Image: https://www.androidauthority.com/playstation-vue-tv-gains-chromecast-support-662993/
Along with AT&T, Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+, Sony had their own platform to stream video content from. Sony used their PlayStation platform to create Vue, a service that cuts the chord with cable, but allows users to still watch live television and have a DVR service. The service was rather popular and has about 500,000 active users. Vue is a one-of-a-kind service that has differentiated itself from its competitors, but they have significantly less subscribers than the rest. According to Jon Porter of the Verge, a sports-focused streaming service called FuboTV is the only company that has seriously considered purchasing Vue from Sony. This summer Sony hiked the price of Vue by $5 a month and said they are still struggling to keep it profitable even with the price increase. Porter says that Vue doesn’t have a large library of its own, so besides its live television feature, it’s a bit hard to compete with others. Vue is one of the only internet television services available and they refused to allow YouTube TV, Sling TV, or Hulu’s live TV service on their platform. Porter also says that if Vue is sold, then users could see a change in the type of services Vue can offer.
I found this article interesting because it touches into the competition that AT&T and Disney+ have created, an extremely competitive market and consolidation is making the market even more hard to break into. I thought it was interesting in this article\\\ the author said that selling Vue is probably a good idea for Sony as the streaming business becomes more aggressive. Many people in media hypothesized that once Netflix paved the way for streaming, that everyone else would catch on and make streaming the new cable package. I found this interesting because in 2013, streaming wasn’t huge and there were only a handful of companies that advertised their services. With the growth of Netflix and Hulu, Disney is creating Disney+, Apple TV has created Apple TV+ and AT&T acquired HBO who plans to launch HBO Max in 2020. Along with NBCUniversal planning to launch their service, Peacock in upcoming months. Each service is also focusing on exclusive content to ensure they can hook their viewers. This is really interesting to watch because instead of paying Comcast or Verizon hundreds of dollars a month, users are “saving money” by having four or five streaming services that cost $12.99 to $20 a month.
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