Sony Finalizing Online Pay-TV Deal With Viacom


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Sony Corp. has reached a preliminary agreement with Viacom Inc. to carry the media company's cable channels on its planned Internet-based TV service, a person familiar with the matter said, a significant boost for the Japanese company as it races to secure content rights against technology firms vying to offer similar services.
 
Sony plans to stream traditional cable channels, as well as on-demand content, over the Internet, posing new competition for cable, satellite and phone companies which have long sold subscription TV services.
 
Sony must still finalize details of its preliminary deal with Viacom, the person says. Sony also has had discussions with major programmers including Walt Disney Co. Time Warner Inc. CBS Corp., people familiar with the situation say. The status of those talks isn't clear.
 
A person familiar with the matter said Sony is hoping to launch its online pay TV service by the end of the year. Initially, at least, the service is expected to be available via Sony's PlayStation gaming console - a new edition of which could be released soon - as well as "Bravia" high-definition TVs, but later will also work on other Sony devices including tablets and smartphones, the person said.

 

 

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324823804579014901418093422.html

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Well what do you know? TV TV TV!

 

Turns out MS isn't the only one pursuing this stuff.

 

Honestly, its not shocking.  Sony has such a lead in media content, its no wonder they would work to get a piece of this pie. I wonder if we will hear about similar announcements from MS as we near launch.  Both seem to be working on this stuff behind the scenes.

 

It's going to be very interesting to see how the two companies grow their tv-like media during the next gen of consoles. I'm hoping they can both secure enough content that I can finally get rid of cable, but it probably wont happen very quickly. Its cool to see Sony pursuing this as well.

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Based on the little bit of info we have for MS and now for Sony, they may be aiming for different types of services.

 

It seems like MS may aim to bring individual shows to their service, providing them for purchase or streaming, something more like a la cart.  Sony, on the other hand, sounds like their goal is to offer entire channels, more like a traditional tv subscription.

 

It may be a race to see who can secure the most content first for their service.  MS seems to be heavily pursuing original content, while Sony is pursuing existing content.  Of course we still know so little about both plans.

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Well what do you know? TV TV TV!

 

Turns out MS isn't the only one pursuing this stuff.

 

Honestly, its not shocking.  Sony has such a lead in media content, its no wonder they would work to get a piece of this pie. I wonder if we will hear about similar announcements from MS as we near launch.  Both seem to be working on this stuff behind the scenes.

 

It's going to be very interesting to see how the two companies grow their tv-like media during the next gen of consoles. I'm hoping they can both secure enough content that I can finally get rid of cable, but it probably wont happen very quickly. Its cool to see Sony pursuing this as well.

 

TV is not a big deal, never has been. Microsoft's only error was how much time they chose to spend talking about it during a console reveal, compared to everything else. Thus, the Xbox fan base wasn't exactly pleased... That's old news though.

 

Anyway, securing deals with media companies always seems to be the chore that gets distributors hung up. I'm honestly curious as to what Sony can conjure up given their status and relationships in that area.

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TV is not a big deal, never has been. Microsoft's only error was how much time they chose to spend talking about it during a console reveal, compared to everything else. Thus, the Xbox fan base wasn't exactly pleased... That's old news though.

 

Anyway, securing deals with media companies always seems to be the chore that gets distributors hung up. I'm honestly curious as to what Sony can conjure up given their status and relationships in that area.

 

TV content is a big deal though.

 

Why else would services like Amazon and Netflix invest millions in order to produce original tv-like content?

 

I always thought the upheaval with MS was unfounded and this is just more confirmation of the obvious:  Both companies are pursuing the idea.

 

 

Your right about the media company deals.  That has always been the road block to seeing a true alternative to cable/satellite service.  All the big companies try, but they usually fail because the media companies ask for prices far too high.  Maybe Sony has a better chance to talk them down price wise considering their media background, or maybe Sony can lean on them using their 'power' in that industry to get more favorable outcomes.

 

MS had to drop talks a couple years back because of the crazy prices, but since they clearly are working on that again, maybe they too are making progress.

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TV content is a big deal though.

 

Why else would services like Amazon and Netflix invest millions in order to produce original tv-like content?

 

I always thought the upheaval with MS was unfounded and this is just more confirmation of the obvious:  Both companies are pursuing the idea.

 

Right, but I meant it shouldn't be a big deal for gamers that they pursue media.

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I'm all smiles about this right now...

I remember them IGN fanatics teasing about tv,tv,tv (and they weren't 'xbots' either)

Now media all of a sudden makes sense to people...

smh....

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I think the difference is Sony is a cable tv service provided via the internet while the Xbox One is cable tv service provided via cable through your cable tv box into your hdmi in port on your Xbox One.

 

Its not really something I would use but can see many people liking that feature. In Australia the main cable tv provider already has internet tv plus the regular coaxial cable or satellite  link. So it would be available here as soon as Sony or Telstra make an app for it on the PS4.

 
I can now call the PS4 the all-in-one entertainment console also! lol
 
When I called the Xbox One that people said I was picking on Microsoft and I was an xbox hater.. so i wonder what they will say now.. (Probably the same thing and nit-pick about something else)
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I think the difference is Sony is a cable tv service provided via the internet while the Xbox One is cable tv service provided via cable through your cable tv box into your hdmi in port on your Xbox One.

 

Its not really something I would use but can see many people liking that feature. In Australia the main cable tv provider already has internet tv plus the regular coaxial cable or satellite  link. So it would be available here as soon as Sony or Telstra make an app for it on the PS4.

 
I can now call the PS4 the all-in-one entertainment console also! lol
 
When I called the Xbox One that people said I was picking on Microsoft and I was an xbox hater.. so i wonder what they will say now.. (Probably the same thing and nit-pick about something else)

 

Erm, the 360 has done this since 2008 and the X1 will have both?

 

I love how this is perfectly fine for Sony to do this, the community love it. Unless you never slated TV NeoDominik and then I apologise.

Wise move though for Sony, they needed something like this.

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I think the difference is Sony is a cable tv service provided via the internet while the Xbox One is cable tv service provided via cable through your cable tv box into your hdmi in port on your Xbox One.

 

Its not really something I would use but can see many people liking that feature. In Australia the main cable tv provider already has internet tv plus the regular coaxial cable or satellite  link. So it would be available here as soon as Sony or Telstra make an app for it on the PS4.

 

 

 

Um I think your missing something.  I spelled it out earlier in the thread:

 

Sony seems to be aiming to provide a system similar to cable over the internet by offering a subscription to channels

 

MS seems to be aiming to provide an a la cart system where they provide tv-like shows that you would buy/stream individually or maybe pay a subscription for complete access, maybe through Xbox Video

 

The cable box pass-through feature of the X1 is simply there for legacy support, something that those with a cable box could leverage.  Its not their long term plan.

 

 

I can now call the PS4 the all-in-one entertainment console also! lol
 
When I called the Xbox One that people said I was picking on Microsoft and I was an xbox hater.. so i wonder what they will say now.. (Probably the same thing and nit-pick about something else)

 

 

I was saying the same thing as you, that the X1 is an all around media device.  I also thought that Sony would follow suit with that idea and I was attacked for it, as if it was some black mark against the system.

 

Some used the 'all around media' idea to bash the X1, that it proved that MS was not focused on gaming and that it somehow diminished it as a gaming console.

 

Things turned out as I thought they might.  Sony and MS both want to push these consoles as all around media devices.  They are both focused on that along with being focused on gaming.  This doesn't have to be a bad thing, they are both big enough to offer both successfully.  Sony proved they can focus on gaming before E3 and MS proved it at E3. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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TV is not a big deal, never has been. Microsoft's only error was how much time they chose to spend talking about it during a console reveal, compared to everything else. Thus, the Xbox fan base wasn't exactly pleased... That's old news though.

 

Anyway, securing deals with media companies always seems to be the chore that gets distributors hung up. I'm honestly curious as to what Sony can conjure up given their status and relationships in that area.

 

You'd think after 3 months the penny would have dropped by now :laugh:

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TV is not a big deal, never has been. Microsoft's only error was how much time they chose to spend talking about it during a console reveal, compared to everything else. Thus, the Xbox fan base wasn't exactly pleased... That's old news though.

 

Anyway, securing deals with media companies always seems to be the chore that gets distributors hung up. I'm honestly curious as to what Sony can conjure up given their status and relationships in that area.

It does not matter if 10minutes were spent talkin about it or an entire hour... It's the same thing...

Now all is needed is teh sports, sports, sports

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It does not matter if 10minutes were spent talkin about it or an entire hour... It's the same thing...

Now all is needed is teh sports, sports, sports

 

Maybe you're right; the conference was rather dry as hell to begin with. I guess that's why all those YouTube parodies took off, as when my friends and I went to talk about the Xbox One the next day, we were all just like, "Yeah, they started going on about television so I didn't really pay attention..." :P

 

It's all good though, it's already come and gone. All we can look forward to is the future.

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The future is all around devices and I hope everyone realizes that and isn't shocked that both companies actually have pretty similar strategies.

 

PR is the root of console war crap.  The less we get stuck on it, the better.

 

The 'bit wars' of the 90s was fairly calm compared to how terrible it can get now.

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