Sony announced a $5 PlayStation Vue price increase for American users, affecting each of the service’s multi-channel subscription packages. The price change is effective for new subscribers starts today. Existing subscribers of PlayStation’s live TV streaming service will keep their current price until the beginning of their first billing cycle on or after July 31.
In a PlayStation.Blog post, Sony listed rising costs as the cause for the price increase.
“[We] constantly evaluate each deal to ensure we continue to deliver the content you want while considering the overall value of each package,” said Dwayne Benefield, general manager of PlayStation Vue. “After reviewing this, we have made the decision to raise the price of all of our multi-channel plans by $5.”
There are four PlayStation Vue plans, which include networks like FX, HGTV, ESPN and HBO. Here’s a full breakdown of each package’s price increase:
- The Access package, which includes a basic selection of popular TV channels, has increased from $44.99 to $49.99 per month.
- The Core package, which includes sports channels and a wider selection of other channels, has increased from $49.99 to $54.99 per month.
- The Elite package, which includes movie channels, sports channels and an even wider selection of other channels, has increased from $59.99 to $64.99 per month.
- The Ultra package, which includes premium channels like HBO in addition to all of the previous content, has increased from $79.99 to $84.99 per month.
This is the third time Sony has introduced a PlayStation Vue price increase. In 2018, the company announced a similar $5 increase, and the price went up by $10 in October 2017, according to Cord Cutters News. PlayStation Vue does have several interesting features that could make the price increase worth it, such as cloud-based DVR, the ability to stream on up to five devices at once (the most of any TV streaming service, according to Sony) and, on PS4, the ability to stream up to three live programs on the same screen.
