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Sling TV Review

Launched in 2015, Sling TV was the first streaming service that offered access to live TV without needing a cable or satellite connection. Sling has remained reasonably priced and competitive with a current membership of 2.59 million users.

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4.8
Cloud DVRCloud DVR
VOD
Live Sports
Local Channels
Written by:Mike Smithson

Special features

  • Flexible extras - You can tailor your Sling TV service to suit your tastes with dozens of optional add-ons to your main bundle
  • Wide range of live sports - Sling offers a good selection of live sports as well as additional sports add-ons
  • Live TV streaming and access to popular cable channels - Sling customers have access to some of the most popular network channels such as AMC and Cartoon Network
  • Pay-per-view entertainment without subscription - You don’t need to sign up to the base monthly subscription to watch your favorite shows. You can access shows and movies a la carte for a small pay-per-view charge

Catalog

Sling TV offers two main packages, Sling Orange and Sling Blue, both giving you access to many of the most popular cable TV channels. Sling Orange has a strong focus on sports with access to broadcasters like ESPN, while Sling Blue is more news and entertainment focused, offering channels like National Geographic and the Fox News network.
You can opt for a combined Orange and Blue package for an extra charge or add one of the various other packages to tailor your viewing experience. All channels can be watched live and Sling has an extensive on-demand service. Popular shows and movies include:

TV Shows

  • The Walking Dead
  • College Football
  • Better Call Saul

Movies

  • Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
  • Inception
  • The Dark Knight Rises

Global coverage

Sling TV is only available in the US, so you’ll need a virtual private network to watch if you’re overseas.

Account

  • Device compatibility - Sling TV has excellent compatibility since you can stream on 16 different types of devices. These include Amazon Tablets, all Android smartphones, smart TVs and game consoles.
  • 14-day free trial - As with most streaming services, you can try before you buy and you’re under no obligation or contract to continue the service if you’re not happy with it
  • Refer a friend discounts - If you refer a friend to Sling you’ll both get $5 off your subscription for three months

 

Prices

Sling offers three core packages:

  • Sling Orange - $30 per month with access to 32 channels.
  • Sling Blue - $30 per month with access to 47 channels.
  • Sling Orange + Sling Blue - $55 per month with access to 53 channels (in some markets, this may cost an extra $5 per month).

While the Orange and Blue packages are both priced at $30 individually, the Orange package contains channels that Sling has licensed at a higher cost, such as ESPN and Disney, meaning you get fewer channels for your money. Additionally, you’ll be limited to streaming on just one device for Sling Orange shows but are able to stream on up to three devices simultaneously for Sling Blue. Again, this is due to limitations on licensing of the more premium channels in the Orange package. Even if you choose the combined package, you can still only stream the Orange channels from one device. Sling also offers dozens of add-on packages and a la carte options.

Some popular add-ons include:

  • Sports Extra (Orange) - $11 per month, offering additional sports channels.
  • Hollywood Extra - $6 per month, offering additional movie channels.
  • Kids Extra (Blue) - $6 per month, offering additional kids channels.
  • Showtime - $10 per month, offering access to Showtime’s full streaming service.
  • Curiosity Stream - $6 per month, offering more than 1500 documentaries.

Customer Support

You can raise a support ticket via the Sling TV website and app or call directly. Sling also operates a dedicated Twitter support account where you can raise questions.

Account Cancelation & Money Back

All Sling subscriptions are paid on a monthly rolling basis. There are no contracts and if you cancel, you’ll only ever pay up until the end of that billing month.

Summary

Sling TV remains one of the cheapest services for watching live TV and has an extensive range of sports and entertainment to keep you satisfied. You can boost your subscription as much as you’d like to with flexible options which is ideal if you’re a fan of shows produced by all the major networks. Be careful, though, as those add-ons can soon mount up and push your subscription price up significantly.