Disney’s injunction request against Sling Passes denied
Disney’s injunction request against Sling Passes denied
The decision means that Sling can continue to sell short-term access to its Orange package while lawsuits continue.
Sling TV’s legal team is earning its retainer. On Wednesday, Sling announced a major legal win in its fight to continue offering its Passes program. Sling’s Day, Weekend, and Week Passes allow viewers to sign up and watch its Orange package for a limited window, but the launch of this product made programmers hopping mad. Disney sued to try to put a stop to the sale of Sling’s Passes, but a federal court has denied Disney’s request for a preliminary injunction to halt their distribution.
Key Details:
- No need to stop: A court ruling means Sling TV can continue to sell its Passes.
- Case continues: Disney says it is still looking forward to proving its claims in court.
- Price drop: .
On Monday, U.S. District Court judge Arun Subramanian denied Disney’s motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the sale of Sling’s Passes. Disney first filed its lawsuit in August, saying that Sling did not seek its consent to offer ESPN and other Disney-owned channels in its limited-time subscription packages.
Judge Subramanian ruled that Disney had not demonstrated a likelihood of succeeding on the merits of its breach-of-contract claims against Sling TV. He ruled that Disney’s distribution agreement with Sling’s parent company DISH does not define a minimum subscription length.
The judge also ruled that Disney failed to show that it would suffer irreparable harm if its requests for injunctive relief were not granted. Additionally, Disney could not show that an injunction “is in the public interest or that the balance of equities favors an injunction.
To celebrate the big court win, Sling TV is offering subscribers a Day Pass for only $1 each, an 80% discount off the regular $5 daily price. Sling is offering this discounted rate on a Day Pass until Nov. 30.
“The court’s decision is a win for consumers and a validation of what Sling stands for,” Sling SVP Seth Van Sickel said in a statement. “For too long, traditional ‘big media’ companies have intentionally stifled innovation and forced customers to pay for more content than they want or need. We believe customers deserve the flexibility to stream the content they want, whenever they want it, at a price they can afford. Consumers deserve affordable TV, not bound by long-term contracts or bloated offerings. The $1 Day Pass is our way of saying thank you to the customers we fight for every day.”
Warner Bros. Discovery also filed a lawsuit against Sling over Passes, and like Disney, is seeking a preliminary injunction to stop the distribution of the product. But given the broad nature of the judge’s ruling against Disney, WBD seems unlikely to succeed in its attempts.
The case against Sling TV’s Passes is not over, even though Disney’s request for a preliminary injunction has not been granted. In a statement sent to Variety, Disney said it “look[s] forward to vindicating our position at trial where all the facts and evidence will be presented.”
Sling TV
Sling TV is The Streamable’s choice for cord-cutters on a budget. Sling is a live TV streaming service with multiple channel packages. The $45.99/month Sling Orange plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $45.99/month Sling Blue plan offers about 40 channels, including ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $60.99 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.