- Sony sets several features for its customers
- The changes affect antenna and set-top box users
- Menus and program information will be removed for affected users
Can you fix your TV using an antenna or a set-top box? If so, you make up a sizable chunk of the viewing audience – but if you have a Sony Bravia TV in your home, you could be missing out on an important feature from your device.
As noted by Cord Cutters News, a support page on Sony’s website is now warning customers that the company will be changing its service in “late May 2026,” and not in a good way.
Specifically, the site explains that at that time antenna users will have a greatly reduced experience. “Program information may not be displayed depending on the channel,” says Sony, and “Only programs from recently viewed channels may be displayed.” Channel logos will no longer appear in the program guide, and thumbnails in program descriptions will also no longer be available.
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Unwelcome changes are also coming to the TV menu. The Set Top Box menu is completely removed and replaced by a simplified control menu. In addition, thumbnails do not appear in the TV menu.
The affected TV models include the A95L series from 2023, Bravia 9 (XR90), Bravia 8 (XR80) and Bravia 7 (XR70) from 2024, and Bravia 8 II (XR80M2) and Bravia 5 (XR50) from 2025. It could only be frustrating for Sony’s loyal customers, the 8 example. released last year and cost upwards of $3,499 / £2,999 / AU$4,999 at launch. Losing features from such a recent (and expensive) device is hardly welcome news.
A “penny-pinching” move
Sony hasn’t given an explicit reason for the move, but it’s likely to do with the backend costs of delivering program details and images to users. For Sony, it may not be worth it to continue supplying these to antenna and set-top box customers.
But these users likely make up a significant portion of Sony’s base. Ars Technica cited a 2025 study that suggested 19% of 2,200 US adults surveyed used an antenna with their TV. Another study cited by Ars Technica found that of 1,600 U.S. TV viewers between the ages of 16 and 74 who had broadband access, 26% said a set-top box was their “default device for watching TV.”
Not surprisingly, Sony customers weren’t thrilled to hear about the changes. On Reddit, user NewsCards said the move risked giving Sony a reputation as “a money brand willing to remove established features that 19% of their customers use just to save a few bucks.” User tuppertom chimed in, adding: “Looks like I can cross the Sony off my shopping list.”
If you are in the group of affected customers, prepare for reduced functionality at the end of May. Either that, or you’re considering switching to a different TV model – something we can help with thanks to our roundup of the best TVs on the market.
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