Why Sling TV is the Big Winner with Regional Sports Networks Launching Streaming Services
The first hammer to drop on Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) was when Dish Network and their streaming service Sling TV dropped FOX Sports RSNs (now Bally Sports) in July 2019. At the time, FOX Sports and NBC Sports RSNs were available as part of Sling TV’s $25 Sling Blue plan.
Following their departure from Dish and Sling, other services quickly followed suit, getting dropped by Fubo, YouTube TV, and Hulu + Live TV the next year.
“You’re not going to be able, probably, to get people who never watch sports to pay,” Dish chairman Charlie Ergen said. “I think you’ve got to change that model. For us, we had real math when it comes to programming content. We know what the value is when it comes to our customers … [and] the value of regional sports to our customers was the most overrated. It wasn’t a big risk on our part.”
But almost four years later, despite not having a single RSN, Sling TV may now be the best option for those that want to watch Regional Sports Networks. Confused, let us explain.
In February 2021, then-Sling President Michael Schwimmer told The Streamable that if RSNs could be offered on an à la carte basis, Sling “would offer every regional sports channel in America in a heartbeat.” But, that was not an option right at the time because “what the regional sports providers want is, is for us to to make them available to everybody, even the people that don’t want them. And that’s where it breaks down.”
While Sling TV still can’t offer them on an à la carte basis, with the launch of RSN DTC services like Bally Sports+, NESN 360, and the YES App — consumers can subscribe to them on an individual basis on their own.
If you want both regionally and nationally televised games (outside of those streaming-only games on services like Prime Video, ESPN+, Peacock, and Apple TV+), you can combine an RSN in-market streaming service with Sling TV’s Orange and Blue Plan –– which carries ESPN, FOX (in select markets), FS1, TNT, and TBS for $55 per month (or choose Orange or Blue for just $40). Because it is month-to-month, you can decide to turn your subscription on and off based on if your team is in season, or if it has any nationally televised games coming up.
While you can get most RSNs in a bundle with Fubo Pro Plan for $86+ per month or DIRECTV STREAM’s Choice Plan for $99.99 monthly –– if you’re willing to be a little creative, you can get Sling TV + any RSN direct-to-consumer (DTC) streamer for less.
Monthly Costs for Sling TV Package and Regional Sports Streaming Services:
- Sling Blue + Bally Sports+: $65 (NHL, NBA, select MLB teams)
- Sling Blue + YES App: $70 (Yankees, Nets)
- Sling Blue + NESN360: $75 (Red Sox, Bruins)
- Sling Blue + MSG+: $75 (Knicks, Rangers, Devils, Islanders, Sabres) - coming August 2023
And unlike services that carry RSNs year-round, you won’t need the RSN DTC service during the playoffs because all of those games are nationally televised; therefore you can get away with just Sling TV for that portion of the season. So while Sling TV may have been the first streaming service to drop RSNs, they may now be the best option for those that want their live, local sports, even though they don’t carry a single regional sports network.
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 $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 ABC, Fox, and NBC in major markets.
You can combine Orange+Blue for a total of $55 / month. Sling also offers many channel add-on packages starting at $6/month.