Sony has unveiled eight brand-new TV channels coming to Smart TVs from Samsung and LG, TiVo+ set-top boxes, and some smartphones and tablets. Known as Sony One, these entertainment channels will tap into the vast catalogue of television shows and blockbusters produced by Sony Pictures Entertainment, including Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Dawson's Creek, Jerry Maguire, Easy A, and Men In Black, to name just a few.
Everything will be available free of charge when the channels launch sometime in April.
Free Ad-supported Streaming Television, more commonly known as FAST, is becoming increasingly popular. Samsung has its own portfolio of ad-supported channels via Samsung TV Plus and Roku broadcasts its free-to-watch service, dubbed The Roku Channel, to device owners worldwide.
Interestingly, Sony has decided to forgo traditional television platforms like Freeview and Sky TV with the upcoming launch of its eight FAST channels. It's unclear why the brand made that decision.
FAST is one of the fastest-growing areas on the small screen — with viewership increasing 180x between 2019 and 2022 and revenue growing 20x during that same period. Research from Omdia suggests FAST could account for almost 20% of the UK’s $3 billion premium ad-supported video market by 2027.
Speaking about the launch of its new channels, Sony Senior Vice President of Digital Sales, Pete Wood said: "Sony Pictures recognises the potential of the free ad-supported television space to engage new viewers globally with our extensive feature film and TV series catalogue spanning 100 years.
"Our entry into the FAST space in Europe reflects our dedication to making premium content accessible to audiences on new and important distribution channels."
The launch of the eight new channels in the UK is part of a wider push by Sony across Europe.
Localised versions of the Sony One channels will be available on Samsung and LG TVs, smartphones and tablets with Samsung TV Plus, and TiVo+ devices in France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Finland.
There will be a total of 54 channels launching under the Sony One umbrella, but the TV channels coming to the UK in the coming weeks are:
Sony One Comedy TV | This channel will include episodes of some of the most popular comedy series, including Seinfeld, The Nanny, and The Goldbergs. Sony has the channel will offer “a light-hearted viewing experience to share with family and friends”.
Sony One Thriller TV | As the name suggests, this action-packed channel will air series like Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Justified, and a number of other critically adored crime procedurals.
Sony One Faves | Timeless television classics and fan-favourites like Bewitched, Community, and Dawson’s Creek will be broadcast back-to-back.
Sony One Comedy HITS |This channel is focused on classic comedy films. Tune in and expect the likes of Step Brothers, Jerry Maguire, and Easy A to get you smiling.
Sony One Action HITS | District 9, Zombieland and Men In Black will be the sorts of films you'll find when switching over to this FAST film channel.
Sony One Shark Tank | This channel is dedicated to one of the most successful reality telly shows on the planet that helped to launch products like the Ring video doorbell and Scrub Daddy sponge. Aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their fledgling products to multi-millionaire moguls, known as the Sharks, in hopes of landing an investment. Shark Tank is the US adaptation of British and Japanese reality hit, Dragons’ Den.
Sony One Dragons’ Den | The juggernaut reality show from the BBC that sees aspiring entrepreneurs pitch products and business ideas to investors like Deborah Meaden, Peter Jones, Sara Davies, Steven Bartlett, and Touker Suleyman in the hope of landing an investment.
Sony One Blacklist | This channel is focused entirely on the crime-thriller series The Blacklist, which ran for 10 series between 2013 and 2023. The Emmy Award-winning series follows a fugitive who works with a rookie FBI profiler to take down criminals and terrorists.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
The arrival of the new Sony One channels brings to an end a three-year absence of the Sony brand from English-language TV channels in the UK. Sony vanished from TV Guides nationwide in 2021 when it sold its previous portfolio of channels to Narrative Entertainment, who rebranded under the moniker "GREAT!".
Narrative Entertainment launched a new addition to its "GREAT!" channels earlier this month.
