Is Sling TV a Cable Alternative? How It Works and What You Need to Get Started

Have you considered killing your cable bill but just don’t know where to start? Many people take the question to their social media or online search engines to find out the next steps, services, and processes.

If you’ve been told that Sling TV may be an option for you, we want to provide this guide to help you understand your options. How does Sling TV work and how can you use it to cut the cord?

In a hurry? Before you head over to our main Sling TV review to find out more, you may save time by reading over this guide. Perhaps it’s all you’ll need. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

Here is what you need to know about how Sling TV works.

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Sling TV: First on the Market

Did you know that Sling TV was the very first live streaming service offering cable TV channels to hit the market?

It’s hard to remember now with so many players on the scene, but it really set the bar for the process and the term even became synonymous with streaming TV for a little while.

Even though it has been around for quite some time, it remains one of the most affordable subscriptions available. This has increased its popularity and still makes it a top choice for so many people who want to ditch cable and go streaming only.

History Of Streaming & Sling TV

Okay, if you’re ready to kill your cable bill, there are some things you need to know about streaming TV. In this case, we’ll use Sling TV as an example.

At its core, it’s just like any other way to watch your favorite shows, sports, and news broadcasts. The biggest difference is that it’s done over the internet rather than cable or airwaves.

For those of us that remember the cable revolution in the 1980s, which revolutionized the way we got TV into our homes, this is the next extension of that. Back then, TV was free over the air but limited to only a few channels.

Once cable came to neighborhoods, families could pay to get countless “basic” cable channels and more for premium options, like HBO. Eventually, Cable became the standard in television viewing.

With online streaming services now, that’s changing again. Cable bills continued to rise, but with access to more streaming content, people began to rethink how they could watch their favorite TV shows, so streaming services were created to fill that niche.

Bottom line: Sling TV allows you to stream TV without cable or satellite. We’ll talk you through how that works and what you need to watch next.

What Do You Need to Stream Sling TV?

However, as with any new technology, Sling TV isn’t magic. There are three things you need to be able to stream with Sling TV:

1. A High-Speed Internet Connection: You need a way to access information via the internet. Most people today have access to high-speed internet at home or even on the go. How fast does your internet need to be? Sling TV recommends the following: 3 Mb (Megabits) per second or greater for streaming on tablets and phones; 5 Mb per second or greater if you’re watching on TV, PC, or Mac; and 25 Mb per second or more if you’re watching more than one stream at a time across multiple devices. You can check your internet speed at SpeedTest.net for free to see if your connection will suffice.
2. A Compatible Device: As you did with watching cable via the cable box, you need a device on which to watch the streaming TV. Today, that can mean a lot of things. There are dedicated Sling TV compatible devices such as Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Chromecast that connect directly to your TV. There are also smart TVs that could provide access to the Sling TV app. The Xbox One gaming console also offers the Sling TV app. You can also stream over your computer, smartphone, or tablet.
3. A Streaming Subscription: Once you have internet access and a device, you need a subscription to Sling TV. You can install the app on whichever device you’ll be using to watch!

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How Is Sling Different from Cable?

While Sling TV is owned by the Dish Network, it’s a completely separate product. You don’t need a satellite or the service to watch if you subscribe directly to Sling TV.

Sling TV is available throughout the United States. It may have fewer channels available than traditional cable, but it’s far more affordable. Local channels can be limited, but many cities have good over-the-air signals to get access to live local channels for free.

You’re not tied to a cable box, so you can watch using any connected device like a Roku or even your smartphone or tablet.

But the thing that most people love most about Sling TV when comparing it to cable, is the lack of a contract. You’re not tied into anything and you can cancel at any time. That means you’re not stuck while the cable company continuously raises your rates but you can’t get out of the contract.

Sling TV is also way cheaper than cable TV, but we’ll discuss that a bit more in the next section.

The best part? Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV.

What’s the Cost?

So we’ve said that Sling TV is affordable, but what does that mean exactly? Sure, even a dollar less than your current cable bill can be considered affordable. But when we say Sling TV is inexpensive, we really mean it.

Sling TV offers 2 different packages each with different channels that allow you to pick which works best for you. Sling Orange and Sling Blue are $40.00/mo each right now on the Sling TV website.

You can get them together for $55.00/mo. Comparing that to their competition in the streaming market, it’s an incredible deal. Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV. If you can get in at those rates, you’re way ahead of the game.

Sling TV also offers packages that make the system more a la carte. Different add-on packages have different prices, so check out how to customize your streaming service to be perfect for your viewing habits and household use.

Remember, the average cable bill is over $100 a month these days, so this is far cheaper!

What Do You Mean by Packages?

Okay, so we said that there are 2 Sling TV packages along with the add-on packages. What do we mean by this?

Each of the basic packages contains some of the same networks but also a different set of other networks. If you combine them, you get everything Sling TV has to offer at a basic level.

Add-on packages are customizable for Sling Blue or Sling Orange and they include things like Sports Extra, Comedy Extra, Kids Extra, News Extra, and more. You can also pay for a cloud DVR so you can record your favorites if you have to miss them.

And Sling TV offers subscriptions to popular premium channels like Starz, Showtime, and more.

What About the Competition?

Of course, Sling TV isn’t the only player in the streaming game. You can check out the competition such as Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV, DIRECTV STREAM, and more. In some cases, they may be a better choice for you.

But if you want to get one of the best deals on the market right now, Sling TV is truly the best resource for streaming TV on a budget.

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How Do I Get Started?

So, what else do you need to know about streaming with Sling TV.?

First, of course, you can Save 50% on your first month of Sling TV. to experience it yourself. And don’t worry about commitment. There is absolutely no contract with Sling TV so you can cancel at any time.

• Pick the package such as Sling Blue, Sling Orange, or both.
• Save 50% on Sling TV now!
• Enjoy
• Cancel anytime — no contract

Do you have any more questions? As always, let us know, and make sure to check out our Sling TV review for more info.