SLING TV PUSHES BEYOND THE BUNDLE: REMOVES PAYWALL BARRIERS

Scott Greczkowski

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SLING TV PUSHES BEYOND THE BUNDLE: REMOVES PAYWALL BARRIERS, OFFERS FREE AND À LA CARTE OPTIONS WITHOUT A BASE SUBSCRIPTION

-Sling TV innovates with new experience, embraces flexible TV; à la carte channels, pay-per-view events, movies and free Sling TV content all available with or without base subscription

-At launch, free on-demand content includes shows from TBS, HGTV, HISTORY and more
-First-of-its-kind experience features à la carte services within Sling TV app

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., June 28, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Sling TV today became the first live streaming provider to deliver a truly flexible experience to consumers through access to free content, à la carte channels and services, plus transactional live events and movies on-demand, without requiring a base subscription.

"When we first launched Sling in 2015, we set out to create an entertainment experience that put our customers first, offering unprecedented flexibility and control – no annual contracts, no hidden fees and the ability to customize programming," said Warren Schlichting, president of Sling TV. "The new Sling evolves the experience even further by providing access to great content without anchoring customers to a base subscription."

At launch, the new Sling experience is available to returning Sling customers on Roku devices. The new experience will expand to additional Sling-supported devices in the near future.

Watch free content, without a base subscription
Upon re-opening the Sling TV app, returning customers can now access more than 100 hours of free TV shows and movies without restarting their subscription. Ribbons within the "My TV" interface dedicated solely to free shows and movies will highlight top content, which at launch will include "Wrecked," "The Detour," "Good Behavior," "Flip or Flop" and more.

Purchase à la carte channels
Consumers can now purchase select channels in an à la carte fashion and watch them through the Sling TV app, no Sling TV base subscription required. Channels now available as à la carte subscriptions range from premium channels like Showtime, to on-demand channels, to sports packages and more.

Three on-demand networks, Dove Channel, Outside TV Features and Stingray Karaoke, launched today on Sling TV, joining other à la carte on-demand channels, including CuriosityStream, Pantaya and Up Faith & Family. Each channel may be purchased separately month-to-month and accessed through the Sling TV app alongside free shows and other purchased content.

Monthly pricing for à la carte channels is below:

  • Showtime: $10
  • CuriosityStream: $6
  • Stingray Karaoke: $7
  • Dove Channel: $5
  • Outside TV Features: $5
  • Up Faith & Family: $5
  • Pantaya: $6
  • NBA League Pass: $28.99
For more information on the à la carte channels launched today—Stingray Karaoke, Dove and Outside TV Features—visit our blog. Additional à la carte channels will become available in the coming months.

Existing Sling TV customers can purchase these channels in addition to their base services.

Access pay-per-view events and movies
Sling TV was the first virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD) to offer pay-per-view (PPV) events, and has presented more than 15 events since 2017, including popular UFC fights and highly-anticipated boxing matches. Starting today, consumers can access these PPV events as a one-time purchase without purchasing a Sling TV base subscription. Fans can choose to use Sling TV solely for their PPV events or combine their PPV purchases with any of Sling TV's base subscriptions.

In addition to the PPV UFC and boxing matches, customers also have the option to purchase movies within the new experience – again, no Sling TV base subscription required. Consumers will have access to more than 5,000 of today's most popular movies. Existing customers will still be able to purchase PPV events and movies in addition to their base service subscription.

New features and more content will continue to be added to the new Sling TV experience in the near future.
 
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Sling TV today became the first live streaming provider to deliver a truly flexible experience to consumers through access to free content, à la carte channels and services, plus transactional live events and movies on-demand, without requiring a base subscription.

BS and somewhat misleading. PS Vue has been offering the opportunity to pay for certain channels without a subscription to the base service for two years. Amazon Channels also does something similar. And the way this press release reads, one would assume consumers could subscribe to standard cable channels (USA, TNT, HGTV, CNN, FX, AMC, etc.) a la carte as opposed to premium and niche channels, most of which are already available to subscribe to separately directly or through other sources.
 
Aggregating on demand content that's already free via the respective cable channels' websites/apps isn't new either. Though I suppose the ability to access it through a live TV streaming service without a subscription is new—and a clever marketing ploy.
 
Didin't see news of a price increase

Sling TV revamps its service with a price hike, new free tier & à la carte channels

Sling TV, the first to deliver an over-the-top TV service aimed at cord cutters, is shaking up its business. The company announced today it’s raising the base price of its core package of more than 30 channels, including ESPN, by $5 per month, to now $25 per month. But it’s also rolling out free content and à la carte channel subscriptions, similar to Amazon Channels, in order to attract a new audience.
 
As far as I know, the rate increase won't affect those who already have the Orange package. I just looked at my account, went to the "change packages" area, and noticed that my package is dubbed "Sling Orange (Legacy)" for $19.99, and there are Sling Orange Legacy add-ons, which are the typical ones. Who knows how long that legacy package will last, however.
 
“At launch, the new Sling experience is available to returning Sling customers on Roku devices. The new experience will expand to
Consumers can now purchase select channels in an à la carte fashion and watch them through the Sling TV app, no Sling TV base subscription required. Channels now available as à la carte subscriptions range from premium channels like Showtime, to on-demand channels, to sports packages and more.”

I wonder what sports packages they are referring to.



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As far as I know, the rate increase won't affect those who already have the Orange package. I just looked at my account, went to the "change packages" area, and noticed that my package is dubbed "Sling Orange (Legacy)" for $19.99, and there are Sling Orange Legacy add-ons, which are the typical ones. Who knows how long that legacy package will last, however.

Looks like that only lasts until August. “Existing Sling Orange customers will see the new monthly price of $25 reflected in their August bill.”


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“At launch, the new Sling experience is available to returning Sling customers on Roku devices. The new experience will expand to
Consumers can now purchase select channels in an à la carte fashion and watch them through the Sling TV app, no Sling TV base subscription required. Channels now available as à la carte subscriptions range from premium channels like Showtime, to on-demand channels, to sports packages and more.”

I wonder what sports packages they are referring to.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Believe they are talking about NBA League Pass.
 
I tried signing into a old deactivated SlingTV account on my Roku and found none of this. there is 0 shows and no options to order anything a la carte.. All the options just say "You are not subscribed to any channels." I can order PPV movies but there is nothing for free I can see or options to order channels...
 

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