• by Alex Weprin , April 23, 2019

Dish’s streaming virtual multichannel video provider (vMVPD) Sling TV is getting into the exclusive programming game.

The company has secured exclusive rights to the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic, a basketball game featuring some of the country’s best basketball prospects.

Perhaps most significantly, it will also be available for free to users that are not current subscribers if they open SLing’s Roku app.

In effect, Sling will use the Iverson Classic as a bonus for current customers and as an acquisition opportunity for both new customers and former customers. Users who want to watch the game but don’t have a Roku device can watch through a free trial of Sling TV.

The game will stream for free on Sling on its own channel, which will appear at the top of channel guides when it airs on April 26. Highlights from the slam-dunk contest, 3-point shot-put and one-on-one matches will also be available.

The company will offer an extended 10-day trial tied to the Iverson Classic; it will still offer 40% off for a three-months offer.

The Iverson Classic is an example of Sling seeking out exclusive content to differentiate its offerings.

Sling is one of a number of vMVPDs that offer cable and broadcast channels to subscribers through streaming.

For many of these services, the biggest differentiator is the user experience, and some tweaked channel offerings.

Exclusive content presents one more opportunity to offer something competitive services do not offer. If the Iverson Classic is any indication, Sling will be opportunistic about securing exclusive event and content that may appeal to specific audiences, even if they don’t have the scale of NFL games.