Sony Aims to Connect Advertisers to PlayStation Users With Launch of ‘Live TV on PS5’ (EXCLUSIVE)
tags:The audience that gravitates to games on PlayStation has become notoriously difficult for advertisers to reach. Until now.
Sony Pictures Television on Monday unveiled “Live TV on PS5,” an offering of more than 100 free ad-supported video channels that can all be accessed via the PlayStation 5 console. The service is initially available in the U.S., with Canada expected to follow. Sony expects the package to evolve over time, with new channels, themed programming and live events added as warranted.
Sony, which owns PlayStation, will make the service available via its Bravia television consoles later this year.
In some ways, Sony is offering a lifeline to reach a group of consumers who have been among the first to cut the proverbial cord connecting them to traditional TV services. “When you look at sort of the habits and behaviors of this community, they are gaming and engaging with video and they’re probably not showing up in other connected TV environments often,” says Peter Wood, executive vice president of consumer platforms and services at Sony Pictures Entertainment, during a recent interview.
Sony’s FAST forward move is emblematic of a broader shift taking place in the media sector, where the heady days of streaming are quickly giving way to more focused efforts to forge connections between content and the people who might consume it. Sony has sold more than 95 million PlayStation 5 units around the world as of June 30, according to data from Sony Interactive Entertainment, but the device’s users aren’t likely to be found through the typical kinds of outreach. More traditional media outlets and new-tech counterparts are testing a variety of free ad-supported methods that may be better suited for specific audience niches than the mass subscriber bases sought by Netflix, Peacock or HBO Max, among others.
The offering will feature programming from ABC News, A+E Global Media, AMC Global Media, Amazon MGM Studios, ESPN, Fox, Lionsgate, NASCAR, NBCUniversal, NFL Channel, Radial Entertainment and UFC, among others. Channels included are ABC News Live; Fox Sports, Fox Weather and LiveNOW from Fox;; NBC News Now and NBC Sports Now; and NFL Channel. The package will also include content from eCLUTCH ,an esports broadcaster; Spotify’s The Ringer; and channels dedicated specifically to “Community” and “The Shield” as well as Sony One’s Action Hits and Horror Hits.
Two anime channels from Crunchyroll, also part of Sony, have been created exclusively for Live TV. And viewers will be able to watch series including “Hot Ones,” “Wicked Tuna,” and “The Walking Dead,” along with selected movies such as “The Hunger Games,” “Hancock,” and “Resident Evil.”
Sony executives have been intent for years on trying to find ways to stitch the company’s assets together to help advertisers reach crowds of consumers they desire, says Wood. Sony engages with tens of millions of customers around the world across our devices,” he says. “I don’t think it’s rocket science to look at trying to remove the friction of content discovery across different media.”
Sony will work with both Publica and PubMatic, two companies that focus on connected-TV advertising, and Wood expects interest will be high if the commercials that are served are meaningful to PlayStation’s users. “This audience appeals to everyone,” he says. “We are just being very thoughtful” about ensuring the advertising presented is “relevant.”