ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Sling TV has launched Sling Essentials, a new programming package that costs $19.99, providing subs with what might be the lowest cost way to stream ESPN and ESPN2.
The channel lineup for Sling Essentials includes:
- Sports: ESPN and ESPN2
- Family & Kids: Disney Channel, Freeform, and Game Show Network (GSN)
- Movies & Drama: Lifetime Movies (LMN), Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, and Bounce
- Classic & Nostalgia: MeTV, startTV, GRIT, and Heroes & Icons (H&I)
In a note to investors, LightShed Partners financial analyst Richard Greenfield noted that the pricing undercuts ESPN DTC pricing by 33% and “appears to be the cheapest way to subscribe to ESPN and ESPN2 without taking a larger bundle of channels or subscribing to ESPN’s DTC service, ESPN Unlimited.”
ESPN’s Unlimited DTC product costs $29.99/month on a standalone basis. “With the launch of Sling Essentials, you can stream ESPN and ESPN2 for $19.99/month…and you can authenticate with Sling into the ESPN app," he wrote. "This is $10 or a 33% discount to the cost of ESPN Unlimited, albeit Sling Essentials subscribers cannot access ESPN Select or ESPN Unlimited exclusive content….It will be interesting to see if any other MVPDs/vMVPDs copy what Sling is doing with Essentials and how Disney responds.”
More information is available at Sling.com.
