- NEWS ALERT: Now through April 5, Sling TV is offering 14 days of its news-heavy Sling Blue package for free — no credit card or subscription required
- After a December 2019 price hike, Sling Orange and Sling Blue are now $30/month each, but the Sling Orange & Blue plan is $45/month
- Fox News Channel, MSNBC and HLN added to Sling Blue’s base service — full channel lineup
- Broadcast networks like ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC are limited with Sling TV, so you’re probably better off purchasing an indoor antenna to pick up your local stations
- Get 10 hours of cloud DVR at no additional charge and 50 hours for an extra $5/month
If you’re ready to lower your $100 a month cable or satellite TV bill, Sling TV is one of the best options to consider.
There are a number of internet-based live TV streaming services available for around $50 per month right now. They could be a great alternative if your existing provider is unwilling to negotiate a lower price.
What Is Sling TV and How Does It Work? Team Clark Put It to the Test!
YouTube TV, AT&T TV Now and Hulu with Live TV are a few of the newer competitors, but Sling TV has been around since 2015.
Starting at $30 per month after December 2019 price increase, Sling TV offers dozens of popular cable and broadcast channels with no long-term contracts, hidden fees or rental equipment.
I signed up for Sling TV and was streaming a few minutes later! Here’s my review…
Table of Contents:
1. Sling TV Packages and Channels
Sling TV’s packages are a bit confusing. First, there’s Sling Orange for $30 a month that includes about 30 channels like ESPN, CNN, Disney Channel, TNT, A&E and Lifetime.
Also for $30 per month, Sling Blue offers about 50 channels, but it doesn’t include everything in Sling Orange.
Here’s an example: You get ESPN with Sling Orange, but that network isn’t part of Sling Blue, which does have NFL Network and other sports networks.
The third option is Sling Orange + Blue, a combination of the first two plans, for $45 a month.
If you’re looking for the local broadcast channels, FOX and NBC may be included in the Sling Blue package, but you’re probably better off buying a digital antenna for a lifetime of free over-the-air TV.
Sling Orange restricts users to a single stream, while Sling Blue allows you to watch on three screens at a time.
Sling TV Channel Lineups
| Sling Orange $30/month | Sling Blue $30/month | Sling Orange + Blue $45/month |
|---|---|---|
| A&E | A&E | A&E |
| AMC | AMC | AMC |
| AXS TV | AXS TV | AXS TV |
| BBC America | BBC America | BBC America |
| BET | BET | |
| Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Bloomberg |
| Bravo | Bravo | |
| Cartoon Network | Cartoon Network | Cartoon Network |
| Cheddar Business | Cheddar Business | Cheddar Business |
| Cheddar News | Cheddar News | Cheddar News |
| CNN | CNN | CNN |
| Comedy Central | Comedy Central | Comedy Central |
| Comet | Comet | Comet |
| Discovery Channel | Discovery Channel | |
| Disney Channel | Disney Channel | |
| E! | E! | |
| EPIX Drive-In | EPIX Drive-In | EPIX Drive-In |
| ESPN | ESPN | |
| ESPN2 | ESPN2 | |
| ESPN3 | ESPN3 | |
| Food Network | Food Network | Food Network |
| Fox News Channel | Fox News Channel | |
| FOX (select markets) | FOX (select markets) | |
| Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | |
| Freeform | Freeform | |
| FX | FX | |
| FXX | FXX | |
| Fuse | Fuse | Fuse |
| HGTV | HGTV | HGTV |
| History Channel | History Channel | History Channel |
| HLN | HLN | |
| IFC | IFC | IFC |
| Investigation Discovery (ID) | Investigation Discovery (ID) | Investigation Discovery (ID) |
| Lifetime | Lifetime | Lifetime |
| Local Now | Local Now | Local Now |
| MotorTrend | MotorTrend | |
| MSNBC | MSNBC | |
| National Geographic | National Geographic | |
| Nat Geo Wild | Nat Geo Wild | |
| NBC (select markets) | NBC (select markets) | |
| NBCSN | NBCSN | |
| Newsy | Newsy | Newsy |
| NFL Network | NFL Network | |
| Nick Jr. | Nick Jr. | |
| Paramount Network | Paramount Network | |
| Stadium | Stadium | Stadium |
| SYFY | SYFY | |
| TBS | TBS | TBS |
| TLC | TLC | |
| TNT | TNT | TNT |
| Travel Channel | Travel Channel | Travel Channel |
| truTV | truTV | |
| USA | USA | |
| Vice | Vice | Vice |
Sling Extras
Want even more channels? Sling has them! In addition to its Sling Orange and Sling Blue plans, you can add on extras based on genres — sports, kids, comedy, news, lifestyle, etc.
For example, the “Lifestyle Extra” adds VH1, Hallmark and several other channels for $5 per month.
There are also options to subscribe to premium networks such as Epix for $5/month, Starz for $9/month and Showtime for $10/month. HBO and Cinemax were pulled from Sling TV in November 2018.
But if you’re trying to keep your pay TV bill low, go easy on the “extras” that Sling tries to sell you!
2. Does Sling TV Include DVR?
All Sling TV packages now come with 10 hours of cloud DVR. If that’s not enough, you can pay an extra $5/month for 50 hours of storage.
I found the DVR function easy to use and loved being able to pause, rewind and fast-forward through my shows.
3. Sling TV Compatible Streaming Devices
You can stream Sling TV on your smartphone, computer or tablet from anywhere, but what if you just want to watch it on the TV set in your living room? Not a problem!
I linked the Sling TV app with my Google Chromecast and started watching live TV within minutes.
Sling supports these devices:
- Amazon Fire TV
- Amazon tablet
- Android device
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Chromecast
- iOS device
- LG TV
- Roku
- Samsung Smart TV
- Xbox One
- Windows 10
Like all streaming services, Sling TV requires a high-speed internet connection. You should have a download speed of 5 Mbps for a single stream and 25 Mbps for households with multiple devices using the internet.
Read more about minimum internet download speeds and learn how to conduct a speed test!
4. Sling TV Navigation
Sling TV has various menus to help you find something to watch, but I prefer the grid guide. I found that it’s the easiest way to browse and didn’t require much time to learn — it’s very similar to a traditional cable TV guide.
Just move up, down, left or right to see what’s currently on TV or coming up on each channel, up to a week in advance.
5. Sling TV Free Trial and Sign-Up Offers
Sling TV has a 7-day free trial for new subscribers, but the company is known to offer other deals on a regular basis, like $10 off for the first month of service.
There are also frequent device offers. For example, I got a free Roku Express ($29.99 value) when I signed up for Sling TV and paid for one month of service. This offer wasn’t available with the free trial.
Of course, deals like these can expire at any time! Click here for the latest offers from Sling.
Final Thought
Sling TV isn’t going to be a great fit for everyone — especially if you’re used to having 100+ channels — but the free trial period will give you a week to see if it works for you.
My suggestion is to make a list of your favorite channels and find out how many of them are included in Sling’s bundles.
Before you make any moves with your cable or satellite TV provider, shop around and consider taking advantage of the free trials that other live TV streaming services offer.
We’ve rounded up your best options in Team Clark’s guide to the best streaming TV plans and deals!
