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Fully updated Tuesday Feb. 20, 2017.
When it launched in February 2015, Sling TV was the first multichannel live TV service that streamed over the internet. Today it has a lot more competition, but it's still among the cheapest.
Sling TV starts at $20 per month for a package of around 30 live TV channels streamed over the Internet, including ESPN, AMC, History Channel and Disney Channel. You can pay more to get additional and/or different channels, just like regular cable, but there are also plenty of differences.
A bunch of services similar to Sling TV also stream live TV channels, including YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue and DirecTV Now, all of which start at $35 to $40 per month. Sling is cheaper, but it has fewer channels and, crucially, very few local broadcast channels -- ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC.
You're here to learn about Sling TV, however, so I won't dwell on those other services too much. Here's everything you need to know.
What is Sling TV?
Sling TV is service that allows subscribers to watch a collection of live and on-demand TV channels on their TVs, computers, tablets or phones. This is live TV, just like a cable or satellite TV service, except it's streamed over the internet.
Although Sling TV is a subsidiary of Dish Network, the satellite provider, it's operated as an entirely separate service. You do not need a Dish subscription (or a satellite dish) to get Sling TV.
Sling TV is available everywhere in the United States. For the foreseeable future, it will not be available in other countries.
How is it different from my cable or satellite provider?
- It's probably cheaper and has fewer channels.
- It requires a broadband home internet connection of at least 5.0 Megabits per second (25 Mbps or higher is recommended).
- Instead of a cable box, you'll watch on a TV-connected device, like a streaming stick or box, Smart TV or game console that runs the free Sling TV app.
- You can also watch on your phone, tablet or computer, either at home or away.
- There are no contracts, and you can cancel or resume service anytime, with no penalties.
- You can only watch one stream at a time with the cheapest (Orange) package.
Wait. One stream at a time?
Yep. One of the biggest "gotchas" with Sling TV is the single-stream restriction on the cheapest channel package, Sling Orange.
If you're an Orange subscriber, you cannot watch Sling TV on more than one device -- TV or mobile -- at the same time. The service is restricted to one stream at a time, which can be a real hassle for families who want to watch different shows in different rooms, for example.
How does it work? If you're watching something on one device and then begin watching on another, the service makes you choose which single device to continue streaming. The other one can't watch.
If you're a Sling Blue subscriber, you can watch Sling TV on up to three devices at the same time.
So what do Orange and Blue mean?
Despite Sling TV's advertising "a la carte TV," you can't pick and choose individual channels. As with cable, there's a set fee for a certain package.
Sling calls its packages Orange and Blue, and differentiates them by price, channel selection and simultaneous stream limit.
- Sling Orange: $20 per month. About 30 channels, including ESPN and Disney (but not Fox or NBC channels). Limited to one simultaneous stream at a time.
- Sling Blue: $25 per month. About 45 channels, including Fox and NBC channels (but not ESPN or Disney channels). Up to three simultaneous streams.
- Sling Orange + Blue: $40 per month. Includes all channels from both. Up to four simultaneous streams, but only one at a time of Orange channels.
Here's all of the channels offered by Sling TV's base packages as of Feb. 20, 2018.
Sling TV Orange vs. Blue channels
| Channel | Sling Orange ($20) | Sling Blue ($25) | Sling Orange + Blue ($40) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A&E | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AMC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AXS TV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BBC America | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| BET | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bloomberg TV | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Bravo | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cartoon Network/Adult Swim | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cheddar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| CNN | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Comedy Central | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Disney Channel | Yes | No | Yes |
| El Rey Network | No | Yes | Yes |
| EPIX Drive-In | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ESPN | Yes | No | Yes |
| ESPN 2 | Yes | No | Yes |
| ESPN 3 | Yes | No | Yes |
| Flama | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Food Network | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fox | No | Yes* | Yes* |
| Fox Regional Sports | No | Yes* | Yes* |
| Fox Sports 1 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Fox Sports 2 | No | Yes | Yes |
| Freeform | Yes | No | Yes |
| FX | No | Yes | Yes |
| FXX | No | Yes | Yes |
| Galavision | Yes | Yes | View More