Sinclair Broadcast Group stations removed from Sony's PlayStation Vue platform
Sinclair Broadcast Group, the owner of a number of local news stations across the country, is pulling its ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC affiliates from Sony's PlayStation Vue platform.
The broadcasting company said the removal is due to Sony “failing to comply with certain contractual provisions.” According to Sinclair, Sony has told PlayStation Vue subscribers that it will replace the removed stations with certain on demand content.
"We regret Sony was not willing to meet certain requirements for carrying our stations," said Barry Faber, Sinclair's EVP of network relations and distribution, in a statement. ”We remind Sony subscribers that there are other video distributor options available to receive our broadcast stations' programming, including Sony's direct competitor YouTube TV, which continues to carry stations that Sony has dropped. Fortunately, subscribers to PlayStation Vue can terminate their subscriptions with ease and without termination fees."
Sony rolled out PlayStation Vue three years ago in a bid to appeal to cord-cutters. Its cheapest option, called Access, costs $39.99 per month.
Sinclair has found itself in hot water as of late due to reports that it has a conservative bias. Last month, a video made the rounds that showed its anchors across the country reading a required script that warned viewers of "biased and false news" and "irresponsible, one-sided news stories."