Sling TV was among the first of the streaming services to market to cord cutters, but unlike its competitors, it’s been slower in signing up local broadcast network affiliates. So with the 2017 NFL season is in infancy, Sling TV is upping its game in hopes that cord cutters and new customers will sign up for its service.
Sling TV is offering free over-the-air TV antennas or a discounted AirTV player/antenna combo to those who prepay two or three months of service.
The latest
Those subs who pay three months in advance will get the AirTV Player with adapter along with the antenna for a discounted price of $70 (actual retail price of $189.98).
SlingTV offers affiliates from Fox and NBC, but those are limited to just locally owned-and-operated stations. It still lacks an agreement with CBS, which the other services (DirecTV Now, fuboTV, PlayStation Vue and YouTube) have. In addition, Sling TV hasn’t signed deals with owners of Fox and NBC affiliates like Hearst and Sinclair, among others.
Sling is making the new bundles available just as Week 2 in the NFL is about to kick off, and it’s reaching out to cord cutters in hopes of bringing them into the fold.
Whether this works or not depends on the subscriber. But with the NFL under way, Sling TV still has a way to go to catch up to its streaming rivals.
About Ken Fang
Ken has been covering the sports media in earnest at his own site, Fang's Bites since May 2007 and at Awful Announcing since March 2013.
He provides a unique perspective having been an award-winning radio news reporter in Providence and having worked in local television.
Fang celebrates the four Boston Red Sox World Championships in the 21st Century, but continues to be a long-suffering Cleveland Browns fan.