What Sling TV does

Sling TV is a US-only direct-to-consumer live TV streaming service operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS). The platform delivers 15 to 50+ channels depending on tier, including major networks such as ESPN, FOX News, CNN, TNT, TBS, USA, Bravo, FX, and NFL Network, alongside international programming in 20+ languages and a free ad-supported tier called Sling Freestream. Core technology is a cloud-based adaptive bitrate streaming platform protected by four granted US patents held jointly with sister entity Dish Technologies LLC; these patents are the basis of an ongoing infringement suit against Patreon in the District of Delaware.

The company's product lineup is structured around modular, customizable packages — Sling Orange ($45.99/month), Sling Blue ($45.99/month), Sling Essentials ($19.99/month), Sling Select ($19.99/month), and the combined Orange & Blue ($60.99/month) and Essentials & Select ($34.99/month) bundles — augmented by short-term 1-Day ($4.99), 3-Day ($9.99), and 7-Day ($14.99) passes that are unique in the US live-TV market. Premium add-ons (HBO Max, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, MGM+, AMC+, STARZ, discovery+) and genre-specific packages (Sports Extra, News Extra, Willow TV cricket, beIN soccer) drive incremental ARPU. As of Q4 2025, Sling TV had 1.98 million subscribers — down 168,000 in the quarter — operating within an EchoStar pay-TV umbrella of roughly 7 million subscribers across Dish TV and Sling. Go-to-market is fully self-serve through sling.com and native apps on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Samsung smart TVs, Chromecast, mobile, and web, with marketing focused on affiliate content, SEO, and event-driven sports promotions including a March Madness 2026 partnership with NBA guard Trae Young.

Commercially, Sling's strategy is price-led differentiation in a market where YouTube TV ($82.99+), Hulu Live ($89.99), and DirecTV ($90+) have raised prices ~20% industry-wide. The 2026 launches of Essentials and the Day Pass portfolio represent a deliberate defense against cord-cutting churn and the structural decline of US pay-TV. However, Sling is materially constrained by parent EchoStar's $30.96 billion debt load, $14.5B FY2025 net loss, and an ongoing Restructuring Support Agreement with 82%+ of DISH DBS creditors, which together define both the strategic urgency and the resource ceiling for the subsidiary.

Name

Sling TV

Legal name

Sling TV LLC

Website

https://sling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Sling TV is a US direct-to-consumer live TV streaming service and subsidiary of EchoStar Corp, serving ~1.98 million subscribers with modular packages (Essentials, Orange, Blue, Select) from $19.99-$60.99/month plus short-term day passes and premium add-ons across streaming devices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live TV Streaming

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)

SIC

Cable & Other Pay Television Services (4841)

akta.pro primary industry

Live TV Streaming (vMVPD/IPTV OTT) (MPACAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sports OTT/FAST Channels & Virtual Sports Bundles (MPABAJAG), FAST Linear Streaming Channels (Ad-Supported) (MPABAHAD)

Keywords

• Live TV streaming
• OTT streaming service
• Subscription video
• Cord-cutter streaming
• Sports streaming platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Centennial

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Subscription Streaming Services: Monthly recurring subscriptions for live TV streaming packages including Sling Orange, Sling Blue, Sling Select, Sling Essentials, and bundled Orange & Blue plans. Revenue generated through tiered pricing with options for add-on extras like Sports Extra and News Extra packages.
2. Short-term Passes: Flexible pay-per-use options including 1-Day Pass ($4.99), 3-Day Pass ($9.99), and 7-Day Pass ($14.99) for temporary access without long-term commitment.
3. Prepay Subscriptions: 3-month prepay plans offering discounted rates compared to monthly billing, with plans starting at $49.99 for 3 months.
4. Premium Channel Add-ons: Additional revenue from premium channel subscriptions including HBO Max, Cinemax, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, MGM+, AMC+, STARZ, discovery+, and Hallmark+ offered at promotional rates like $5/month for first month.
5. International Channel Packages: International programming packages including South Asian, Middle Eastern, European, East Asian, South American, and Latino channels with regional sports like cricket on Willow TV.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sling TV is a direct-to-consumer live TV streaming service offering tiered subscription packages (Sling Orange, Sling Blue, Sling Select, Sling Essentials) and combination bundles, delivered via cloud-based adaptive bitrate streaming on streaming devices, smart TVs, mobile, and web. The service includes premium channel add-ons, sports packages, international programming in 20+ languages, and flexible billing options ranging from 1-Day, 3-Day, and 7-Day passes to monthly and 3-month prepay subscriptions.

Product overview

Sling TV is a live TV streaming platform offering multiple customizable subscription packages and flexible pass options. The core product lineup includes Sling Orange (sports-focused, $45.99/mo), Sling Blue (news-focused, $45.99/mo), Sling Orange & Blue (combo, $60.99/mo), Sling Select (news/sports, $19.99/mo), Sling Essentials (ESPN/family, $19.99/mo), and the combined Essentials & Select bundle ($34.99/mo). The company also offers Sling Freestream, a free ad-supported service, along with flexible 1-Day ($4.99), 3-Day ($9.99), and 7-Day ($14.99) day passes. Premium add-ons include HBO Max, Cinemax, Paramount+, MGM+, Starz, and AMC+. Sports coverage spans NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, college sports, soccer (including World Cup), golf, tennis, NASCAR, and cricket. International programming includes hundreds of channels across South Asian, Middle Eastern, European, East Asian, Latino, and other regional content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sling Freestream: Free live TV streaming service offering shows, movies, and news without a subscription
• Sling Essentials
• Sling Select
• Sling Orange
• Sling Blue

Products and services

• Sling Orange Sports and family-focused live TV streaming package priced at $45.99/month, including ESPN, CNN, TNT, TBS, and 30+ channels, with flexible pass options (1-day, 3-day, 7-day, monthly, or prepay). Targeted at households wanting ESPN-led sports and family entertainment at a lower monthly cost than cable.
• Sling Blue News and entertainment-focused live TV streaming package priced at $45.99/month, including FOX News Channel, MS NOW, USA, Bravo, and 40+ channels. Targeted at consumers prioritizing news and entertainment networks over ESPN-led sports coverage.
• Sling Orange & Blue Combined subscription bundle priced at $60.99/month offering 50+ channels including ESPN, CNN, FOX News, and all major sports and entertainment networks from both Orange and Blue lineups. Targeted at consumers wanting the broadest channel selection from Sling TV.
• Sling Essentials Budget-friendly live TV streaming package priced at $19.99/month including ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, Grit, Freeform, and 10+ channels. Targeted at price-sensitive cord-cutters seeking low-cost ESPN access and family entertainment.
• Sling Select Affordable live TV streaming package starting at $19.99/month including FOX News Channel, NFL Network, FX, National Geographic, and 10+ channels with a news and sports focus. Targeted at consumers prioritizing news and NFL Network without paying for a full Orange or Blue subscription.
• Sling Day Pass (1-Day, 3-Day, 7-Day) Flexible short-term viewing passes providing 24-hour ($4.99), 72-hour ($9.99), and one-week ($14.99) access to live TV streaming without long-term subscription commitments. Targeted at occasional or seasonal viewers, travelers, and sports-event-specific subscribers.
• Sling Freestream Free ad-supported streaming service offering live TV shows, movies, and news channels including Ion, AMC, ABC News Live, BET, and Family Feud with no subscription required. Targeted at viewers who want free live TV access and serve as a funnel into paid Sling TV packages.
• Sling Sports Packages Comprehensive sports add-on packages providing access to NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA, college football and basketball, soccer (World Cup, Premier League), golf, tennis, NASCAR, and cricket through dedicated channel add-ons and passes. Targeted at sports enthusiasts seeking to add premium sports channels to a base subscription.
• Sling International International programming add-on packages featuring hundreds of channels in 20+ languages including South Asian, Middle Eastern, European, East Asian, South American, Latino, French, Arabic, Polish, Italian, Greek, and Brazilian content. Targeted at diaspora audiences in the US seeking language-specific programming.
• Premium Streaming Add-ons Premium channel subscriptions offered as add-ons to a base Sling TV package, including HBO Max, Cinemax, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, MGM+, AMC+, Starz, discovery+, Hallmark+, and other niche streaming services, typically at promotional introductory pricing. Targeted at subscribers wanting to bundle premium entertainment content into their Sling subscription.

Quantifiable outcome

• Streaming costs increased 20% industry-wide while Sling maintains lower price points
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Trae YoungminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 March 2026Sling TV partnered with NBA star Trae Young for March Madness 2026 promotions. The partnership offered customers a $1 Day Pass if a 12-to-16 seed advanced to the final 16 in the NCAA tournament. This event-driven marketing leveraged Young's basketball celebrity to promote flexible streaming passes during high-viewership sports periods.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• YouTube TV: Google's live TV streaming service offering a vMVPD bundle with major sports, news, and entertainment channels. Direct competitor to Sling TV in the cord-cutter vMVPD market, sharing the same customer base and similar subscription-based live TV model.
• Hulu + Live TV: Disney-owned vMVPD providing live TV channels alongside its on-demand Hulu library. Competes head-to-head with Sling TV for sports/news subscribers, often priced higher (~$89.99/mo) and bundled with Disney+/ESPN+.
• Fubo: A sports-centric live TV streaming service competing with Sling in the sports-focused vMVPD segment, offering similar channel lineups (ESPN, regional sports, beIN) and targeting sports enthusiasts with monthly subscription tiers.
• DirecTV Stream (formerly AT&T TV): A satellite-TV parent-aligned vMVPD offering live TV packages with comparable channel breadth to Sling Orange & Blue. Differentiates via higher pricing (~$90+) and bundled satellite/dish contracts but competes for the same cord-cutter/price-shopper.
• Philo: A low-cost live TV streaming service (~$25/mo) with an entertainment-focused lineup. Direct peer to Sling in the budget live TV tier, competing on price for non-sports/less-news-oriented cord-cutters.

Emerging players

• Frndly TV: A ultra-low-cost live TV streaming service focused on family/lifestyle channels. Smaller and more niche than Sling, but competes for the most price-sensitive live TV viewers in Sling's lowest-priced tier ($7-10/mo).
• Tubi: Fox-owned free ad-supported streaming (FAST) service offering live channels plus on-demand library. Directly comparable to Sling Freestream, the free ad-supported tier in Sling's portfolio.

Broad incumbents

• Roku Channel: Roku-operated free ad-supported streaming offering live TV channels and on-demand content. Comparable to Sling Freestream from a positioning standpoint and important because Roku is also a primary distribution platform for Sling TV's paid tiers.
• Pluto TV: Paramount-owned free ad-supported live TV streaming service with hundreds of FAST channels. Comparable to Sling Freestream and Sling's distribution model across Roku, Fire TV, and connected TV platforms.

Regional players

• DAZN: Global sports streaming service operating in most countries outside the U.S. with comparable sports pass monetization (event-based and monthly). Comparable to Sling's sports add-on structure and relevant for international sports rights benchmarking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Sling

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sling TV