To compete with ad-supported streamers like Pluto and Tubi, Sony has launched its own live TV service, built into its PS5 consoles. Unlike its rivals, Sony’s Live TV with PS5 service is now immediately accessible through the media menu across all devices in the US.
First <a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-us/live-tv-on-ps5/” rel=”nofollow noopener” target=”_blank”>announced on Aug. 31, the streamer is now available to all owners without the need to download an additional app. To find the option, head to the Mediatab at the top of your console interface, where you normally find streaming apps, and select Live TV on PS5.
You’ll need to be signed in to your PlayStation account to watch along, but it’s otherwise free, with the streamer showing ads to pay its bills. You won’t need a PS Plus subscription to watch along.
Sony has yet to confirm the full list of available channels, but it says there are over 100 options across movies, TV shows, anime, sports, news, and online creator-led content you’d traditionally find on YouTube.
Movie channels include 50 Cent Action, Cinevault, FilmRise Free Movies, MovieSphere by Lionsgate, and various Sony-branded options, including one for action films and another for horror.
The user interface for Live TV on PS5 (Credit: Sony)
Much like rival services, some TV shows are on dedicated channels, showing the same titles 24/7. Confirmed shows include Community, Deal or No Deal USA, Fear Factor, Forensic Files, Hell’s Kitchen, Ice Road Truckers, The Shield, The Walking Dead,and Unsolved Mysteries.
Through its ownership of Crunchyroll, you’ll also find anime content with Death Note, Hunter x Hunter, Naturo, Sailor Moon available, and a dedicated channel for Black Clover. Sports content includes programming from FOX Sports, NASCAR, NBC Sports Now, and UFC., while news coverage comes from Bloomberg, Fox, and NBC.
You also get channels for creator-led content, such as Hot Ones or streams of The Ringer podcast. Sony says it intends to refresh its programming “regularly,” adding more content over time.
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This service works differently from Sony’s older PlayStation Vue option, which served as a cable alternative, offering live TV alongside a cloud-based DVR system to record titles to watch later. PlayStation Vue shut down in January 2020 after Sony said competition from its rivals remained tough.
Today, Sony removed 551 titles from users’ accounts for which they’d purchased through its store, with many expecting to own the movies or TV shows for life. Titles such as From Dusk Till Dawn, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Deer Hunter, and the first three Bridget Jones films were among the movies removed.
Could this be part of Sony’s plan to launch its new live TV channels? It’s unclear, as Sony hasn’t explained its decision in full, other than citing changes to its “content licensing agreements” for Studio Canal properties.
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