- Sony drops several features for its customers
- Changes affect antenna and set-top box users
- Menus and program information will be removed for affected users
Do you get your TV fix using an antenna or a set-top box? If so, you represent a significant proportion of the public, but if you have a Sony Bravia TV in your home, you could be about to lose a key feature of your device.
As Cord Cutters News noted, a support page on Sony’s website now warns customers that the company will change its service “at the end of May 2026,” and not in a good way.
Specifically, the page explains that at that point, antenna users will experience a significantly reduced experience. “Program information may not appear depending on the channel,” Sony explains, and “Only programs from recently watched channels can be streamed.” Channel logos will not be displayed in the program guide and thumbnail images in program descriptions will no longer be available either.
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Unwanted changes are also coming to the TV menu. The Set Top Box menu will be removed entirely, to be replaced by a simplified control menu. Additionally, thumbnails will not appear in the TV menu.
Affected TV models include the A95L series from 2023, the Bravia 9 (XR90), Bravia 8 (XR80) and Bravia 7 (XR70) from 2024, as well as the Bravia 8 II (XR80M2) and Bravia 5 (XR50) from 2025. This could be frustrating news for loyal Sony customers: the Bravia 8 II, for example, only the last one came out. year and costs over $3,499 / £2,999 / AU$4,999 at launch. Losing functionality from such a new (and expensive) device is not good news.
A “pinch” gesture
Sony hasn’t given an explicit reason for this decision, but it likely has to do with the back-end costs of providing program details and images to users. For Sony, continuing to provide them to antenna and set-top box customers may not be worth it.
But these users likely represent a significant proportion of Sony’s base. Ars Technica cited a 2025 survey suggesting that 19% of 2,200 U.S. adults surveyed used an antenna with their TV. A second survey cited by Ars Technica found that of 1,600 U.S. viewers ages 16 to 74 with broadband access, 26 percent said a set-top box was their “default device for watching TV.”
Unsurprisingly, Sony customers weren’t thrilled to hear about these changes. On Reddit, user NewsCards said the move risks giving Sony a reputation as “a cash-strapped brand willing to remove established features that 19% of its customers use, just to save a few bucks.” User tuppertom chimed in, adding: “Looks like I can take Sony off my shopping list.”
If you are in the cohort of affected customers, you will need to prepare for reduced functionality at the end of May. Either that, or you could consider upgrading to another TV model – something we can help with with our selection of the best TVs on the market.
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