Sony Removes TV Guide Features From Recent Bravia Models Starting Late May

Sony will disable several TV guide and menu features on recent Bravia smart TVs beginning in late May 2026, affecting users who rely on antennas or set-top boxes. The changes will eliminate program thumbnails, channel logos, and dedicated set-top box menus across 2023, 2024, and 2025 models, including the Bravia 5, Bravia 8, Bravia 9, and Bravia A95L series.

Starting in late May, antenna users on affected Bravia TVs will see a reduced TV guide that may omit program information depending on the channel and will only display recently watched channels. Channel logos and thumbnail images in program descriptions will disappear for antenna-delivered content. Sony is also replacing the dedicated set-top box menu with a "control menu" that will be less dense but also less functional for those devices.

Additionally, the integrated Google TV guide across all affected models will no longer display thumbnail preview images for programs from antennas, free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels, and other live streaming services. These preview images have historically helped users identify shows and movies at a glance.

The affected television models span three years: the 2025 Bravia 8 II and Bravia 5, the 2024 Bravia 9, Bravia 8, and Bravia 7, and the 2023 Bravia A95L series. Some of these models are less than a year old and carry premium pricing—the Bravia 5 series ranges from $1,000 to $4,500. Sony did not explain the reason for the removals and did not respond to requests for comment before publication.

Users on technology forums and cord-cutting communities have expressed frustration about losing features on devices they already own. One common concern involves the timing: owners who purchased these TVs recently are now facing degraded functionality without having purchased a new device.

Context

Antenna and set-top box usage has declined over the past decade as on-demand streaming has grown. However, both remain in active use: a 2025 Horowitz Research survey of 2,200 U.S. adults found that 19 percent use antennas, while a 2024 Hub Entertainment Research survey of 1,600 U.S. TV viewers found that 26 percent rely on a set-top box as their default viewing device.

The removal of features like channel logos and metadata likely stems from licensing costs. Enhanced TV guide data, channel logos, and program metadata typically require agreements with third-party electronic program guide providers and metadata aggregators. By consolidating to Google TV's standardized guide, Sony may reduce backend infrastructure costs and licensing obligations. Set-top box controls can similarly be handled through the box's own interface or Google TV's input management system rather than requiring dedicated TV menu support.

For users who keep their Bravia TVs offline to minimize tracking and advertising, the antenna feature degradation represents an additional trade-off. These users have limited alternatives: external over-the-air tuners with integrated guides (such as Tablo devices), streaming hardware, or mobile apps for broadcast TV schedules.

What's Next

Sony has not announced whether these feature removals will extend to older Bravia models or future releases, leaving uncertainty about the company's broader TV guide strategy. The May deadline gives affected users roughly six weeks to assess workarounds—external tuners, streaming devices, or alternative TV brands—before the changes take effect.

The removal may signal Sony's shift toward prioritizing on-demand streaming integration over traditional broadcast TV support. If other smart TV manufacturers follow a similar cost-reduction approach, antenna and set-top box users across multiple brands could face diminished guide functionality in the coming months.