At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, Dish unveiled a new online streaming service that’s been in development for years: Sling TV. Essentially, Sling TV allows you to watch TV almost anywhere on almost anything for only $20 a month, without a cable subscription.
With a $20 Sling TV subscription, you can watch numerous live television broadcasts online from various networks, including ESPN, ESPN2, CNN, TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Travel Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, The Disney Channel, and HGTV. There is no contract, and you can cancel at anytime.
Dish will also make available add-on “genre packages” for an additional $5, like “Kids Extra,” a bundle of child-friendly channels like Disney XD and Boomerang, and “News & Info Extra,” for channels like Bloomberg Television and DIY Network.
Dish promises additional channels in the future, including Sling International channels. There will also be a built-in movie rental service, much like the existing services
You’ll be able to view Sling TV programming on many different media devices, such as iOS, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Xbox One, Rokus, select LG and Samsung Smart TVs, and the Mac and PC via web browser.
Through your device of choice, you can pause and rewind through most live TV, depending on the channel. Some channels will even let you watch previously broadcasted shows over the last three days on demand.
Some limitations will exist on certain channels due to contractual obligations between networks. For instance, you won’t be able to watch NFL games on mobile devices due to a deal between Verizon and the NFL for mobile exclusivity. However, that won’t stop you from being able to be watch on other devices like the Xbox One or Roku.
Sling TV accounts will only be limited to one stream at a time, meaning you won’t be able to watch on multiple devices simultaneously.
Oddly enough, despite coming from Dish, the Sling TV features no Dish branding at all. The Sling TV is not meant to compete or replace existing satellite of cable television subscriptions. Instead, it’s aimed at people who would never sign up for those services in the first place. Many people these days are cutting off their cable subscription altogether in favor services like Netflix and Hulu Plus. Sling TV promises to be an excellent complement to cord-cutters who would still like to enjoy some live television programming without committing to a cable subscription.
The Sling TV service will launch sometime within the next month. Xbox One users with Xbox Live will get a free 30-day trial of the service once it launches.
By Alfredo Dizon, eParisExtra