Video Broadcasting or Streaming Services can replace cable subscriptions easily, and that too for less money. They are designed to change your cable TV to live to stream on the internet. However, not all services are offered equally for budget-conscious viewers.
Sling TV enables you to stream and watch hundreds of live TV channels at affordable prices and provides robust programming options. It also has a ‘rent movie' feature and provides completely preprogrammed and on-demand free tier streaming content.
However, it does have some downfalls where it does not offer as many local streaming channels as other services. It also lacks some of the high-quality features that the top competitors have.
With that being said, we have prepared a full Sling TV Review about its Prices, Services, Channels, etc. So, let us dive deep into the topic to understand what Sling TV is anyway.
Sling TV Review 2023 | Watch Live TV & Sports Without Cable
Sling TV is a media streaming platform that enables you to watch a wide selection of TV through the internet. These channels are similar to cable or Satellite TV and sling costs relatively less than your Cable TV connection.
Sling TV is available on televisions with the Sling TV application on streaming devices like Amazon Firestick, Roku, Smart LG, and Samsung TV, game consoles like Xbox S & X series, along with PC, smartphones, and tablets.
What makes Sling TV even better is because of their subscription plans as it has two main plans with the same price, i.e., $35: Sling Blue and Sling Orange. It comprises media broadcasting channels like History TV, CNN, and TNT but some are exclusively offered in the other Plan.
Here are some of the insights about Sling TV that will help you to understand this platform better:
1. Sling TV was the first platform ever introduced in 2016, but now it has other tough competitors in the market priced differently, including YouTube TV, Fubo, TV, Filo TV, Hulu Plus TV, and AT & T TV.
2. Even with the hike in prices, Sling TV offers is still considered a value for money streaming service provider besides TV Vision vibe priced at $10 and Philo priced at $25.
3. According to us, the Sling Blue package provides the best services from one of the two packs priced around $35. It has more channels than the Sling Orange pack, and you can watch movies on up to three separate devices simultaneously.
4. If you are paying $55 for both the Blue and Orange pack that offers just 5 additional channels, then choosing Fubo TV or YouTube TV, which costs around $65 as they are better options.
5. Sling TV is the only live TV service that offers dozens of add-on channels. The prices are $5 and $10 for Hollywood Extra, Comedy Extra, Sports Extra, and Best of Spanish TV monthly packages.
What is Sling TV, Sling TV Pricing & Channels
Cord Cutters who find ways to cut their TV expenses don't want to pay for channels they won't watch. On the other hand, subscribers pay just for the topics and channels they choose and watch.
Not a single popular streaming service exists that is perfect and follows the la carte model. But still, Sling TV primarily offers live content along with some VOD options (Video-On-Demand) that have reached the supplement base packages of topical add-ons. This flexible feature is what makes the service an amazing choice for all cord-cutters.
(*Note: before heading towards the next section of the article, just know that Sling TV is not recommended for multiple people with diverse tastes and for people finding a full-featured replacement for cable TV)
What Is Sling TV?
Sling TV is advertised as an ‘a la carte' model streaming platform that offers on-demand content, affordable base packages, and personalized subscription options along with niche add-on groups. As already mentioned above, the Sling TV service has two basic primary packages, one of which is ‘Sling Blue' and ‘Sling Orange.'
Both Blue and Orange packs are priced at $35 per month. Blue + Orange costs $50 per month. Every package comes with a specialty; therefore, you can choose either sports, family programming, or news and entertainment. From this, you can even add features like extra channel packages or expanded DVR like Lifestyle Extra or Sports Extra with added costs.
The user interface of Sling TV is way more different than you would expect from any other live TV streaming service, with tiles that look similar to VOD streaming service. But if you are a binge movie watcher and streaming enthusiast, then it becomes even easier to navigate towards your favorite media content. Sling offers various other ways to make a full channel lineup.
Even if you are new to this platform, you can easily figure out what and how to adjust and customize it according to your preference to give it a unique look. Therefore, Sling TV is an amazing choice for people within tight-budget but who want to get popular live channels, along with fully customizable add-ons that you can choose if you can pay extra for it.
Sling TV Pricing & Channel
Sling TV is not a full replacement for your Cable TV subscription, but with a lesser channel lineup listing as compared to most of the live TV services, it is a perfect choice to get great content within a tight budget.
Pricing:
Sling TV Blue Package is priced at $35 per month and lets you get access to 45+ channels and at least 3 simultaneous streams, including news and entertainment channels under News Extra. Sling TV Orange package is priced at $35 per month and offers 30+ channels which are ideal for sports and family content. But it only has one streaming device at a time.
Plan
Price
TV Channel Count
Details
Sling Blue
$35
45+
Sling Orange
$35
35+
Sling Blue + Sling Orange
$50
50+
The Sling Orange + Blue costs $50 every month, which helps you to save a few bucks when you buy a bundled pack. Other channels like Epic and Showtime can be enabled after paying an additional price, along with extras like lifestyle packages and comedy.
Sling TV
Monthly Fees – $35 and above
Add Free – No
Number of Channels – 30+
YouTube TV
Monthly Fees – $64.99 and above
Add Free – No
Number of Channels – 85+
Hulu + Live TV
Monthly Fees – $64.99 and above
Add Free – Optional
Number of Channels – 75+
Fubo TV
Monthly Fees – $64.99 and above
Add Free – No
Number of Channels – 96+
DirectTV Stream
Monthly Fees – $69.99
Add Free – No
Number of Channels – 65+
Philo
Monthly Fees – $25
Add Free – No
Number of Channels – 64
Sling TV has two base packages: Sling Orange and Sling Blue are priced at $35 every month, which is comparatively less than live TV services. But you will get fewer channels. Both the subscription packages have different channels that have different features.
Channel Lineup:
Sling TV has two base packages with separate channel lists. Sling Blue has 45+ channels that are based on news and entertainment in the News Extra. For example, NFL and MSNBC Network and Sling Orange have 30+ channels that entirely focus on family-friendly content like sports, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel under Kids Extra, and Food Network.
- The Orange plan has over 33 channels that include BBC America, CNN, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel (in Kids Extra), AMC, Disney, Comedy Central, HGTV, Food Network, TNT, IFC, TBS, and Travel Channels.
- Sling Blue lets you have access to over 48 channels that depend on your local media channels. Blue Plan might not have ESPN, ESPN2, EPIX, and Disney, but it adds Fox News, Discovery, NBC Sports, MSNBC, Nick Jr., NFL Network, and SYFY. You also get local affiliates of NBC and Fox in selective markets.
- You can also choose both Sling TV Blue and Sling TV Orange for a total of 54+ channels, while Hulu + Live TV's lineup includes well over 75 channels comparatively.
Both of the packs offer fewer channels than the rest of the live TV services, but you can add other channels by paying extra. The channels are:
- CNN
- Food Network
- ESPN
- Nickelodeon
- HGTV
- TLC
- Hallmark Channel
Sling TV
FOX – yes
ABC – yes
CBS – yes
NBC – yes
PBS – no
YouTube TV
FOX – yes
ABC – yes
CBS – yes
NBC – yes
PBS – yes
Hulu + Live TV
FOX – yes
ABC – yes
CBS – yes
NBC – yes
PBS – no
FuboTV
FOX – yes
ABC – yes
CBS – yes
NBC – yes
PBS – no
Philo
FOX – no
ABC – no
CBS – no
NBC – no
PBS – no
Direct TV Stream
FOX – yes
ABC – no
CBS – yes
NBC – yes
PBS – no
Both the Sling TV offers packages include free channels like CBS, NBC, ABS, and Fox. They also have a ‘Bonus Local Bundle that comes included with AirTV 2 and HD Antenna for $49.
Sling TV Pros & Cons
If you're finding a way to cut your cable TV cord, then Sling TV is certainly the best value for money option in the market currently. That's true, especially when you get whatever you want from a $35 every month service providing subscription through Sling Blue or Sling Orange or Both.
Even if you pay for Sling Orange and Sling Blue to get whatever your channel mix preference is, there is still little benefit in saving $15 bucks every month as compared to the rest of the Sling TV competitors.
But anyway, what Sling TV offers is not a perfect fit for everyone. Many users just go for the unlimited cloud DVR, expanded channel library, news, and local channels, and superior sports access as a good reason for YouTube TV instead.
So, it is clear that Sling TV does have some good and bad sides, so let's see that in brief:
Pros:
- Compatible with all popular streaming devices
- Regular promotional deals along with free streaming devices
- Subscription price relatively lesser than other top competitors
- Good channel selection
- Free Tier
- Flexible subscription options
- Movie rentals available
- Reliable streaming performance
Cons:
- Confusing channel packages
- Confusing channel distribution
- Needs more add-on packages for those channels that are available in other packages
- Only moderate access to the channels locally
- Price keeps increasing
- Limited regional sports network local channel offerings
Is It Possible To Watch Sling TV With VPN?
A Virtual Private Network or VPN lets you change your device's perceived location while allowing you to stream or watch Sling Tv even in restricted locations while traveling. It is very helpful when your ISP or Internet Service Provider download speed cranks down.
You must understand that Sling TV is usually limited in America, and people accessing it using VPN services get IP blocked by the company. That's why it is very important to use a good and reliable VPN service that includes all the dedicated pages to let you watch Sling TV without any hassle.
IPVanish is a VPN that is highly recommended by our team of experts. It is a USA-based VPN company that falls under the jurisdiction of Five Eyes. There are a vast number of shared IP addresses which are ready to use that IP Vanish reported.
IPVanish subscription costs around $9.99 per month and helps you to connect multiple devices simultaneously. Therefore we can say that IPVanish is a decent option for people with more than one or two devices using at one time.
Overall Rating: 3.7 / 5
Total IP Addresses: 40,000+
Simultaneous Connections: Unlimited
Annual Plan: $3.58 per month
Server Count: 1,600+
Sling TV Streaming Methods
The best thing about Sling TV is that you can run it on almost any device, which includes iOS or iPhones, iPad, macOS, Android, Smart TVs, Windows, Mac, etc. Streaming devices that run with the Sling TV application include Apple TV, Roku, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV.
All these streaming devices need an internet connection in the form of ethernet or Wi-Fi and Sling TV app. Sling often comes out with deals & offers where the users can get a free AirTV (separate streaming device model) if they make a prepaid purchase,
However, the older Roku and Apple products that were introduced in 2013 don't support Sling TV on Apple devices and have stopped receiving updates on Roku as well.
Streaming Apps Features
Depending upon the package you choose, you can stream on Sling TV with multiple devices simultaneously. Sling Orange offers just one stream, while Sling Blue supports three concurrent streams at once. This means that next time you won't have to fight over the remote if the kids want to watch Cartoon Network in the middle of your sports.
If you buy both Sling Orange + Blue packages, you will receive the streams of both the packages individually and simultaneously; then, you can stream on 4 separate devices, depending on the channel type.
The Sling Latino and International TV deal packages, along with any additional channels to the base service internationally, include at least 3 streams.
1. Sling TV
Cloud DVR – up to 50 hours
Parental Controls – Yes
User Profile – 1
Multiple Streams – up to 4 screens
2. YouTube TV
Cloud DVR – unlimited
Parental Controls – Yes
User Profile – up to 6 profiles
Multiple Streams – up to 3 screens
3. Hulu + Live TV
Cloud DVR – up to 200 hours
Parental Controls – Yes
User Profile – up to 6 profiles
Multiple Streams – up to unlimited screens
4. Fubo TV
Cloud DVR – up to 1000 hours
Parental Controls – No
User Profile – up to 6 profiles
Multiple Streams – up to 3 screens
5. Philo
Cloud DVR – unlimited
Parental Controls – No
User Profile – up to 10 profiles
Multiple Streams – up to 3 screens
7. Direct TV Stream
Cloud DVR – unlimited
Parental Controls – Yes
User Profile – up to 1 profile
Multiple Streams – up to 20 screens
What Channels Does Sling TV Offers?
As we have already discussed that Sling TV offers 3 plans: The channels available in Blue and Orange overlap, which may seem confusing to some users, and they face difficulties in choosing between them. Most other media streaming services provide plans for a single TV.
FuboTV & AT&T could also come together to simplify the channel lineups through the plans.
Sling TV Sports:
A good sports service provider will always cover the latest games and live updates that your cable provider offers without missing any beat. But unfortunately, both of the Sling TVs packages, Orange and Blue, are not sports enthusiasts, as there are some splits between the channels.
The Blue package lost all the ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 EPIX programming in the Orange package. On the other hand, the Orange package does not have NBC and FOX sports affiliates, NFL Network, NBC Sports channels. Therefore sports fans can get the best of sports if they choose the Orange + Blue package. But to get MLB TV deals, NHL Network, NBA TV, and Golf Channel, you have to add Sports Extra $10 every month package. Sling Blue subscribers have recently been provided with the Big 10 network.
Sling TV Tier:
Sling TV now provides a completes list of on-demand content completely free with live content. You won't require to sign up for the account to access their library. During the testing period, the live TV content looks like pre-recorded content, except the ABC News live updates. The on-demand content available includes incomplete tv show seasons and episodes.
Sling TV Tier free lineup is similar to Plex, which has a mixture of both preprogrammed and on-demand streaming content. Other on-demand services include Crackle and Tubi. In case you are specifically looking for preprogrammed content, then take a look at Xumo and Pluto TV.
Is Sling TV Worth Purchasing?
We have been testing Sling TV for over a month now, and while some of our website visitors are still subscribed to cable TV, we suggest you change your media entertainment source to Sling TV Blue once your cable pricing offer ends. Sling Blue has all the channels with dozens of more channels than Orange, which we think is more value more money.
We as a human have gotten used to below-average-interface, so it is worth to compromise a little and save few bucks. Therefore if you are finding ways to cut down your expenses to watch live TV, and if you are a tech-savvy person, then Sling TV channel subscription and streaming quality are top-notch.
On-Demand Streaming Services
- Apple TV
- Disney +
- Peacock
- Amazon Prime Video
- Hulu
- Paramount
- Netflix
- Funimation
- HBO Max
- Crunchyroll
Additional Cloud DVR Storage
Sling TV Subscription list comprises 50 hours of DVR Storage completely free. Sling TV also provides an add-on that is available for a month that adds 200 recording hours. But unlike other live stream services, your recordings could be saved on Sling's DVR Storage as long as you want.
Now that's a rock-solid amount of storage to save your favorite shows. You can control the way you watch content, too, like playback features such as pausing, rewinding, live TV, and on-demand fast-forwarding. In addition, few channels also allow you to replay videos after 3 days of the original release date.
Learn More:
Sling TV offers an affordable and solid live streaming service to the cord-cutters. Both of the Orange + Blue packages offer a wide range of lifestyle, entertainment, news, and TV channels.
It is worth noticing that the Sling TV does not has any free trial, but it does have offers and discounts for the new subscribers of at least 10% for 1 month on any plan. And it has the most noteworthy international channel add-on.
Get tips on cutting the cord and finding the best streaming service from our rates and reviews. Visit Us now!
