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Sling TV adds the NHL Network, throws in a bonus for Orange and Blue subscribers

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Sling TV might have been the first major player in the live TV streaming space, but it already has plenty of competition, and there is more on the way. So far, the company has aimed to maintain its lead by being the first to add new channels, as it did with the NFL Network. Now, in a similar move, Sling TV announced on Wednesday that it’s the first live TV streaming provider to add the NHL Network.

“With hockey season already in full swing, die-hard fans are donning their jerseys, and Sling TV makes it easy and affordable to watch NHL Network wherever they are, so they don’t miss a single slap shot,” Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch said in a statement. “As the premier streaming destination for sports, we continue to offer fans nationwide the games they can’t live without, whether they love soccer, college football, pro football, MLB playoffs, the NCAA basketball tournament, and now NHL hockey.”

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With the addition of the NHL Network, more than 75 games will be available to Sling TV customers, including the upcoming matchup between the New York Rangers and the Washington Capitals on October 22, and the Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic on October 23, when the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers will face off. NHL games are also available via the NBC Sports Network, as well as NBC, in select markets.

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The NHL Network isn’t the only channel addition that Sling TV announced Wednesday. The provider has also added the Hallmark Channel, which offers family-friendly movies, as well as series like I Love Lucy, The Middle, Golden Girls, and Frasier. The Hallmark Movies & Mysteries channel has also been added, bringing shows like Murder She Wrote and Matlock to customers.

The NHL Network is available as part of the Sports Extra package, which costs Sling Orange customers an extra $5 per month — it’s an additional $10 per month for Sling Blue subscribers. The two new Hallmark channels are available as part of the Lifestyle Plus Extra package, which costs an extra $5 per month, no matter which base subscription you have.

For some time, the only way to watch everything Sling TV has to offer was to subscribe to both Sling Orange, which costs $20 per month on its own, and Sling Blue, which costs $25 per month as a stand-alone. To lessen the sting of subscribing to both, Sling cuts $5 off the price, bringing the total to $40 per month. Now, the company has sweetened the deal by adding the Broadcast Extra package — normally $5 per month — for free to users who subscribe to both Orange and Blue.

Broadcast Extra adds live programming from ABC and UniMás, but is only available in select markets. Currently, only users located in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston, San Francisco, Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina, and Fresno-Visalia in California, can take advantage of this new offer.

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Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
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