History of Sling TV in Timeline
Sling TV is an American streaming television service owned by Dish Network, launched in 2015. It targets cord-cutters by offering a selection of major cable channels and over-the-top (OTT) services that can be streamed via various devices. Sling TV operates as a virtual multichannel video programming distributor (vMVPD), complementing subscription video on demand (SVOD) services. As of its launch, the service is available in the United States and Puerto Rico.
2012: Dish Network Trials 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, providing access to over 50 ethnic and international television networks through an app for Roku digital media players.
November 2014: Dish Network Plans OTT Service Launch
In November 2014, Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen announced plans to launch an over-the-top (OTT) service by the end of the year, aiming for a 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 Sling TV LLC, aimed to complement subscription video on demand services for cord cutters by offering a selection of major cable channels and OTT-originated services.
February 9, 2015: Sling TV Formally Launched
On February 9, 2015, Sling TV was formally launched after an invitation-only beta launch that began in January.
April 1, 2015: Dish Announces Addition of HBO to Sling TV
On April 1, 2015, Dish announced that it would add HBO to Sling TV as an add-on pack, as part of a wide-ranging deal between Dish Network and Time Warner.
April 4, 2015: Sling TV users affected by brief 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. This prompted criticism of the service's technical issues on social media.
April 6, 2015: Sling TV addresses network server failures
On April 6, 2015, Sling TV addressed network server failures, which affected between 1,000 and 2,000 users, explaining that the errors were due to high traffic during the NCAA Final Four. The service rebalanced traffic loads and improved the experience. Roger Lynch stated that the service would upgrade its software to automatically switch from the main to a backup provider during spikes in streaming demand to limit future outages.
April 9, 2015: Sling TV Adds HBO
On April 9, 2015, Sling TV 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 programming 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," with additional "Colombia" and "España" add-on packs available.
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 advertisements for the service on NBC owned-and-operated stations in major markets as a form of protectionism. CEO Roger Lynch stated that "Comcast has a demonstrated history of shutting down ideas it doesn't like or understand, predictably to its benefit and at the expense of consumers."
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 switch to Sling to continue accessing film content.
2015: Sling TV wins multiple awards at CES 2015
In 2015, Sling TV was named the CES "Best Home Theater Product", "Best Software/App", and "Best in Show" by Engadget for its clear goal and pricing, its "intuitive, user-friendly and surprisingly well-done" interface, and the service "may very well be the beginning of the end for traditional pay TV" in the United States.
January 5, 2016: Channel Master adds Sling TV app to DVR+ products
On January 5, 2016, Channel Master added a Sling TV app to its DVR+ products through a firmware update. This allowed users to access Sling content through the device's channel guide. However, due to digital distribution rights, users couldn't 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. The package included several networks owned by 21st Century Fox, but excluded networks owned by The Walt Disney Company.
June 30, 2016: Sling TV Restructures Programming Tiers
On June 30, 2016, Sling TV restructured its programming tiers, redesignating the "Best of Live TV" single-stream tier as "Sling Orange" and the multi-stream package as "Sling Blue." Additionally, the service added most of the NBCUniversal family of networks.
September 8, 2016: Sling TV Begins Carrying Starz
On September 8, 2016, Sling TV began carrying Starz as a premium add-on, coinciding with the channel's September 10 premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The rollout was commemorated with a seven-day free preview of the Starz package to existing subscribers. 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.
October 2016: Sling TV's Programming Limitations
As of October 2016, Sling TV did not carry CBS, Telemundo, affiliates of The CW and MyNetworkTV, member stations of PBS and its affiliated networks, and most independent stations. Sling subscribers with Channel Master DVR+ devices, which support antenna-based tuning capability, can access local broadcast stations independently of the Sling TV app.
October 2016: Sling TV Adds Six Additional Channels
During 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 begins invitation-only beta testing of cloud DVR
On December 15, 2016, Sling TV initiated invitation-only beta testing for a cloud DVR feature. This allowed subscribers to record programs from select channels on its tiers. Initially, it was available to Roku users, offering 100 hours of storage, simultaneous recording, and automatic deletion of watched recordings. The cloud DVR service was eventually expanded to other devices.
February 22, 2017: Dish Network CEO Considers Sling TV a Direct Replacement for Cable and Satellite
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
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.
May 2017: Maker and Polaris TV Removed from Sling
In May 2017, Maker and Polaris TV were removed from the Sling TV 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 Removes 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.
December 2019: Sling TV provides 10 hours of 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, contractual limitations prevented recording content from certain channels like SEC Network+, Local Now, and ACC Network Extra.
September 2020: Sling TV announces Sling Watch Party
In September 2020, Sling TV announced Sling Watch Party, a co-viewing feature that allows people from different locations to watch live TV together simultaneously. It also allowed text and video chat alongside live TV. During the beta period, guests could join the Watch Party through free Sling TV accounts.
September 30, 2020: Free access to Sling Watch Party ends
September 30, 2020, marked the end of free access to Sling TV's Watch Party feature. During the beta period, guests could join the Watch Party through free Sling TV accounts, but this free access was discontinued after this date.
January 2021: Sling TV upgrades all customers to 50 hours recording time
In January 2021, Sling TV upgraded all customers to 50 hours of recording time, while the paid add-on was increased to 200 hours. This change coincided with a price increase for new subscribers.
February 2021: Sling Adds Locast Stations
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 held against them by broadcasting organizations, causing Sling to remove the Locast stations from its guide.
February 2023: Sling Freestream is launched
In February 2023, Sling TV renamed its free, ad-supported programming service from "Sling Free" to "Sling Freestream." The plan at the time was to offer users over 210 channels and more than 41,000 on demand titles, and be available on LG, Samsung, and Vizio smart TVs.
February 2023: Sling Free Service Renamed Sling Freestream
In February 2023, the free portion of Sling TV's service was renamed "Sling Freestream", offering users over 210 channels and more than 41,000 on demand titles on LG, Samsung, and Vizio smart TVs.
November 2023: Sling TV Subscriber Count
In November 2023, Sling TV had 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 had 2.09 million subscribers.
May 2025: Sling TV Subscriber Count
As of May 2025, Sling TV had a total of 1.89 million subscribers.
June 6, 2025: EchoStar Corporation Prepares for Bankruptcy Filing
On June 6, 2025, it was reported that EchoStar Corporation, Sling TV's parent company, was preparing to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after the FCC suspended EchoStar's ability to plan out strategic decisions for its Boost Mobile subsidiary. Contributing factors included missing over $500 million in interest payments and the termination of the Dish Network acquisition by DirecTV.
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