Sony tries to make its pricy Vue TV service more popular
Sony is trying to get more people on its TV service by allowing customers to sign up without a PlayStation.
Its service, Vue, was launched in March, but has been limited. It's available in a few big U.S. cities, you needed a PlayStation, it didn't have channels owned by Disney, like ABC and ESPN, and, as an alternative to cable, it's fairly expensive.
The company has added a couple markets and said last week that Disney-owned channels are coming. On Thursday, it said it is making Vue available with an Amazon Fire TV box or Fire TV stick. It's also cutting prices for the pricier two of its three bundles by $5 each.
That could make Vue a bit more competitive with Dish's Sling TV, which costs $20 a month for 20 channels. And it comes as TV lovers have more and more options to choose from other than a cable subscription. You no longer need to be a cable customer to subscribe to HBO or Showtime. Hulu has been beefing up its library. YouTube is launching new original series.
Sony Vue starts at $50 a month for about 50 channels, including Fox, NBC, AMC and CNN. The most expensive package has been reduced to $65 from $70, for about 85 channels. You will also need Internet: That costs at least $30 a month from a cable or phone company.
Vue bundles are only available in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sony spokeswoman Mary Taing declined to say how many users Vue has. But she said the service's daily average viewership "now exceeds 5 hours."
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