Dish Networks is launching Sling TV, a live, OTT service, to customers in the US in the first quarter of 2015.
Priced at $20 per month, The Best of Live TV core package includes 12 sports, lifestyle, family and news networks: ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, ABC Family and CNN. This package additionally features VOD entertainment and the best of online video with content from Maker Studios.
Additional channels are available at $5 per month. Sling TV will offer a Kids Extra add-on with Disney Junior, Disney XD, Boomerang, Baby TV and Duck TV, and a News & Info Extra add-on with HLN, Cooking Channel, DIY and Bloomberg TV. A Sports Extra package is coming soon.
Supported internet-connected devices for Sling TV are expected to include Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google’s Nexus Player, select LG Smart TVs, Roku players, Roku TV models, select Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One, iOS, Android, Mac and PC. Sling TV expects to announce its availability on additional streaming devices and smart TVs in the coming months.
Sling TV is an IP-based system delivered over an app to devices. It uses adaptive bitrate streaming technology to ensure the best quality for the connection. Customers will be able to pause, rewind and fast-forward most live channels and VoD content. For certain channels, the service includes a 3-day replay feature that gives customers the ability to watch some shows that have aired in the past three days.
“Sling TV provides a viable alternative for live television to the millennial audience,” said Joseph P. Clayton, Dish president and CEO. “This service gives millions of consumers a new consideration for pay-TV; Sling TV fills a void for an underserved audience.”
“Consumers can now watch their favorite shows on their favorite devices that they already use to watch video. Live television, including ESPN, for $20 per month with no commitment or contract, is a game changer,” said Roger Lynch, CEO of Sling TV.
“The arrival of Sling TV lets consumers, who’ve embraced services like Netflix and Hulu, take more control of their video entertainment experience.”
Sling TV is an emerging OTT service that is independent from Sling Media’s line of Slingbox products and services. Sling Media is a provider of multi-screen TV solutions giving consumers the ability to access their live and recorded traditional pay-TV service anywhere in the world, on any connected device.
