By Tali Arbel, AP Technology Writer
Sony is shutting down its pioneering online-cable alternative, PlayStation Vue, citing the high cost of content and the difficulty of reaching deals with networks.
It launched Vue in early 2015 as a skinnier, cheaper version of cable or satellite TV delivered via the internet. It was a test case for a TV alternative alongside Dish's Sling TV, and, later, a slew of copycats from DirecTV , Google , Hulu and others.
These services were initially heralded as the future of TV as cable cord-cutting ramped up. They offered popular TV networks for less than you'd pay a cable company. Signing up and canceling were easy, with no need for a cable guy to come to your house.
But customer growth has slowed and even dropped for many of these services as prices rose and they added more channels, coming closer to their traditional TV counterparts. AT&T's version, formerly known as DirecTV Now, today AT&T TV Now, has dropped customers for four straight quarters, losing more than 700,000 subscribers as it rolled off deep discounts.
Research firm MoffettNathanson estimates the total market at about 8.4 million. There are about 86 million traditional TV households.
"The market is due for a shakeout," MoffettNathanson's Craig Moffett said of the online-cable substitutes, which initially charged customers less than they paid for their programming. When they raised prices, customers left. "It was a Catch-22 from the beginning. They were unrealistically priced."
Sony did not release how many customers Vue had, but it was seen as a small player. It will shut down in January.
The industry's latest hope for a successor to cable or satellite TV and a counter to Netflix has now shifted to streaming services, including new entries from Disney , Comcast and AT&T . Apple's version launches Friday.
Increasing competition for people's dollars from all those services will put more pressure on the online-cable services, said Pivotal Research's Jeff Wlodarczak.
"The only way to innovate in pay TV is to try to follow Netflix," Wlodarczak said. "You can't innovate in pay TV. It's too firmly ensconced."
SMPTE elects board officers, regional governors
SMPTE®,the home of media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has revealed the board officers and regional governors who will serve terms beginning in January 2025.
Three new officers--Richard Welsh as SMPTE president, Eric Gsell as SMPTE executive VP, and Polly Hickling as SMPTE Education VP--have been elected for a two-year term from Jan. 1, 2025, to Dec. 31, 2026. One SMPTE officer, Lisa Hobbs, will be continuing her service as SMPTE secretary and treasurer for another two-year term. Additionally, Raymond Yeung will be stepping into the role of standards VP on Jan. 1, 2025.
“SMPTE’s membership has spoken,” said SMPTE interim executive director Sally-Ann D’Amato. “These officers have been tasked with an important responsibility, one each of them is prepared to tackle head-on. These next two years are looking bright for SMPTE!”
In addition to the officers, 10 regional governors were elected by the Society to serve two-year 2025-2026 terms.
These include the following regional governors, re-elected to continue their service:
Asia-Pacific Region Governor
Tony Ngai, Society of Motion Imaging Ltd.
EMEA - Central & South America Region Governor
Fernando Bittencourt, FB Consultant
United Kingdom Region Governor
Chris Johns, Sky UK.
USA - Central Region Governor
William T. Hayes, Consultant
USA - Eastern Region Governor
Dover Jeanne Mundt, Riedel Communications
USA - Western Region Governor
Jeffrey F. Way, Open Drives
Also elected were four newcomers to the SMPTE Board:
Canada Region Governor
Jonathan Jobin, Grass Valley
USA - Hollywood Region Governor
Allan Schollnick, Voxx... Read More