Sony ‘signs Viacom deal for online service’

Sony has reportedly signed a preliminary deal with Viacom to carry the latter’s channels on its planned new online pay TV service.

According to a Wall Street Journal report, Sony will carry Viacom channels including MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon on the new web offering, though it still needs to “nail down details” of the deal.

It has also reportedly held talks with other major broadcasters including Walt Disney Company, CBS and Time Warner, which owns HBO and TNT.

Sony is planning to launch a service that will see it stream cable channels and on-demand programming over the web, to Sony devices like its PlayStation games console and Sony TV sets, said the WSJ.
Features of the service are said to include show recommendations and a “highly graphic and easy-to-use” interface, with a launch planned for early next year.

Sony’s move into the online pay-TV space will see it take on established OTT players like Netflix and Hulu, as well as other new entrants into this market, such as Intel, which is reportedly planning to rollout a set-top service that will deliver live TV, catch-up and additional content over the web later this year.