Sony Corp. is entering the original series fray, announcing production of a one-hour drama series called "Powers" that will be available for download on its PlayStation 4 console.
Interestingly, the series will not be part of Sony's virtual pay-TV service, The Wall Street Journal reports. That service is still in the planning phase, with the company reportedly working to acquire the rights from media companies to deliver their channels over the Internet.
Sony also owns Crackle, the online video channel that offers movies and television under an ad-supported model. The series won't be available via the channel.
"Powers," the company said, features a detective who investigates crimes that involve people with "special powers." An adaptation of a graphic novel by author Brian Michael Bendis and artist Michael Avon Oeming, it will be produced by Sony Pictures Television.
Pricing and availability haven't been announced.
Original content is definitely trending upward--Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) said last September that it is working on TV shows that will be exclusive to its Xbox One console, according to CNET--but whether Sony's move to offer direct-streamed series will be successful remains to be seen. With just one original series announced, "Powers" may simply be a litmus test for the media company.
For more:
- The Wall Street Journal has this story
- The Verge has this story
- CNET has this story
- FierceCable has this coverage
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