What Is Sling TV and How Does It Work?

This article provides an overview of Sling TV, how to sign up for it, and who its major competitors are. It also covers features, streaming limits, and how fast your internet needs to be to make the most of a subscription.

What Is Sling TV?

Sling TV is a streaming service that allows cord-cutters to watch live television without a cable or satellite subscription. The biggest difference between Sling TV and cable is that it requires a high-speed internet connection and a compatible device.

The good news is that if you have a computer, smartphone, or streaming set-top box, you probably already have a device that works with Sling TV. You can even cast shows from your phone or tablet to your television, or watch Sling TV directly on your smart television if it's compatible.

How to Sign Up for Sling TV

Signing up for Sling TV is a very easy process, and it includes a free trial. The trial is free even if you choose multiple à la carte options, but you do have to provide a valid credit card.

1. Navigate to sling.com.

2. Look for a button that says Sign Up, Watch Now, Try Us Today, or something similar to begin the signup process.

3. Enter your email address, choose a password, and enter your billing ZIP code, and then click Continue.

   

4. Choose the Sling TV plan that you want. (For more information on which plan to choose, see the next section of this article.)

   

5. Scroll down to select the extras you want. Options include:

   • Sports channel packages
   • Additional streaming platforms (eg., MGM+, Starz)
   • Extra DVR storage
   • Kids' channels
   • Lifestyle channels
   • Spanish-language channels
   • International bundles

6. Click Check Out. Enter your name and credit card information.

7. Click Finish & Submit.

   If you don't cancel before the trial ends, your card will be charged based on the options you selected when you signed up.

Choosing a Sling TV Plan

There are two main Sling TV plans, and you can also combine them together to save a little money:

• Sling Orange: 32 channels, including many popular basic cable channels like ESPN, Disney Channel, and AMC.
• Sling Blue: 40 channels, including some networks like FX and NBC, regional sports, and NFL Network.
• Sling Orange+Blue: 44 channels, including everything from both Sling Orange and Sling Blue.

Sling also has a free tier, Sling Freestream. This option includes 210+ channels which show movies, shows, news, and more, both live and on demand. Freestream doesn't have local stations and is less flexible than the paid plans, but the price is right.

If you change your mind about which plan you want, you can change it later.

If you can watch local broadcast television with an HD antenna, then Sling Orange is a great low-cost alternative to cable. It doesn't provide access to any local stations, but it does feature the most popular basic cable channels, including sports from ESPN and kids shows.

Sling Blue costs a little more than Sling Orange, but it's a good alternative if you haven't had any luck receiving broadcast television with an antenna. This plan doesn't include ESPN or Disney Channel, but it does add both NBC and Fox in addition to a number of basic cable channels like USA and FX.

Sling Orange+Blue costs a little more than Sling Blue, but it includes everything, and it also allows you to watch more shows at once than either of the other plans.

How Many Shows Can You Watch at Once With Sling TV?

Services like Sling TV limit the number of shows, or streams, that you can watch at once. That means, depending on the plan you choose, your kids may be able to watch Disney Channel on your iPad while you're watching NFL Network on your TV.

The number of streams you can watch at once with Sling TV is based on the plan you choose:

• Sling Orange: Limited to one stream at a time.
• Sling Blue: Up to three streams at a time.
• Sling Orange+Blue: Up to four streams at a time (one Sling Orange channel and three Sling Blue channels.)

What Internet Speed Is Required for Sling TV?

Before you choose a plan and sign up, it's also important to make sure your internet speed is up to par.

The picture quality you experience from Sling is directly related to your connection speed, so don't expect high-definition picture quality on a low-speed cellular data connection.

To make the most of your subscription and avoid stuttering or bandwidth issues, you should have the following minimum download speeds:

• 3+ Mbps to stream a lower quality picture to portable devices like your phone or tablet.
• 5+ Mbps for a single stream to a television or computer.
• 25+ Mbps to take full advantage of the multiple streams offered by Sling Blue or Sling Orange+Blue.

Sling TV Add-On Options

One of the main selling points of Sling TV is that it provides more options than you get from either cable or satellite television providers. Along with the main Sling Orange and Sling Blue packages, you also have the option of signing up for additional channel packages.

À la carte packages include about five to twelve additional channels and are based on themes like comedy, sports, and kids. Multiple packages can also be combined together to save more money.

Premium channels like HBO, Showtime, and Starz are also available.

All paid plans include Sling's DVD Free option, which provides 50 hours of recording at no extra cost. If you need something more robust, you can upgrade to DVR Plus, which gives you 200 hours of recording for an extra $5 a month.

How to Watch Live Television With Sling TV

The main point of Sling TV is its live TV options, so it works a lot more like cable than streaming services like Hulu or Netflix.

That means when you open Sling TV on your computer, phone or television, it presents you with a list of everything that's currently on the air. It also means that when you watch a show on Sling TV, it includes commercials just like cable television.

Watching live television with Sling TV is a very easy process.

1. Use the My TV, On now, Guide, or Sports tab to locate a show you want to watch.

   You can also use the search function to locate specific programs.

2. Click on the show you want to watch.

3. Click Watch Live.

How to Watch On-Demand Content on Sling TV

While Sling TV is primarily designed to provide live television to cord-cutters, it does include some on-demand content in a similar vein to what you get from cable television.

1. Navigate to the network that airs the show you want to watch. For instance, go to Cartoon Network to watch Adventure Time.

2. Look for the show you want to watch. If it has any on-demand episodes available, it will say "X Episodes" underneath the name of the series.

3. Click the show to open its page.

4. Select the season you want to watch.

5. Locate the episode you want to watch.

   Episode availability is limited.

6. Click Watch.

Renting Movies From Sling TV

Watching movies on Sling TV works in much the same way as watching movies through a cable television service. In addition to movies that are available on live television channels, Sling TV also offers movie rentals.

Renting movies on Sling TV incurs an extra cost above and beyond your monthly subscription charge, just like renting movies through a cable television set top box.

If you find a movie you want to rent from Sling, you can choose whether to rent it in standard or high-definition format. The standard definition format is less expensive, and it's a good choice if you're watching on a small screen like a phone or tablet.

After you pay for a movie rental, you have a limited amount of time to start watching. And after you start watching, you have a limited amount of time to finish. Currently, an unwatched rental will stay on your dashboard for 20 days. Once you press Play, you have 48 hours to watch the movie.

Who Are Sling TV's Competitors?

Along with cable and satellite television providers, Sling TV has a number of direct competitors that also stream live television. Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV, and DirecTV Now all provide access to multiple live television stations, just like Sling TV. Paramount+ also has a live option (but you can only watch CBS).

Other streaming services, like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, offer on-demand streaming of television shows but don't actually provide live television streams.