One of the best cable alternatives for live TV enthusiasts is getting a price hike.
Both the Sling Orange and Sling Blue packages are bumping up to $35 per month for incoming customers, a price increase of $5 per month. The service’s bundling option for both options, meanwhile, will bump up to $50 per month for new users (also a $5 monthly increase). Existing customers will not be charged the new prices until July of this year as part of the company’s 1-year price pledge.
The price changes aren’t just limited to Sling’s base packages—its add-ons will see some changes as well. The service’s sports extra add-on will cost $11 for incoming users, a $1 increase, although new users who bundle both Orange and Blue will continue to pay $15 per month.
Its other add-ons—including packages for comedy, news, lifestyle, and others—will now cost $6 per month, an increase of $1. Its “total TV deal” package will also see an increase of $1, now $21 per month for new customers, while new Sling bundling subscribers will pay $27 per month for the option (an increase of $2).
“Unfortunately, we are forced to raise prices because the television networks keep charging us more, but we fight hard to get the best deal for our customers,” Sling TV group president Michael Schwimmer said in a statement. “The proof of our commitment is apparent, as Sling TV is still the best deal in the market, keeping our prices much lower than cable and other live streaming services. Sling TV customers can rest assured that we’ll continue to offer the best combination of live news, sports and entertainment cable channels at the best value.”
Sling isn’t the only service hiking its prices. Most major streamers have announced price increases in the last year, including Netflix, Disney+, and Hulu. But the company did soften the blow with some good news: All Sling customers will get 50 hours of free DVR storage for free—up from just 10 hours—while the service’s DVR Plus subscribers will get four times the DVR storage with 200 hours. DVR Plus subscribers pay $5 per month for the add-on.
At least there’s that!