In a surprise announcement, Sony today said that it will shut down its PlayStation Vue service on January 30, 2020 because of escalating content costs.

“Unfortunately, the highly competitive Pay TV industry, with expensive content and network deals, has been slower to change than we expected,” Sony’s John Kodera writes. “Because of this, we have decided to remain focused on our core gaming business.”

Sony launched PS Vue over four years ago, and it was one of the top choices for Internet-based TV, especially for sports fans. But like many similar services, Sony has been forced to raise prices repeatedly because content creators have charged ever-higher prices.

“We are very proud of what PlayStation Vue was able to accomplish,” Kodera says. “We had ambitious goals for how our service could change how people watch TV, showcasing PlayStation’s ability to innovate in a brand-new category within the Pay TV industry. We want to thank all of our customers, some of whom have been with us since PlayStation Vue’s launch in 2015.”

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