Sling TV offers a new $20 bundle for budget streamers – here's what's included

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Sling TV has a new starter-level tier, Sling Select.
• Sling also now offers a free service, Sling FreeStream, and limited-time “Pass” services.
• Sling TV is not the only low-end live-TV service. Its rivals are Frndly TV and Philo. 

Sling TV has launched a new live TV package called Sling Select. This new “skinny” bundle offers 11 channels: Fox News, FX, FS1, National Geographic, NFL Network, MeTV, Vice, Game Show Network, Heroes & Icons, GRIT, and Lifetime Movie Network for $19.99 per month.

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This new offering also includes access to thousands of free streaming movies, the ability to stream to three devices at once, and 50 hours of free cloud DVR storage. 

Sling is also still offering its Sling FreeStream service, a free, ad-supported TV (FAST) service. Freestream offers over 200 free channels and more than 40,000 on-demand titles. Other such FAST services include Pluto TV, Tubi, The Roku Channel, and Freevee. The last, Freevee, is being folded into Amazon Prime Video.

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In addition, Sling says subscribers in some markets can add ABC, NBC, and Fox broadcast stations for a surcharge: $5 per month if one or two locals are available in the area, or $10/month for all three. As usual with Sling, CBS is unavailable. If you have the networks available via rabbit-ear antennas, you can watch them over the air. 

You can also add CBS shows via Paramount+ and NBC through Peacock. These services also include streaming-only shows, such as Paramount+’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Peacock’s Poker Face. 

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As with Sling TV’s flagship bundles, Sling Blue and Sling Orange, you can add on pay-per-view services such as HBO Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, and STARZ. You can also subscribe to Sling add-on channel packages. These include:

• Sports Extra – For sports fans (includes NFL Red Zone, Big Ten Network, FS2, and more).
• News Extra – For expanded global and national news coverage (includes Newsmax, NewsNation, FOX Business, and more).
• Entertainment Extra – Featuring popular entertainment networks (includes Paramount Network, CMT, and more).
• Hollywood Extra – Offering older blockbuster movies and Hollywood favorites (includes FXX, FXM, and more).
• Lifestyle Extra – Covering home, food, and travel content (includes Hallmark Channel, UPtv, and more).
• Heartland Extra – With westerns, outdoor adventures, and classic Americana (includes INSP, Great American Family, and more).
• Kids Extra – Packed with family-friendly programming (includes NickToons, TeenNick, and more).
• Latino Extra – Providing top channels in Spanish (includes Nat Geo Mundo, beIN Sports, History en Español, and more).

The new $20 tier also repositions Sling against rivals on the budget end. Sling’s traditional Orange and Blue base plans now start at around the mid-$40s per month (with a discounted prepaid option). At the same time, the combined Orange & Blue bundle sits in the low $60s, still well below cable replacement streaming competitors, such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV.

Sling Select faces direct competition in the low-end streaming market. Its rivals are the $7 a month with 50-plus channels Frndly TV, which offers family-friendly and classic networks (for example, Hallmark, A&E, History, and MeTV), and the $28 a month Philo, which offers 70 live channels and 100 free channels, and access to an on-demand library of over 70,000 titles. Philo’s focus is on entertainment-oriented popular cable channels, including AMC, HGTV, Food Network, and Discovery.

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Sling Select lands as streaming TV faces renewed pricing pressure and subscriber fatigue. Reports suggest Sling and its parent company are facing financial challenges. 

Finally, in an attempt to attract more customers, Sling, long known for its à la carte-style services, is also now offering a $4.99 Day Pass, a $9.99 Weekend Pass, and a $14.99 Week Pass to complement its core Sling Orange offering. These passes are meant to appeal to event-driven viewers who might otherwise never give Sling TV a chance.

Sounds interesting? Sling Select is available now.