Disney sues Sling TV over new Passes program
Disney sues Sling TV over new Passes program
The House of Mouse says it was neverasked for permission to sell its channels in such limited-time packages.
If you’ve been intrigued by Sling TV’s new Passes, it might be time to try one before it’s too late. Passes are a first-of-its-kind offering from Sling TV, which launched just a earlier this month, that allows customers to subscribe to the Sling Orange package for as little as one day for just $5. One might think it a foregone conclusion that Sling would have asked the owners of the channels in the Sling Orange package if they were onboard with the launch of the Passes program, but apparently not; Disney, which owns more than a half dozen channels in the plan, is now suing Sling, saying it never approved of the use of its channels in Sling’s Passes.
Key Details:
- Better to beg forgiveness…: Disney says Passes were made available without its knowledge or consent.
- Crown jewel: The Sling Orange package is centered around ESPN channels.
- What about this weekend?: Sling TV Passes are unlikely to be pulled by the service before Saturday.
As first reported by Deadline, Disney is suing Sling TV over the launch of the Passes program, saying in a statement to Deadline that the live TV streaming service skipped a couple of important steps in the process of rolling out those limited-time viewing packages.
“Sling TV’s new offerings, which they made available without our knowledge or consent, violate the terms of our existing license agreement,” Disney’s spokesperson said. “We have asked the court to require Dish to comply with our deal when it distributes our programming.”
The Streamable has reached out to Sling TV for a statement and will update this story if we receive a reply.
Disney certainly has skin in the game here; after all, the Sling Orange package is specifically marketed around its inclusion of ESPN channels. Passes are clearly intended to help customers who want to watch a specific sporting event or weekend’s worth of games to do so without paying for a full month of service. So, it’s at least somewhat understandable that Disney would want to know if an operator was planning to create a product like Passes with these channels included.
Deadline does mention that in an interview earlier this month, senior vice president of product and operations Seth Van Sickel said programming partners were briefed about the company’s plans to create short-term subscription options. But apparently, someone at Disney missed the memo. In addition to ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, and ESPN 4K, Disney has ownership stakes in A&E, Disney Channel, History, and Lifetime, which are all included in the Orange package.
We at The Streamable thought that the biggest reaction to Sling TV Passes would come from competitors, not from programmers. That was, of course, an assumption based on the idea that Sling must have told its programmer partners it was going to launch Passes, which seemed like a natural step for the company to take.
Either Sling skipped that step entirely, or somewhere along the line, wires with Disney were crossed in a big way. Nowhere in Deadline’s reporting does it mention that Disney has asked for an emergency injunction to stop the sale of Passes, so at the moment it seems unlikely that the program will be shelved before this weekend’s college football slate. But stick with The Streamable for more updates, because this story could evolve rapidly.
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.