NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Sony (SNE) - Get Report has quietly restarted negotiations with Walt Disney (DIS) - Get Reportin a bid to add ABC, ESPN and Disney Channel networks to its long-awaited Playstation Vue video-streaming service, according to two people with knowledge of the talks.

The Disney channels, especially ESPN, are considered crucial to the rollout of Sony's new cloud-based service, which the electronics giant is aiming at the mostly male users of its Playstation gaming consoles, according to one of the sources.

Disney's channels were notably absent when Sony announced the lineup for the planned service back in November. Meanwhile, broadcast networks and sports channels from CBS (CBS) - Get Report, Comcast's (CMCSA) - Get Report NBCUniversal networks and Twenty-First Century Fox (FOX) - Get Report (FOXA) - Get Report were included among Vue's offerings.

"We're talking to all the networks that our users are interested in and will have more to share later on," said Sean Yonega, a spokesman for Sony Network Entertainment.

Disney/ABC Television Group spokesman Kevin Brockman had no comment.

Sony's Vue service prepares to launch as Time Warner's (TWX) HBO, CBS' Showtime and Viacom's (VIAB) - Get Report Nickelodeon have all said they will start standalone digital subscription video services in the coming months. All three companies are seeking to attract younger viewers who don't have cable subscriptions or choose not to pay for premium channels.

Standalone offerings also provide the media companies with direct relationships with consumers, both for marketing and for gathering information about viewing habits that is normally controlled by cable and satellite TV providers.

Sony is currently beta-testing Vue with select users of its Playstation 3 and Playstation 4 game consoles in New York, Chicago and Philadelphia, the company says. When launched, Vue will offer a lineup of about 75 channels, the company said in its release.

The pricing wasn't announced, but industry experts have said it will likely be $60 a month or more, cheaper than most cable TV bills.

Earlier talks between Sony and Disney fell apart over the cost of ESPN, which is by far the priciest channel in the cable world. According to SNL Kagan analyst Derek Baine, ESPN commands $6.55 a month per subscriber for the flagship channel. The two companies have made some progress in negotiations, but are not near an agreement, said one of the people with knowledge of the talks.

Sony unsuccessfully tried to convince Disney to allow its subscribers to choose packages that didn't include ESPN in a bid to keep its prices down, said one of the people with knowledge of the talks. Disney CEO Bob Iger has said repeatedly that the media giant prefers so-called bundles of cable channels, by which subscribers are offered packages of several channels in a single plan.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor. At the time of publication, the author held positions in Disney, Comcast and CBS.