Sling TV celebrates the holidays with a rate increase that goes live today

4 hours ago 4

By John Higgins Published December 20, 2024 9:32 AM

Happy holidays! Sling TV got you a present, and it’s a $6-per-month price increase. As we reported last month, today marks the beginning of the new pricing for all of Sling’s packages — Sling Orange, Sling Blue, and the combo Sling Orange and Blue package. Costs per month for the three packages are now $46, $51, and $66, respectively, with half off your first month.

Sling attributes the increase to rising costs of programming “well above the price of inflation.” It also points out “these increases are industry wide” and “Sling continues to be the most affordable option with offerings more than $20 less per month versus other providers.” It’s worth noting that Sling has been adding features throughout 2024, including 4K streaming of major sporting events such as the MLB All-Star Game, postseason, and World Series, the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and the U.S. Open in select major markets.

Still, a price increase is sometimes more than we want to deal with, especially during the holiday season. There are other options for streaming live TV, and if you do want to make the switch, we can show you how to cancel your Sling TV subscription.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

It also might be worth re-evaluating if the Sling TV package you’re currently subscribed to is the best Sling TV package for you. The Orange and Blue packages offer a different selection of channels, with Sling Orange including ESPN, ESPN, and ESPN 3 making it a better fit for sports fans, while Sling Blue will deliver your news fix from MSNBC, HLN, and Fox News.

John Higgins

John Higgins is the Senior Editor of A/V at Digital Trends, leading the team in coverage of all manner of audio and video.

What is ESPN+? Live sports and more you can’t get anywhere else

ESPN+ app on a movile device.

ESPN is synonymous with sports on TV. It stands to reason, then, that ESPN+ gets you more sports. And it does, in that newfangled way that transcends sports on TV. ESPN+ is the future of ESPN in a live TV streaming world. Probably. Eventually. Sort of.

It's a little complicated. It's perhaps better at the moment to consider ESPN+ the streaming service complementary to ESPN the cable network. You can get some of what's on ESPN on ESPN+. But at the same time, ESPN Plus has a lot that you can't get on the cable network.

Hulu Plus Live TV: plans, price, channels, bundles, and more

Hulu with Live TV.

If you want to cut the cable but you aren't ready to let go entirely, one of the best live TV streaming services out there is Hulu Plus Live TV. Billed as a Multichannel Video Programming Distributor (MVPD), Hulu Plus Live TV (also referred to as Hulu With Live TV) provides many of the features you've come to expect from your cable package. Along with live TV, you get access to Hulu's streaming library which includes thousands of hours of video including existing favorites, alongside original programming like The Bear and The Handmaiden's Tale. Since Hulu is owned by Disney, you can even bundle Hulu Plus Live TV with Disney Plus and ESPN+ for even more content.

There’s plenty to learn about Hulu Plus Live TV, and we’ve compiled all the most salient information into this helpful explainer. And do be sure to check back often, as Hulu With Live TV pricing and capabilities have been known to change in the blink of an eye.

Philo is now available on LG smart TVs

A promo image of Philo on an LG TV.

Philo is one of the least expensive live-streaming services out there. LG makes some of the most popular smart TVs. And now you get the former directly on the latter, without any additional hardware. In other words, there's now a Philo app available on LG smart TVs.

Philo sports 75 linear channels — and this year added AMC+ — for just $28 a month. So while you get around half as many channels as its competitors, you're also paying a fraction of the monthly fee. Old-timers will recognize that it's definitely more expensive than it used to be, having started at $16 a month, but it's also far less than what you'll pay for the likes of YouTube TV or Hulu With Live TV, and it's even less expensive than the most basic Sling package.

Read Entire Article