Sony Interactive Entertainment America said it has notched a deal to offer PlayStation Vue, its OTT TV service, to customers of the 850-plus cable operators and other service providers that are members of the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC).
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The agreement comes during The Independent Show, being held this week in Indianapolis, and comes on the heels of a similar deal between the NCTC and fuboTV, another virtual MVPD that competes with PS Vue and others such as DirecTV Now, Sling TV, Hulu and YouTube TV.
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Those deals are forming as members of the NCTC look for new ways to offer video services to broadband-only customers and to provide an option to consumers who have cut the cord on traditional pay TV services or have never taken a pay TV service. In turn, the deals could give OTT players more exposure to consumers who are seeking those alternatives and bump up their sub totals.
Financial terms were not announced, but they said the deal with the NCTC, whose members represent more than 9 million U.S. subs, will give those co-op members the ability to “enhance their product portfolio with a new offering to reach broadband customers with differentiated packages and enhanced user experience."
“This is a great opportunity for customers to experience PlayStation Vue’s innovative cloud-based TV streaming service through their NCTC member provider,” Dwayne Benefield, VP and head of PlayStation Vue for SIEA, said in a statement. “PlayStation Vue offers an incredible value to users, with more than 100 popular live national and local channels, a powerful user interface, and the ability to purchase channels a la carte without a bundle.”
“Our members are looking for ways to offer more video choice to their customers, and this new agreement allows them to do that,” added Rich Fickle, NCTC’s President and CEO, “NCTC understands the importance of pursuing new opportunities for the distribution of content, and we are excited to partner with such a strong brand.”
Sony launched PS Vue, initially in three markets, in March 2015, and has since expanded to feature a national offering that includes live local broadcast TV channels in certain markets as it signs more deals with affiliate groups, and next-day VOD access to their shows in others. Sony has not announced sub numbers for PS Vue.
PS Vue is currently supported on web browsers, PlayStation 4 and PS 3 consoles, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick devices, Android TV devices, iOS and Android smartphone and tablets, and is optimized for the Google Chromecast for iOS and Android.
