Powers has been in development as a television series for several years, but it appears that when it finally debuts in December, it will only be on the screens of subscribers to the PlayStation Network. Based on the long-running comic book series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming, the series stars Sharlto Copley (District 9) and Susan Heyward (The Following) as Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, police detectives who investigate crimes involving people with superhuman abilities, who are referred to as Powers.
Powers is PSN’s first original series. Beginning in December, every PlayStation Network (PSN) user in the United States will be able to view the first episode. PlayStation Plus members will have access to the entire season for free. PlayStation Plus is a premium subscription service. Sony has not released official figures, but the number of PS Plus subscribers in the U.S. has been estimated at around 3.5 million people. That’s a sizable potential audience for Powers, but how and when will people who do not own PlayStations be able to watch the show?
I was unable to find an answer to this question in any news item about the series. I asked Bendis via Twitter, but he only could confirm what had already been announced:
@texasannie every PSN user in the US get the first ep of Powers for free. PlayStation Plus members will get the entire season for free
— BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (@BRIANMBENDIS) September 16, 2014
@texasannie i have no info on that. its playstation exclusive.
— BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (@BRIANMBENDIS) September 16, 2014
Sony presumably hopes to recoup their investment in the show by driving more people to subscribe to PS Plus. However, it would be very surprising if the show never became available in another platform. Perhaps after several months, once any initial bump in subscribers subsides, they will announce a deal to distribute the series more widely via Netflix or something similar. No plans have been announced yet for distribution outside the US either, but it seems unlikely to stay that way. But as no concrete information is available yet, interested non-PSN subscribers will either have to wait and see what happens or find a PS Plus-subscribing friend who is willing to host a Powers marathon.
