PlayStation Vue, Sony’s OTT-TV service, said it is dropping all Viacom-owned channels starting Friday, Nov. 11, and is about to add several other services.
All Viacom-owned networks currently offered on PS Vue, including Comedy Central, Spike and MTV, will be dropped starting at 12:01 a.m. ET on Nov.11, Dwayne Benefield, VP and head of PS Vue, announced Tuesday in this blog post.
“As part of our ongoing evaluation of the PlayStation Vue offering, we have determined that removing the bundle of channels from Viacom is the best way for us to continue to offer the most compelling value to our fans,” he wrote.
Viacom channels have been part of the PS Vue lineup since the service launched in March 2015.
Update: "We have no pricing changes to announce at this time," a PS Vue spokesperson said via email when asked if pricing on the service would be adjusted following the lineup changes.
DirecTV Now, AT&T’s OTT-TV service that will launch later this month, has a distribution deal with Viacom. Depending on the package, Dish Network-owned OTT-TV service, Sling TV, currently carries Viacom channels such as Comedy Central, Nick Jr., NickToons, TeenNick, MTV, MTV2, TV Land, and Spike.
RELATED: Viacom, Dish Reach Carriage Agreement
Viacom said it declined to comment at this time.
PS Vue has not released subscriber figures, but a Bloomberg report in June put it at 100,000-plus, noting that the service got a lift from the introduction of new “Slim” packages that give PS Vue a national reach for its multichannel subscription service.
RELATED: PlayStation Vue Goes National With ‘Slim’ Packages
Benefield said PS Vue will be adding some new channels starting Wednesday (November 9), including BBC America and NBA TV, with plans to launch Viceland and more local broadcast stations from CBS and Fox “soon.” PS Vue recently added HBO and Cinemax.
RELATED: PlayStation Vue Expands Access to CBS Live Local Feeds
About 50 PS Vue customers responded to the decision on the blog at last check Tuesday afternoon. Several said they intend to drop the service, or wanted a more detailed reason behind the decision.
“Whelp, guess I should start looking for a new streaming service, and I’ve only been on Vue for a few months,” a user going by “NintendoTom” wrote.
“Very disappointing to lose these (particularly, as a parent, the Nickelodeon/Nick Jr. channels). More transparency on how/why this happened would be appreciated, as well as whether negotiations to restore these are in process,” posted “judasgoat.”
Some weren’t too upset. “Always a bummer to lose value (i.e. channels per dollar) but I never watched those networks, so I am ok with it. Even with this, Vue is a good deal compared to my other options, just hope the trend does not continue,” wrote a user who goes by “CycoCross.”
PS Vue is available on PCs and Macs, Android TV devices, PS4 and PS3 consoles, Roku devices, iOS and Android smartphones and tablets, Amazon Fire TV boxes and the Fire TV Stick, and the Google Chromecast streaming adapter.
