30, 2019 at 5:43 am PDT

    Good riddance.

  • Not_David_21
    October 30, 2019 at 5:52 am PDT

    Damn. I was planning on switching to Vue once my satellite contract was up in February…

  • UhOhBadDog
    October 30, 2019 at 8:07 am PDT

    Please, NOOOOO!!!! We’ve only made the decision to “cut the cord” recently and had settled on Vue as the right answer for our needs. Your package is above all others in our house and we’ve been enjoying getting to know it. It should say something about what an excellent job you’ve been doing, when my analysis says it will take at least two ‘other’ services to replace the content in Vue. Please reconsider, and realize you do have a gem in this product should you choose to market it well. Not sure that the PlayStation branding is helping you, and may actually be introducing confusion that a PS is a requirement to use the service. Rebranding to Sony Vue may be a better idea, as the parent brand carries more clout across all consumers.

    • Flsungirl63
      November 6, 2019 at 12:22 pm PST

      I agree with you. They didn’t tap the market with the PlayStation Vue name. I also thought it was a gaming system. After finding their service, none of the other streaming services compare. I wish they would have rebranded the name. I know there’s a huge market they missed out on due to the confusing name and major lack of advertising. I hope some company picks it up!

  • ShelbyMan428
    October 30, 2019 at 8:40 am PDT

    Will miss the service, never looked back after dumping Time Warner. Wonder if they are going to allow YouTube TV to be installed after PS Vue is defunct.

  • TheLoCoRaven
    October 30, 2019 at 9:02 am PDT

    Sucks. I love my PS Vue . . . hopefully this means you’ll be putting the alternatives apps on the PS4. I’m not sure which I’m going to switch to yet.

  • SEAHOG
    October 30, 2019 at 10:38 am PDT

    I believe they WANTED people to think they needed a PlayStation device in order to get the Vue tv service. Very short sighted marketing technique.
    Sony TV could have been a contender in the streaming TV biz. Marketing and image is key, just look at Apple.

  • tanuki_green
    October 30, 2019 at 10:41 am PDT

    I’m really going to miss this service. I haven’t found one that has anywhere near the channel package that Vue has. And since we will no longer have this service, I hope we see apps for YouTube TV, Hulu Live, and Sling become available on the PS4 platform.

  • rickhiggs2
    October 30, 2019 at 11:48 am PDT

    So sad to see this go away!! :( I actually just cut the cable not more than 2 months ago, and have been enjoying PS Vue ever since. I won’t be going back to traditional cable, but hope I can find something that fills the need.

    Thanks for giving it a go, Sony!!!

  • starrunner111
    October 30, 2019 at 1:22 pm PDT

    Noooooo Snnnaaaaaakkkee!

  • KBG29
    October 30, 2019 at 2:32 pm PDT

    OK Sony. I have went to my XBO and Switch, and tried out Hulu with Live TV. Not a fan at all, it hasn’t changed since the last time I tried it.

    YouTube TV on XBO on the other hand is a satisfactory substitute for Vue. Please, bring YouTube TV to PlayStation. I prefer to use my PlayStation for everything. If you are going to discontinue the best Streaming and Live TV service on the market, at least give us a decent option to fall back on.

    Ideally, someone at this comapny will see the massive mistake being made here, and reverse this decision. Double down on marketing, and improve the sales model. Get more content on the service by working with services like WWE Network, MLB.TV, Netflix, Disney+, AppleTV+, Starz, CBS All Access, and much more. Offer a true A La Carte service like you originally sold when Andrew House stood on the stage and announced PS Vue.

    You have already invested so much into making the best Streaming and Live TV technology on the market, it is a massive shame to throw it away or sell it off. There is still plenty of time to turly make the ultimate one stop service for accessing content across all of the streaming services that are fracturing the market.

  • TDsavage13
    October 30, 2019 at 2:52 pm PDT

    Now that you have announced you will cancel playstation vue. Offer Sling TV, YoutubeTV and other “cord-cutting” services to work on sony platforms i.e. Playstation 4.

  • Suparaddy
    October 30, 2019 at 3:05 pm PDT

    Can we at least get Hulu with Live TV or Youtube TV apps functional on the PS3 and PS4 to compensate?

  • vipur_2010
    October 30, 2019 at 3:46 pm PDT

    Will the PS4 become a compatible platform for Hulu Live or YouTube TV since Vue is ending? If so, what is the ETA for this? Hopefully by January 30th. Sad news.

  • OozerName
    October 30, 2019 at 4:05 pm PDT

    The saddest part about this was that it was completely preventable, if people with business and marketing sense had made much better decisions about marketing and operating the service. Sony and SIE took what was — by far — the most superior streaming service in terms of features, UI, and channel lineup and SIE leadership ran it into the ground. There was such a desire to have it branded Playstation, it cost them a ton of business. Every person I would try to convince to get it would say, “I wish I could but I don’t have a Playstation.” If only it had been called Sony Vue, it might have had a chance — with much better marketing. #sonyfail

  • T_H_U_N_D_E_RG0D
    October 30, 2019 at 5:22 pm PDT

    Has this been emailed to the userbase? I don’t recall seeing this as an official announcement. If this is truly how Sony is “announcing” this on a blog…this sums up how bad their ability is to communicate to a customerbase.

    • mikef1227
      October 31, 2019 at 2:34 pm PDT

      I received an e-mail about this

    • Mannysaur
      November 4, 2019 at 7:09 pm PST

      Hello Mannysaur,

      After more than four years of innovating in the Pay TV industry, we regret to inform you that Sony Interactive Entertainment is discontinuing the PlayStation Vue service on January 30, 2020. We appreciate your support of our pioneering live TV service over this time.

      PlayStation Vue will continue to deliver live, On Demand and DVR programs until the service discontinuation date of January 30, 2020.
      Subscribers will receive their final charge for PlayStation Vue in the month of December. Active paid subscribers will not be charged for the service after December 31, 2019.

      For more information on the service discontinuation please see visit the FAQ page here.

      Review your current plan details or cancel here. If you cancel your service, you may not be able to re-subscribe. Please look out for additional updates and information in the coming weeks.

      Thank you for your understanding and patronage.

      – The PlayStation™Vue team

  • chilwel
    October 30, 2019 at 6:02 pm PDT

    If I have to go with a cable company now, I hope they add apps for like Spectrum or someone else along those lines so I won’t need any of their equipment.

  • Dupa07
    October 30, 2019 at 8:01 pm PDT

    Now use that extra bandwidth to restore PS Now on PS3, Vita, Bravia TVs!!

  • bold174hades
    October 31, 2019 at 5:54 am PDT

    before shutting down you guys should give this some time. start marketing your product outside of the playstation market. 98% of people think this can work only on play station products. new marketing ideas means new brains, get fresh people , new marketing manager and new persons to go along and move your product. ps vue is also good enough to raise the prices a little. you close doors now and all the hard work goes down the drain. you guys are the best just not good peoppe to market it. i hope you guys read comments.

    • KBG29
      October 31, 2019 at 7:41 am PDT

      I couldn’t agree more. They are quiting before even trying.

      Sadly, this is the same thing they have done with many products over the last decade. It is almost identical to how they handled Music Unlimited, which again was by far the best music streaming service still to this day.

      Sony builds incredible Products and Services, with potential beyond anything else in the industry, and then they fail to market it, or have any flexability in how they sell it.

    • KBG29
      October 31, 2019 at 7:48 am PDT

      Some examples with Vue.

      1. They dropped Viacom, and completely took it away, which in turned drove away consumers.

      Why not offer it as an add on package. You can’t tell me Viacom would have said no to offering all of its channels for something outragous like $24.99 a month. Give the consumers the options. That is what A La Carte is, and that is what Vue was supposed to be.

      2. They added Locals, and forced everyone to pay for them.

      Again A La Carte. Let the people choose whether they want Locals or Not. Sure, it would have likely lead to a higher cost for those that wanted it, but at the end of the day options out weigh cost.

      3. They did not go after additional content and services.

      Where are WWE Network, MLB.TV, Netflix, Hulu? They could have partenered with these services, even if they only made pennies off of people subbing through Vue, it would have drew more customers to the service, and opened up the door for them to buy more content through Vue.

    • KBG29
      October 31, 2019 at 7:56 am PDT

      Another huge issue Vue faced was the same old battle between Sony products.

      Why do we have PlayStation Vue, PlayStation Video, Ultra, and Crackle?

      If the President and CEO of Sony Corp are doing their job right, this kind of thing should not be happening.

      All of these services should have been combined under PlayStation Vue. Vue should be the one stop shop for all Video content through SEN. Live TV, On Demand, Live Events, Digital Movie and TV Rental/Sales, and Exclusive TV Shows and Movies.

    • KBG29
      October 31, 2019 at 8:08 am PDT

      Sony has every oppertunity to get this right, but if history shows us anything, they won’t.

      Where are PlayStation Home, PlayStation Vita with 3G, 3DTV, Music Unlimited, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation Move Motion based Games, and now PlayStation Vue?

      All of them are in Sony’s pile of abandonded products. Amazing potential, horrible execution.

      At this rate, I can’t see anything good happening with PlayStation Now and PlayStation VR.

      I hate to be a downer, but the last decade with Sony just can’t be ignored.

      To make matters worse, the real problem products in the Sony portfolio, like Bravia and Xperia, which lost Billion upon Billions of dollars, and have no hope for any returns continue to be pushed out year after year, and to continue to loose money. Even worse, these products don’t even run on Sony’s OS or connect to Sony’s Store, they are all connected to the Google ecosystem.

      Add that to the list of reasons why Vue failed.

      Ever watch an event regarding Bravia and Xperia?

      You will see Hulu, Netflix, AT&T Now, Amazon Video, Vudu, and many other services marketed and pushed, but good luck finding PlayStation Vue or PlayStation Video even mentioned.

  • NASCAR-PC
    October 31, 2019 at 8:44 am PDT

    Playstation vue was the best

  • L-FIRE55
    October 31, 2019 at 10:18 am PDT

    This is pretty awful. After 4 years of having Vue, I had to resort to call Xfinity whom has monopoly over this area. I left AT&T for Vue because I was paying over $200 a month for cable. Vue was the best streaming service out there, hands down. My wife and I would use it primarily for live tv and go back and forth between Hulu and Netflix. I’m not sure what repercussions of this move for Sony will be, but it’s def a win for the major cable companies. I honestly thought we were done with cable.

    We tried Sling, Direct TV, YouTube TV… nothing measured up to the quality of PSVue. We hated the price hikes but we still thought we were paying less… we had unlimited internet with Xfinity for $73/month and our Vue with HBO was one $70/month on top of Netflix 4K($15/month)… not saving very much now… so on to go all in with XFinity now… what’s the point if it all if not one streaming platform out there offers you everything and the cable companies still do with growing technology??? What a waste of my time. Frustrating

  • BigCM769
    October 31, 2019 at 1:51 pm PDT

    PS Vue was great. I really hate that it’s going to be shutting down. I don’t think any of the competitors offer nearly as good of a product.

  • mikef1227
    October 31, 2019 at 2:27 pm PDT

    PS Vue is the best streaming service available! My opinion: Don’t shut it down, but rebrand it! Separate it from your PlayStation brand and advertise it as something new and exciting that’s a part of your media entertainment division rather than your gaming division. Build a new customer base as you bring along your older, devoted fans! You’ve got features that no other streaming service has. Flaunt those! Don’t just kill it off and leave us to search for scraps of services that are a mere shadow of the quality you gave us!

    • KBG29
      November 1, 2019 at 4:24 am PDT

      This is what should happen, but there is no synergy between Sony divisions.

      Sony Entertainment Network should by a unified endeavor between PlayStation, Pictures, and Music to bring the best of each division under a One Sony umbrella.

      Unfortunately, all divisions at Sony compete against each other instead. That is why we have PlayStation Video, PlayStation Vue, Ultra, and Crackle all working against each other, instead of one unmatched service delivering the best of all of Sony.

      This problem is widespread at Sony, spanning Hardware, Software, and Services.

      All Sony Products, (TV, Consoles, Handhelds, Tablets, Phones, Cameras, and Car Audio) should be running on a shared Core OS, with a refined interface that maximizes each platform. All of these devices should connect to SEN and a Unified Store Front.

      This has been obvious for decades. Ken Kuteragi spoke of exactly this approach in the late 90’s. Apple began to implement it in the mid 00’s, and Google, Amazon, and Microsoft followed there lead starting in the early 10’s, all 4 have seen incredible success.

      Sony’s problem is a list of underwhelming leaders, and a board that brings progress to a complete grind. There is absolutely no reason that a company with the workforce, creativity, and technology Sony has on hand should be performing the way they are.

  • thedeath12_
    October 31, 2019 at 3:25 pm PDT

    Didnt atch cable tv for a decade ill stick with youtube, amazon and netflix

  • kia_kittyluv
    October 31, 2019 at 6:23 pm PDT

    guess its hard to keep up when all of your fan base is going to pc or xbox this is the death of sony

  • LEFT__4__DEAD__2
    November 1, 2019 at 4:40 am PDT

    Havent tried PS Vue but it seems it could be good television competition, excited for PS5✨

  • bse8691
    November 1, 2019 at 5:41 pm PDT

    Actually after looking at options I would like to request YouTube as this is the service I will be switching to.
    I did enjoy using playstation vue and am disappointed to see it go.
    It would be of benefit to your organization if we all had options to use other streaming services on playstation. That way we are all using your equipment and opening up references to your products and services on a daily basis for our daily television needs. I for one am watching some form of television daily, which caused me to be on my playstation vue and exposed to company product developments. I play games less often.

    Xbox is listed on several other streaming services as option which makes their system an option I may have to consider. That option for me would disappear if playstation is added to the mix since I am already invested in playstation. I am sure there are more of us out there.

    • KBG29
      November 1, 2019 at 6:47 pm PDT

      Excellent reply.

      Having Vue massively increased the amount of time my friends and family used their PlayStation, and it also got them buying and renting movies from the PlayStation Store, as well as trying out more games.

      I don’t think Sony is looking at the bigger picture with this move.

      You are completely right about the benefit of having applications that keep people using the device. The more PlayStation can do to deliver peoples non gaming and non entertainment needds, the more people will use the device, and the more people will invest in the platform.

      This is why they should also be heavily considering a PlayStation Phone and a New PlayStation Portable, but that’s another story.

    • TylerBrees01
      November 3, 2019 at 11:11 pm PST

      I totally agree with this comment.

  • Top_Hired_Assain
    November 1, 2019 at 5:51 pm PDT

    Love the service and switched from DirecTV like most of you. Sony needs to review their business plan and brand it under Sony Due “Plus” like every other streaming service. Then add AE, History and Viacom channels. This alone puts them well ahead of Hulu.

    For me, there is NOT an issue with the product its clearly POOR management at Sony who failed and now we the customer have to pay for lack of management on their part. Sony I will buy the Vue platform from you and with the help from people on this blog, we will make it the #1 streaming service in the marketplace. Seeing you are just discontinuing this product and getting nothing in return. I offer $25 take it over. Call me.

    • KBG29
      November 1, 2019 at 6:52 pm PDT

      Sony, you said you were looking to sell, here’s your chance.

      I’m am completely on board with this. I will absolutely subscribe to Top_Hired_Assain’s Live TV service running on the former PlayStation Vue tech.

  • plasmid2000
    November 1, 2019 at 8:45 pm PDT

    These a$$holes removed my comment. Unbelievable. Screw you vue.

  • beebester13
    November 2, 2019 at 7:34 am PDT

    Alrighty… so when do I see a refund? Since I paid on 26.October, and this blog is posting the cancellation notice on 29.October. I can’t access Vue currently. I have a month that’s been paid… so when will I see that 70$ refunded?

  • Macenko101
    November 2, 2019 at 6:13 pm PDT

    Say it isn’t so!!! =(

  • hihalley
    November 3, 2019 at 2:14 am PST

    Will Sony be adding other live streaming service apps to the store (like Fubo) so we can continue using live TV through the PS4?

  • TylerBrees01
    November 3, 2019 at 11:07 pm PST

    I really am so sad by this. This was far and away the best service I’ve ever had. I hope that you make a return in the future. Viewers need you or a service like it.

  • Highlife_Weekly
    November 4, 2019 at 7:15 am PST

    To sum up what everyone else who has been a loyal customer since the beginning is sayin Sony… PLEASE DONT DO THIS!!!!!

  • Fiftyandfullofit
    November 4, 2019 at 4:24 pm PST

    I hate to see it go! We love it. It is the best option for us in our area. The cable company here is horrible and there isn’t any other option that offers all the PS Vue does. It has always worked and the quality if amazing. I have started looking for a replacement and can’t find anything that will cover what Vue does.

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