Sony has allegedly secured a deal with Viacom for an upcoming streaming TV service. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal would bring all of Viacom's content—MTV, VH1, Nickelodeon, etc.—to the unknown Internet TV service that's apparently gearing up for launch later this year. Sony is one of many companies reportedly working on similar TV services—Intel and Google are also rumored to be in the mix.
Sony's service will allegedly offer traditional cable channels as well as on-demand content over the Internet, a frontier many companies feel is untapped and ready to explore. Some details still need to be worked out with Viacom, but by all intents and purposes, the deal seems to be finished. The Japanese company is also rumored to be hashing out similar deals with Disney, Time Warner and CBS as well.
With Sony ready to launch a new console later this year, a companion TV service would be an enticing offer for buyers. Microsoft has TV aspirations of its own, and it's clear Sony wants to jump out ahead by offering both live and on-demand content. In addition to consoles, the service will also allegedly be available through Bravia TVs, and later other Sony-branded devices, such as smartphones and tablets.
People who have already seen Sony's new system in action claim is offers plenty of "appealing" features, including a unique recommendation system, but otherwise it's unclear how the service will look and act. Many companies want to get in on the streaming game, and Sony is obviously making progress on that front. Maybe the future of TV will be here before we know it.
