Cord-cutting is still in vogue, and Sling TV makes it easy as well as affordable. While its à la carte model can be less straightforward than other live streamers, you’ve got plenty of options to choose from. Despite a somewhat complicated subscription model, it stands out from other live TV streaming services by delivering bundles of channels with plenty of extras.
Sling TV offers two base plans: Sling Orange and Sling Blue. Neither one has the massive channel list that you might see from competitors, but they come at a much more affordable price. With their library of “Extras,” you can build out the channels missing from your bundle to get the TV lineup you want, at a price that won’t ruin your budget.
But which is “better?” Sling Orange or Sling Blue?
As with all things streaming, the real question is this: Which one has the channels you want to watch? The two plans have a good bit of overlap, with some channels shared between the two. But some channels are exclusive to one plan or the other. And that’s when you start to see what Sling’s strategy really is: Getting one track is fine. But getting both is better. And they’re priced to incentivize you to do exactly that.
But back to our question. It’s actually not all that hard to tell which one will be “better” for your needs. If you need sports, you’ll absolutely want to have Sling Orange because it’s the one with ESPN. (And ESPN2, and ESPN3.) If news channels are more important to you, Sling Blue is the way to go because it’s where you’ll find the likes of HNL, MSNBC, and Fox News.
But things get a little complicated from there. FS1 is another channel full of sports, thus the name — Fox Sports 1. And you’ll find Premier League games on Sling on USA. But those channels are only available on Sling Blue. Need Disney Channel or Freeform? They’re on Sling Orange.
And now you see how Sling’s trying to get you just to go ahead and get Sling Orange and Sling Blue at a marginal increase.
To help you actually make a decision — to get just one or both — here’s how the channels actually break down as of early 2024:
Channels exclusive to Sling Orange: Disney Channel, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN4k, FreeForm, and Motor Trend.
Channels exclusive to Sling Blue: Bravo, Discovery Channel, E!, FS1, FX, Fox News, HLN, MSNBC, NFL Network, National Geographic, Syfy, TLC, USA, and TruTV.
The following channels are available on either track: A&E, AMC, AXS TV, BBC America, BET, Bloomberg, Charge!, CNN, Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Comet, Food Network, Fuse, HGTV, History Channel, IFC, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, Local Now, MGM+ Drive-In, Nick Jr., QVC, Sling scapes, Sling scapes2, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, and Vice.
Sling TV also offers a number of add-ons that supplement your base plan with specific channel packages. These vary wildly by price and lineup depending on whether your base plan is Orange, Blue, or a combination of both. You can select these add-ons like Entertainment Extra, News Extra, or Kids extra, when setting up your subscription.
As to which is best for you? It just depends on what you want. Get one. Get both. And enjoy either way.
