On Tuesday, live TV streaming service Sling TV announced the launch of “Freeview Weekends,” which will give subscribers access to a different premium channel each weekend through August of this year. The deal will begin on Friday, June 24 with the full suite of Showtime channels.
Over the Fourth of July weekend, Sling will offer Curiosity Stream and Destination America for free. Later in the Summer, customers will be able to get EPIX, Hallmark Movies Now, Sundance Now, and AMC+ for free.
The promotion will give subscribers the opportunity to test drive a premium channel(s) with no obligation, something that Sling feels is in line with the core of their business. Most of the free weekends will launch on Friday and will run through the following Monday and will include both live, linear programming as well as access to the channels’ on-demand libraries.
“SLING launched in 2015 with one goal in mind: provide people easy access to their favorite shows and content, without a bloated monthly bill,” Sling’s EVP and group president Gary Schanman said. “This sentiment holds true today - if a user wants to subscribe to any of our nearly 50 premium standalone services à la carte, they can do it. And now with Freeview Weekends, our current subscribers can ‘try before they buy’ every Summer weekend with no strings attached by simply turning on SLING to ensure they pay only for what they want to watch.”
What makes Sling TV’s premium offerings unique is that while it is easy for current subscribers to sign up for the additional channels after enjoying them for free this summer, customers can also use Sling to subscribe to standalone premium services without signing up for one of the platform’s live TV options.
While the streamer’s Orange and Blue plans start at just $35 per month and include popular cable channels like CNN, ESPN, Bravo, AMC, and more, if a customer is just interested in premium offerings, they can sample them and then subscribe via Sling without having to commit to a live TV plan.
Nearly every study done on streaming preferences highlights that content availability is one of the leading reasons — if not the leading reason — why consumers select specific streamers to subscribe to. So now, Sling is making it even easier for viewers to sample the content that they are interested in and then subscribe in the way that best meets their streaming needs.
Sling TV
Sling TV is a live TV streaming service that helps users save money with the option of two distinct plans. The $40/month “Sling Orange” plan offers about 30 channels, including Disney Channel and ESPN. The $40/month “Sling Blue” plan offers about 40 channels, including Fox and NBC local channels.