NESN, Home to Boston Red Sox & Bruins, Officially Dropped from PlayStation Vue

In a e-mail to subscribers, PlayStation Vue confirmed that NESN, the home to live Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins games, is no longer available on the service.

The timing is poor, as it coincides with tonight’s Bruins/Maple Leafs playoff game. Fortunately, the game will also air on NBCSN in the Boston market — which is available on PlayStation Vue, but without local announcers. For those in need of NESN for Boston Red Sox games, the channel is available on Fubo and YouTube TV — which both have a 7-Day Free Trial.

As of April 19, 2019, PlayStation Vue will no longer carry the NESN channel, and all associated On Demand and DVR content will no longer be viewable.

We are regularly evaluating the PlayStation Vue service to ensure we are offering a compelling value to our customers. As part of this ongoing evaluation, we have determined that this change was necessary for us to continue to provide the best value for our customer base.

If you have additional questions or concerns, please use our live chat function to connect with a PlayStation Vue team member or modify your subscription here.

To watch tonight’s Bruins game tune to NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) at 7PM ET.

Thank you for being a valued PlayStation Vue subscriber.
The PlayStation Vue team

In a statement to The Streamable, a NESN spokesperson shared:

“It’s unfortunate for fans of the Bruins and the Red Sox that Sony PlayStation Vue has dropped NESN from its channel line-up. NESN has been negotiating with Sony PlayStation Vue for months and provided a written 3-week extension for Sony to continue carrying our channel while we continue talks.

Last night, with less than 24 hours’ notice, they informed us of their plans to drop NESN today at 5 pm and cease discussions. Our hope is that Sony will reconsider its current position and restore NESN to its programming lineup.”

PlayStation Vue carried NESN locally across New England markets like Boston, Hartford, Burlington, and Portland in their $50 Core Plan (and above), as well as their National Feed which is part of Vue’s Sports Pack ($10) — which doesn’t include live games. Regional Sports Networks are some of the most expensive channels for Live TV Streaming Services, so the move is not surprising if NESN was demanding a higher carriage rate.