PlayStation Vue Is Getting A Price Increase

15 minutes ago

Sony has been moving into the television streaming service area for a while now with PlayStation Vue. The service is continuing what was introduced with the PlayStation TV initiative way back in 2013. While the PS TV device didn't quite work out the way Sony wanted, the company did continue its streaming goals with PlayStation Vue, and the digital streaming service is still going strong. So strong, in fact, that Sony figures that the service is due for a subscription fee upgrade. The PlayStation Vue is getting a price hike a lot sooner than you might have been expecting, and the change will affect certain subscription plans that PlayStation owners have been utilizing since the service's inception.

According to a post on the PlayStation Blog, the hike in price will start on July 24th, 2018 and it will raise the current subscription by $5, but only for certain subscription tiers. If you're signed up with any of the PlayStation Vue's multi-channel plans you'll see a price hike, this includes the Access plan, the Core plan, the Elite plan, and the Ultra plan. Each of those will see a $5 increase for the current subscriber base.

The charge for those plans will be reflected in the billing cycle taking place after July 31st, 2018. So if you cancel before July 24th, 2018, you won't see the price hike on your final bill. If, however, you choose to subscribe after July 24th you will see the price increase on all bills issued after July 31st.

Now, if you're only subscribed via a single-channel plan, you will not see any changes or be affected by the price change. The add-ons and standalone channels will be left alone... for now.

So, what exactly prompted the change? Well, according to the PlayStation Blog post, it was increased in order to keep pace with rising business costs in order to keep the division open, specifically for live sports, entertainment and news channels. This doesn't explicitly explain what part of the business incurred expenses that required the hike, but, perhaps, this is in reference to licensing fees?

The PlayStation Vue, much like other streaming services, relies on licensed content from major entertainment rights holders, typically studious such as Paramount or Disney or Fox. If the prices have gone up then Sony could be passing down the licensing fee charges to the subscribers.

The post does reiterate that cloud-based DVR functionality, and multi-view simulcasts on PS4 are also available at no extra costs. And you can also purchase piecemeal access to channels like Showtime, Cinemax, and HBO, to view shows like Game of Thrones, Homeland and Dexter.

The news about the price hike obviously didn't go over too well with current multi-channel subscribers. A lot of them feel as if it's a little too much, a little too soon. It was back in 2017 that the PlayStation Vue service received a price hike for subscribers, raising the total subscription price by $10.

This sort of increase made it difficult for some subscribers to stick with the program, but they held out anyway. With an additional $5 increase starting at the end of the month, some are wondering if the PlayStation Vue will be worth sticking with considering the extra $15 charge over the last two years.