Sling TV is becoming a more and more attractive option for sports fans. In recent months we’ve seen the streaming outlet add regional sports networks and NBATV to its sports portfolio.
Now this weekend some history will be made as Sling TV will offer its subscribers the chance to purchase the UFC 214 PPV headlined by Daniel Cormier fighting Jon Jones. It’s the first time a major PPV event has been available to Sling customers.
Via TechCrunch:
Dish’s streaming service for cord cutters, Sling TV, will host its first ever pay-per-view event this weekend, by offering coverage of UFC: 214: Cormier v. Jones 2. The fight between former titleholder Jon Jones and current champion Daniel Cormier is taking place on Saturday, July 29 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. Access to the event will be offered to Sling TV viewers for $59.99.
What’s notable about this news is that it’s not a one-off event for Sling TV. Instead, we understand that Sling TV is planning to make other pay-per-view events available in the future, too.
The company wouldn’t detail what other plans it has in the works, but offering fights seems to be its area of focus for now.
“We are looking forward to our first pay-per-view event this weekend, and although we haven’t announced specific plans to offer other fights, we will carry additional pay-per-view events in the future,” Ankit Bishnoi, director of content acquisition and strategy at Sling TV, told TechCrunch, when we asked about the company’s broader pay-per-view plans.
The move to expand into pay-per-view could help make Sling TV a more compelling offering for sports fans, when compared with its streaming rivals.
This is a big deal for cord cutters and UFC fans. And it’s another continuation in the natural progression of more sporting rights and major events becoming available for those who have cut the cord.
As more people abandon cable and move to outlets like Sling, sports leagues and networks might see them as more favorable partners to deal with directly. It’s really a snowball effect. As more people leave cable for streaming services, more content is then given to those streaming services. As more content goes to streaming, more customers arrive. The question now is how far the trend goes and how others in the industry react to the growing advance of streaming platforms.
