Sling TV launched a new $19.99/month streaming package called Sling Essentials.
The package includes ESPN, ESPN2, and ten other entertainment channels.
Dish markets it as the most cost-effective way to stream the main ESPN networks.
The move targets budget-conscious sports fans and competes with pricier bundles.
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Dish Network's streaming service Sling TV has launched a new $19.99 monthly package called Sling Essentials in the United States, positioning it as the most affordable way for consumers to access ESPN and ESPN2 outside of Disney's own direct-to-consumer offerings. The move, announced recently, is a strategic effort by Dish to capture budget-conscious sports fans and compete directly with larger streaming bundles and traditional cable packages that often carry higher price tags for similar channel lineups.
The Sling Essentials package includes ESPN, ESPN2, and ten other entertainment channels, bringing the total to twelve networks. Dish is explicitly marketing this bundle as having an 'unbeatable price' and the 'most cost-effective way' to stream the flagship ESPN networks. This launch represents a significant shift in the streaming wars, where companies are increasingly segmenting the market with slimmer, more focused packages to attract specific viewer demographics, particularly those who prioritize live sports but want to avoid the high cost of comprehensive live TV streaming services or cable.
This pricing strategy directly challenges Disney, which owns ESPN. While Disney has plans to launch a standalone ESPN streaming service in the future, its current primary digital offering for live sports, ESPN+, does not include the linear ESPN and ESPN2 channels that broadcast major events like Monday Night Football and NBA games. For now, Sling TV's Essentials package undercuts the price of larger bundles that include these channels, such as YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV, potentially making it an attractive entry point for cord-cutters seeking essential sports coverage without a hefty monthly commitment.
Sling TV is an American streaming television service operated by Sling TV LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Dish Network. Unveiled on January 5, 2015, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the virtual multichannel video programming distributor aims to complement subscription video on demand services for...
ESPN (an initialism of their original name, Entertainment and Sports Programming Network until 1985) is an American basic cable sports broadcasting network and the flagship property of ESPN Inc., a joint venture of the Walt Disney Company (72% and operational control), Hearst Communications (18%), a...
DISH Network LLC, often referred to as DISH, an abbreviation for Digital Sky Highway, formerly EchoStar Communications Corporation and DISH Network Corporation, is an American provider of satellite television and IPTV services and wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation.
The company operate...
Dish Network’s Sling TV is giving you a way to watch ESPN — for less than Disney. Sling TV has launched Sling Essentials, a new internet-streaming TV package touted as having the “unbeatable price” of $19.99/month for ESPN, ESPN2 and 10 other entertainment channels. The company boasts that it “offers the most cost-effective way to […]
