Sling TV Logo
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3.0

Overall Score

LAST UPDATED: August 4th, 2023

Sling TV won the CES 2015 awards for the "Best Home Theater Product" and the "Best Software/App." It has also been rated the "Best in Show" by Engadget for its pricing, easy-to-navigate interface, and the fact that it could be the beginning of the end for traditional pay television in the United States. 

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The Good

  • Innovative services
  • Add-ons for customizable package
  • Parental controls

New Innovative Product

Sling TV has created a product that combines traditional cable with video on demand services, streaming regular TV channels live and having thousands of movies available on demand.

Add-On Packages

With Sling TV, users can get different add-on packages such as HBO, Sports Extra, Kids Extra, Hollywood Extra, Etc. These packages average $5 more per month.

Ability to Watch Current Seasons

Users can enjoy their favorite series that is currently airing, rather than waiting for the season to finish and watch a season behind.

Parental Controls

Sling TV added parental control features so subscribers can easily sift channels and movies by rating.

Free Trial

Potential subscribers can try Sling TV free for seven days without any obligation whatsoever, allowing them to try services before making a decision. Overall, Sling TV has a lot of great features for their subscribers. The company has essentially created a new form of streaming TV, allowing subscribers to watch on demand and live TV channels without a cable or satellite contract. They have over 65 channels available and Sling TV works on a variety of devices such as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, XBox One, Android TV and devices, iOS devices, Chromecast, and more.

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The Bad

  • More expensive
  • Replay issues
  • Can't stream on multiple devices

Monthly Price

The basic package is a flat rate of $28 per month, which is more than other competitors. However, Sling TV offers streaming movies and TV with live TV channels.

Roku Streaming Issues

Sling TV is fully supported on the Roku player. However, there have been complaints that the Roku app will crash, causing a bad user experience.

No Compatibility with Apple TV

Apple TV is one of the most popular streaming devices on the market. However, there isn't an Apple TV app for Sling TV.

Replay Issues

If a subscriber misses a show and wants to catch up next week, there is a limited time to re-play. Sling TV only allows for a three day "replay" on a few of its channels at this time.

Streaming on Multiple Devices

The most common complaint with Sling TV is due to the inability to stream on multiple devices at one time. You must get individual subscriptions if your family wants to enjoy their different programming on different devices at the same time. Although Sling TV is very innovative and has created a great alternative to cable and satellite contracts, it does have a few drawbacks. The price is a little high, when compared to other streaming TV companies.  Also, Sling TV isn't compatible with Apple TV and has streaming issues on the Roku. However, the main drawback is not being able to stream on multiple devices. This is a big deal now that households have multiple TVs, iPads, phones, and streaming devices.

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The Bottom Line

Sling TV is providing a new, innovative way to enjoy traditional cable or satellite broadcasts without breaking the bank. Sling TV is much cheaper than having cable TV with a traditional TV provider. However, the monthly price is a little higher compared to its competitors, but it is a very different service. For some customers, they will need to purchase additional packs in order to get some channels, like MSNBC, Golf, Oxygen, and more. So, if you are looking for a straight on demand streaming service, Sling TV isn't for you.  Sling TV is a higher price for a reason, providing customers with live TV channels and on-demand videos.
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Star Rating

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2.0

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236 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

10%

4 grade

14%

3 grade

8%

2 grade

4%

1 grade

64%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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Thomas Wyatt

The idea behind Sling is great. Good selection of channels and user friendly interface. That's where the good ends and the bad begins. I have the app streaming through my Xbox One X and it is not without its issues. Often times the stream has to buffer or just gets hung up all together. Typically when a show ends and new one begins, I have to back out of the channel or sometimes the app, and go back in to get the stream to work again. I have gigabit internet and the stream quality is mediocre at best about half the time. Support seems wither unable or unwilling to address the issue which has been going on since I got the service. The streaming definitely needs some work.

5 years ago

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Karen Frisco, TX

My family has been using Sling TV as our main source of television viewing. We like the cost of Sling, which is why we put up with some of the other things we don't like about Sling. I like how we can view the channels we are interested in having at a lower cost. I like how I can choose an episode that I want to watch. I don't like how they repeat the same commercial throughout the episode you are watching. It is literally the same commercial shown over and over. Commercial viewing is bad enough, but at least let us watch a different commercial during each commercial break! I also don't like how you can only stream Sling on one device at a time. If someone is watching something in one room, no one else can watch Sling anywhere else in the house.

6 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Evan Follmer

I can't gain access to CBS or ABC on either blue or orange packages. For some reason I cannot Cloud DVR all shows, only certain shows. Specific shows will record, but not play. There appear to be no direct customer service I can contact about any of this.

5 years ago

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Misled

We like being able to have the selection to various TV channels, different health based such as Yoga. What we do not like is a lot of channels require you to have a basic package with your cable company to get content. We also like being able to view sling in our different locations.

5 years ago

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Don't remember

Very average, the show would stop steaming at very odd times. I had to come out of program and start it up again. If it was live show I miss key parts and didn't have time to go back to see what I missed. This happened to many times to mention.

5 years ago

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betsy fowler Lehi, UT

I have actually been somewhat disappointed with Sling. I bought it so my in-laws could access RFD TV as it was removed from our local cable and they are big country and bluegrass/heartland TV watchers. During the college football season I upped to the sports package but was never able to get the games I wanted to watch most. For instance. I follow a pack 12 team, and their games were never broadcast on Sling. That was frustrating. I have never had a hard time with the streaming quality, that has always been good, and, ther platform is easy to navigate when adding channels etc.

4 years ago

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Lindsey American Fork, UT

I've never actually paid for Sling TV, but my parents have it so I've used it a lot. I think it's a very cheap option, but there are VERY limited options. Once you've watched your options there really isn't anything else.

6 years ago

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Chris Belleair Beach, FL

You go in knowing channels are limited. Has the channels I watch, bunch I don’t. Biggest complaints are shows blacking out for a few seconds and shows always skipping at the end, like a bad CD.

6 years ago

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gypsydlt2 Garden Grove, CA

You can now get streaming on 3 devices at a time with the $25 package (I think that is the "blue" package). If streaming to only 1 device it is $20 per month & fewer channels available.

6 years ago

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Karen Nelson Alpine, UT

We tried to switch over to sling for a little while because the price is good, but it doesn’t offer many channels at all. It has a lot of different package that you can purchase but even so, it didn’t do it for us. If you aren’t expecting a lot and are looking for something cheap, this is a good option.

5 years ago

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Schon Smithfield, UT

We used to have Sling. We got it very early on and had a great deal. After forgetting to change a credit card our service was cancelled. We switched the card but they refused to reinstate our monthly price which was lower than those who got the service later on. Disappointing.

5 years ago

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Mauri Brewer Lehi, UT

It was too hard to navigate viewing options. I also wish there was a way to record shows and watch later rather than only live shows. But a good option instead of tradition cable tv.

5 years ago

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Dominique Caballero

They have terrible customer service. My service went out and they escalated it and said I had to check back often to see if it's fixed.

3 years ago Edited September 14, 2021

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Joshua Stewart Salt Lake City, UT

I've tried their free trial. It's nice that they offer such a trial. However, they're not true a-la-carte TV like they advertise.

6 years ago

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JR Suguturaga Orem, UT

The price so far does not match the value. I cannot stream on multiple devices at one time and the service cuts out every 30 minutes to and hour and I have to restart my TV.

4 years ago

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Tony Riverton, UT

Used Sling to watch a few sporting events. Streaming quality wasn't the best in spite of a great Internet connection. Probably would look at alternatives in future.

4 years ago

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Sara Jane Crestwood, KY

If it is a popular sporting event, forget it. The streaming is so bad you can's get the game. Any other channel is fine. They need to address this.

5 years ago

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Paula

It's okay. I would like to have TV Land added to the service.

5 years ago

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Al R

Frequently drops signal. Very annoying. Can't stand the rotating circle.

5 years ago

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Ann V

Too soon to say. I wish they had local channels

5 years ago