back to article OMG, that CLOUD has a TV in it! Sony goes Over The Top in telly wars

Mighty Japanese globocorp Sony has unveiled a new cloud-based television service called Playstation Vue. It will allow gamers to take a break from the virtual slaughter to watch programmes made by a range of partners, including CBS, Discovery and Viacom. "Everyday TV is about to become extraordinary with our new cloud-based …

  1. TWB

    75 Channels...

    ....yeah about 70 - too many.

  2. Tom 38

    Proof they don't get it

    Why would I want 75 channels? Why would I want more than one channel?

    I just want the TV that I want to watch when I want to watch it. The point of OTT is that you do not need to regress to broadcast limitations like segmenting content by channels.

    1. frank ly

      Re: Proof they don't get it

      I suppose that you don't want to see adverts between and during the programmes that you're watching either? :)

      The question would be; how much are you prepared to spend to have the situation that you want? The tv channel companies rely on selling your, and thousands of other eyeballs to advertisers, as a captive, guarenteed by habit and measurable statistics audience. How much would you pay and how would you pay for the content you wanted to watch, when you wanted to watch it?

      1. Tom 38

        Re: Proof they don't get it

        £145.50 a year?

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Proof they don't get it

        Well, considering most advertising is now Product Placement, I don't think how your content is delivered matters so much. So yes, flatten the 'channel' system and reduce to 'content' already, please.

        1. Just Enough
          FAIL

          Re: Proof they don't get it

          Product Placement consists of a small fraction of the money spent on advertising. It is not even close to being "most".

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Proof they don't get it

            Sorry for the late reply... you are right in that percentage of *television* advertising revenue from product placement is small potatoes, but not global product placement advertising revenue in general. Once you look at other product placement streams (including things as disparate as HSBC advertising at airports, event advertising, etc.) product placement is a huge market segment dwarfing most other advertising revenue streams. Once you consider this in terms of advertising integration cross-platform (websites, OTT, the wall at the tube, etc.) then single digital campaigns become more cost effective and will probably head for the norm.

      3. Tom_

        Re: Proof they don't get it

        I'm not sure your comment makes sense. Services like 4OD manage to include advertising without having to have the concept of channels.

  3. Warm Braw

    Why?

    I realise Sony is a content provider and might want to use its consumer products to push its content, but if it only pushes Sony content no one will watch and if it pushes content from other suppliers it's competing with TV and Tablets, which seems like a hopeless battle to fight. If they're hoping for "ownership of the customer", cable and satellite providers have that pretty much sewn up by now.

    And as for "TV is about to become extraordinary", that sounds as lame as the promise in my nearest mall that an "exciting" new shop is about to open - as soon as the prepack administrators can negotiate a lower rent for a new incarnation of the same business that traded there previously.

    But, given the state of the company, I suppose anything Sony has to lose is already lost...

  4. Henry Wertz 1 Gold badge

    "I suppose that you don't want to see adverts between and during the programmes that you're watching either? :)"

    Shouldn't have to when you're paying for it. They are saying this is a subscription service.

    But, either way, I must agree that I'd like to watch some particular show when I want, not subject to a channel schedule. Most of what I get off TV I also DVR; I'm not going to wait up til 3AM to watch one show, and noon for another, and 4PM for the next.

    But, for the sake of argument... lets say channels are a great idea. 75 channels? I really don't think Sony has enough content to run 75 channels of anything resembling quality content. Who knows, though, I guess when more details come out it'll be easier to say for sure.

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Can I ask?

    In this case is Team Register Ms. Brid-Aine Parnell? Because I have a suspicion as to who at El Reg might be a fellow Yeats admirer.

    If there was somewhere to upvote the subhead I would do it.

  6. P. Lee

    Maybe they could have included a TV tuner in the Playstation

    Was that too radical?

    As for pushing non-Sony content, I think Aero has just demonstrated what happens if you cloudify that.

    1. dan1980

      Re: Maybe they could have included a TV tuner in the Playstation

      @P.Lee

      Why would they put a TV tuner in? That would allow you to consume content offline and outside of Sony's ecosystem.

      What kind of ongoing revenue would they get from that?

      It's a good idea for consumers but doesn't really make much sense for Sony.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I wonder if the Vue brand of cinemas mind them nicking their name. Unless their perhaps linked.

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Breaking Bad

    Let's not forget Sony has some very high quality

    studios making well received stuff like BB.

    Yes, sorry Sony haters, if you watched BB, you are a hypocrite.

  9. solo

    Reinvents

    "..PlayStation Vue reinvents the traditional viewing.."

    I wonder how all these companies consider re-inventing as pride.

  10. Hans 1
    Windows

    I am pretty sure it will be a success, I mean, if you're silly enough to have a PS4 with "online" account, you are certainly the target audience for telemarketing ... and yes, you do need that new, revolutionary, gourmet, deluxe, incredible, magical, posh kitchen cloth.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    "...demonstrates what our company is capable of when we embrace disruption..."

    I think the recent waves of hackery against Sony have demonstrated that perfectly well.

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