Sling TV Review

Sling might not have the most channels or the best DVR, but Sling is the best budget live TV streaming service on the market

Sling
Sling TV
4 out of 5 stars
4
  • pro
    Inexpensive plans at $40–$55 per month
  • pro
    Great customization and add-on options
  • con
    Low channel count
  • Fire Emoji
    Get half off your first month
Chantel Buchi
Feb 02, 2024
Icon Time To Read5 min read

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What is Sling TV?

Sling TV is the best budget-friendly live TV streaming service. You can get some of your favorite channels for way less than your current cable bill, and Sling lets you watch anywhere on almost any streaming device.

But you get what you pay for because you won't get many DVR storage hours, sports channels, or local channels. Let’s dive in and see if this is the next live TV streaming service for you.

How much does Sling TV cost?

Not an arm and a leg, that much we can tell you.

Sling offers unbeatable pricing, but with that, it doesn’t offer the highest number of channels. Scroll down for a sneak peak of Sling's channel lineup, but we think you'll like it as long as you have lower expectations for this inexpensive service.

This live TV streaming service is best for cord cutters, for those who want to save money, or for those who just want a few of their favorite channels.

How much does Sling TV cost per month?
Plan
Price
TV channel count
Details
Sling Orange$40/mo.*32
Sling Blue$40/mo.*40
Sling Orange + Sling Blue Services$55/mo.*46
* Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.

In comparison to other live TV streaming services in the industry, you'll see that you can save at least $20 per month by signing up with Sling TV.

But we should mention that Philo TV is $15 less expensive than Sling TV's cheapest plans—and Philo TV has 70 channels.

How does Sling TV compare to other live TV streaming services?
Service
Monthly price
Available channels
Learn more
Sling$40-$5532-46
Philo$2570
Fubo TV$74.99–$94.99140–215+
YouTubeTV$72.99100
Hulu$69.99-$89.9985
Directv Stream$69.99-$159.9990-185
Data as of 04/05/2023. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
Plus taxes. Req's purchase of Device. New customers only.

Which channels does Sling TV have?

A little bit of lifestyle, entertainment, sports, news, and kids.

We recommend Sling Orange if you want a package with kids and sports channels, and you'll want Sling Blue if you want more news and entertainment channels.

Sling Orange + Blue gives you six more channels than Sling Blue does on its own, so you could say this plan is best for those who can't choose between NFL Network and ESPN (we see you).

We’ll make it simple with a nice list of some of the channels you'll find in each package, or check out the full channel lineup. And if you want to find the best section of all, scroll down to see the sports channels each plan offers.

Sling Orange's 32-channel lineup includes the following channels:

  • A&E
  • AMC
  • BBC America
  • CNN
  • Cartoon Network
  • Comedy Central
  • Disney Channel
  • MGM+ Drive-In
  • Food Network
  • HGTV
  • HISTORY
  • Investigation Discovery (ID)
  • Lifetime Channel
  • TNT

Sling Blue's 40-channel lineup includes the following channels:

  • BBC America
  • Cartoon Network
  • CNN
  • Food Network
  • FOX
  • Fox News
  • HGTV
  • HISTORY
  • Investigation Discovery (ID)
  • Lifetime Channel
  • MSNBC
  • NBC
  • Nick Jr.
  • TBS
  • TNT
  • USA

And Sling Orange + Blue includes all of the channels Sling TV has to offer for $55 per month. 

Does Sling TV have local channels?

Sling doesn't have any local channels in its lineup. 

But you can still save money with Sling TV by ordering an HD antenna (about $30+) to get access to channels like ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. 

Which premium channels and add-ons does Sling TV have?

Sling TV offers all of the popular premium channels besides one: Max. Why, you might ask? Well, we don’t have an answer for you, but hopefully, you can enjoy all the other great add-ons Sling offers.

How much are Sling TV's premium channels?
ChannelPrice
MaxUnavailable
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME®$10.00/mo.
CINEMAXUnavailable
STARZ$9.00/mo.
MGM+$5.00/mo.
Learn more

With the NBA LEAGUE PASS and the option to add NBA TV onto your package, Sling TV made it to our list of top providers for the NBA season.

Your kids will enjoy the Kids Extra add-on with Disney Junior and Disney Jr. channels. Or if you’re a sucker for reality TV shows on VH1 and BET, then you’ll need Lifestyle Extra.

Sling TV’s Extras
ExtrasAdd-on monthly price
Total TV Deal$21.00/mo.
Sports Extras$11.00/mo.
Comedy Extras$6.00/mo.
Kids Extras$6.00/mo.
News Extras$6.00/mo.
Lifestyle Extras$6.00/mo.
Hollywood Extras$6.00/mo.
Heartland Extras$6.00/mo.
AMC+$7.00/mo.
Learn more

Sling TV's Sports Extra add-on is well worth the $11 price tag because it offers 11–14 sports channels. Sports Extra gives you the following channels when you order Sling Orange:

  • ACC Network (ACCN)
  • ACCNX
  • beIN Sports
  • ESPNews
  • ESPNU
  • Longhorn Network
  • MLB Network
  • MLB Network Strike Zone
  • NBA TV
  • NHL Network
  • PAC-12 Network
  • Tennis Channel
  • SEC Network
  • SEC Network+

When you order Sling Blue or Sling Orange + Blue, the Sports Extra comes with the following sports channels:

  • Big Ten Network
  • beIN Sports
  • FOX Sports 2 (FS2)
  • Golf Channel
  • MLB Network
  • MLB Network Strike Zone
  • NBA TV
  • NFL RedZone Channel
  • NHL Network
  • PAC-12 Network
  • Tennis Channel

But if you want the most channels in your lineup, you'll like the Total TV Deal add-on Sling TV has (it's so worth it).

For $10 more than the Sports Extra, you'll get the following added to your service:

  • Sports Extra
  • Cloud DVR Plus (200-hour DVR storage space instead of 50)
  • Kids Extra
  • Comedy Extra
  • News Extra
  • Lifestyle Extra
  • Heartland Extra
  • Hollywood Extra

If you want a few Spanish-language channels, Sling TV has some add-ons like FlixLatino and Pantaya, but Sling TV also offers six Spanish packages with channels from your country:

  • Best of Spanish: 20+ channels, $10/mo.
  • México Service: 10+ channels, $10/mo.
  • Caribe Service: 5+ channels, $10/mo.
  • Sudamérica Service: 10+ channels, $10/mo.
  • Centroamérica Service: 3 channels, $10/mo.
  • España Service: 4 channels, $10/mo.

The Best of Spanish package gives you more than 20 channels of only Spanish-speaking channels, such as Universo and HISTORY en Español. Take a look at the channel lineups to see if it's the service for you.

Which sports channels does Sling TV have?

Sling TV is one of the few services that offers NFL RedZone! Get the Sports Extra for $11 per month to enjoy the best channel in the world (especially for Fantasy Footballers).

Sling’s sports channels are a little slim (OK, really slim), so it’s not the best option for sports fans. We would hands-down recommend fuboTV or YouTube TV if you’re looking for a live TV streaming service with lots of sports channels.

If you’re sold on the low price or only want a few sports channels, stick with Sling.

Sling Orange includes the following sports channels:

  • ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3
  • TNT

Sling Blue includes the following sports channels:

  • Fox Sports 1 (FS1)
  • NFL Network
  • TNT

Sling Orange + Blue includes the following sports channels:

  • ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3
  • FS1
  • NFL Network
  • TNT

Take advantage of that half-off-your-first-month deal to ensure you get all of the channels you and the family want (channels vary by location). 

Which devices are compatible with Sling TV?

Download the Sling TV app on your smart TV, smartphone, or tablet so you can watch Law & Order, or catch up on sports news with Skip and Shannon: Undisputed while on the train.

You can stream Sling TV on these streaming devices:

  • Amazon Fire TV and tablets
  • Apple TV
  • Roku
  • Xbox One
  • Google Chromecast
  • iPhones, iPads (iOS 9 and up, iPhone 4.0 and up)
  • Android smartphones, tablets, and TVs
  • LG and Samsung Smart TVs

Find out if you have a good internet connection in your home for smooth streaming. If not, check out our top internet providers for uninterrupted streaming.

Sling’s DVR storage space is somewhat average

For an extra monthly fee, you’ll get 200 hours of storage that saves indefinitely.

Sling TV comes with a 50-hour DVR storage, which might be enough for some. 

Fifty hours lets you record three NFL games, 10 movies, and 16 episodes of Fear Thy Neighbor

If that's not enough for you and the five family members you live with, Sling TV’s Cloud DVR Plus is an extra $5 per month for 200 hours of recording space. Your recordings will save indefinitely, so you won’t have to worry about last year’s recording of 30 for 30 disappearing.

Sling TV DVR tab

Also, when you hit the record button on a TV show, a pop-up will ask you if you want to record all episodes, only record new episodes, or record this episode only. This saves you the hassle from going through and clicking record on every episode.

But keep in mind: if you go over your 50-hour storage space, it will automatically delete recordings you’ve already watched and then your oldest recordings.

If you want to record many TV shows and movies and save them for years so you can watch them whenever you'd like, you might find yourself upgrading to 200 hours of DVR storage space in the long run.

Recap: Is Sling TV worth it?

It's worth it if you're looking to watch TV while saving money.

If you're looking to cut the cable cord, Sling TV is a great live TV streaming option. Sling gives you three inexpensive plans to choose from—including the $40 per month Sling Orange and Sling Blue packages—to fit your budget and TV-watching needs.

Do you have kids? Get Sling Orange. Want more news and lifestyle channels? Get Sling Blue. Need all 46 channels? Get Sling Orange + Blue.

You'll get 50 hours of DVR storage space and you can enjoy on-demand content and live channels on the go.

This streaming service is perfect if you fit in one of these categories and if you’re also looking to save a buck. Sling is not for you if you'd like lots of channels or need more than 200 hours of DVR storage space.

If you’re on the fence, we recommend checking out fuboTVYouTube TV, or Hulu + Live TV,.

How much is Sling TV?
Plan
Price
TV channel count
Details
Sling Orange$40/mo.*32
Sling Blue$40/mo.*40
Sling Orange + Sling Blue Services$55/mo.*46
* Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Chantel Buchi
Written by
Chantel Buchi
Chantel is all about finding the best tv or streaming service to watch as many football games as possible to keep her Fantasy Football team in check. Prior to being a TV and Streaming Tech Reporter for Reviews.org, she worked for NFL Network and The Alliance of American Football. Before that, she received a B.A. of Communication at the University of Utah and an M.S. in Sports Journalism at USC. Go Utes and Fight On. Contact her at chantel@reviews.org

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