After Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringe announced last week that the electronics giant was going to build "a different kind of TV set," it's not that big of a surprise that the companies working on something. Okay, it's sort of a surprise. Let's just hope Sony can pull this off.
According to the WSJ, Sony is in talks with several big media companies to bring IPTV to its electronics line. Sony wants to stream live TV to its PS3, Blu-ray players and connected TVs. This service would cut cable companies out of the media delivery loop. According to the WSJ's "people familiar with the situation," Sony wants to license smaller bundles of channels than cable operators. That could present some problems. Media companies might not want to undercut the partnerships they have with cable and satellite outlets.
Sony could also run into a few problems with many media companies having stakes in the cable industry. Media giant Time Warner has Warner Bros., Turner broadcasting, and HBO in its corral. Oh they also have little company called TimeWarner cable. And NBC/Universal is merging with cable provider Comcast. So Sony is going to have a tough time convincing some of the major players to jump onboard their cable-TV alternative. Good luck Sony, you're gonna need it. [WSJ via The Verge]
You can keep up with Roberto Baldwin, on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.