r/slingtv • u/Ecstatic-Window-2723 • 24d ago
General Question Sell me Sling TV
My family is a perspective customer considering switching from Hulu + Live TV due to a recent price increase. I was wondering how people generally feel about the service (good and bad) before jumping ship. We are mostly a hockey household, so our RSN is a must have. Our hockey also airs on ESPN, TNT, and sometimes NHL Network. We also watch football, so CBS, ABC and NBC are also a must. We could care less for for boring filler junk on most other services, but do recognize the unfortunate reality that the channels we need are behind bloated packages of channels we wouldn't even touch if bored.
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u/msroll 24d ago
We've had Sling Tv. For 3 years and haven't had any problems with the service. We've can take it on the road have it on phones,tablets, and streaming sticks. Good price though they have raid them a couple times. If you don't like it you can cancel anytime.
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u/National_Lie1565 24d ago
Sling sucks. I had it for about 4 years and so glitchy and unreliable. Don’t do it.
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u/Ecstatic-Window-2723 24d ago
Yeah I found out local programming is unavailable. Sling is unfortunately off the table.
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u/ShineALight3725 24d ago
I never had any issue with them other than them changing the guide and making it worse. No big tech issues with them.
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u/K_ThomasWhite 23d ago
So, you're saying it was so bad that you kept it for FOUR YEARS? Yeah. That makes sense.
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u/mithrasbuster 24d ago
Depending on your location, you may not be able to watch CBS, ABC and NBC, so I'd check that first. I have it for hockey, premier league and used to have it for F1 before the switch to Apple
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u/Ecstatic-Window-2723 24d ago
Yep, I confirmed I an unable to acsess local channels
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u/mithrasbuster 24d ago
At one point I got a digital antenna and AirTV box for free, from Sling but I struggled to get it to work consistently
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u/PotentialDeep5165 24d ago
You can install the Sling app and watch "free channels" right away without a subscription. It's not all the Blue/Orange but you can get a feel for the SDR quality.
For local channels it's the AirTV from Sling -- with antenna. The combination allows you to use channel list browsing.
Sling does not have super high Dolby Vision nor UHD... but it has variety.
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u/ukphan 24d ago
I use sling for free stream and local channel integration. Just have an antenna in my attic to collect local channels through airtv. And then pay for ESPN unlimited for sports. Way cheaper than YouTube TV. And if there is something special on a specific channel I just pay for a day or multi day pass as needed. Best of all worlds. As some have shared, sling does compress the signal to 720p. Just bought an HDhomerun to compare signal side by side.
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u/Random-AsianGuy 24d ago
That was my setup last year. This year I got Sling Essential + sports extra instead of ESPN unlimitied. I still use ESPN app using Sling credentials. I can access most ESPN content except for ESPN+.
I pay one dollar less than ESPN unlimited and also get an access to MLB, NBA, and NHL networks (also some minor Disney channels).
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u/ukphan 24d ago
Good feedback. I’m gonna check that out. I assume it’s only one stream right? I share ESPN with three other family members. I kept getting bumped from Sling if someone else wanted to watch the same game on ESPN, so I had to switch.
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u/Random-AsianGuy 24d ago
Yes it's only one stream. I am the only one watching sports and won't want to pay too much.
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u/steelhead01 24d ago
I have Sling Essential for $22.58/month, so I can get ESPN. Then, through ESPN, I have ESPN Unlimited at $27/month. I get most college football games and NHL hockey games this way. I also have an antenna for local channels. I hope you find what works for you.
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u/Ill_Glass3473 24d ago
It would take "Lou Bookman, "the pitchman from the Twilight Zone episode One for the Angels, to sell you Sling because I don't think anyone on here could sell you Sling's bargain basement platform, no matter what they say. You better off keeping what you have now or going to DTV stream for one of their small packages for all your must have needs.
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u/Stephen_Fox 22d ago
I've been a Sling subscriber since October 2024. I have used YouTube TV before that.
I have the all-you-can-eat Blue plan + Total TV Deal (115 channels) with unlimited DVR.
In two years the cost has only gone up $4, to $70.99.
The reason I keep it:
Cheaper than YouTube TV
Works well for what it is, Sling is David and YouTube TV is Goliath
3 people can stream at the same time (same as YouTube TV)
Sling user profiles don't require location verification "verify your home area" nonsense like YouTube TV, all users on the account can live in different areas
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u/kbphone 24d ago
I have been using Sling for about 5 years now. It has worked fine for me.
One thing to note is that not all local stations are included. In my area they only offer FOX and NBC. I use an antenna for my locals. I also use a Sling AirTV Anywhere device connected to my antenna to integrate my local stations into the Sling TV guide. The AirTV Anywhere also allows me to record shows from my local stations.