SLING TV LAUNCHES FREE STREAMING SERVICE FOR US CONSUMERS RESULTING FROM COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Sling TV announced its latest launch “Stay in & Sling!,” a streaming service that provides thousands of shows and movies to American consumers during the quarantine period caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The free offer includes breaking news and events from ABC News Live and thousands of family shows and movies, including kids’ and lifestyle content. "To stay informed in these uncertain times, Americans need access to news from reputable sources," said Warren Schlichting, group president, SLING TV. "With many Americans finding themselves staying at home, we have an opportunity to use our platform to help them deal with this rapidly evolving situation.”

The service is free of charge and does not require a credit card or an account to view. The company assured Sling TV subscribers can access the content from the Sling TV app using any supported device. The service is available on Roku, Amazon  Android devices or by visiting sling.com using a Chrome, Safari or Microsoft Edge browser. For customers who want more advanced news service, SLING TV is offering the first month of SLING Blue to new customers for $20 ($10 off for the first month). Aside from the free content, SLING TV offers a variety of channels, including CNN, FOX News and MSNBC through its base services, SLING Orange and SLING Blue, starting at $30 per month.

Sling TV’s free offer comes from its TV streaming services parent company, Dish Network, who made a decision to temporarily set some of its broadcast channel blackouts to ensure subscribers have access to news. The satellite provider, along with Cox Media Group are both suspending the contractual retransmission dispute between the two companies. Dish said it also reached a short-term agreement to restore channels owned by Mission, Marshall and White Night Broadcasting through April 13, 2020. “Dish is committed to ensuring that our customers have access to critical local news coverage regarding COVID-19 in their community,” said Andy LeCuyer, Dish senior vice president of programming, in a statement. “Our customers always come first, and restoring these channels is one more step we’ve taken to help them get through this challenging time."

With this move, Sling TV hopes to market its paid services to free users by promoting content that’s labeled as being "only available to current subscribers." Sling TV offered a free selection last year intending to draw in more subscribers. The free tier included access to more than 100 hours of free shows and movies. The new free launch is larger, with thousands of movies and shows included. Shows available through the offer include a selection of older shows such as “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Forensic Files,” “Kitchen Nightmares,” “Black Sails,” “Third Rock from the Sun,” and several live TV channels led by ABC News Live. The movie section is divided into four genres; Horror, Action, Drama, and Popular. The kids’ content section includes episodes from shows like “Teen Titans Go!,” “DC Super Hero Girls,” “Justice League Action,” “LEGO Ninjago,” “Bob the Builder” and many others. The service also features comedy stand up specials, true crime shows, and more.