Sling TV Review: The Cheapest Live TV Streaming Service?

Sling TV legitimacy and licensing

Yes. Sling TV L.L.C. is owned by EchoStar Corporation, which merged with DISH Network, and it reported 1.707 million Sling TV subscribers as of June 30, 2026, down from earlier quarters as cord cutters move between services. The BBB rates Sling TV A+ but it is not accredited and has 1,188 complaints in three years. Trustpilot shows 1.1 out of 5 from 2,725 reviews on an unclaimed profile, while the iPhone app holds 4.6 out of 5 from about 251,000 ratings.

The gap between the app score and the review sites comes down to billing and support. People like the service itself; they complain when charges, cancellations or missing channels need a human to fix.

How much Sling TV costs in 2026

Sling Essentials, launched nationwide in April 2026, costs $19.99 a month for ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, Freeform and about 10 more channels on one stream. Sling Select starts at $19.99 for FOX News, FS1, NFL Network, National Geographic and more on three streams, with FOX One app access. Both together start at $34.99.

The larger plans are Sling Orange at $45.99 (30+ channels, one stream), Sling Blue from $45.99 (40+ channels, three streams) and Orange and Blue from $60.99 (50+ channels, up to four streams). News Extra adds $6 and Sports Extra adds $11 a month, and Unlimited DVR adds $5. Older reviews that list $46 and $61 are rounding the same prices; reviews that do not mention Essentials or Select are out of date.

Does Sling TV have local channels?

Only in some markets. Sling says ABC, FOX and NBC are available in select markets, and its “from” prices can be higher where locals are included. Enter your ZIP code on Sling’s local channels page before you subscribe. Most households pair Sling with an indoor antenna to get free over-the-air local stations.

DVR, streams and devices

Every plan includes 50 hours of cloud DVR, and Unlimited DVR adds storage and Replays for $5 a month. Streams depend on the plan: one at a time on Essentials and Orange, three on Select and Blue, and up to four on a bundle, where ESPN channels still count against the one-stream service. Sling works only inside the United States.

Sling TV complaints and how to avoid problems

The most common complaints are unexpected charges, trouble cancelling, refunds refused for the rest of a month, and channels or games that turned out to need an Extra or a different base plan. Others report buffering during live sports and long waits for support.

To avoid most of these: check the channel list for the exact plan before you pay, note your billing date, cancel online at Sling.com a day or two before it renews, and keep the cancellation confirmation. If you were charged after cancelling, dispute it with Sling first, then your card issuer.

Cancelling and refunds

There is no contract. Sling bills monthly in advance and says no credits or refunds are issued for partial or prepaid months after you cancel, so your service runs until the end of the period you paid for. Prepaid three-month offers follow the same rule. New customer offers renew at the everyday price after the first month unless you cancel online. Sling Passes for a day, week or weekend have been discontinued.

Who should skip Sling TV

If you need every local station, unlimited DVR and three screens of ESPN at once, YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV fit better despite the higher price. If you only watch a handful of free channels and network TV, an antenna plus Sling Freestream costs nothing each month.