// KOTAKU — GAMING
PS5 Is Getting Free Live TV
PlayStation is getting in on the streaming wars with a new free live TV option for PS5 owners. Players will be able to choose from a bunch of different channels offering movies, anime, and network TV like Hell’s Kitchen with ads.
Live TV on PS5 will only be available in the U.S. to start, with the “free ad-supported experience from Sony Pictures Television” appearing in the console’s media tab and requiring a PlayStation account sign-in. Sony says the service will evolve over time, but for now, here’s what it will include:
Will this end up being a workable alternative for people who have cut the cable cord but don’t want to pay the ever-increasing price tag of live TV options on Hulu or YouTube? Or is Sony several years late to fighting the last war? In the age of endless vertical video scrolling on social media apps, sitting down to watch scheduled episodes of Naruto or a syndicated network show almost feels quaint.
At the same time, I’m personally getting fed up with trying to coble together a bunch of different pricey subscriptions in order to have access to live news, the latest seasons of my favorite TV shows, and sports. It’s a mess, and it’s way more than the $50 I used to pay for cable. So who else is going to join me in watching Ice Road Truckers on PS5 tonight?
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The PS5 exclusive has been MIA since its original reveal in 2024
I'm just here to kill aliens with cool guns, not make dialogue choices and hear the same conversations over and over
Console prices are already going up due to RAMageddon