Skip to main content

Sling TV hikes prices for its existing subscribers

Given that Sling TV decided to raise the prices of its live TV streaming subscriptions for new customers at the beginning of 2021, it should probably be no surprise that the company has now informed its existing customers that the same price hike is coming for them in August.

According to an email sent to subscribers earlier this week, the cost of a Sling Orange or Sling Blue plan will be going up by $5 per month, bringing the price to $35 — the same price that new customers have been paying since January. The combo Sling Orange + Blue package is also going up by $5 to $50 per month. Digital Trends has reached out to Sling TV to confirm these details.

The announcement comes just a few days before the expiration of a temporary one-year pricing guarantee that Sling implemented in August 2020 as a way of helping people through the financial uncertainties associated with the pandemic. That guarantee applied to any new or existing customers who had valid subscriptions as of August 1, 2020. The one-year anniversary of that date is coming in just a few more days.

When Sling announced the price increases for new customers in January, it placed much of the blame for the extra charge on networks: “Unfortunately, we are forced to raise prices because the television networks keep charging us more,” said Michael Schwimmer, Sling TV’s group president at the time. However, Schwimmer pointed out that even with the increase, Sling remained very competitive with all of the other live TV streaming services like YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, and FuboTV.

To help offset the sting of higher monthly prices, Sling upped the amount of free DVR storage from 10 to 50 hours and added the ability to pause live TV. Those who pay for the $5 per month DVR Plus extra now get 200 hours, up from 50 hours. But those changes were brought into being in January, and they affected all customers at the time, which means existing customers have already had six months to enjoy these extras before needing to pay the higher price.

Recently, Sling TV debuted a new app experience for customers who use Roku devices and it also added Locast integration, which helps a lot with one of Sling’s biggest weaknesses: It doesn’t carry local affiliates for ABC, NBC, CBS, or Fox.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
Is there a Sling TV free trial? Here’s what you need to know
Sling TV logo on Apple TV.

With an all-in-one streaming package, you can truly ditch the cord and traditional cable subscriptions while still retaining access to live TV along with some meaty streaming goodness. If that's your plan, there sure are a lot of options, but if you're also after one of the best values in the streaming world, then Sling TV should be high on your list. Netflix, Hulu, and Disney+ are great for binging shows and movies, but if you want live TV such as sports and news, then you need Sling. These packages are more expensive than standalone streaming apps like Netflix, however, Sling TV is still one of the best live TV streaming services. If you don't want to empty your bank account paying for a bunch of channels you'll never use, Sling is the way to go. What better way to test the waters than with a Sling TV free trial? We've got everything you need to know about it right here.
Is there a Sling TV free trial?

Sometimes. It's not a satisfying answer, but it's always changing. Just go to the

Read more
Fubo: channels, price, plans, packages, and add-ons
FuboTV icon on Apple TV.

If you're a sports fan, Fubo (nee FuboTV) may be the answer to your cord-cutting dreams. What is Fubo? It's a live streaming service that focuses mainly on sports-focused live TV and can help you quit cable for good. And it's very much growing in popularity, currently sitting in fourth place in the U.S. with about 1.477 million subscribers as of late 2023.

Fubo's pricing and plans -- and even the channels available -- are competitive with services that are many times its size. And that's what's great about the whole streaming space: You have options. That's also the hard part. It can be tough to tell the difference between Fubo and Hulu With Live TV. Or Fubo versus YouTube TV. What makes one stand out above the others?

Read more
Tubi is taking its free TV to the U.K. as it appoints new exec
The Tubi app icon on Apple TV.

Tubi, the Fox-owned streaming service that eschews subscription fees for advertising revenue, today announced that it's expanding its already impressive reach into the U.K., with a new executive VP to lead the way.

David Salmon was tapped as Executive Vice President and Managing Director, International. He'll be based in the U.K. and, in addition to that market, is also is looking to expand further into Latin America. Tubi currently has more than 70 million monthly active users in the U.S., Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador, Ecuador, Panama, Australia, and New Zealand.

Read more