- Sling is one of the most affordable cord-cutting services on the market, offering two packages – Orange and Blue – with 30+ live channels starting at $30 a month or combined for $45 a month.
- Orange offers the Disney Channel and ESPN, while Blue offers a slate of Fox channels, NBC, Bravo, and Discovery. Both Orange and Blue offer CNN, TBS, Food Network, and BBC America.
- You can also add on multi-channel packages, like Sports Extras, Kids Extras, or News Extras, starting at $5 a month. Premium add-ons, like Showtime, Starz, and Epix, are also available for an additional monthly charge.
- If you’re new to Sling TV, you can receive a free three-day trial when you sign up.
- Here’s a complete breakdown of the channels offered on each Sling package.
If you’re hoping to get the most bang for your buck once you cut the cord with your cable subscription, Sling is one of the most affordable live streaming services on the market. You can read our full Sling TV review here.
The service has two packages with over 30 channels starting at just $30 a month. Though you may make some compromises in the user interface department - it's not as pretty or as intuitive as some other streaming services out there - the amount of channels offered is just as good as its competitors.
But Sling's website makes it a bit difficult to compare services and ensure you'll be getting the channels you're after, so we've broken down exactly what you'll get with each package and all the add-ons you can include to enhance your channel offerings.
Updated on 8/5/2020 by Steven Cohen: Revised details for Sling's current free trial offer. Added Kartoon Channel! to premium add-ons. Added a link to our Sling TV review.
The two main packages - Sling Orange and Sling Blue - offer 30+ channels for $30 a month, or $45 combined
Sling's two main offerings are Sling Orange and Sling Blue, each available to stream for $30 a month. For the most part, the channels largely overlap between the two, but there are a few key differences that might cause you to choose one over the other.
Disney and ESPN are included with Sling Orange. You don't get them with Sling Blue, but in their place, you'll get a slate of Fox-owned channels including FX, Fox Sports 1, National Geographic, Bravo, TLC, and Discovery. Blue also comes with NBC and its local affiliates, but only if you live in select markets - more on that later. The channels that overlap on both Orange and Blue include standouts like Food Network, Lifetime, CNN, and the History Channel.
If you're keeping up with the newest season of "American Horror Story" on FX, but you absolutely can't live without "SportsCenter" on ESPN, you might want to combine the two packages for $45 a month, giving you access to all 50+ channels Sling offers over the two services.
Sling Orange doesn't offer any local channels at all, so if you're hoping to catch your local nightly news, Sling Blue is the way to go. Blue offers local channels from NBC and Fox, but only in select cities. If you live in any of the following Designated Market Areas, you'll have access to both your local NBC and Fox affiliates: New York; Philadelphia; Chicago; Washington, DC; Dallas/ Ft. Worth; Los Angeles; and San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose. For a full list of markets supported by each station, check out the Sling website.
If you live outside any of the supported regions and you're really attached to your locals, you'll have to find another way to access those networks. Sling actually offers a solution for this via a special bundle it provides with an antenna and an AirTV 2. This bundle is available for new subscribers who prepay for three months of Sling service. The antenna allows you to pick up local channels via over-the-air (OTA) broadcasts. The AirTV 2 then allows you to integrate those channels with the Sling app on several supported devices.
There are plenty of add-ons starting at $5 a month if you're looking for specific genres or channels
If you want to further enhance your channel selection, Sling offers a slate of genre-based add-ons starting at $5 a month. Each add-on, like Kids Extras, Sports Extras, and Lifestyle Extras, offers a mini-bundle of channels for an additional charge. Sling offers seven of these mini-bundles, which they'll package together and throw in 50 hours of DVR service for just $20 a month, a $20 savings compared to buying them separately.
Though HBO is no longer offered, there are still several premium add-ons you may want to tack onto your service. For $10 a month, you'll get a slate of nine Showtime channels - perfect if you want to stay up to date with the new season of "The L Word: Generation Q." Sling also offers a Starz package for $9 a month and an EPIX package for $5 a month.
If you're using Sling a la carte, the monthly charges per add-on can increase your rates pretty quickly, but if you're happy with its baseline Orange or Blue offerings, Sling is incredibly cost-efficient.
See below for a full breakdown of all Sling's channel offerings and add-ons, and click here to sign up and start streaming live TV.
- Sling Orange
- Sling Blue
- Both Orange and Blue
- Sports add-ons
- Comedy add-ons
- Kids add-ons
- News add-ons
- Lifestyle add-ons
- Hollywood add-ons
- Heartland add-ons
- Showtime add-ons
- Epix add-ons
- Starz add-ons
- Other premium add-ons
Sling Orange
Sign up for Sling here
The following channels are included:
- Disney Channel
- ESPN
- ESPN2
- ESPN3
- Freeform
- MotorTrend
- A&E
- TNT
- AMC
- HGTV
- CNN
- TBS
- Comedy Central
- History Channel
- IFC
- Food Network
- BBC America
- Investigation Discovery
- Travel Channel
- Cartoon Network
- EPIX Drive-In
- Lifetime
- Viceland
- AXS TV
- Fuse
- Newsy
- Bloomberg Television
- Cheddar
- Local Now
- Comet
- Stadium
Sling Blue
The following channels are included:
- USA
- AMC
- Bravo
- Discovery Channel
- FOX
- NBC
- FX
- TLC
- NBC Sports Network
- MSNBC
- Fox News Channel
- Fox Sports 1
- Nick Jr.
- SYFY
- National Geographic
- BET
- truTV
- E!
- Paramount Network
- A&E
- TNT
- HGTV
- CNN
- TBS
- Comedy Central
- History Channel
- IFC
- Food Network
- BBC America
- HLN
- Investigation Discovery
- Travel Channel
- Cartoon Network
- Epix Drive-In
- Lifetime
- Viceland
- AXS TV
- Fuse
- Newsy
- Bloomberg Television
- Cheddar
- Local Now
- Comet
- Stadium
Both Orange and Blue
The following channels are shared between the Orange and Blue plans:
- A&E
- TNT
- AMC
- HGTV
- CNN
- TBS
- Comedy Central
- History Channel
- IFC
- Food Network
- BBC America
- Investigation Discovery
- Travel Channel
- Cartoon Network
- EPIX Drive-In
- Viceland
- AXS TV
- Fuse
- Newsy
- Bloomberg Television
- Cheddar
- Comet
- Stadium
Sports add-ons ($10/month if Blue; $10/month if Orange)
The following channels are included with Sling Orange:
- ACC Network
- ACC Network Extra
- Longhorn Network
- ESPNU
- ESPNews
- SEC Network
- SEC Network+
- MLB Network
- MLB Network Strike Zone
- Tennis Channel
- NBA TV
- Pac-12
- NHL Network
- beIN Sports
- Outside Television
The Following channels are included with Sling Blue:
- FS2
- Golf Channel
- Olympic Channel
- MLB Network
- MLB Network Strike Zone
- Tennis Channel
- NBA TV
- Pac-12
- NHL Network
- beIN Sports
- Outside Television
- Big Ten Network (coming to Sling ahead of the 2020 college football season)
Comedy add-ons ($5/month if Blue; $5/month if Orange)
Sign up for Sling here
The following channels are included:
- CMT
- GSN
- Logo
- MTV
- MTV2
- Revolt
- TV Land
- Paramount Network (already included in Sling Blue base channels)
- truTV (already included in Sling Blue base channels)
Kids add-ons ($5/month)
The following channels are included:
- Disney Junior (not included if you have Sling Blue)
- Disney XD (not included if you have Sling Blue)
- Nick Jr. (already included in Sling Blue base channels)
- NickToons
- TeenNick
- Boomerang
- BabyTV
- duckTV
News add-ons ($5/month)
The following channels are included:
- CNBC (not included with Sling Orange)
- Fox Business (not included with Sling Orange)
- NDTV 24x7 (not included with Sling Orange)
- HLN (already included in Sling Blue base plan)
- NewsMax
- Science Channel
- BBC World News
- Weather Nation
- Euronews
- News18
- RT America
- CGTN
- Law & Crime Network
Lifestyle add-ons ($5/month)
The following channels are included:
- Oxygen (not included if you have Sling Orange)
- BET (already included in Sling Blue base channels)
- Cooking Channel
- DIY
- FYI
- Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
- Hallmark Channel
- Hallmark Drama
- Lifetime Movies
- VH1
- WE TV
- Z Living HD
Hollywood add-ons ($5/month)
Sign up for Sling here
The following channels are included:
- FXX (not included if you have Sling Orange)
- FXM (not included if you have Sling Orange)
- Cinemoi
- HDNet Movies
- REELZ
- SundanceTV
- Turner Classic movies
Heartland add-ons ($5/month)
The following channels are included:
- Nat Geo Wild (not included if you have Sling Orange)
- World Fishing Network
- RIDE TV
- Sportsman Channel
- American Heroes Channel
- Destination America
- Outdoor Channel
- RFD-TV
- PixL
- The Cowboy Channel
- Pursuit
- Great American Country
Showtime add-ons ($10/month)
The following channels are included:
- SHOWTIME
- SHOWTIME 2
- SHOWTIME Beyond
- SHOWTIME Extreme
- SHOWTIME Family Zone
- SHOWTIME Next
- SHOWTIME Showcase
- SHOWTIME West
- SHOWTIME Women
EPIX add-ons ($5/month)
The following channels are included:
- EPIX
- EPIX 2
- EPIX Hits
STARZ add-ons ($9/month)
Sign up for Sling here
The following channels are included:
- STARZ
- STARZ Comedy
- STARZ Edge
- STARZ Encore
- STARZ Kids and Family
- STARZ West
Other premium add-ons (monthly price varies)
The following channels are included:
- NBA League Pass: ($28.99/month)
- NBC Team Pass: ($17.99/month)
- CuriosityStream: ($3/month)
- UP Faith & Family: ($5/month)
- Hopster: ($5/month)
- PANTAYA: ($6/month)
- Stingray Karaoke: ($7/month)
- Dove Channel: ($5/month)
- Outside TV Features: ($5/month)
- Docurama: ($5/month)
- CONtv: ($5/month)
- Here TV: ($8/month)
- Cinefest: ($5/month)
- Cinemoi: ($3/month)
- Comedy Dynamics: ($5/month)
- DOGTV: ($5/month)
- Hallmark Movies Now: ($6/month)
- Grokker: ($7/month)
- The Country Network Plus: ($3/month)
- Magnolia Selects: ($5/month)
- Warrior & Gangers: ($3/month)
- Monsters & Nightmares: ($3/month)
- Kartoon Channel!: ($4/month)
- Stingray Qello: ($8/month)
- Dox: ($3/month)
- Echoboom Sports: ($6/month)
- Hi-YAH!: ($3/month)
- Lion Mountain TV: ($3/month)
- VSiN: ($4/month)