Sling TV Review 2024: Learn more about the budget streaming service

Sling TV experience

Since it’s the oldest of the live TV streaming services, Sling’s interface has evolved many times over the years. As many Sling TV reviews note, recent changes have brought welcome updates to provide a more streamlined user experience and make it easier to find content you care about.

On the home screen, you’ll find a typical slider with a few featured live programs that are currently on air. You can scroll down for more recommended content from your favorite channels or navigate to one of the top tabs, which include “My TV,” “On Now,” a standard channel guide, a sports page and rentals. There’s also a quick horizontal navigation bar if you scroll to the left, where you’ll find quick access to a search bar, settings menu, your DVR library and on-demand content.

On the channel guide, Sling offers some nice filters to help you find relevant content more easily. This is a nice feature to help you whittle down channels based on whether you’re looking for sports or kids' programming, for instance. 

Sling TV content

Sling doesn't offer nearly as many channels or on-demand content as some of its competitors, but Sling TV's channels list offers a fair selection for the lower price point. With anywhere from 32–46 of the most popular channels, you can find some of the best live sports, entertainment and news available, and the smaller list of channels may be a welcome change for users overwhelmed by the glut of options on cable TV. 

Your channel lineup depends on which plan you choose, and Sling tailors its plans for specific types of viewers. Sling Orange is designed for sports fans and families, and it features networks like ESPN, ESPN 2, the Disney Channel and MotorTrend. Sling Blue emphasizes news and entertainment, featuring channels like Fox News, NFL Network, MSNBC, E! and FX. Both packages are $40 per month and include popular channels like CNN, Food Network, HGTV, TBS and TNT. With Sling Orange & Blue, you can combine both plans for $55 per month. Note that local ABC, Fox and NBC feeds are only available in select markets.

Sling also offers a lot of ways to customize your plan to fit your viewing needs. Not only can you choose from three basic plans, but Sling also offers an impressive selection of add-ons to help you get the programming you value most. Extras include bundles for more sports, news and kids channels, among others, and they range from $6 to $21 per month. There’s also a huge selection of premium add-ons for everything from STARZ and SHOWTIME to Acorn and Discovery Plus.

Sling also offers a fair amount of on-demand content, but this varies based on the plan you choose and what’s featured on any given network. You’ll usually be able to watch programs for a limited time after they air. This is much more limited than the content library on a live TV service like Hulu + Live TV, but it’s nice to have some options. Sling also offers a growing library of movie rentals, which isn’t typical for a live TV service.

Sling TV DVR

As many reviews of Sling TV note, its DVR is a notable weak point for the service. It only offers 50 hours of cloud space, which is far less than competitors that offer 1,000 hours or more. You can upgrade your DVR to 200 hours for $5 per month, but this may not be enough to satisfy some viewers. 

Still, it’s easy to set up DVR recordings and browse your library, and you can set recordings up to six days in advance. As long as you stay under your limit and keep your account active, recordings will stay in your library indefinitely.

Sling TV viewing experience and video quality

Sling lags behind competitors In terms of picture quality, too, but you still get a decent viewing experience for the price. Live content streams at 720p, while some on-demand content is available at 1080p. You can adjust your picture settings in the Sling app, but it will automatically adjust based on your available bandwidth and device capabilities.

Competitors like Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV offer content in 4K Ultra HD, which puts them ahead of Sling in this category. However, you’ll have to pay much more for those options, so Sling’s less expensive, basic HD quality may be enough for your needs.

Sling TV user profiles

Sling allows subscribers to create up to four unique profiles. This helps users on the same account customize their viewing experience and select favorites. For multiple users to stream on separate devices, however, you’ll need Sling Blue or Sling Orange & Blue. 

Parents will be happy to know that Sling offers parental controls to help restrict viewing options for younger family members. You can create a PIN in the settings menu and then set which content ratings or themes you want to block. Once in place, users watching Sling on any device will need to input the PIN if they select content within any of the restricted categories.

Sling TV for sports fans

When comparing your live TV streaming options, you may wonder, “Is Sling TV good for live sports?” Based on our Sling TV review, we would say it’s decent but not great. You can stream a few select channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, FS1, NFL Network and MotorTrend. You’ll also find live sports on TBS, TNT and USA, but you’ll need Sling Orange & Blue to get all of these channels together. 

There’s also a Sports Extra add-on that tacks on networks like ACCN, ESPNEWS, MLB Network, NBA TV, NHL Network and NFL RedZone, but this adds another $11 to $15 per month, depending on your plan. At that point, you’re paying a similar amount to what you’d pay for a platform like FuboTV, which has much more sports content plus more regional broadcasts and local channels.

How does Sling TV compare?

Sling TV occupies a unique place among the top streaming platforms. As a budget-friendly, customizable option, it offers a lot of value for a much lower price than its competitors.

Sling’s price point and curated channel lineup will appeal to many viewers who want to get away from the overwhelming array of content offered on cable TV (and matched by many streaming services). It doesn’t offer the same breadth of sports and entertainment as other streamers, nor all the bonus features, but that’s perfectly fine for the price.

Ultimately, Sling is designed for the budget-conscious streamer who wants a limited selection of the most popular networks. There’s a lot you can add on here, but that can easily push the price of Sling into the range of competitors while giving you a less impressive channel lineup. Those competitors also feature other perks like huge on-demand libraries (Hulu + Live TV) and extensive sports coverage (FuboTV).

How to subscribe to Sling TV

Setting up your Sling subscription is easy and only takes a few steps:

1. Visit the Sling home page and select your plan.
2. Enter your account and payment information.
3. Select any add-ons and finalize your subscription.
4. Log in and start watching from your web browser, mobile or streaming device.

After you sign up, your credit card will be charged immediately and on the same day each month thereafter. You can cancel your plan anytime, and you’ll still have access until the end of the billing cycle.

How to cancel your Sling TV subscription

If you need to cancel your Sling subscription, you can visit the settings menu in a web browser, select your account, then select “Cancel” and follow the prompts. Sling will also give you the option to pause your subscription for up to three months. This is a nice feature if you know you’ll be back when your favorite sports season restarts.

Is Sling TV worth it?

As we noted earlier in our Sling TV review, this service is built for budget-conscious viewers who want to grab a slice of the cable experience without eating the whole pie. You get some of the best cable networks for a streamlined selection of sports, news and entertainment without having to sift through so many channels you don’t want. It’s definitely a more limited option compared to other live TV streaming services, but Sling TV is good for a more curated streaming experience.

FAQ

Which is better Hulu or Sling?

That depends on what you value in a streaming service. Hulu + Live TV offers around twice as many channels as the basic Sling plan, plus a vast library of on-demand content, but it’s also much more expensive. At only $40–$55 per month, Sling’s more limited channel lineup and on-demand library may be just right for some viewers.

What streaming service has the most channels?

Currently, FuboTV has the most available channels of any streaming service. Its Ultimate plan offers more than 280 channels, depending on your viewing market.

Can I watch sports on Sling TV?

Sling TV offers a limited selection of the most popular sports programming with channels like ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, FS1, NFL Network, MotorTrend, TBS, TNT and USA. You can also add another 10–20 sports channels with the Sports Extra add-on.