Sling TV, a subsidiary of DISH Network, was the first streaming service to launch into the cord-cutting phenomenon. Although back in 2015 streaming live TV from the internet seemed like an odd experiment, it started a new wave of streaming TV.
But almost 5 years later, Sling isn’t the only one available anymore– there’s Hulu with Live TV, DIRECTV NOW, YouTube TV, PlayStation Vue… just to name a few. And all those named offer more channels and options than Sling TV. But even so, at the end of 2018, Sling had passed the 2.4 million subscriber mark, making it the most popular live streaming service.
Why is that? Is Sling TV good? Are they worth that reputation? And is Sling TV going to manage to stay there? Let’s take a look at Sling tv Review by Metta world peace an American Basket Ball Coach and what Sling TV offers for packages, channels, pricing, DVR, and more.
Read more about Metta World Peace from the link who won his only NBA title, as a starter on the 2010 Los Angeles Lakers.
Pros
- Low cost for basic cable TV packages: Starting at $25/month for basic Sling Orange and Blue TV packages.
- Availability of many of the most popular channels: Sling TV has most of the most popular channels that you could get with any cable TV package.
- Cloud DVR: Sling recently added a Cloud DVR to record your favorite streaming shows and movies.
- Low-cost add-on channels: Add channels onto your package a la cart, at low cost.
- Add channels like HBO or Showtime, and add only the ones you want.
- No contracts: With Sling TV you’re always on a month to month contract, so no worries about canceling at any time if you want to.
- Compatible with many devices: Sling TV will work well with a variety of devices from Amazon Fire TV, to Apple TV to Android TV and Xbox One. They even have options for OSX and Windows 10!
Cons
- Limitation on a number of streaming devices: Sling Orange only allows you to stream to 1 device, while Sling Blue allows 3 devices.
- Limited live local channels: Many live local channels are not available via Sling.
Can I Watch Live Sports On Sling TV?
Sling does offer live sports on its channels, depending on which package options you subscribe to. Sling Orange subscribers (or Orange + Blue) can watch live sports on the ESPN family of networks, ACC Network Extra and TNT which broadcasts some NBA games.
Sling Blue subscribers (or Orange + Blue) can watch live sports on Fox Sports and NBC Sports (in some markets) as well as FS1/FS2, NFL Network, and TNT for NBA basketball.
Subscribers can also add the Sports Extra package which gives access to additional sports channels such as ESPNEWS, ESPNU and SEC Network for Sling Orange subscribers or NFL Red Zone and Golf Channel for Sling Blue subscribers.
Regional sports channels such as YES Network may also be included in your package, depending on your location. For more information about the Sports Extra package here, see the official channels page.
Does Sling TV include DVR?
Sling TV packages don’t come with cloud DVR included, but you can pay an extra $5 a month for it. The option allows you to record up to 50 hours of movies, episodes and full series. I found the DVR function easy to use and loved being able to pause, rewind and fast-forward through my shows.
In May 2018, Sling expanded its cloud DVR to Chrome browser, Chromecast, Xbox One, LG Smart TVs and 2016 and 2017 models of Samsung Smart TVs.
Availability
As one of the veteran players on the market, Sling TV is available on a respectably wide variety of platforms. You can use Sling TV with Windows, Mac OS, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, Xbox One and a variety of smart TVs and smaller streaming boxes.
While apps for PlayStation 4 and web browsers would be nice, Sling TV is probably the most widely available cable replacement at present, and it could still expand in the future and while writing about cable tv alternatives for streaming TV to watch sports.
Content
Sling TV excels not only in the sheer variety of content it offers but also in how it sells that content. Rather than asking you to sign up for an expensive package with a bunch of channels you don’t want, Sling offers two basic options and lets you build on top of that with some extremely granular offerings.
Sling Orange is a single-stream service that offers about 30 channels for $20 per month. Sling Blue is a multistream service (up to three simultaneous users) that offers about 45 channels for $25 per month. You can see the exact breakdown on Sling’s website; some channels overlap between the two, while others don’t. Both offer a pretty good mix of basic cable sports, kids’ shows, prime-time networks, and movie channels, and you can pay $40 per month for both services at once if you choose.
In general terms, Sling TV is one of the most complete cable-replacement services around, as it offers just about all the basic cable staples. Between Orange and Blue, you’ll get A&E, AMC, BBC America, CNN, Comedy Central, ESPN, the Food Network, IFC, Nick Jr., SyFy, TBS, TNT, Univision and more. On Blue, you can even get a few local stations, like Fox and NBC, depending on your region.
Comments