Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Sony’s ‘affordable’ online TV service rumored to cost as much as $80 per month

By

sony ces 2015 press conference january 5 news kdl 55w802a review front bottom angle 2 1500x991
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Sony’s ambitious new online TV service might boast a tantalizing variety of content, but if a recent report is accurate, it won’t be any cheaper than a traditional cable package. According to the New York Post, the new service, which was designed as an affordable alternative to high-priced cable and satellite packages, will reportedly cost users as much as $80 per month when it premieres sometime before year’s end.

Citing at least two anonymous sources, the Post reports that Sony had no luck in securing a more affordable a la carte package from content providers, which the company hoped would rein in costs. One of the Post’s sources was slightly more optimistic than the $80 figure, predicting a $60 to $65 monthly price for the service, but that’s still a far cry from the more affordable price tag of around $30 per month that analysts were predicting.

Recommended Videos

“They got creamed in negotiations,” one source told the Post. “They had huge ambitions of breaking up the bundle and being the champion of the consumer, but they’ve had no success in doing that and they’re licking their wounds.”

Related

Sony only recently garnered what looked to be a serious coup for its new service, inking a deal that would lock down 22 Viacom entities, including popular channels like CMT, MTV, and Comedy Central. However, the report claims Sony was was unable to secure the slimmer channel package it had hoped for, boasting instead a bloated catalog of around 100 channels in the same style as traditional pay TV services. The service is believed to be setup to run on Sony’s PlayStation consoles, and possibly on its new PlayStation TV streaming device.

If the Post’s sources are to be believed, today’s news comes as a major blow at a precarious time for online TV. Right now, many providers are looking for an alternative service to offer so-called cord-cutters, who are severing standard pay TV services like cable and satellite. Unfortunately, such a sea change from inside the highly consolidated industry, in which a small few conglomerates hold the keys, is much easier said than done. Just ask Intel.

Intel’s OnCue system was designed to create a viable alternative to cable, as well. The service revolved around an Intel-designed streaming box which would meld streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus, with a light selection of linear (live) TV content, all from one user-friendly interface. Unfortunately, the service was reportedly unable to meet agreements  for its content licensing deals, and was eventually sold off to Verizon for a few hundred million dollars.

Dish Network is currently working on a similar stand-alone online TV service to Sony’s, and has secured rights to host content from Disney’s vault, including ESPN, ABC, and Disney programming, as well as networks from A&E like the History Channel, Lifetime, and others. Dish’s service is also predicted to cost around $30 per month. Just what today’s news means to Dish’s service, originally slated for launch last summer, is yet to be determined.

Digital Trends has reached out to Sony for a response to the report, but has not yet heard back. We’ll continue to follow this story as more details develop, and will update as soon as we find out more.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Ryan Waniata
Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is a multi-year veteran of the digital media industry, a lover of all things tech, audio, and TV, and a…
Black Friday is over, but this Sony 65-inch 4K TV is still under $700
lg un7370puc samsung nu6080 sony x800h vizio v series 4k tv deals best buy pre memorial day sale

In what felt like the blink of an eye, Black Friday came and went, but not every Black Friday deal disappeared quite as fast. One of the best Black Friday TV deals was saw was on the 65-inch Sony X75K 4K smart TV. This TV is marked down to just $580, giving you a $120 savings on its normal $700 sticker price. This incredible deal is still available as of right now, but there's no guarantee it will last. Other deals of the same caliber are already sold out, so grab it while you can because there's a good chance TV will sell out before Cyber Monday deals roll around.

Why you should buy the 65-inch Sony X75K 4K TV
Sony is one of the best TV brands and makes out a lot of high-end (which is to say, quite expensive) televisions. These TVs feature a number of technologies unique to Sony, including some that enhance your experience with the company's newest gaming console, the PlayStation 5. However, you don't need to empty your savings account to get a good Sony TV; the brand's lineup runs a wide gamut in terms of price, with the X75K 4K Google TV being one of the more affordable offerings in the Sony stable.

Read more
Best Sony TV Black Friday Deals: Sales to shop now
A Sony television sits in a futuristic-looking living room.

Though Black Friday's over for another year, we're still feeling excited at the Sony TV Black Friday deals going on right now. A well-respected brand for good reason, Sony makes some of the best TVs around -- but they're rarely discounted. That changes during the Black Friday deals season with some great discounts going on. That's why we're focusing on Sony TVs here, so you can save big. With many retailers discounting the brand, read on while we take you through all the best deals out there on Sony TVs. Whether you're looking for something budget-friendly or a Sony TV to add to your home theater setup, there's a deal here for you.
Sony X80K Series 4K Google TV -- From $450

Sony makes some solid budget-friendly TVs for a name brand, and the X80K Series 4K television is a reasonably priced smart TV available in a wide array of different sizes. This set runs on the Google TV software platform, so you've got access to all of the top streaming apps and content libraries along with the Google Assistant AI built right in. That allows you to control the TV using voice commands (via the voice remote) and sync it up with other Google smart devices like a Nest smart speaker or hub. The X80K Series 4K TV sports some other Sony touches as well, including support for Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos sound, 4K X-Reality PRO that upscales legacy content for a 4K display, Triluminous Pro for a wider color spectrum, Motionflow XR for a blur-free picture, and exclusive picture-enhancing features for PlayStation.

Read more
This stunning, folding 4K TV now costs 50% less, but you still can’t afford it
C Seed N1 folding 4K MicroLED TV.

MicroLED technology promises to one day give us absolutely huge TV screens at accessible prices. But that day is not today. Instead, it is being used to create some of the most dazzling -- and exorbitantly expensive -- TVs on the planet, like the stunning, folding 4K M1 TV from Austrian brand, C Seed, which will set you back $400,000. But we've got great news for those who simply refuse to spend more than $200,000 on a folding TV: C Seed has just announced the folding 4K N1 TV, which you can add to your home (or superyacht) for the miserly sum of just $190,000.

But just to keep your expectations in check, $190,000 is the starting price for the N1. For that amount, you're looking at the smallest screen size of just 103-inches. It's available in two larger sizes too (137- and 165-inches), but as they say, if you have to ask how much those sizes cost ...

Read more