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Sling TV, a new streaming service from the Dish Network, offers cord-cutters live sports, news and entertainment programming from channels like
What is Sling TV?
Sling TV is an over-the-top (OTT) video service that delivers live television programming through your Internet connection. You can stream to your TV via a set-top box or watch from a mobile device. The core package costs $20 per month and there's a library of movies available for rent as well. With no contract requirement you can start and restart service as you wish.
Who's it for?
If you've dropped cable but still want to watch live sports, Sling TV offers ESPN, ESPN2 and TNT, providing live coverage of pro sports leagues like the NBA, NFL and MLB along with NCAA football and basketball games, tennis' Grand Slams events and Masters Tournament golf. You also get CNN and the Disney Channel.
When can I get it?
Beginning on Tuesday, January 27, the service will roll out to the first batch of consumers who signed up for early access. You can still request an invitation at sling.com. The launch to the general public is slated to happen "within the next two weeks" according to Sling representatives and will include a one-week free trial.
What do I need to watch Sling TV?
Viewing options for beta users are currently limited to mobile devices and TVs connected to a Roku 3 player. At launch, however, you'll be able to stream directly to your TV with any Roku or Amazon Fire set-top box or streaming stick, an Xbox One or
What channels do I get?
Sling TV's base package comes with ESPN, ESPN 2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, Cartoon Network with Adult Swim, Disney Channel, ABC Family and CNN. Subscribers will soon have access to the Watch ESPN mobile app. A kids package adds Disney Junior, Disney XD, Boomerang, Baby TV and Duck TV for an extra $5 per month. Similarly, an add-on bundle containing HLN, the Cooking Channel, DIY and Bloomberg is available for another $5. A selection of on-demand movies can be streamed for rental rates of $4-5 per title.
Sling TV offers a mini-bundle of channels owned primarily by the Disney, Turner Broadcasting and... [+]
The interface
I've been using the pre-release version of Sling TV on an iPhone 6, Google Nexus 7 tablet and my TV via a Roku 3 set-top box. The interface is consistent between platforms, making it very easy to navigate regardless of the device you're watching on. Clicking on a channel displays a scrollable list showing upcoming programs and their start times.
You can call up a scrollable thumbnail list at the bottom of the screen to view upcoming episodes... [+]
With only 11 channels, the single line scrollable list at the bottom of the screen is manageable for navigation but would get unwieldy if many more networks were added. You can, however, trim the channel list via a menu that groups them by content, showing you just sports or news channels for example. Searching for content via the Roku obviously requires the hunt-and-peck style navigation that users find so frustrating, so when watching on your TV your best bet is to browse using the remote's arrow keys.
You can display a subset of available channels, filtering them according to content.
On a Roku 3, scrolling speed is usable if not ultra responsive. It will be interesting to see how different the experience is on the higher-powered Amazon Fire TV is when Sling TV becomes available on that device. Overall, the interface is intuitive and particularly well-designed for the smaller screens of tablets and phones. On the TV my 10-year old figured out how to surf channels and browse content with the Roku remote in a matter of seconds. And in nearly a week of daily use I haven't had any crashes with either the iOS or Android apps.
The viewing experience
Your initial reaction to using Sling TV will likely depend on how you currently consume video. If your viewing consists exclusively of Internet-delivered services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, the idea of commercials at regularly spaced intervals can be a bit jarring, not to mention the time they add to your shows. And parents who appreciate an ad-free viewing environment for their kids may want to think twice.
Due to licensing restrictions, the ability to pause, rewind or replay entire episodes (within a 3-day window) is limited to Scripps network properties like HGTV, Travel Channel, the Food Network and the Cooking Channel plus Bloomberg, Baby TV and Duck TV. The rest of the channel lineup is strictly appointment TV.
While other channels show you ads during commercial breaks, this is what you'll see on ESPN and ESPN... [+]
If you're coming from a cable or satellite experience, you'll have to get used to waiting 3-5 seconds every time you change channels, as the content buffers before playback can begin. Once playing though, I got video quality that was easily on par with what I see from other streaming services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Sling TV Program & Partner Manager Max Orcutt tells me the video encoding they use is based on a proprietary technology that adapts the feed based on your current connection speed. My home Internet connection typically varies between 20-50Mbps of real-world speed and I experienced no video quality issues outside of one temporary hiccup related to my Tine Warner Cable connection. Your results may vary.
Something all users should be aware of is that each Sling TV account is limited to one stream at a time. You can't watch Sling on your TV while a family member watches on a mobile device, for example. During this beta period Orcutt's team is still implementing the rules for which device takes viewing precedence but he says that at launch Sling will honor whichever device put in the most recent request to their servers. So if you're sitting on the couch watching House Hunters and your child launches Sling on their tablet to watch Teen Titans Go!, the video feed on your TV will stop, accompanied by a message saying another device is streaming instead.
Sling TV comes with a selection of on-demand movie rentals. The library is rather limited right now, with Sling TV representatives saying that content will expand over time. You can purchase rentals in either standard definition for $4 or HD for an extra $1. On my now aging 720p TV I couldn't tell the difference, so you'll want to make sure your set can actually deliver 1080p quality before choosing the more expensive option.
The wrap-up
The folks behind Sling TV aren't trying to replace the cable TV package for the typical subscriber. CEO Roger Lynch says the service's target audience is millennials, industry shorthand for those who've already ditched their pay TV plan or never had one in the first place. This channel bundle is too small to appeal to every taste or viewing preference. And you can't pick and choose what comes in the base package.
But that's really beside the point. Sling TV proves that content providers are willing to strike web-only licensing deals without fear of killing the cash cow of pay TV. The service is easy to use, well-designed and delivers exactly what it promises, live TV without a cable bill.
For sports fans, the upside is huge. Sling TV is far and away the best option for watching live sports on your TV without a cable bill. Anyone holding on to their cable plan only because they need their sports fix should take a long hard look. Between ESPN, ESPN 2 and TNT you can watch the major US pro leagues (minus the NHL), NCAA competition, X Games events plus tennis and golf tournaments. The only things you're missing here are the regional sports networks that show your local teams on a regular basis.
For a growing number of households, TV service could easily look like this: Netflix and/or Amazon Prime for movies and binge-watching, Hulu Plus for broadcast TV episodes, and a small-channel bundle like Sling TV for live sports and news. While the aggregate cost of these services plus an Internet connection won't turn out to be any cheaper than the promotional offers from your cable company, the upside is you won't be tied to any long-term commitments and can drop or add services as your needs or budgets change. Hardcore cable subscribers won't give up 200+ channels and DVR capability for a bundle of only 11 (mostly mediocre) channels. But for sports fans who tend to watch only a few scripted shows to begin with, Sling TV is a long overdue alternative.
