Sling TV today announced it's expanding its awfully named "Stay in and SLING!" campaign to include more than a dozen Fox affiliates as well as Fox News. The promotion also includes a stream of ABC News Live, and a slew of older broadcast series that can be watched by anyone, for free. And on March 19, Sling announced that it had added Cheddar as well.
From the initial press release :
"To stay informed in these uncertain times, Americans need access to news from reputable sources," said Warren Schlichting, group president, SLING TV. "With many Americans finding themselves staying at home, we have an opportunity to use our platform to help them deal with this rapidly evolving situation."
The local Fox affiliates available are:
- New York
- Philadelphia
- Chicago
- Detroit
- Washington, DC
- Atlanta
- Houston
- Miami/Ft. Lauderdale
- Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne
- Tampa/St. Petersburg
- Gainesville
- Dallas/Ft. Worth
- Austin
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis/St. Paul
- Phoenix
- Seattle
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
Including Fox News in the free stream makes sense givent that this is certainly a package deal with the Fox affiliates. It's also, perhaps, a bold decision given Fox News' flip-flop on the threat of COVID-19.
From the Washington Post :
Fox News personalities such as Sean Hannity and Laura Ingraham accused the news media of whipping up "mass hysteria" and being "panic pushers." Fox Business host Trish Regan called the alleged media-Democratic alliance "yet another attempt to impeach the president."
But that was then.
With Trump's declaration on Friday that the virus constitutes a national emergency, the tone on Fox News has quickly shifted.
It's also worth noting that Sling recently lost its position as the top live TV streaming service in the United States, falling to No. 3 after Hulu With Live TV took over the No. 1 spot, followed by YouTube TV .
In times of crisis, news — actual news — is one of the more important commodities, and good on Sling for bringing it to folks for free. But that still doesn't change the adage "consider the source."
You can watch for free at watch.sling.com .
