How Many Simultaneous Streams Does Sling TV Allow?
How Many Simultaneous Streams Does Sling TV Allow?
Yes, Sling does offer simultaneous streams, but how many depends on which base plan you sign up for.
Sling TV is one of the smartest live TV streaming solutions for people who want to watch live TV on a budget. No other streaming service offers as many channels at such a low price. With monthly rates starting at $40 — not to mention their regular first-month deals — It’s my go-to choice to watch NFL and college football every fall. But if you’ve got a family or roommates, you will probably want to be able to watch TV on more than one device at a time. Thankfully, Sling allows multiple simultaneous streams, but — as with most things in life — there’s a catch. I’ll break down all of the details here so that you can determine if the low-cost streamer fits your specific needs.
Everything to Know About Sling TV’s Simultaneous Streams:
What Are the Sling TV Streaming Limits?
On Sling, your number of simultaneous streams depends on which channel package you choose. Sling has two primary packages: Orange and Blue, but for the best lineup of channels, I recommend combining the two and signing up for the Orange + Blue option. This will raise your monthly rate to $55, but that is still $20-$30 cheaper than any other streamer offering this many top channels.
However, if you stick to just one of Sling’s base plans, keep in mind that Orange subscribers can only stream on one screen at a time, while Blue subscribers can be on up to three screens at once. If you subscribe to the Orange + Blue combo, you can watch on as many as four screens at the same time.
Each device counts as a stream, so if you wanted to watch on the TV while your spouse uses a tablet, that’s two streams, and therefore you’d need Blue or Orange + Blue to do that.
What Devices Can You Use to Stream Sling TV?
Sling is compatible with Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, Android TV, iPhone/iPad, Android Phone/Tablet, Mac, Windows, Xbox, LG Smart TV, Samsung Smart TV, Sony Smart TV, and VIZIO Smart TV.
What Are the Differences Between Sling Orange and Blue?
Both packages give you 27 channels including A&E, AMC, BET, Cartoon Network, CNN, Comedy Central, Food Network, HGTV, History, Investigation Discovery, Lifetime, TBS, TNT, and Travel Channel. Overall, Sling offers as many as 143 channels.
Choose Sling Blue ($45.99) if you want to watch Bravo, Discovery, E!, Fox News, FX, MSNBC, Syfy, TLC, truTV, and USA Network.
Make Sling Orange ($45.99) your choice if you’d like Disney Channel, ESPN, and Freeform.
If you want to watch local channels, ABC, Fox, and NBC are available on Sling Blue in some markets. Sling does not carry CBS, but you can watch with an antenna or a subscription to Paramount+ with SHOWTIME ($12.99).
Does DVR Viewing Count as a Simultaneous Stream?
Yes. If you’re watching anything on Sling (live or recorded), it counts as a device in use. Sling includes a cloud DVR that can store 50 hours of recording with all base packages, but you can upgrade your DVR capacity to 200 hours for just $5 per month.
Can You Try Sling TV for Free?
While Sling TV does not offer a free trial for its premium channels, you can sample the service with Sling Freestream. You can watch 500+ free live TV channels and over 40,000 on-demand movies and shows. You’ll even get 10 hours of free DVR time to record whatever you like.
If you like Freestream, it’s easy to upgrade to a paid Sling plan. If you choose to end your paid membership, you can still keep your Freestream account.
Why I Love Sling TV
Live TV has become incredibly expensive. By the time you lock down all the channels you want, most services cost around $100 per month. If you’re used to a cable lineup, it might feel like you have to have a bloated channel package, but if you sit down and list all the channels you watch regularly, it’s probably closer to 10.
Sling TV works well for sports. Where I live, I get NBC, FOX, and ABC and I can ESPN and ESPN2 on my base plan. I then add on to the Sports Extras plan in order to watch NFL RedZone. Sling also works well if you want to stream news and opinion channels with CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News.
In my expert opinion, most people are paying too much for channels they don’t watch. Considering how much I enjoy entertainment streamers like Netflix, Hulu, and Max, I really only need live TV for sports and news. If you try Sling, you very well might discover that it’s the perfect fit for your budget and your viewing needs. For my money, there’s no other live TV option that offers a value this good.
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.