Sling TV adds a slew of new channels including BBC, NBC, Bravo, USA and Syfy
Sling is adding several new networks to its streaming-video roster, but restrictions remain for households that want to watch many channels at once.
Sling TV is adding a bunch of new channels to its streaming video service -- but watching some of them simultaneously could be a challenge.
Among the new channels are popular, previously unavailable networks from the NBC and BBC family, including USA, Bravo, BBC America, Syfy and some regional Comcast Sportsnet channels. But Sling is keeping its channel offerings in two separate color-coded tiers: Sling Orange and Sling Blue.
Sling Orange, the base service, will still cost $20 per month and offer only "single-stream" service (the ability to watch one channel at any given time), for a total of 28 channels from the Disney/ESPN family. Sling Blue costs $25 for 43 networks -- including those from Fox and NBC -- and offers up to three simultaneous streams on different devices. You can see a full list of channels for both Blue and Orange here (PDF).
If you want all 100-plus channels, it will cost $40 -- a $5 discount -- but you'll still be limited to single-stream availability of channels on the Orange package.
Additionally, Sling offers various add-on packages running from $5 to $15, including groups of news and comedy channels, as well as HBO and Cinemax. As of today, the Sling Latino packages can now be purchased separately and as a standalone service for $10 per month. Sling Latino customers can also now get the Caribe pack, which has content from Cuba and Puerto Rico.
Sling TV launched a redesigned user interface when it launched on the Apple TV at WWDC a few weeks ago. This new interface is no longer exclusive to one platform -- it is also available on Roku players as of this week.
For cordcutters, the new Sling offerings certainly add more choice to the landscape and brings the channel count up more in line with that of its prime competitor, Sony's PlayStation Vue. But confusing multistream restrictions, the creeping price of the services, and the dearth of true a la carte channel options also necessitate comparisons to existing cable bundles, rather than offer distinctions from them.
We'll be reviewing the updated Sling service and comparing it to Vue in July.