PS5 Adds Free Live And On-Demand Movie And TV Channels, In Exchange For Watching Ads

GameSpot » All News RSS Feed✍ Eddie Makuch📅 August 31, 2026⏱ 4 min read(6 days ago)

Overview & Key Takeaways

Out of nowhere, Sony has announced that free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) is now on PlayStation 5, allowing people to watch movies and TV shows for free, in exchange for watching ads.

FAST programming is growing in popularity, and some of the current market leaders include Roku, Tubi, and Pluto, among others. FAST content was already on PS5 through dedicated apps for some of those services, but now Sony is launching its own FAST channel. For its part, Microsoft offers some FAST channels apps like Tubi and Pluto on Xbox as well.

Available on PS5 in the US, the new "Live TV on PS5" comes from Sony's own Sony Pictures Television. There are more than 100 live channels, as well as on-demand programming spanning news, sports, movies, TV shows, and anime.

Here's how to access it on your PS5:

Go to the Media tab:
Select the Live TV on PS5 icon.
Select “Sign In With My PlayStation Account” to connect your PlayStation account and start watching.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txpaWqfcFFU

Some of the content available includes movies from MovieSphere, 50 Cent Action, FilmRise Free Movies, Sony One Horror Hits, and Cinevault. Some of the TV shows people can watch include The Walking Dead, Community, Unsolved Mysteries, and Hell's Kitchen. Anime programming available on the service includes Naruto, Sailor Moon, and Death Note, as well as some Crunchyroll channels. For sports fans, programming from Fox Sports, Nascar, NBC Sports Now, and UFC are available. There are also news and weather channels, along with "creator" content like Hot Ones and The Ringer programming.

Live TV on PS5 will be updated over time with more channels and content, while Sony said it’s looking to expand it to Canada and other regions later.

FAST is a growing segment of the entertainment landscape. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and Netflix are also mulling plans for FAST content as well.

Before this, Sony operated the paid live TV service PlayStation Vue, but the company shut it down in 2020 due in part to how expensive it was to operate.

Out of nowhere, Sony has announced that free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) is now on PlayStation 5, allowing people to watch movies and TV shows for free, in exchange for watching ads.

Available on PS5 in the US, the new “Live TV on PS5” comes from Sony’s own Sony Pictures Television. There are more than 100 live channels, as well as on-demand programming spanning news, sports, movies, TV shows, and anime.

Here’s how to access it on your PS5:

Go to the Media tab:
Select the Live TV on PS5 icon.
Select “Sign In With My PlayStation Account” to connect your PlayStation account and start watching.

VIDEO

Some of the content available includes movies from MovieSphere, 50 Cent Action, FilmRise Free Movies, Sony One Horror Hits, and Cinevault. Some of the TV shows people can watch include The Walking Dead, Community, Unsolved Mysteries, and Hell’s Kitchen. Anime programming available on the service includes Naruto, Sailor Moon, and Death Note, as well as some Crunchyroll channels. For sports fans, programming from Fox Sports, Nascar, NBC Sports Now, and UFC are available. There are also news and weather channels, along with “creator” content like Hot Ones and The Ringer programming.

Live TV on PS5 will be updated over time with more channels and content, while Sony said it’s looking to expand it to Canada and other regions later.

FAST is a growing segment of the entertainment landscape. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney and Netflix are also mulling plans for FAST content as well.

Before this, Sony operated the paid live TV service PlayStation Vue, but the company shut it down in 2020 due in part to how expensive it was to operate.

✈ Read Original at GameSpot » All News RSS Feed ← Back to All News

More in PlayStation, Xbox, Multi-platform

🎮 PlayStation, Xbox, Multi-platform

GTA Cheat Codes Taught a Generation How Much Fun It Is to Break a Video Game

For PS2-era gamers, Grand Theft Auto's extensive cheats were a key part of the fun.

🎮 GTA🎮 Grand Theft Auto

PolygonNewsabout 7 hours ago

🎮 PlayStation, Xbox, Multi-platform

Double Fine Flexes Its Independence With Price Cuts And A New PS5 Release

After its liberation from Microsoft's ownership(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/xbox-layoffs-studio-closures-and-spin-offs-everything-announced-today/), the newly independent Double Fine Productions has been quite busy. At the September 2026 State of Play(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-state-of-play-september-2026-all-the-biggest-announcements-games-and-trailers/), PlayStation revealed that Double Fine's surreal adventure Keeper is shadow-dropping on PS5, and the studio added that the acclaimed game is getting some intriguing updates. Along with the surprise PS5 release, Keeper is also getting a "Psychedelic Mode," which is probably exactly what it sounds like. Considering how much bizarre imagery is already in the game, an even more "wild new way" to play the game should be a treat. And Double Fine wants to sweeten the deal with a price cut, which the studio implemented with its other recent title, Kiln. https://bsky.app/profile/doublefine.com/post/3mummzhp4ws2f Keeper launched in 2025 at a $30 price point and now sells for $20. Kiln, which released earlier in 2026, cost $20 for the base game, with a $30 deluxe "Fired Up" edition; those are now $8 and $10(https://bsky.app/profile/doublefine.com/post/3muklpwthnc2a), respectively. Unlike Keeper, Kiln launched on PS5 along with Xbox and Steam. Meanwhile, Double Fine revived its Amnesia Fortnight game jam and already exceeded its crowdfunding goal of $400,000(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/doublefine/amnesia-fortnight-2026-indie-reboot) for the project. The game jam, a tradition for Double Fine since 2007 (and was halted while it was under Xbox's ownership), will result in the studio's next title. But the loftiest stretch goal in the crowdfunding campaign is the promise of a Brutal Legend 2 should it reach $100 million(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/i-am-begging-one-cool-billionaire-to-take-up-double-fines-offer-to-fund-brutal-legend-2/). It's a huge ask, and one that likely won't be met pending intervention from any moguls who are big Jack Black fans. Keeper was beloved by critics, with GameSpot's Keeper review(https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/keeper-review-this-ones-a-keeper/1900-6418424/) calling it a "visual feast." Since Double Fine's spin-off from Xbox, purchases of its games will directly support the studio(https://www.doublefine.com/news/and-were-back). The split from Microsoft occurred in July, but the studio unfortunately cut 25% of its staff(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/double-fine-cuts-25-of-staff-after-separating-from-microsoft/) as a result.

GameSpotNews3 days ago

🎮 PlayStation, Xbox, Multi-platform

Everything From The State Of Play That You Can Try Right Now

The most exciting part of a video game showcase is when developers shadow-drop something immediately after announcing it. Today's State of Play(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/playstation-state-of-play-september-2026-all-the-biggest-announcements-games-and-trailers/) had a few such announcements. Demos for a new Final Fantasy game and anime-inspired action titles, as well as a port of a Double Fine game that was previously Xbox exclusive, are out now. Final Fantasy Resonance Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZvZYwQdXN8&pp=0gcJCRoMAYcqIYzv Final Fantasy Resonance(https://www.gamespot.com/videos/final-fantasy-resonance-hands-on-preview/) is an HD-2D game based on the narrative of Brave Exvius, a game previously only available on mobile. This demo will give you a taste of the game's first chapter and all of the throwback pixel art and Final Fantasy character summons that come during that. Progression will carry over to the full game too, which is out on October 22. Although only the PS5 version was mentioned during the stream, the demo is also out now on PC, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X|S. Keeper's PS5 Port https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PilyJu1DDEo Keeper(https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/keeper-review-this-ones-a-keeper/1900-6418424/) was released by Double Fine in October 2025 and is the latest title from Headlander and Stacking designer Lee Petty. It's a surreal, visually stunning game where you explore a decrepit world as a lighthouse and its fantastical bird companion. It flew under the radar last year, so it's great to see it come to PS5 now that Double Fine is independent(https://www.gamespot.com/articles/double-fine-cuts-25-of-staff-after-separating-from-microsoft/) once again. It got a price drop and new psychedelic mode today too. Stupid Never Dies Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k33MQFuVEY Stupid Never Dies is a quirky new action game from Hiroyuki Kobayashi, a producer best known for his work on series like Dino Crisis and Dragon's Dogma at Capcom. You can get a taste of its flashy action from this new demo, which lasts two hours and lets you transfer progress once Stupid Never Dies launches on October 21. SlashZero Demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrJuL3XSLTc SlashZero is a fast-paced action roguelike with an anime aesthetic where players control a time hacker trying to kill something called "Hieros-I." While the game won't be out until sometime next spring, a limited-time demo was released on PS5 today.

🎮 Final Fantasy

GameSpotNews3 days ago

← Back to GameSky Home