Sling TV adds more networks, offering an alternative to cable
Sling TV has added AMC and others to the networks it already provides, giving more options to TV viewers who don't have cable.
Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch demonstrates Sling TV, a live television streaming service. The Sling TV option, an online alternative with fewer channels and a lower price tag than Dish Network's regular service, is aimed at people who have dropped their cable or satellite packages or never had either.
Jae C. Hong/AP/File
Cutting the cord on cable got a little easier Wednesday for customers of Sling TV, Dish Network’s online streaming service.
AMC and IFC were added to the bundle of networks available on the $20-a-month service, which already includes networks such as ESPN, ESPN 2, CNN, Cartoon Network and Travel Channel.
That brings some of cable’s hottest shows, such as AMC’s “The Walking Dead,” “Better Call Saul” and “Mad Men” and IFC’s “Portlandia” to the service, which is viewable on Android and Apple mobile devices, via streaming boxes such as Roku and Amazon Fire, and on PCs and gaming consoles.
Sling also announced a new $5 movie add-on Wednesday that includes the Epix networks and Sundance TV. Offerings on Epix range from recent hits like “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” to classics like “Saturday Night Fever.”
Sling TV launched nationwide last month.
It does not require a subscription and comes without the installation fees and other charges that traditional cable often includes. Its offerings remain limited compared with cable, but Sling represents the most extensive package of networks offered in one streaming bundle so far.
Although Sling may certainly have appeal to folks considering ditching their cable subscriptions, the company has said its primary target is consumers who have already cut the cord in favor of streaming options such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu.