Sling TV — once the largest live TV streaming service in the United States, but now at best No. 2 — today announced that current customers and those who sign up before Aug. 1, 2020, will lock in their prices for a year.
The news comes just as YouTube TV announced a $15 increase to $65 a month, and FuboTV announced it's upping its rates by $5 a month.
Sling last increased its pricing in December 2019 , when its two base plans — Sling Orange and Sling Blue — each went up by $5 a month. They now cost $30 a month separately. The price for buying both plans also increased in December, going to $45 instead of $40. A number of Sling's add-on "Extras" also increased, most notably the Sports Extra (from $10 to $15, but only if you only have both base plans). And Sling recently lost access to NFL Network and NFL Red Zone .
Sling TV used to be the l argest live-streaming service in the United States. But Hulu With Live TV took over at the end of 2019, thanks in no small part to a lot more people paying attention to it due to the massive bundle of Hulu, ESPN and Disney+ , available for $12.99 a month. That got more people in the door, and a number of them likely tried the live TV service from there.
As of May 27, 2020, Sling was down to 2.311 million subscribers. That's down from a peak of 2.686 million subscribers in November 2019. Hulu With Live TV claims some 3.3 million subs.
From Sling's blog post announcing the price freeze:
In the current economic environment, many Americans are taking a hard look at their budgets. SLING TV knows how difficult it can be to see any bill go up while trying to make ends meet or saving for the future. That's why today SLING TV launched a 1-Year Price Guarantee for all new and existing customers. For customers who sign up for SLING TV or who have an existing account by August, 1, 2020 SLING TV will automatically guarantee their current price on any SLING TV service through August 1, 2021 (that's just $30 per month for SLING Orange or SLING Blue).
We believe now is not the time to make our customers choose between staying informed and entertained, and putting dinner on the table. Our hope is this 1-Year Price Guarantee will bring a sense of much needed stability in a time that feels uncertain to us all.
Sling also announced that those who sign up by July 6 will get a free 14-day trial.
No price hikes for a year
Sling prices won't be going up for a year
Sling TV is fighting to regain its spot at the top, and it's announced that it won't be increasing pricing on anyone before Aug. 1, 2021.
