Is Sling TV Really A Cable Alternative?

Is Sling TV Really A Cable Alternative?

The one topic the cord cutting community cannot stop talking about is Sling TV.  An over-the-top service produced by Dish Network that offers 14 live television channels for $20 a month; with the option of adding on additional channel packages for $5 each. Launched February 9th 2015.

To many, this is the service that cord cutters have been waiting for; a cable TV alternative that makes companies like Comcast obsolete.

But is it really?

Don’t get me wrong, I think Sling TV is amazing, and it will definitely help change the way we view television; but I don’t think Sling represent the cable TV alternative we’ve all been waiting for. Allow me to explain.

What is a Cable TV Alternative?

So in order for a service to be called a cable TV alternative, it has to have the following features:

• The ability to stream television online
• It has to be contract-free
• It has to be inexpensive
• You have to be able to use it on multiple devices at once
• It has to support over-the-air television (i.e. broadcast networks like ABC,NBC, or CBS)

So how does Dish’s new product match up against this definition? Let’s take a look.

SlingTV Channels

Sling TV offers 12 live television channels in a package called “The Best of Live TV” for $20 a month. There are no contracts and you pay it month to month. The channels included are as followed: ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, ABC Family, CNN, El Rey, and Galavision.

For an extra $5, you can have one of the following add-on packages:

• Kids Extra: Disney Junior, Disney XD, Boomerang, Baby TV, and Duck TV.
• News & Info Extra: HLN, Cooking Channel, DIY and Bloomberg TV.
• Sports Extra: SEC Network, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded, Univision Deportes, Universal Sports, and beIN Sports

In terms of low-cost commitment free television entertainment, it is hard to beat. They have a great selection; and for the person who doesn’t want to shell out a fortune for a couple channels, it’s a life saver. As far as meeting the definition of a cable TV alternative, things are looking pretty good for Sling TV.

However, this is also where we start running into some problems.

Sling TV on Multiple Devices

At $20 a month, Sling is not the cheapest over-the-top service, but it’s still pretty good for the amount of content it offers. The problem is that you can only use it on one device at a time, per account.

That means if you don’t want to watch Anderson Cooper 360 but your spouse does; well tough nuts for you because you can’t go into another room and watch something else. This is the complete opposite of the Netflix model, where they actively encourage you to share your account with loved ones; and to be honest, at this point account sharing is a feature most cord cutters have come to expect.

But it doesn’t stop there. Go back and look at the channels that Sling TV offers. Do you notice anything missing?                                                  www.freehdtvaz.com