Over the course of a few short days, Sling TV announced it was raising the price of its Sling Orange plan by $5, followed by DirecTV Now revealing that it was raising monthly prices by $5 across the board. Now PlayStation Vue has followed suit, announcing that it would be raising prices on all of its packages.
“At PlayStation, we are always evaluating the PS Vue service to ensure we are providing a compelling value to our customers. Unfortunately, we must increase the price of our multi-channel plans to keep pace with rising business costs and enable us to continue offering a better way to watch the best in live sports, entertainment, and news,” the announcement on the PlayStation Blog reads.
As for specific prices, this means that PlayStation Vue’s lowest tier of programming, Access, will increase from $40 to $45 per month, while Core will rise from $45 to $50. Elite, which gets you most of the channels available on Vue, will increase from $55 to $60, while Ultra, which adds HBO and Showtime, will go from $75 to $80 per month.
All of the streaming services that are bumping prices will likely lose a few customers as a result, but this could be especially problematic for Sony. PlayStation Vue is one of the more expensive live TV streaming services available, though it does offer quite a few channels and some nice features for the price. Regardless of channel count and features, customers looking to save some money might be likely to jump to another streaming service, especially with the recent launch of AT&T’s WatchTV, which costs just $15 per month, albeit for a relatively small channel count without sports or local channels.
The price increase will hit PlayStation Vue subscribers on the first billing cycle after July 31. If this has you eyeing another streaming service, we’ve put together a comparison of the top live TV streaming services, but with many services raising prices, you won’t necessarily be saving money unless you’re willing to cut channels. There are also free providers of live TV like Pluto, and while the experience isn’t the same as a traditional service, you might find you like it just fine.
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
Technology evolves every day, transforming how we live and work. Our devices are becoming more than tools we use. They are increasingly capable companions that help streamline day-to-day routines and spark creative ideas. If you have been waiting for the right moment to upgrade your tech setup, the Discover Samsung Shopping Event offers an opportunity to explore what connected, AI-powered living can look like.