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Sony may have taken the lead in the race to provide cable TV channels on devices other than cable boxes: TheWall Street Journal reports that the company has signed a deal with Viacom to bring the company's popular cabel channels to a streaming service that will start on the PlayStation 4 game console later this year.
But Sony faces growing competition from some formidable competitors. Apple, Intel, and Google are all reportedly looking to start Internet TV services that would bring cable TV shows to viewers, much the way they receive programs and movies from services such as Amazon and Netflix.
Signing a deal with Viacom would give Sony access to some popular cable channels, including BET, CMT, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Spike, and VH1. The Journal also says Sony is negotiating with Disney (ABC) and CBS (Showtime). Sony will also be able to offer on-demand TV shows and movies, and music, something it already does through its Video Unlimited and Music Unlimited services as part of the Sony Entertainment Network.
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A deal such as this would seemingly pit Sony against cable operators, but it's also rumored that the electronics giant is neogotiating with Time Warner for a possible partnership. And Apple is said to be negotiating with Time Warner and other cable companies to offer Apple TV set-top box owners its own premium cable TV service, which will reportedly offer a unique feature: the ability for viewers to skip commercials.
Although it's possible Sony's TV service could be offered through other devices—including Sony Internet TVs, which now have much faster processors to handle video streaming and multitasking—it appears that the new as-yet-unnamed service would make its debut on the PlayStation 4 video game console, which is scheduled to arrive later this fall. The console is now as much a media hub as it is a game machine, and it will reportedly include a recommendation feature that can suggest shows and movies, something already available on some premium Sony TVs.
Intel and Google, in addition to Apple, are working to develop their own services. As we reported earlier, Intel could be close to making deals with some of the same major players, including Time Warner, Viacom, and NBC Universal, for a service tentatively called OnCue. It's also begun more preliminary discussions with CBS, Disney/ABC, and Fox. Earlier this summer the Journal also reported that Google was looking to build an "over the top" (OTT) cable-like streaming service. The company has been slowly rolling out a TV and broadband service called Google Fiber in a select markets.
The one thing that will apparently be missing from all these services: à la carte TV offerings instead of the traditional cable bundle. So far, that idea has been pushed to the sidelines during talks with major content provides, though it's possible that we'll see smaller, more flexible lower-priced options than traditional cable offers.
—James K. Willcox
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