PlayStation Vue sent out a letter to subscribers letting them know that negotiations AMC, Discovery, NBC Universal and Turner networks like TNT and TBS are going to be taking place this month. While these kinds of negotiations regularly take place between traditional cable and satellite providers subscribers to the streaming services may not have realized this would be a regular occurrence as well.
What does that all mean? It means that PlayStation Vue will have to work out a new agreement to carry the channels or they will lose them. Sony primed its audience for disappointment.
“Most of the programming/content you watch on PlayStation Vue is licensed from programmers for the right to air their networks/channels. Once these agreements near expiration, we enter into renewal discussions where we work hard to try and obtain the best value for our customers. Though infrequent, sometimes certain licenses will not be renewed, in which case PlayStation Vue would no longer carry the affected channels or networks,” said the letter.
Best value is a phrase that could worry subscribers because what they consider valuable and what Sony considers valuable may be two different things. Negotiations are what usually leads to increased subscription fees. Regular negotiations between channel providers and broadcast network affiliate owners are part of the reason cable prices have risen steadily over the years. Streaming services will not be immune.
