A new threat to cable TV has just been released as Sony plans to take on Sling TV through its PlayStation Vue service. Many analysts believe that the current rise of TV streaming services could be the end of traditional cable service.
Sony will be launching its PlayStation Vue service in three key cities; New York, Chicago and Philadelphia. This means that PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 owners within these cities can have access to Sony's newest service as long as they have broadband service.
The PlayStation Vue works almost the same to the Sling TV which was first launched in February. There is however a big gap between the pricing; Sling TV service starts at $20 per month for 20 channels while the PlayStation Vue starts at $50 per month for 60 channels, according to Wired.
Vue's more expensive pricing comes in with some perks currently unavailable to the Sling TV. First is broadcast channel availability especially of the five biggest networks; ABC, NBC, Fox, CBS and PBS.
Vue offers three of these channels except ABC and PBS while Sling TV offers none. This channel availability could prove to be one of the biggest game changer according to some industry analysts.
Despite being launched in three cities only, Sony said that it will soon release the PlayStation Vue service to other major cities in the United States. Sling TV on the other hand is available nationwide.
For TV compatibility, Vue is only available through the PlayStation 3 and 4. On the other hand, Sling TV is available through a wide array of devices such as Roku, Xbox One, Fire TV Stick and Amazon Fire TV. Sling TV is also available to mobile devices running on Android and iOS platforms as well as desktop PC and Mac. Sony said that the PlayStation Vue will soon be supported on the iPad.
Another interesting feature between the Vue and the Sling TV is the number of simultaneous streams each service can support. According to Sony, the Vue can support up to three simultaneous streams while the Sling TV can only support one.
Interested consumers can test both services through their 7-day free trial period, according to CNet.