How to Add Channels to Your Sling Account
Sling TV Review 2021
Sling might not have the most channels or the best DVR, but Sling is the best budget live TV streaming service on the market
Data as of 11/11/21. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
* Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Published on June 22, 2021
Sling TV is the best budget-friendly live TV streaming service, and it has been for years.
You can get most (if not all) of your favorite channels for way less than your current cable bill, and Sling lets you watch anywhere on almost any streaming device. But you get what you pay for because you won't get many DVR storage hours, sports channels, or local channels.
Let's dive in and see if this is the next live TV streaming service for you.
Pros
-
Sling TV is inexpensive
-
You have three packages to choose from to find the right fit for your family
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You can get lots of add-ons for customization
Cons
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Sling TV doesn't have the most channels in the industry
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The DVR could be better
How much does Sling TV cost?
Not an arm and a leg, that much we can tell you
Sling offers unbeatable pricing, but with that, it doesn't offer the highest number of channels. But we guarantee you won't be disappointed with Sling's channel lineup (as long as you have lower expectations for this inexpensive service).
You could also just scroll down a little for a sneak peek of the channels.
This live TV streaming service is best for cord cutters, for those who want to save money, or for those who just want a few of their favorite channels.
Data as of 11/11/21. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
* Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
In comparison to other live TV streaming services in the industry, you'll see that you can save lots of cash by signing up with Sling TV. But if you want more channels, Sling TV might not be your best bet.
How does Sling TV stack up against other live TV streaming services?
Data as of 11/04/20. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
† Data as of 11/04/20. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
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Which channels does Sling TV have?
Lifestyle, reality, sports, news, you name it
We recommend Sling Orange if you want a package with kids and lifestyle channels, and you'll want Sling Blue if you want more news and sports channels.
Sling Orange + Blue gives you fewer than 10 more channels than Sling Blue does on its own, but you'll get four EPIX channels and a few more sports channels.
We'll make it simple with a nice list of some of the channels in each plan, or check out the full channel lineup. And if you want to find the best section of all, scroll down to see the sports channels each plan offers.
Sling Orange includes the following channels:
- A&E
- AMC
- BBC America
- CNN
- Cartoon Network
- Comedy Central
- Disney Channel
- HGTV
- HISTORY
- Investigation Discovery
- Freeform
- Food Network
- Lifetime
- TBS
Sling Blue includes the following channels:
- BBC America
- Cartoon Network
- CNN
- Food Network
- FOX
- Fox News
- HGTV
- HISTORY
- Investigation Discovery
- Lifetime Channel
- MSNBC
- NBC
- Nick Jr.
- Paramount Network
- TNT
- USA
Sling Orange + Blue includes the following channels:
- AMC
- Cartoon Network
- Comedy Central
- CNN
- Discovery Channel
- Disney Channel
- EPIX
- EPIX 2
- EPIX Drive-In
- EPIX Hits
- Food Network
- Fox News
- FX
- HGTV
- HISTORY
- MSNBC
- National Geographic
- TBS
- Univision
- USA
Which premium channels and add-ons does Sling TV have?
Sling TV offers all of the popular premium channels besides one: HB-freaking-O. Why, you might ask? Well, we don't have an answer for you, but hopefully, you can enjoy all the other great add-ons Sling offers.
For your first month, Sling throws in SHOWTIME, STARZ, and EPIX in your service for free. Thank you, kindly.
How much are Sling TV's premium channels?
| Channel | Price |
|---|---|
| HBO | Unavailable |
| SHOWTIME | $10.00/mo. |
| CINEMAX | Unavailable |
| STARZ | $9.00/mo. |
| EPIX | $5.00/mo. |
| Learn more | See Details |
Data effective 11/23/2021.
With the NBA LEAGUE PASS and the option to add NBA TV onto your package, Sling TV made it to our list of top providers for the NBA season.
Your kids will enjoy the Kids Extra add-on with Disney Junior and Disney Jr. channels. Or if you're a sucker for reality TV shows on VH1 and BET, then you'll need Lifestyle Extra.
| Extras | Add-on monthly price |
|---|---|
| Total TV Deal | $27.00/mo. |
| Sports Extra | $15.00/mo. |
| Acorn | $6.00/mo. |
| Kids Extra | $6.00/mo. |
| News Extra | $6.00/mo. |
| Lifestyle Extra | $6.00/mo. |
| Hollywood Extra | $6.00/mo. |
| Hallmark Movies Now | $6.00/mo. |
| Best of Spanish TV | $5.00/mo. |
| Sling Deportes | $5.00/mo. |
| Learn more | See Details |
Sling TV's Sports Extra add-on is well worth the $15 price tag because it offers these 17 sports channels. Sports Extra gives you the following channels:
- ACCN
- beIN Sports
- ESPN Bases Loaded
- ESPN Goal Line
- ESPNU
- ESPNews
- Longhorn Network
- MLB Network
- MLB Strike Zone
- Motorsport TV
- NBA TV
- NFL RedZone Channel
- NHL Network
- Outside TV
- PAC-12 Network
- SEC Network
- SEC Network+
- Tennis Channel
But if you want the most channels in your lineup, you'll like the new Total TV Deal add-on Sling TV has (it's so worth it).
For $12 more than the Sports Extra, you'll get the following added to your service:
- Sports Extra
- Cloud DVR Plus (200-hour DVR storage space instead of 50)
- Kids Extra
- Comedy Plus Extra
- News Extra
- Lifestyle Plus Extra
- Heartland Extra
- Hollywood Extra
If you want a few Spanish-language channels, Sling TV has some add-ons like FlixLatino and Pantaya, but Sling TV also offers six Spanish packages with channels from your country:
- Best of Spanish: 20+ channels, $10/mo.
- México Service: 10+ channels, $10/mo.
- Caribe Service: 5+ channels, $10/mo.
- Sudamérica Service: 10+ channels, $10/mo.
- Centroamérica Service: 3 channels, $10/mo.
- España Service:3 channels, $10/mo.
The Best of Spanish package gives you more than 20 channels of only Spanish-speaking channels, such as Universo and HISTORY en Español. Take a look at the channel lineups to see if it's the service for you.
Which sports channels does Sling TV have?
Sling TV is one of the few services that offers NFL RedZone! Get the Sports Extra for $15 per month to enjoy the best channel in the world (especially for Fantasy Footballers).
Sling's sports channels are a little slim, so it's not the best option for sports fans. We would recommend fuboTV or YouTube TV if you're looking for a live TV streaming service with lots of sports channels.
If you're sold on the low price or only want a few sports channels, stick with Sling.
Sling Orange includes the following sports channels:
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN3
- Stadium
- TNT
Sling Blue includes the following sports channels:
- NFL Network
- NBC Sports
- NBC Sports Network
- FS1
- Stadium
- TNT
Sling Orange + Blue includes the following sports channels:
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN3
- FS1
- FS2
- Golf Channel
- NFL Network
- NBC Sports
- NBC Sports Network
- Olympic Channel
- Stadium
- TNT
To make sure you get all of the channels you and the family want (channels vary by location), take advantage of that free trial.
Which devices are compatible with Sling TV?
Download the Sling TV app on your smart TV, smartphone, or tablet so you can watch Law & Order, or catch up on sports news with Skip and Shannon: Undisputed while on the train.
You can stream Sling TV on these streaming devices:
- Amazon Fire TV and tablets
- Apple TV
- Roku
- Xbox One
- Google Chromecast
- iPhones, iPads (iOS 9 and up, iPhone 4.0 and up)
- Android smartphones, tablets, and TVs
- LG and Samsung Smart TVs
Find out if you have a good internet connection in your home for smooth streaming. If not, check out our top internet providers for uninterrupted streaming.
Our internet expert, Catherine McNally, says Xfinity and Verizon Fios internet are her top two recommendations.
Sling's DVR storage space is somewhat average
For an extra monthly fee, you'll get 200 hours of storage that saves indefinitely
Earlier this year, Sling TV increased its DVR storage space and increased its monthly price by $5 because of it. We're here to say it was worth it.
Sling TV used to come with a free 10-hour Cloud DVR storage (not enough at all). Now, Sling TV comes with a 50-hour DVR storage.
If that's not enough for you and the five family members you live with, Sling TV's Cloud DVR Plus is an extra $5 per month for 200 hours of recording space. Your recordings will save indefinitely, so you won't have to worry about last year's recording of 30 for 30 disappearing.
Also, when you hit the record button on a TV show, a pop-up will ask you if you want to record all episodes, only record new episodes, or record this episode only. This saves you the hassle from going through and clicking record on every episode.
But keep in mind: if you go over your 50-hour storage space, it will automatically delete recordings you've already watched and then your oldest recordings.
For some families, 50 hours is enough. This means you can record about 50 TV episodes or 20 movies.
If you want to record TV shows and movies and save them for years so you can watch them whenever you'd like, you might find yourself upgrading to 200 hours of DVR storage space in the long run.
How does Sling TV work?
Sling TV's interface is simple, but could be a little more intuitive
When you open the Sling TV app, you'll see a home page suggesting your favorite channels first and then your recordings.
One thing we felt indifferent about on Sling's home page was the fact that there wasn't a Recordings tab at the top. Instead, you'll have to find your Recordings amongst the rows on the home page (because sometimes they won't always be on the top row).
On the home page, there will also be rows of on-demand content that we are all accustomed to seeing on streaming services. You'll see recommendations like Trending Live, Popular Shows, Hit Movies, and Top Rentals.
You can find more on-demand TV shows and movies with the handy On-Demand tab at the top. Some TV series and films you can pull up after a long day include Hoarders, House Hunters International, Grown Ups 2, and Ice Age 3.
There is also a Rentals section to rent movies for $3.99–$19.99, similar to Amazon Prime. Here, you'll find titles like Queen Bees, The Croods: A New Age, Ghostbusters, and Ant-Man and the Wasp.
Recap: Is Sling TV worth it?
For the price of two pizzas, this inexpensive live TV streaming service is totally worth it
If you're looking to cut the cable cord, Sling TV is a great live streaming option. First of all, Sling gives you three cheap plans to choose from to fit your TV-watching needs.
Do you have kids? Get Sling Orange. Want more news and lifestyle channels? Get Sling Blue. Need more sports? Get Sling Orange + Blue.
You'll get 50 hours of DVR storage space and you can enjoy on-demand content and live channels on the go.
This streaming service is perfect if you fit in one of these categories and if you're also looking to save a buck. Sling is not for you if you'd like lots of channels or need more than 200 hours of DVR storage space.
If you're on the fence, we recommend checking out fuboTV, YouTube TV, or Hulu + Live TV,.
Data as of 11/11/21. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
* Compatible device and internet connection required. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
Is your house ready for Sling TV?
Sling TV requires a minimum download speed of 5 Mbps to stream, but you'll want 25 Mbps for a smoother streaming experience. And if you and two other members of your family want to stream at the same time, that means you'll be using 50 Mbps total.
So do you have the bandwidth to support your family's streaming needs?
Which internet plan should I get?
Here are the internet plans our internet expert, Catherine McNally, recommends to get the most out of your streaming services without clogging up your family's whole network.
What are the best internet providers for streaming?
Data effective 11/19/18. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.
‡ For the first 12 months. Some packages require a 1- or 2-year contract.
^ For the first 12 months plus taxes and equip. fee.
° New customers only. Rate requires paperless billing and excludes taxes. Additional fees apply.
** for 24 months with 2-year agreement. Actual speeds may vary. Installation, equipment fees, Internet Infrastructure Surcharge, early term, taxes & other fees apply. Services subject to availability and all applicable terms and conditions.
Which cell phone plan should I get?
Not only do you need a good internet connection, but you'll also need enough data to support your streaming needs if you're a cell phone streamer.
And who isn't a mobile streamer when it comes to passing the time during your lunch break, riding the train to work, or distracting your little ones while you're grocery shopping?
We recommend an unlimited data plan for the family, so you never have to worry about limiting your binge-watching time on Hulu. And we all know it could lead to a family crisis if someone uses more data than they were allowed.
What are the best unlimited cell phone plans?
Written by
Chantel Buchi
Chantel is all about finding the best tv or streaming service to watch as many football games as possible to keep her Fantasy Football team in check. Prior to being a TV and Streaming Tech Reporter for Reviews.org, she worked for NFL Network and The Alliance of American Football. Before that, she received a B.A. of Communication at the University of Utah and an M.S. in Sports Journalism at USC. Go Utes and Fight On. Contact her at chantel@reviews.org
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How to Add Channels to Your Sling Account
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