• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechVideo

Sony’s New 4K Streaming Service to Debut in Early April

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 29, 2016, 2:10 PM ET
Photograph by Steve Marcus — Reuters

There’s a new streaming service on the block.

Sony Pictures Entertainment’s home video arm (Sony Pictures Home Entertainment) will roll out its new 4K high-definition movie streaming service on April 4, the company said on Tuesday during a press event in San Francisco.

But there’s a catch. The new service will only be available to people who buy Sony’s 4K televisions.

Sony first detailed the new streaming service, dubbed Ultra, during this year’s Consumer Electronics Show.

Although 4K televisions have been on the market for a couple of years with prices of the devices on the decline as their popularity has increased, there hasn’t been as much 4K-ready video available to stream over the Internet compared to high-definition video, which is of lower quality.

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Over the last year, however, streaming services like Netflix (NFLX) and Amazon (AMZN) have started to offer 4K versions of shows and movies for their customers.

Sony Pictures Entertainment vice president Jake Winett explained on Tuesday that Sony’s decision to create a 4K streaming service came in response to more consumers upgrading home Internet services, presenting Sony with the opportunity to stream larger, higher-quality video without hiccups.

“We wanted to give consumers a streaming option that really showcased the best quality content,” posited Winett. Thus, Sony is hopping on the 4K bandwagon.

Still, the electronics giant’s version of the service is different than other streaming services.

For example, consumers will only be able to purchase movies, rather than rent them like they would on Amazon’s Prime video streaming service. Winett noted it was “a commercial decision” to only let users buy movies, although he suggested that might change in the future.

“We can turn on rentals pretty quickly if we wanted to if we see consumer demand,” remarked Winett. “It’s fairly straightforward for us to light that up.”

It will cost $30 dollars to purchase a 4K version of a movie for streaming. That rate drops to between $12 and $15 when customers upgrade lower-quality movie streams to 4K. To top it off, if a customer buys a Sony 4K television this summer, he or she will get four free 4K movies to stream, Winett promised.

For more about Sony, watch:

Additionally, customers will only be able to buy movies developed by Sony Pictures Entertainment. The company did not say how many films will be available when the service comes online, but some of the titles already announced include Concussion, The Night Before,The Walk, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Ghostbusters.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

InnovationVenture Capital
This Khosla Ventures-backed startup is using AI to personalize cancer care
By Allie GarfinkleDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago
AIEye on AI
Companies are increasingly falling victim to AI impersonation scams. This startup just raised $28M to stop deepfakes in real time
By Sharon GoldmanDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago
Jensen Huang
SuccessBillionaires
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang admits he works 7 days a week, including holidays, in a constant ‘state of anxiety’ out of fear of going bankrupt
By Jessica CoacciDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago
Ted Pick
BankingData centers
Morgan Stanley considers offloading some of its data-center exposure
By Esteban Duarte, Paula Seligson, Davide Scigliuzzo and BloombergDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago
Zuckerberg
EnergyMeta
Meta’s Zuckerberg plans deep cuts for Metaverse efforts
By Kurt Wagner and BloombergDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago
Pichai
Big TechAlphabet
Alphabet’s AI chips are a potential $900 billion ‘secret sauce’
By Ryan Vlastelica and BloombergDecember 4, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Two months into the new fiscal year and the U.S. government is already spending more than $10 billion a week servicing national debt
By Eleanor PringleDecember 4, 2025
7 hours ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
6 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Scott Bessent calls the Giving Pledge well-intentioned but ‘very amorphous,’ growing from ‘a panic among the billionaire class’
By Nick LichtenbergDecember 3, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
AI
IBM CEO warns there’s ‘no way’ hyperscalers like Google and Amazon will be able to turn a profit at the rate of their data center spending
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezDecember 3, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.