Sling TV is once again raising prices, and you won’t be thrilled if you’re a sports enthusiast. New customers for the Sling Orange package now have to pay $10 per month for the Sports Extra channel bundle instead of the previous $5. Existing customers will see the rate hike take effect from August 1st onward. That’s the same price that Sling Blue customers were already paying for Sports Extra, but it also means you’re looking at a minimum of $25 per month when you combine the sports pack with any base plan.
The sling team described it as a matter of covering costs. The service has added multiple channels to Sports Extra, such as NHL Network and NBA TV, and those programming fees add up. There is a consolation, though — there’s a new $20 Total TV Deal that includes eight Extras (including Sports) and 50 hours of cloud DVR recordings. It’s an upsell, to be sure, but it could make sense if you were already eyeing at least two add-ons.
This makes Sling TV less alluring than it has been — wasn’t the whole point to undercut the bloated prices of conventional TV? Unfortunately, it’s really just part of a common trend. DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, YouTube TV and other live TV services have been gradually raising prices as they both pack in more channels and strive for profitability. It’s just a matter of whether you’re willing to tolerate those climbing rates on a given service.
[“source=engadget”]
