This is the most comprehensive review:
http://www.cnet.com/products/sling-tv/
To explain the big deal to the eurotrash, basically you are looking at the collapse of our cable networks as far as it relates to how they package/group the premium content. SlingTV is presenting us with a sort of ala carte system. In short, all hell is about to break loose in entertainment distribution.
<added>
The average cable package w/ sports is around $135/mo. Internet access alone (from the same cable company) probably averages $65.
>collapse
Besides ESPN, the other big content provider for premium cable was HBO
http://www.ibtimes.com/hbo-talks-apple-be-launch-partner-coming-web-service-hbo-now-exclusive-1835882
I am very interested in the SlingTV option. There are still a few channels they don't have that would like to see but having ESPN, ESPN2, Food Network, and AMC are some of the biggies for me. Fox Sports and NBCSN are two I would like to see primarily for NHL and EPL coverage. And the lack of DVR makes it a tough sell but this is definitely a step in the right direction. If Comcast and Time Warner were smart they should show up at these guys door with an armored car and a few billion and nip them in the bud.
Louise figured that at $20 with no contract she wasn't risking much to try it. One feature that really isn't touted enough is that since this is multi-device, you aren't tied to the cable box. Louise has it on her Ipad2, smartphone, and roku. If she can get on a wifi, she can watch NFL.
>wi-fi
You'd have to be careful with a cell data plan. Reports say that even on medium quality setting it's about 1G/hr.
I'm wondering if and how the cable companies will respond. Will they be like the music industry and ignore it and try to carry on with their old tiered model or will they come out with their own ala carte menu? They had to see this coming, but they won't be the first big dinosaur industry that could not or would not adapt as the world changed rapidly around them.
I can see Sling TV pushing a lot of people who were on the fence about cutting the cord to taking the plunge. Heck even people with basic cable would come out ahead.
>cable
If it holds up in court, Net Neutrality classifying internet as a utility kinda boxes them in. On the one hand, cities and towns have been federally liberated from state laws (written -literally- by TWC lobbyists here in NC and some other states) from developing their own broadband. Wilson, NC had a city broadband that was killing TWC so TWC bribed the state legislature. Chattanooga, TN is often held up as an example of how a city can push 21st century business recruiting with its great bb service.
OTOH, the cable companies are not supposed to throttle me now (I suspect they will anyway).
There are lots of rumours that Apple will be releasing a new Apple TV this autumn and as part of it, will be a cable replacement, including a non cable subscription to HBO etc.
Cable / Sat dropping, is becoming mainstream
rumor-ish: at Least 100,000 Sign-Ups in Its First Month
http://recode.net/2015/03/05/sling-tvs-web-tv-service-attracts-at-least-100000-sign-ups-in-its-first-month/
I think the only way forward for the cable companies is to get heavily into the content business, perhaps buying up companies like HBO and the like.
With all this talk about streaming here-there-everywhere I keep reminding myself about a thread here, not that many years ago, where all I wanted to do was throw the media center's TV video/audio across the room to the Ipad. The consensus was that the data load was simply too large for that to be readily viable. Now look at what we can do.
"Dish wasn't prepared for the flood of new customers, and had to juggle the load across its networking partners to get things back to normal."
Sling TV is sorry for messing up your Final Four basketball stream
http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/06/sling-tv-final-four-troubles/
About damn time. The fucking cable company has screwed people ever since its inception. They deserve a screwing back.
update:
slingtv jumps to W10 with app
https://consumerist.com/2016/09/08/sling-tv-makes-jump-to-windows-10/#more-10253543
This is interesting for sure.
Sick and tired of over priced flow tv.
Keep in mind that Slingtv still has ads, restricted viewing times, and no dvr options. BUT as the "last resort" option AND as part of a viewing system which also includes Roku and OTA channels via a big-ass-but-cheap antenna in the attic, it makes for a good ala carte replacement for cable. This W10 app just adds to the devices & portability which might be marginally handy for Louise on her travel laptop.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/01/sling-tv-first-look/index.htm
I am still very happy with my Sling TV/Roku set up. Sling keeps adding more and more channels which is great to see. I have a $40 a month package mostly for all the different sports channels and it has pretty much every channel I ever watched with my $140 a month cable package.
>still very happy with my Sling TV/Roku set up
Same here, but I'm speaking from my 'Tech Support' position. I truly don't watch tv of any sort (not trying to be elitist, but 90% of people don't believe me when I say that) but Louise watches every night we're home. AND she's an NFL addict. She switches to the ChannelMaster DVR/antenna [recommended here by Brad. kudos] if the game is on broadcast but uses that option rarely for non-NFL viewing.
She likes the chef-cooking-challenge type shows on Sling and watches them a lot. Otherwise, it's Roku-supplied Netflix driven by Netflix's recommendation engine which is now **HIGHLY** tuned to her preferences. That dredges up series and movies that she would have never heard of otherwise.
QuoteDish disclosed that Sling TV expanded to more than 2.2 million users in the final three months of 2017
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-21/dish-earnings-squeeze-makes-deal-clock-tick-louder
Related, I just signed up for youtube tv. 35 bucks hits a sweet spot for locals, news, sports and a couple other worthy channels.
YouTube TV jumps to $40 as of Tuesday, March 13
https://www.cnet.com/news/last-chance-for-35-youtube-tv-price-jumps-on-tuesday/
Thanks for the heads up, looks like we'll be grandfathered in. Otherwise I'd dump it.
Youtube TV; as per usual, only for the Yanks.. ermm 'Muericans.
<update>
>Slingtv still has ads, restricted viewing times, and no dvr options
Slingtv now has a "Cloud DVR" option that's $5/mo. You have 50 hrs per month of storage. Disney & ESPN aren't available for the dvr. Fox doesn't allow fast-forwarding. But for the rest of it, you can then time-shift, skip commercials, rewind, etc. once you've recorded.
Pretty sneaky way to upsell you to time-shifting and fast-forwarding, but Slingtv is still a good deal for cord cutters and this makes it a helluva lot more convenient.
Disclosure: I don't watch TV but I am a full-time TV Support Tech for Louise. HHH