Satellite TV provider DISH has been coming on strong lately: an award-winning DVR (the Hopper) that can tape up to 8 shows at once with the ability to automatically skip commercials, the ability to watch live TV and recorded shows from anywhere in the world, and now even 4K Video on Demand capabilities. But these days, the allure of watching dozens, or even hundreds, of live TV channels is losing its lustre, particularly with those pesky high monthly fees from cable or satellite. DISH acknowledges the "cord-cutting" movement by offering a low-cost service that still allows customers to watch live TV over mobile devices, over-the-top boxes like Roku, or select Smart TVs. It's called "Sling Television" (Sling TV) and the service only costs $20/month.
The catch? The current channel offering is a bit limited. Local broadcast networks (e.g., ABC, NBC and CBS), are not included in the package. But one extremely popular network (ESPN and ESPN2) is part of the deal as is the 24-hour news channel CNN. So the package is likely to appeal to die-hard sports fans and news junkies who want to cut down on their monthly cable bill without losing the ability to watch live sports and stay informed about current events.
There are a number of other pay channels included in the package in addition to ESPN, ESPN2, and CNN: these include Disney Channel, Maker, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, Adult Swim, TNT, TBS and Cartoon Network. There are also Add-On packs ($5/month): a "Kids Extra" package (Disney Junior, Disney XD, Boomerang, Baby TV, Duck TV) and a "News and Info Extra" package (HLN, Cooking Channel, DIY and Bloomberg).
So who would this package appeal to? Sling Television is targeted at millenials as well as anyone else whose interest in watching live TV is limited to sports, news, and informational programming. These are folks who can't afford (or simply don't want) to pay high monthly fees for a bunch of channels they never watch. When I asked about the lack of local networks, a Sling TV rep told me including those would have substantially raised the monthly subscription fee due to high royalty fees from these networks. He didn't rule out the addition of local package options at some point in the future, but those packages could increase the fee.
The rep also said that they expect that many cord-cutters are already using an antenna to pull in these local channels for free. So, if customers want to watch the Oscars, Emmy Awards or the Super Bowl they can do so via their TV's built-in tuner and an antenna, or an Over-the-Air DVR like simple.tv. Also the company sees Sling Television as a perfect complement to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and/or Hulu. These services offer unlimited streaming access to a wide selection of movies and TV series for a low monthly subscription fee.
In terms of how customers will watch their Sling Television channels, the company said apps for Android and iOS, as well as browser-based access from a PC or Mac will make it simple to access their channels from portable devices and computers, and the company is also working with over-the-top streaming box makers and Smart TV manufacturers to have their app made available on those devices. According to the company, supported devices will include Amazon Fire TV, Google Nexus Player, Microsoft XBox One, Roku players, Roku Stick and Roku TV. Company reps say that the app will also soon be available on select Smart TVs from LG and Samsung.
Sling TV is currently in private beta testing but is expected to launch to the public soon. You can sign up on their web site to be notified as to when the service is available. In the spirit of cord-cutting, the Sling TV service requires no contract or commitment (or even a credit check). It's $20/month and you can cancel whenever you want.
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