Sling TV currently offers four base plans: Sling Select at $19.99/month, Sling Orange at $45.99, Sling Blue at $45.99 (about $5–$10 more in markets with local channels), and the Orange & Blue combo at $60.99.
Key Takeaways
- Orange = ESPN and Disney channels, 1 stream at a time
- Blue = news, entertainment, and local FOX/NBC/ABC in select markets, 3 streams
- Orange & Blue combo = everything, 4 streams, saves vs. buying both
- Select is the new budget tier — no ESPN, no locals, under $20
The four plans at a glance
| Plan | Price | Best for | Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sling Select | $19.99/mo | News + basic entertainment on a budget | 1 |
| Sling Orange | $45.99/mo | Sports (ESPN) and families (Disney) | 1 |
| Sling Blue | $45.99/mo* | News, entertainment, local networks | 3 |
| Orange & Blue | $60.99/mo | Full coverage households | 4 |
*Blue runs roughly $5–$10 higher in markets where local ABC, NBC, or FOX stations are included. Prices shown are advertised base rates — always confirm at checkout, as Sling adjusts offers frequently.
Orange vs Blue: the one question that decides it
The entire choice usually comes down to this: do you need ESPN? ESPN, ESPN2, and the Disney-owned channels live exclusively on Orange. If your viewing centers on live sports beyond the NFL, Orange (or the combo) is the only path.
Blue counters with local channels in supported markets, FS1 and NFL Network for football, news networks like CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC, and three simultaneous streams — which makes it the better fit for households where several people watch different things at once.
What the combo actually saves
Orange & Blue at $60.99 costs about $31 less than paying for both plans separately, bumps you to four simultaneous streams, and removes the channel FOMO entirely. For households that watch both ESPN sports and local network shows, it is usually the rational choice — though at that price you should also compare YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, which include full local lineups everywhere at a higher cost.
The fine print worth knowing
- DVR: 50 hours of cloud DVR is included; unlimited storage is a paid upgrade.
- Add-ons: Sports Extra, Entertainment Extra, and premium channels run roughly $5–$15/month each — they add up quickly.
- No contract: plans are month-to-month, and pausing a subscription between seasons is allowed — a genuine advantage over cable.
- Intro offers: first-month discounts of up to half off appear regularly for new subscribers.
FAQ
Does Sling TV have a free trial?
Not a traditional one — Sling instead discounts the first month for new subscribers and offers Sling Freestream, a free ad-supported tier with hundreds of channels, no card required.
Can I switch between Orange and Blue?
Yes, you can change plans from account settings and the switch applies to your next billing cycle — some subscribers rotate seasonally around sports.
Does Sling include local channels?
Only Blue (and the combo), and only ABC, NBC, and FOX in select major markets. An inexpensive over-the-air antenna is the common workaround elsewhere — and pairs natively with Sling’s AirTV devices.
Who should pick Sling Select instead
Select exists for one kind of viewer: someone who mainly watches cable news, a handful of entertainment networks, and on-demand content, and who does not care about live sports or local broadcast stations. At under $20 it undercuts every other live TV service on the market, but the trade-offs are real. There is no ESPN, no ABC, NBC, or FOX, and a single stream, so a second person in the house cannot watch something else at the same time. If you find yourself adding the Sports Extra pack or a second stream, you have quietly climbed back to Orange or Blue pricing and should just choose one of those plans outright.
How to decide in 60 seconds
- Do you need ESPN or Disney channels? Yes → Orange or the combo. No → keep reading.
- Do you need local ABC, NBC, or FOX? Yes, and you live in a supported market → Blue. Yes, but your market is not supported → Blue plus an over-the-air antenna, or a different service.
- Do two or more people watch at once? Yes → Blue (3 streams) or the combo (4). No → Orange or Select is fine.
- Is the total under your cable bill? Add up the base plan, any Extras, and internet cost before deciding. Sling only wins if the sum is meaningfully lower than what you are cutting.
Ways to keep the bill down
Sling’s month-to-month structure is its biggest cost lever. Subscribers who only watch football can activate Blue in September and pause it after the Super Bowl without a cancellation fee. New-subscriber promotions typically land in the weeks before major sports seasons, so timing a sign-up around late August or early September often captures the deepest first-month discount. An inexpensive indoor antenna covers local channels for free and pairs with Sling’s guide, which makes Orange plus an antenna a workable substitute for the pricier combo in many homes. Finally, review your Extras every couple of months: the Sports and Entertainment packs are easy to forget and can add $10 to $20 a month on top of the base plan.
Common mistakes new subscribers make
- Assuming Blue includes every local station. Only ABC, NBC, and FOX in select markets; CBS is not part of Sling in any plan.
- Buying the combo for one sport. If ESPN is the only reason, Orange alone plus an antenna is usually cheaper.
- Expecting the intro price to last. First-month offers revert to the standard rate, so budget on the full price, not the promo.
- Forgetting the DVR cap. 50 hours fills quickly during a busy sports weekend; delete or upgrade before it starts auto-deleting.
Can I watch Sling on multiple devices?
Yes. Sling apps run on Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Google TV, smart TVs from major brands, game consoles, phones, tablets, and web browsers. The device count is not limited; the number of simultaneous streams is what your plan controls.
Does Sling raise prices often?
Like every live TV streaming service, Sling has increased base-plan prices roughly once a year as carriage costs rise. The prices in this article were checked at publication; treat them as a snapshot and confirm the current figure on Sling’s plan page before subscribing.
Sources
- Sling TV official plan pages
Prices verified at publication and subject to change. Last updated August 26, 2026 · InfoBrief Staff