Sling TV, the streaming multichannel video provider owned by Dish Network, is adding a free tier and a la carte channel options in a bid to entice more users to its service.
Sling is adding more than 100 hours of ad-supported free content that users can watch without a base subscription, including shows like “Flip Or Flop” and “Impractical
Jokers,” as well as select movies.
The a la carte channels at launch will include Showtime for $10 per month, CuriosityStream at $6 per month, and NBA League Pass for
$28.99.
Sling will also offer pay-per-view events like boxing matches, as well as movies, without requiring a base subscription.
The new features come as
Sling relaunches its user interface, starting with Roku devices.
The OTT bundle space continues to get more and more crowded, with companies like YouTube TV and Hulu spending
significant ad dollars to gain marketshare, Sling and DirecTV Now are currently the market leaders with north of two million and one million subscribers.
Sling also
said Thursday that it was raising the base price of its Sling Orange package by $5 per month, to $25.
“Our team works hard to negotiate fair programming deals, with the goal of
keeping your price as low as possible,” wrote Sling TV president Warren Schlichting in a blog post. “Programming fees, however, only go one direction, and that’s up!"