It’s been a rough year for PlayStation. Earlier this year, in March, Sony raised the price of every PS5 model, citing “continued pressures in the global economic landscape” — a fancy way of saying the global memory shortage is driving prices higher. That pushed the PS5’s starting price for the Digital Edition to $600, now $200 higher than when it launched at $400 almost six years ago.

Then, a few months later in July, Sony faced significant backlash after announcing that it would stop producing physical game discs for all new PlayStation games starting in 2028.

Now, nearly two months later, Sony has made another significant PlayStation announcement, but this time it is about streaming, not physical media. Sony has announced the launch of its own streaming service on PlayStation called Live TV on PS5.

Live TV on PS5 lets PS5 players in the US stream free, ad-supported TV (FAST) channels directly on their console, with more than 100 free channels from Sony Pictures Television available at launch, along with a variety of free on-demand content, including movies, TV shows, and anime.

Essentially, what Sony has done with Live TV on PS5 is launch its own version of The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Tubi, uniquely for PS5 players.

How to watch Live TV on PS5

Sony wants to expand it beyond the US

If you’re interested in checking out Live TV on PS5, it’s currently available only to users in the US. You can find it by going to the Media tab on the PS5’s home screen and selecting the Live TV on PS5 icon. You’ll then be prompted to connect your PlayStation account to the app, after which you can start streaming for free.

Sony says it plans to add even more to Live TV on PS5 over time, including new channels and on-demand content, while also expanding the service to more regions. The company says it’s looking to “expand the experience” to Canada and other countries, but it hasn’t provided a timeline for when that might happen.

As for the content you can find, here’s everything Sony has highlighted so far (via PlayStation Blog):

• Movies — Free movies across action, horror, sci-fi and more, with channels including MovieSphere by Lionsgate, 50 Cent Action, FilmRise Free Movies, Sony One Horror Hits and Cinevault.
• TV Shows — Fan-favorite programming including Community, The Shield, Hell’s Kitchen, The Walking Dead, Forensic Files, Unsolved Mysteries, Deal or No Deal USA and Fear Factor, plus Ice Road Truckers from A+E’s HISTORY.
• Anime — Anime favorites including Naruto, Sailor Moon, Hunter x Hunter, Death Note and more, including exclusive channels Black Clover and Box Sets channels from Crunchyroll.
• Sports — Sports programming from FOX Sports, NASCAR, NBC Sports Now, UFC and more spanning MMA, football, hockey, motorsports, golf, boxing and soccer
• News & Weather — National, local and international coverage including NBC News Now, Fox Weather, and LiveNOW from FOX
• Creator & Specialty Programming – Programming featuring Hot Ones, Spotify’s The Ringer, Futcrunch, Idle Mode, comedy, action sports, gaming, esports and other creator-led content.
• Additional Programming — Discover gaming and esports, creator-led entertainment, documentaries, podcasts and other specialty programming, including eCLUTCH (exclusive) and more.

I don’t think the launch of Live TV on PS5 is going to make some fans forget about Sony’s decision to end physical game discs anytime soon, and rightfully so. But I do think it’s an interesting initiative by Sony nonetheless, especially since it’s squarely targeted at taking on the competition in the FAST space, like The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Plex. I’ll be curious to see how Sony expands the service in the future, and hopefully, it launches in more countries sooner rather than later.

Sony’s push into FAST also comes at an interesting time, with free streaming services continuing to grow amid rising streaming prices. Netflix raised its prices this past March, while Apple TV did the same just last week, making free alternatives like The Roku Channel and now Live on PS5 a lot more appealing.

4K Capability

Yes

What’s Included

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition, Dualsense Wireless Controller, 2 Horizontal stand feetm HDMI cable, USB cable

Brand

PlayStation

Storage

1TB SSD