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The story
PlayStation’s official X (formerly Twitter) account announced that its “Live TV” feature — offering 100+ live channels of movies, anime, sports, news, and more — has launched on PS5 in the US. On 5ch’s Hardware/Industry (“Geha”) board, confusion initially spread that the service was paid, but this was later corrected: it’s actually free to watch, supported by ads. While some welcomed the tie-in with Sony-owned anime streaming giant Crunchyroll, skeptical voices also emerged — “Is there even a point using a PS5 just to watch video these days?” and “If the ad model gets out of hand, won’t it destabilize the video industry itself?” — sparking a broader debate.
Looking for something great to watch?
Live TV on PS5 launches today. Enjoy 100+ live channels, with movies, TV, anime, sports, news, and more being added all the time:
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Source: x.com / original post here
What people said
Fire TV Stick will do just fine
Don't spread fake news that gets debunked in two seconds, you moron
>Live TV on PS5 launches today, giving US PS5 players access to free, ad-supported TV.
https://blog.playstation.com/2026/08/31/live-tv-on-ps5-launches-today-bringing-free-ad-supported-tv-to-ps5-players-in-the-u-s/
It's free, dude, do your research
It's a service that lets you stream subscription-style video content for free through an ad-supported model
Honestly this is a pretty solid service
If it comes to Japan too, that'd be a big deal
Getting Crunchyroll — the Sony-run, world's biggest anime subscription service with 15 million members — for free just by owning a PS5 is huge
Sony's really committing to cross-group synergy now
It's just an ad-supported model, that's all
They'll probably start charging a monthly fee down the line too
It literally says "completely free"
Don't you dare pull the "times have changed" card on this one
Compared to the PS4/Xbox One era, TVs and Fire Sticks already handle video playback just fine
You can watch it on a gaming monitor though
Not really needed, it's just there as an option
With Prime Video and YouTube apps already on it, there's no downside to having it
If you want to watch Netflix in 5.1/7.1 surround with just a single HDMI cable, it's actually pretty convenient
they're resorting to reeling people in with video
Making it free with ads and everything… doesn't that risk tanking the video industry itself?
Lol, you clearly don't understand how the money flows in an ad-based model
It's less "dependent" and more that third parties choose the platform
Unlike Nintendo, it has a much bigger active user base
Then why was everyone bashing the "TV TV" thing back when the Xbox One did it?
Re: #35
These days gaming monitors hook up to smartphones easily over USB too…
It's useless for watching video though
It's all choppy and laggy
Then go ahead and explain what you mean
It's basically earning money through ads, right?
If the headaches just keep piling up, this business is bound to get as unstable as YouTube's ad crackdowns
It's only possible because the ad revenue flows back into the industry
For the industry, this is simply a new revenue stream that lets them reach Sony's 125 million monthly active users
Why would that tank the industry?
Crunchyroll is a Sony subsidiary, so they can do whatever they want with it
If more services like this keep popping up, it'll just turn into a scramble for ad space
Ad revenue isn't exactly stable to begin with
and just like YouTube, the terms keep shifting under everyone's feet
so the people actually making the content won't get a steady income anymore
Quit being so negative all the time
You're just scared Nintendo's going to get crushed by Sony
PlayStation looks like it's headed for the end pretty soon
This
PlayStation, or at least the gaming side of it, is probably done for
and people are way overreacting
This isn't some toddler's console that can't even play YouTube, lol
https://www.famitsu.com/images/000/260/200/y_626aa4586a615.jpg
Narrowing by genre or searching with a controller sounds like a pain
The controller has a built-in mic
so you can use voice input, and if you plug a keyboard in directly you can use keyboard and mouse too
Knowing Sony, they honestly might go that far
Can't remember the title, but I feel like there was PS Store-exclusive anime before
Wait, they're already doing that?
They've waded into territory they really shouldn't have
Video content itself is going to collapse because of this
You can see it with YouTube — the ads start out short,
but once everyone's running ads, ad value just keeps sinking,
so the ads get longer and longer while paid subscriptions keep getting pricier,
and it turns into a mess where you can watch a video on one platform but not another
Xam'd: Lost Memories on Animax PLUS, now that brings back memories
Can you watch this while playing a game?
Or can you not play games while this is on, lol?
They specifically built in ad revenue for this, no way they'd hide it from you
Nope
No matter how you look at it, it's cemented its spot as a watered-down PC slash oversized smartphone
And nobody's out here buying a PS just to watch videos
By making it capable of everything, it's meant to eventually become the de facto entertainment platform for cars
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
According to Sony’s official announcement, PS5’s “Live TV” is a free, ad-supported service rather than a paid monthly subscription — and that distinction was the focus of the misunderstanding that spread through the thread. Sony owns major anime streaming service Crunchyroll and operates as a diversified entertainment conglomerate spanning film, music, and games, so this feature is widely seen as part of that cross-group synergy. At the same time, there’s a precedent for this kind of “TV feature”: the Xbox One drew criticism at launch for shifting a console’s core identity away from gaming, and that same wariness — “does a game console really need a video-watching feature?” — still runs strong here. On the ad-revenue model, some worry about competition for ad space across the wider streaming market and a possible future shift toward paid tiers or region-locked content, so the thread was split between welcoming the free perk and worrying about its ripple effects on the industry.
*This article is compiled as an excerpt and summary of the 5ch (Hardware/Industry [“Geha”]) thread “[Good News] PS5’s “Live TV” Launches! Supports 100+ Live Channels, Fans Hyped!“.
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