PlayStation Vue
Here's what PlayStation Vue looks like. Sony

Sony has unveiled PlayStation Vue, an internet-based television service coming to PlayStation consoles and other devices.

Vue will offer a large range of TV channels on release at a "fair and competitive" month-to-month subscription. Sony are hoping the service will replace traditional television subscriptions.

Sony's plans for Vue's release in the UK are unknown. IBTimes UK reached out to Sony who said: "We have nothing to announce about international expansion at this time."

An invite-only beta will roll out in the US this month on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 before coming to iPad "shortly thereafter" and then to other "Sony and non-Sony devices" at a later date.

PlayStation Vue
Users will be able to mark their favourite shows. Sony

In a statement president of Sony Computer Entertainment Andrew House said: "Everyday TV is about to become extraordinary with our new cloud-based TV service.

"PlayStation Vue reinvents the traditional viewing experience so your programming effortlessly finds you, enabling you to watch much more of what you want and search a lot less. PlayStation Vue brings the best of live TV and a robust catalogue of the latest content, always keeping you connected to what's popular, new and trending."

A large amount of US TV networks have picked up the service, among them Fox, NBC, E!, CBS, The Discovery Channel, MTV, Comedy Central, Fox Sports channels and National Geographic - though others such as HBO, Disney and ESPN are conspicuous by their absence.

The US beta will start in New York this month before following to Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Sony hasn't announced pricing but stated clearly that their price will be "transparent with no hidden fees or charges".

Vue's features as detailed in Sony's statement:

  • PlayStation Vue immediately connects viewers to the content they want to watch, helps them easily access their favorite shows and channels, and recommends movies and shows based on their viewing habits and what's trending.
  • Discovering content is both simple and powerful with PlayStation Vue. The smart "Search" feature narrows down results quickly and intuitively, and the powerful "Explore" function allows viewers to filter the entire catalog of live and on-demand content by type of program, genre, ratings, popularity, length and more.
  • PlayStation Vue delivers catch-up and on-demand TV, freeing viewers to watch TV on their own schedules. The service makes the past three days of popular programming available without the need to schedule recordings.
  • Viewers can save their favorite shows to the cloud without storage restrictions or scheduling conflicts. Once viewers tag a favorite show, they will automatically have access to episodes of that show for 28 days so that they can watch on their own time.
  • PlayStation Vue is simple to navigate and intuitive to use. By leveraging the power of the PlayStation platform and controller, viewers are always one click away from quick access to watching, finding, and discovering content.

PlayStation Vue will launch commercially in the first quarter of 2015.

Sony PS4 PS3 IPad