PlayStation Vue is Shutting Down

Sony interactive announced they are shutting down PlayStation Vue on January 30th, 2020. The reasoning given in a press release was:

Today we are announcing that we will shut down the PlayStation Vue service on January 30, 2020. Unfortunately, the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected. Because of this, we have decided to remain focused on our core gaming business.

If you are looking for an alternative to PlayStation Vue, I recommend checking out our comparison of live streaming services. We will leave our review of Playstation Vue for informational purposes.

PlayStation Vue Review

Sony’s PlayStation Vue was launched in March 2015  as a service that would allow subscribers to stream many cable networks over the internet without requiring a cable TV subscription.

Many assume you need a PlayStation game system to use PlayStation Vue, but that isn’t the case. PS Vue works with Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and many other top streaming devices.

PlayStation Vue allows you to watch a number of top tiers cable channels and broadcast networks live online without a cable TV subscription.

PlayStation Vue Channels

PS Vue offers many top pay-TV channels along with local broadcast channels in quite a few markets. In markets without live broadcast feeds for ABC, CBS, FOX, and/or NBC, PS Vue makes On-Demand available for the top programming on those networks.  Below is a summary of their more affordable channel packages and what is available on them.

Access  Bundle:  $49.99 per month will provide you with ABC On Demand, Fox On Demand, NBC On-Demand, AMC, Animal Planet, BBC America, Bravo, Cartoon Network, CNBC, CNN, Decades, Destination America, Discovery, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Disney XD, E!, ESPN, ESPN2, Food Network, Fox Business, Fox News, Freeform, FS1, FS2, FX, FXX, HGTV, HLN, ID, MSNBC, National Geographic, NBCSN, Own, Oxygen, Pop, Science, Syfy, TBS, Telemundo, TLC, TNT, Travel, TruTV, USA, and WE.

Core Slim Bundle:  $54.99 per month will give you everything in “Access Slim” plus beIN Sports, BTN (Big 10 Network), CSN, CSN Plus, ESPN News, ESPN U, Golf Channel, SEC Network, Sundance TV, and NFL Network.

There is also an Elite Slim bundle priced at $64.99 a month that offers over 100 channels, but I think that’s getting a little too far outside the spirit cord-cutting. I won’t even get into the Ultra package at $84.99.

You can also purchase a sports add-on package for an additional $10 per month. This includes channels like Fox and NBC regional sports, NFL RedZone and more. There are also standalone channels available like Showtime,  Fox Soccer Plus, Machinima, and Epix Hits.

PlayStation Vue Live Local Networks

The table below shows which local broadcast channels are carried by PlayStation Vue in each local TV market (DMA.)

New York City, NY/NJ/CT/PA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Los Angeles, CA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Chicago, IL	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Philadelphia, PA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Washington D.C.	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Houston, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
San Francisco Bay-Area, CA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Atlanta, GA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Boston, MA/NH	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Phoenix, AZ	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Emerald City; Seattle, WA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Detroit, MI	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Minneapolis-St. Paul; Twin Cities, MN	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Miami, FL	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Denver, CO	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Central Florida	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Northeast Ohio	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Sacramento, CA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
St. Louis, MO	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Portland; Rip City, OR	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Charlotte, NC	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Pittsburgh, PA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Raleigh-Durham, NC	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Baltimore, MD	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Nashville, TN	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
San Diego, CA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Salt Lake City, UT	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
San Antonio, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Central Connecticut	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Kansas City, MO	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Cincinnati, OH	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Milwaukee, WI	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
West Palm Beach, FL	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Austin, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Jacksonville, FL	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
South Central Pennsylvania, PA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
The Triad, NC	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Louisville, KY	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Gulf Coast Florida	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Little Rock & Central Arkansas, AR	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Capital District, NY	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Knoxville, TN	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Tulsa, OK	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Lexington, KY	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Dayton, OH	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Tucson, AZ	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Honolulu, HI	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Roanoke Valley, VA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Tri Cities, MI	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Spokane, WA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Omaha, NE	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Columbia, SC	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Toledo, OH	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Portland, ME	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Paducah/Cape Girardeau Area, KY	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Harlingen & South Texas	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Central Texas	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Colorado Springs, CO	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Savannah, GA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Eastern Iowa, IA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Charleston, SC	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
El Paso & Las Cruces, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Baton Rouge, LA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
South Bend, Elkhart, IN	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Reno, NV/CA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Lincoln, NE	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Tallahassee, FL	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Tyler, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Augusta, GA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Springfield, MA/NH	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Northern Michigan, MI	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Macon, GA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Central Coast, CA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Montgomery & Selma, AL	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Monterey County, CA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Amarillo, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Central Wisconsin	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Topeka, KS	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Salisbury, MD	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Odessa, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Palm Springs, CA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Wichita Falls & Lawton, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Erie, PA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Panama City, FL	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Albany, GA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Bangor, ME	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Mississippi Gulf Coast	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Idaho Falls, ID	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Clarksburg, WV	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Elmira, NY	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Jackson, TN	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Alexandria, LA	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Laredo, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Twin Falls, ID	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Meridian, MS	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Fairbanks, AK	FOX	CBS	NBC	ABC
Indianapolis, IN	FOX		NBC	ABC
Upstate South Carolina	FOX		NBC	ABC
Las Vegas, NV	FOX		NBC	ABC
Birmingham, AL	FOX		NBC	ABC
Albuquerque & Santa Fe, NM	FOX		NBC	ABC
Hampton Roads, VA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Memphis, TN	FOX		NBC	ABC
Providence, RI	FOX		NBC	ABC
Buffalo, NY	FOX		NBC	ABC
Fresno, CA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Richmond, VA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Mobile & Florida Panhandle	FOX		NBC	ABC
Northeast Wisconsin	FOX		NBC	ABC
Charleston-Huntington, WV	FOX		NBC	ABC
Springfield, MO	FOX		NBC	ABC
Rochester, NY	FOX		NBC	ABC
Huntsville-Decatur, AL	FOX		NBC	ABC
Madison, WI	FOX		NBC	ABC
Syracuse, NY	FOX		NBC	ABC
Springfield-Champaign-Decatur, IL	FOX		NBC	ABC
Chattanooga, TN	FOX		NBC	ABC
Jackson, MS	FOX		NBC	ABC
Tri-Cities, TN	FOX		NBC	ABC
Coastal North Carolina	FOX		NBC	ABC
Pee Dee Region, SC	FOX		NBC	ABC
Boise, ID	FOX		NBC	ABC
Altoona & State College, PA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Sioux Falls, SD	FOX		NBC	ABC
Ft. Wayne, IN	FOX		NBC	ABC
Lansing, MI	FOX		NBC	ABC
Youngstown, OH	FOX		NBC	ABC
Eugene, OR	FOX		NBC	ABC
Lafayette, LA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Central Illinois	FOX		NBC	ABC
Bakersfield, CA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Columbus, GA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Corpus Christi, TX	FOX		NBC	ABC
Wilmington, NC	FOX		NBC	ABC
Northern California	FOX		NBC	ABC
North Mississippi	FOX		NBC	ABC
Mid-Missouri	FOX		NBC	ABC
Southwest Oregon	FOX		NBC	ABC
Twin Ports, MN	FOX		NBC	ABC
Minot-Bismarck Area, ND	FOX		NBC	ABC
Port Arthur & Beaumont, TX	FOX		NBC	ABC
Anchorage, AK	FOX		NBC	ABC
Sioux City, IA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Southern Minnesota & Mason City	FOX		NBC	ABC
Wheeling, WV	FOX		NBC	ABC
Gainseville, FL	FOX		NBC	ABC
Binghamton , NY	FOX		NBC	ABC
Eastern West Virginia	FOX		NBC	ABC
Missoula, MT	FOX		NBC	ABC
Midwest Texas	FOX		NBC	ABC
Yuma, AZ/CA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Billings, MT	FOX		NBC	ABC
Hattiesburg, MS	FOX		NBC	ABC
Rapid City, SD	FOX		NBC	ABC
Tri-State Area, IL	FOX		NBC	ABC
Lake Charles, LA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Watertown, NY	FOX		NBC	ABC
Bowling Green, KY	FOX		NBC	ABC
Jonesboro, AR	FOX		NBC	ABC
Butte and Bozeman, MT	FOX		NBC	ABC
Bend, OR	FOX		NBC	ABC
Grand Junction, CO	FOX		NBC	ABC
Lafayette, IN	FOX		NBC	ABC
Lima, OH	FOX		NBC	ABC
Great Falls, MT	FOX		NBC	ABC
Greenwood/Greenville area, MS	FOX		NBC	ABC
Eureka, CA	FOX		NBC	ABC
Southern Iowa & Northern Missouri	FOX		NBC	ABC
St. Joseph, MO	FOX		NBC	ABC
Victoria, TX	FOX		NBC	ABC
Helena, MT	FOX		NBC	ABC
Juneau, AK	FOX		NBC	ABC
Tampa Bay Area, FL	FOX	CBS		ABC
Columbus, OH	FOX	CBS		ABC
Oklahoma City, OK	FOX	CBS		ABC
Wichita Hutchinson, KS	FOX	CBS		ABC
Des Moines & Central Iowa	FOX	CBS		ABC
Shreveport, LA	FOX	CBS		ABC
Harrisonburg, VA	FOX	CBS		ABC
C’Ville, VA	FOX	CBS		ABC
West Michigan, MI	FOX	CBS	NBC
New Orleans, LA	FOX	CBS	NBC
Lake Champlain Region, VT	FOX	CBS	NBC
Fargo, ND	FOX	CBS	NBC
North Louisiana & Southern Arkansas	FOX	CBS	NBC
Rockford, IL	FOX	CBS	NBC
Texoma, TX	FOX	CBS	NBC
Dothan, AL	FOX	CBS	NBC
Parkersburg, WV	FOX	CBS	NBC
Cheyenne & Western Nebraska, WY	FOX	CBS	NBC
North Platte, NE	FOX	CBS	NBC
Scranton & Wilkes Barre, PA	FOX		NBC
Fort Smith Metropolitan, AR/OK	FOX		NBC
Quad Cities, IA	FOX		NBC
Evansville, IN	FOX		NBC
Tri-Cities, WA/OR	FOX		NBC
Eau Claire-Lacrosse, WI	FOX		NBC
Lubbock, TX	FOX		NBC
Four State Area, MO/KS/OK	FOX		NBC
Terre Haute, IN	FOX		NBC
Mohawk Valley, NY	FOX		NBC
Marquette, MI	FOX		NBC
San Angelo, TX	FOX		NBC
Central Wyoming	FOX		NBC
Zanesville, OH			NBC
Presque Isle, ME	FOX	CBS
Alpena, MI	FOX

PlayStation Vue Features

Below is a list of features available when subscribing to PlayStation Vue

• Supports Most Streaming Devices
• Cloud DVR
• On-Demand Programming
• Watch 5 Streams at Once
• Supports a number of TV Anywhere Apps

I go into detail on many of these features throughout the rest of the article.

PlayStation Vue Devices

Many assume watching PS Vue requires a PlayStation. This is not the case. PlayStation Vue is supported by the following devices:

• Roku
• Amazon Fire TV
• PlayStation consoles (PS 3 and higher)
• Google Chromecast (1st gen and up)
• Nvidia Shield
• Apple TV® (4^th gen running tvOS 10.0 and up)
• Android TV (Android OS 4.4 and up)
• iOS devices (iPad Mini 1st Gen or later, iPad 2 or later running iOS 8.0, iPhone 5 or later, iPod Touch 4th Gen or later)
• Android (Android phones and tablets running Android OS version 4.4 or higher)
• Amazon Fire HD6 tablets and above

You can also watch on the web at psvue.com/watch (most recent versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge, as well as previous “ever-green” versions. PlayStation Vue on the web requires Flash Player.)

PlayStation Vue Cloud DVR and On-Demand

PS Vue is a service designed to replace cable TV. The service delivers various channels live and on demand. It even lets you record shows in a “Cloud DVR” and view shows on multiple TVs around the house from one account. With packages starting at $49.99, it’s an easy way to cut cable TV.

Programs recorded to DVR can be watched both in and out of your home network. Outside your home network, you can also view your “My Shows library” and add programs to My Shows. Any “On Demand” show added to your My Shows library will additionally be available for out-of-home viewing. Other features and functionality may vary by device.

Keep in mind that some programming may not be available on-demand due to licensing rights. This is also true when it comes to using the DVR. Some content providers do not allow their content to be recorded over streaming services. However, the vast majority of channels and programs allow you to record programs to the Cloud DVR.

PlayStation Vue TV Anywhere

There are numerous individual channel apps that require a pay-TV login in order for you to use them. These are referred to as “TV Anywhere” apps. PlayStation Vue supports the following TV Anywhere Apps:

• Adult Swim
• ABC
• AMC (AMC Something More)
• American Heroes Channel (AHC GO)
• Animal Planet (Animal Planet GO)
• BBC America
• Bravo (Bravo Now)
• Big Ten Network (BTN2GO)
• Cartoon Network App
• Cine Sony
• CNBC (CNBC.com)
• CNN
• Cooking Channel  (Watch Cooking Channel)
• Destination America (Destination America GO)
• Discovery (Discovery GO)
• Discovery Life (Discovery Life GO)
• Disney Channel
• Disney Junior
• Disney XD
• DIY (Watch DIY)
• E! (E! Now)
• WatchESPN (includes ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNews, ESPNU, SEC Network, SEC Network +, ESPN Bases Loaded, and ESPN Goal Line)
• Food Network (Watch Food Network)
• FOX (FOX NOW)
• FOX Business
• Fox News
• FOX Sports (FOX Sports GO; includes FS1, FS2, FOX College Sports, FOX Sports Deportes, FOX Soccer Plus, FOX Sports Arizona, FOX Sports Detroit, FOX Sports Florida, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports North, FOX Sports Prime Ticket, FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Southeast, FOX Sports Southwest, FOX Sports Southwest Plus, FOX Sports West, Sun Sports, and Yes Network)
• Freeform
• FUSION (FUSION TV)
• FX Now (includes FX, FXX, FXM)
• Golf Channel (Golf Live Extra)
• Hallmark (Hallmark Channel Everywhere)
• HBO (HBO NOW)
• HLN (via the CNN app)
• HGTV (Watch HGTV)
• IFC (IFC Always Slightly Off)
• Investigation Discovery (Investigation Discovery GO)
• MLB Network (MLB.com)
• MLB Network Strike Zone (MLB.com)
• MSNBC
• Nat Geo TV
• NBC
• NBC News
• NBC Sports Regional Networks (NBC Sports)
• UNIVERSO (UNIVERSO NOW)
• NCAA March Madness Live (includes CBS, TBS, TNT, and TruTV)
• NFL Network (Watch NFL Network and NFL Mobile)
• NFL RedZone (Watch NFL Network and NFL Mobile)
• OWN (Watch OWN)
• Oxygen (Oxygen Now)
• Science Channel (Science Channel GO)
• SHOWTIME (SHOWTIME ANYTIME)
• Sony Movie Channel
• Universal Kids
• Sundance (Sundance TV)
• Syfy (SyFy Now)
• TBS (WATCH TBS)
• Telemundo (Telemundo Now)
• TLC (TLC GO)
• TNT (WATCH TNT)
• Travel Channel (Watch Travel Channel)
• truTV (Watch truTV)
• Turner Classic Movies (Watch Turner Classic Movies)
• USA Network (USA NOW)
• Velocity (Velocity GO
• WE (WE tv)

Signing Up for PlayStation Vue

You can check if service is available in your area on the PlayStation Vue website. If it is and you want to take advantage of the content PS Vue has to offer, you will need a supported device. Obviously, you don’t need to worry about this if you have a PlayStation 3 or 4. Otherwise, I recommend getting a Roku or Amazon Fire TV and using the PS Vue App.

All that is left is signing up for PlayStation Vue and picking the bundle you want.

*Disclosure: Grounded Reason is supported by a small commission for purchases made through product links on this website. We do not accept compensation from companies attempting to sway our review of products.