History of Sling TV in Timeline

Sling TV is a streaming television service owned by Dish Network, launched in 2015. It targets cord-cutters by providing a selection of major cable channels and OTT services that can be streamed via various devices and apps. Available in the US and Puerto Rico, Sling TV aims to complement subscription video on demand services.

2012: Dish Network Trial Runs OTT Service with DishWorld Launch

In 2012, Dish Network began trial running an over-the-top (OTT) internet television provider with the launch of DishWorld, a service providing access to over 50 ethnic and international television networks, initially available through a Roku app.

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November 2014: Dish Network Plans OTT Service Launch

In November 2014, Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen announced the company's plans to launch its over-the-top (OTT) service by the end of the year, with a target retail price of around $30 per month.

January 5, 2015: Sling TV Unveiled at Consumer Electronics Show

On January 5, 2015, Sling TV was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show. The American streaming television service, operated by Dish Network, aimed to complement subscription video on demand services by offering a selection of major cable channels and OTT-originated services.

February 9, 2015: Sling TV Officially Launched

On February 9, 2015, Sling TV was formally launched, following an invitation-only beta launch that began in January of that year.

April 1, 2015: Dish Announces Addition of HBO to Sling TV

On April 1, 2015, Dish announced it would add HBO to Sling TV as an add-on pack, as part of a broader deal with Time Warner that included renewing its carriage agreement for Turner Broadcasting System's cable channels.

April 4, 2015: Sling TV Users Affected by Outages During NCAA Final Four Game

On April 4, 2015, some Sling TV users experienced brief outages during TBS' coverage of an NCAA Final Four game, leading to criticism on social media.

April 6, 2015: Sling TV Addresses Outages and Announces Software Upgrades

On April 6, 2015, Sling TV stated that recent outages, which affected between 1,000 and 2,000 users, resulted from network server failures due to high subscriber traffic during the NCAA Final Four. The service would limit future outages by upgrading its software to automatically switch to a backup provider during spikes in streaming demand.

April 9, 2015: Sling TV Adds HBO as Add-On Pack

On April 9, 2015, Sling TV officially added HBO as an add-on pack, consisting of the east and west coast feeds of the primary linear channel and on-demand access to HBO's content.

June 4, 2015: Sling Latino Service Introduced

On June 4, 2015, the Sling Latino service was introduced, featuring two add-on Spanish-language programming tiers: "Paquete Total" and "Paquete Esencial."

July 2015: Sling TV Accuses NBCUniversal of Refusing to Air Advertisements

In July 2015, Sling TV accused NBC Owned Television Stations, a division of Comcast's NBCUniversal, of refusing to air advertising for the service on NBC owned-and-operated stations in major markets. Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch accused Comcast of protectionism.

November 19, 2015: Blockbuster On Demand Migrates Exclusively to Sling TV

On November 19, 2015, Blockbuster LLC migrated the Blockbuster On Demand VOD service exclusively to Sling TV, redirecting Dish customers to Sling to access its film content.

2015: Sling TV Wins CES Awards

In 2015, Sling TV was named the CES "Best Home Theater Product", "Best Software/App", and "Best in Show" by Engadget, because of its clear goals, pricing, intuitive interface, and potential to disrupt traditional pay TV.

January 5, 2016: Sling TV App Added to Channel Master DVR+ Products

On January 5, 2016, Channel Master added a Sling TV app to its DVR+ products via a firmware update. This allowed users to access Sling content through the device's channel guide. However, due to digital distribution rights, Channel Master users could not record channels through the Sling TV app.

April 13, 2016: Sling TV Introduces "Multi-Stream" Package

On April 13, 2016, Sling TV introduced a "multi-stream" package, allowing up to three users to stream different channels through a single subscription account.

June 30, 2016: Sling TV Restructures Programming Tiers

On June 30, 2016, Sling TV restructured its programming tiers, redesignating "Best of Live TV" as "Sling Orange" and the multi-stream package as "Sling Blue". The service added most of the NBCUniversal family of networks as well as BBC America, BBC World News and Vibrant TV.

September 8, 2016: Sling TV Adds Starz

On September 8, 2016, Sling TV began carrying Starz as a premium add-on, coinciding with the channel's premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The service also added the six regional Pac-12 Networks to its "Sports Extra" tiers and added support for Windows 10 users through the launch of an app for the operating system.

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October 2016: Sling TV's Channel Limitations

As of October 2016, Sling TV does not carry CBS, Telemundo, affiliates of The CW and MyNetworkTV, member stations of PBS and its affiliated networks, and most independent stations.

October 2016: Sling TV Adds Six Additional Channels

In October 2016, Sling TV added six additional channels to its lineup: Game Show Network, AXS TV, HDNet Movies, NHL Network, Hallmark Channel and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

December 15, 2016: Sling TV Cloud DVR Beta Testing

On December 15, 2016, Sling TV began invitation-only beta testing of a cloud DVR, allowing subscribers to record programs from select channels. Initially, the DVR was available to Roku users and offered 100 hours of recording storage, the ability to record multiple programs simultaneously, and automatic storage management.

February 22, 2017: Dish Network CEO Views Sling TV as Cable Replacement

On February 22, 2017, Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen stated that he now considered Sling TV to be "a direct replacement for cable and satellite," although it was originally positioned as a complementary service.

April 2, 2017: Comcast SportsNet Channels Added to Sling

On April 2, 2017, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet Chicago and Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic were added to Sling in markets served by those channels.

April 2017: Sling Offers Showtime as Add-On Pack

In April 2017, Sling began offering Showtime as an add-on pack, making it the first over-the-top MVPD streaming service to offer all five major premium networks: HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix.

May 2017: Maker and Polaris TV Removed from Sling

In May 2017, Maker and Polaris TV were removed from the Sling service.

June 14, 2017: El Rey Network Moved to Comedy Extra Add-On

On June 14, 2017, Sling TV moved the El Rey Network from the Orange package to the Comedy Extra add-on. However, the channel remained in the Blue package.

March 29, 2019: Sling TV Adds MLB Network and MLB Strike Zone

On March 29, 2019, Sling TV added MLB Network and MLB Strike Zone to its "Sports Extra" package.

July 24, 2019: Sling TV and Dish Network Remove Fox Sports Networks

On July 24, 2019, Sling TV and Dish Network removed the regional Fox Sports Networks due to a disagreement with Sinclair Broadcast Group, which had acquired the networks from Disney.

December 2019: Sling TV Provides Recording Time to All Customers

In December 2019, Sling TV provided 10 hours of recording time to all customers, with an option to upgrade to 50 hours. However, content from certain channels like SEC Network+, Local Now, and ACC Network Extra could not be recorded due to contractual limitations.

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September 2020: Sling TV Announces Sling Watch Party

In September 2020, Sling TV announced the Sling Watch Party, a co-viewing feature allowing people in different locations to watch live TV together. This implementation uniquely includes text and video chat alongside live TV. Guests could join through free Sling TV accounts during the beta period.

September 30, 2020: End of Free Access to Sling Watch Party

On September 30, 2020, the free access to Sling TV's Sling Watch Party for guests through free Sling TV accounts ended.

January 2021: Sling TV Upgrades Recording Time and Increases Price

In January 2021, Sling TV upgraded all customers to 50 hours of recording time, while increasing the paid add-on to 200 hours, coupled with a price increase for new subscribers.

February 2021: Sling Adds Local Stations from Locast

In February 2021, Sling added local stations to its guide from Locast in the 36 markets where that service was available.

September 2021: Locast Service Discontinued

As of September 2021, Locast service has been discontinued, following a lawsuit against them by broadcasting organizations.

February 2023: Sling Free Renamed to Sling Freestream

In February 2023, Sling TV renamed the free portion of its service from "Sling Free" to "Sling Freestream". The plan at the time of the announcement was to offer users over 210 channels and more than 41,000 on-demand titles on LG, Samsung and Vizio smart TVs, with plans to expand to over 400 channels.

February 2023: Free Portion of Sling Renamed "Sling Freestream"

In February 2023, the free portion of the service was renamed "Sling Freestream". The plan was to offer users over 210 channels and more than 41,000 on demand titles.

November 2023: Sling TV subscriber count

In November 2023, Sling TV reported having 2.12 million subscribers.

December 2024: Sling Announces Price Increase

In December 2024, Sling announced they would be increasing their prices by $6/month for the first time in almost 2 years, on their Orange and Blue base packages.

January 2025: Sling TV subscriber count

In January 2025, Sling TV reported having 2.09 million subscribers.

May 2025: Sling TV subscriber count

In May 2025, Sling TV reported having 1.89 million subscribers.

June 6, 2025: EchoStar Considers Bankruptcy

On June 6, 2025, it was reported that parent company EchoStar Corporation was preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) suspended EchoStar's ability to plan out strategic decisions for its Boost Mobile subsidiary. Other factors included missing over $500 million in interest payments and the termination of the Dish Network acquisition by DirecTV.