Sling TV offers two base plans: Blue and Orange. Both provide different channels, so you can combine them into the Blue + Orange plan for a discounted fee. But I find Sling’s strength lies in its customization: its vast number of add-on channels and bundles lets you create a streaming service unique to your needs — and means you only pay for what you’ll use.
Table Of Contents
Sling TV Base Plans: Detailed Breakdown
Sling TV is a live TV streaming service similar to cable (but without the contracts and excess fees) and you can watch on almost any streaming device, even on the go. See our complete review of Sling TV for all the details.
Sling offers two base packages: Orange and Blue. Unlike other streaming services, which usually offer tiered plans that build upon the cheaper plan beneath it, Sling’s Orange and Blue packages provide different channels.
For this reason, you can upgrade to get both at a discounted rate (Orange + Blue plan). Here’s a summary:
- Sling Orange — $40.00/month for 30+ channels, including ESPN networks, on up to one device at a time. (Best for sports fans.)
- Sling Blue — $40.00/month for 40+ channels, including local NBC and Fox channels (depending on location), on up to three devices at a time. (Best for families and movie fans.)
- Sling Orange + Blue – $55.00/month for 50+ channels, which includes everything in Orange and Blue combined. (Best for everyone.)
All three plans come with 50 hours of cloud DVR storage, which can be upgraded to 200 hours for an additional fee.
Channels List for Sling’s Base Plans
Sling covers 50+ channels across its Orange and Blue plans. While many are included in both, some are exclusive to one or the other.
The key difference is the Orange plan provides ESPN channels (including ESPN3, which simulcasts sporting events on ABC) while the Blue plan provides Fox and NBC’s local feeds (if available) and several NBC Universal network channels (eg, USA and Bravo).
To help you decide which plan best suits your needs, I’ve listed all of Sling’s base channels and which plan(s) they’re in:
Blue Plan | Orange Plan | |
A&E | ✅ | ✅ |
AMC | ✅ | ✅ |
AXS TV | ✅ | ✅ |
BBC America | ✅ | ✅ |
BET | ✅ | ✅ |
Bloomberg Television | ✅ | ✅ |
Bravo | ✅ | ❌ |
Cartoon Network | ✅ | ✅ |
Charge! | ✅ | ✅ |
CNN | ✅ | ✅ |
Comedy Central | ✅ | ✅ |
Comet | ✅ | ✅ |
Discovery Channel | ✅ | ❌ |
Disney Channel | ❌ | ✅ |
E! | ✅ | ❌ |
MGM+ Drive-In | ✅ | ✅ |
ESPN | ❌ | ✅ |
ESPN2 | ❌ | ✅ |
ESPN3 | ❌ | ✅ |
Food Network | ✅ | ✅ |
Fox* | ✅ | ❌ |
Fox News | ✅ | ❌ |
Freeform | ❌ | ✅ |
Fox Sports 1 (FS1) | ✅ | ❌ |
Fuse | ✅ | ✅ |
FX | ✅ | ❌ |
HGTV | ✅ | ✅ |
History Channel | ✅ | ✅ |
HLN | ✅ | ❌ |
ID | ✅ | ✅ |
IFC | ✅ | ✅ |
Lifetime | ✅ | ✅ |
Local Now | ✅ | ✅ |
MotorTrend | ❌ | ✅ |
MSNBC | ✅ | ❌ |
National Geographic | ✅ | ❌ |
NBC* | ✅ | ❌ |
NFL Network | ✅ | ❌ |
Nick Jr | ✅ | ✅ |
Syfy | ✅ | ❌ |
TBS | ✅ | ✅ |
TLC | ✅ | ❌ |
TNT | ✅ | ✅ |
Travel Channel | ✅ | ✅ |
truTV | ✅ | ❌ |
USA | ✅ | ❌ |
Vice | ✅ | ✅ |
What Add-Ons Does Sling Have?
Sling has over a dozen add-on packages you can buy to expand your channel lineup. These usually include a handful of channels related to a specific category, such as kids or sports.
You can also purchase Premium extras, such as Paramount+ with SHOWTIME, Starz, and AMC+. I’ve noticed Sling often adds and removes the services available here though, which is something to keep an eye on.
Once you’re subscribed to one of Sling’s base plans (Blue, Orange, or Orange + Blue), you can add as many extra packages as you’d like. But again, the channels available in each can depend on whether you’re adding to an Orange or Blue plan. (If you have both, you can get them all.)
What Channels Are Included in Sling’s Extra Plans?
Here are all the channels included in Sling’s Extra plans. Some depend on whether you’re adding to the Orange or Blue plan, but other than the Sports Extra I found most bundles to be fairly similar.
Add-On | Price | Extra Channels | With Orange OR Blue | Only With Orange | Only With Blue |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sports | $11/mo | 10+ | – NBA TV – beIN Sports – MLB Network – Tennis Channel – NHL Network – MLB Strike Zone | – ACC Network – ACCNX – SEC Network – SEC Network+ – ESPNU – ESPNews | – NFL RedZone – Big Ten Network – FS2 – Golf |
Entertainment | $6/mo | 10+ | – Paramount Network – MTV – MTV2 – Laff – FETV – CMT – Logo – Revolt – aspireTV – GSN – TV Land | – truTV | (truTV is already included in the Sling Blue base plan) |
Kids | $6/mo | 4+ | – NickToons – TeenNick – Boomerang – BabyTV | – Disney Junior – Disney XD | None |
News | $6/mo | 5+ | – BBC World News – NewsNation – NewsMax – Science – News18 – CGTN – Law & Crime | – HLN | – Fox Business – CNBC – NDTV |
Lifestyle | $6/mo | 10+ | – Magnolia Network – Hallmark Channel – UPtv – VH1 – Cooking Channel – FYI – WEtv – Lifetime Movies – Hallmark Movies & Mysteries – Hallmark Drama | None | – Oxygen |
Hollywood | $6/mo | 5+ | – Reelz – Heroes & Icons – StartTV – Grit – HDNet Movies – Sundance TV – TCM – Bounce | None | – FXX – FX Movies |
Heartland | $6/mo | 10+ | – World Fishing Network – INSP – Sportsman Channel – Pursuit – Outdoor Channel – Great American Family – Great American Faith & Living – American Heroes Channel – RFD-TV – Destination America – PiXL – The Cowboy Channel | None | – National Geographic Wild |
How Much Do Sling’s Add-Ons Cost?
Sling lets you purchase its extra packages individually for between $6-$11 depending on the bundle. But if you’re interested in at least two of its most popular ones — Kids, News, Lifestyle, and Comedy — I suggest taking advantage of Sling’s “4 Extras Deal” which provides all four for $13 per month. Or you can get every extra package available for $21 per month.
- 4 Extras Deal — $13/month for the four most popular add-on packages (Kids Extra, Entertainment Extra, News Extra, and Lifestyle Extra).
- Total TV Deal — $21/month (or $27/month to add to the Orange+Blue plan) for all seven channel add-on packages (Sports Extra, Kids Extra, Entertainment Extra, News Extra, Lifestyle Extra, Heartland Extra, and Hollywood Extra) and the DVR+ Extra, which upgrades your DVR to 200 hours of storage.
Premium Channels on Sling TV
The premium extras Sling offers are typically only one channel and can be added to either the Orange or Blue plan.
Many are stand-alone streaming services (such as Paramoun+ and Discovery+), but subscribing through Sling integrates them into your Sling TV interface. I found it surprisingly useful and time-saving having all my channels and on-demand content in one place.
Here is the full list of premium networks and all other additional channel packs:
- Acorn — $7.99/mo
- ALLBLK — $5.99/mo
- AMC+ — $8.99/mo (AMC+, AMC, IFC, IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder, BBC America, Sundance TV, Sundance Now)
- BET+ — $10.99/mo
- CineFest — $5.00/mo
- Cocina On — $3.00/mo
- Comedy Dynamics — $5.00/mo
- CONtv — $5.00/mo
- Curiosity Stream — $4.99/mo
- Discovery+ — $4.99/mo
- Discovery+ (Ad Free) — $8.99/mo
- Docurama — $5.00/mo
- DOGTV — $5.00/mo
- Dove Channel — $5.00/mo
- DOX — $3.00/mo
- MGM+ — $5.00/mo (MGM+, MGM+ Hits, MGM Marquee, MGM+ Drive-In)
- FlixLatino — $3.99/mo
- Gallery by Slingscapes — $5.00/mo
- Grokker — $7.00/mo
- Hallmark Movies Now — $7.99/mo
- Here TV — $8.00/mo
- Hopster — $5.00/mo
- IFC Films Unlimited — $6.00/mo (included with AMC+)
- Kartoon Channel! — $4.00/mo
- Magnolia Selects — $5.00/mo
- Monsters & Nightmares — $3.00/mo
- Noggin — $8.00/mo
- Outside TV Features — $4.99/mo
- Paramount+ with SHOWTIME — $10.00/mo (Paramount+, Showtime, Showtime West, Showtime 2, SHOxBET, Showtime Showcase, Showtime Extreme, Showtime Next, Showtime Women, Showtime Family)
- ScreamFlix — $3.00/mo
- Shudder — $6.99/mo (included with AMC+)
- Starz — $10.99/mo (Starz, Starz Cinema, Starz West, Starz Edge, Starz Comedy, Starz Kids & Family, Starz in Black, Starz Encore, IndiePlex, MoviePlex, RetroPlex)
- Sundance Now — $7.00/mo (included with AMC+)
- Tastemade+ — $3.00/mo
- True Royalty TV — $6.00/mo
- UP Faith & Family — $5.00/mo
- ViX Premium — $6.99/mo
- Warriors & Gangsters — $3.00/mo
Other Extras & Add-Ons
In addition to channel add-ons, Sling’s DVR+ Extra upgrades your DVR storage to 200 hours for $5 per month. This is also included in the Total TV Deal where you get all available extras with your base subscription for an additional $21 per month.
Sling offers international channels and bundles as well — see our guide to find out which languages are supported.
Final Thoughts
Sling TV is one of the most customizable streaming services I’ve come across. And allowing its users to create a personalized streaming package seems to help keep Sling’s plans at a lower cost, because you’re not paying for excess channels you don’t want.
I did find this somewhat overwhelming to begin with though. If you’re new to Sling, I suggest starting off with just one of Sling’s base plans — Orange or Blue. Once you’ve tried this out and explored all of Sling’s features, you can then decide if the service is for you and whether there are any channels or extras you want to add.
Thankfully Sling TV and all its add-ons are non-contract, so I felt more confident trying everything out because I knew I could cancel any of them that month if I changed my mind. You can also save on that first month here.
Packages and Channels from Other Streaming Services
Want to compare channels lists from other streaming TV providers? Check out our guides below:
- fuboTV channels list (or see fuboTV local channels)
- Hulu + Live TV channels list (or see Hulu Live local channels)
- Philo channels list
- DIRECTV STREAM channels list
- YouTube TV Comparison
FAQ
Does Sling TV come with local channels?
Yes, but there are caveats. Sling Blue, one of Sling’s two base packages, comes with Fox and NBC in select markets. So if you live in a major media market (that’s a big city that watches a lot of TV, like Los Angeles, Dallas, or Chicago), you’ll probably have access to them. Check out our guide to Sling’s local channels to see if you’re covered.
So that just leaves ABC and CBS, for the Big Four. Sling has a unique approach to local channels — if you prepay 2 months of Sling, they will give you an HD antenna, totally free. Throughout most of the country, this will give you all four major networks, plus PBS, Spanish stations Univision and Telemundo, and other independents and local stations in your neck of the woods.
What other guides do you have for using Sling TV?
Oh, we’ve got lots. Mostly on news and ways to watch your favorite sport’s current season — which one sparks your interest?
- Conservative News
- Fox News Town Hall and CNN Debates [2024]
- Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary [2024]
- NCAA Sports in 2023
- NBA Nationally Televised Games
- NBA All-Star Game
- LeBron James
- NBA Christmas Day Games
- NBA Play-In Tournament
- NBA Playoffs
- NBA Conference Semifinals
- 2023 NASCAR Season
- 2024 NASCAR Cup Series Schedule
- Shriners Children’s 500
- EchoPark Automotive Grand Prix
- Food Series 500
- Toyota Owners 400
- Goodyear 400
- NASCAR All-Star Race
- NASCAR Playoffs
- NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs
- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Playoffs
- NASCAR Cup Series Championship
- NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship
- Indy 500
- Coca-Cola 600
- Formula 1
- Formula 1 Schedule
- Formula 1 Circuits
- F1 Saudia Arabian Grand Prix
- F1 Australian Grand Prix
- F1 Miami Grand Prix
- F1 Singapore Grand Prix
- F1 Abu Dhabi GP
- 24 Hours of Le Mans
- NHL Through the Stanley Cup
- NHL Entry Draft
- Hockey Hall of Fame Induction
- MLB Spring Training
- MLB Spring Training Schedule
- MLB Playoffs
- English Premier League
- Premier League 2023 Season Schedule
- Boxing Day 2023 Premier League guide
- 2023 NCAA Baseball
- Top Games to Watch
- College World Series Selection Show
- Men’s College World Series
- Women’s College World Series
- NCAA Basketball [2023 season]
- NCAA March Madness
- NCAA March Madness Schedule
- NCAA March Madness – Elite Eight
- NCAA Women’s Basketball National Championship
- NCAA Lacrosse Championships
- NCAA Women’s Beach Volleyball Championship
- 2023 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament
- Stanley Cup Playoffs (NHL Playoffs)
- Stanley Cup Playoff Schedule
- Stanley Cup Final
- 2024 PGA Tour
- The Masters Tournament (Finals Guide)
- PGA Championship
- US Open (Golf)
- 2023 Tour Championship
- LPGA Tour
- Ryder Cup
- NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship
- Grant Thornton Invitational
- Cricket on Sling
- 2023 Cricket Season
- 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Finals
- IPL 2023
- IPL 2023 Schedule
- Top IPL Teams
- IPL History
- T20 ICC World Cup Finals
- ICC Women’s T20 World Cup
- Professional Wrestling [2023]
- USFL
- XFL
- Super Bowl
- Horse racing:
- Kentucky Derby
- Preakness Stakes
- Belmont Stakes
- Dubai World Cup
- Madrid Open
- Australian Open
- French Open
- Wimbledon (Finals)
- US Open (Tennis)
- Ligue 1
- Sunday Night Football
- Monday Night Football
- NFL preseason
- NFL draft
- Thanksgiving Day football
- NFL RedZone
- Rugby World Cup Final
- Thanksgiving Week Sports
- NCAA College Cup
- Africa Cup of Nations
- CONCACAF Champions Cup
- Food City 500
- WNBA Draft
- Tour de France
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