-->
Save your FREE seat for Streaming Media Connect in November. Register Now!

CES 2014: Sony to Launch Live and VOD Cloud TV Service

Article Featured Image

Sony will launch an as-yet-unnamed cloud-based TV service featuring live and VOD content later this year in the U.S, president and CEO, Kazuo Hirai revealed during his keynote at CES 2014 in Las Vegas.

The service will be distinguished by a personalized interface which will serve up recommendations, Sony said. It will feature a "watch and resume" function spanning multiple devices from a PS4 to a tablet.

“Our goal is to transform the user experience so that finding live and VOD is immediate,” explained Andrew House, president and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment. “We will make TV a more personalized and dynamic experience.”

No more details were forthcoming. Also coming soon is new streaming game service Playstation Now.

“This will provide existing gamers access to PS2 and PS3 games and will introduce the world of Playstation to non-console owners via smartphones, tablets, and other devices,” said House. “For first time ever you can play blockbuster PS3 titles on a mobile phone.”

The service goes into beta in the U.S. later this month with full rollout inked for the summer. Examples of it in action over Bravia TVs and Vita mobile devices are being demonstrated at the Sony booth at CES.

Also at the keynote, Michael Lynten chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, said SVOD services like Netflix had changed content delivery economics dramatically.

“Now we have five to six SVOD services competitively bidding on TV series and films that never existed before, both in first run as well as syndication. It has changed the economics dramatically for us, but in a positive way,” he said.

Streaming Covers
Free
for qualified subscribers
Subscribe Now Current Issue Past Issues
Related Articles

CES '16: Sony Announces Ultra, a 4K Streaming Video Service

Sony also launches 4K HDR certification for Bravia TVs, and announces a new line of 4K LCD Bravia sets with heightened color displays.

CES Report: Sony Highlights Ultra-Thin 4K XBR X900C TV Series

At 0.2-inches, some of Sony's latest 4K models are thinner than a smartphone. Bravia sets gain the Android TV OS, with Google Play support.

Sony Demonstrates a Live 4K Video Over IP Production System

Partnering with Level 3, Sony offers a vision for the future of live broadcast production, one that saves money and builds in flexibility.

Sony Set-Top Box Coming to North America in the Fall

A mini-console, the Sony PlayStation TV will stream older titles from a cloud-based gaming service, and give access to music, movies, and TV shows.