While CES is just getting underway, there’s already big news for cord cutters. Dish announced SlingTV this morning, a streaming service available for $20 a month. Here’s the rub: it’s only twelve channels and doesn’t include any broadcast networks or, hilariously, Fox News. Viewers will be able to pause, rewind, and DVR programs within three days of airing, though.
So it’s not perfect. But ESPN, TBS, Cartoon Network, and CNN are some of the networks lined up for the service, according to AdAge. It’s also only allowing subscribers to watch on one device at a time, and certain ones at that:
the service will work best on Amazon Fire TV, Google Nexus Player, Roku, Xbox One, Macs and PCs. Dish also says some mobile devices running on supported versions of Apple iOS and Google Android will work with the service.
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DirectTV launched Yaveo last month for $7.99 and English speakers can already get a lot of the promised Sling TV content on Hulu. ESPN is an interesting addition for sports fans looking to cut the cord, although it’s probably cheaper and more efficient to just subscribe to the NFL Network or MLB.com for the seasons. In any case, it’s a bold move for the satellite provider. An OTT reality that consumers (and anxious streamers like me) might have to accept is that we won’t ever have one, good solution. It will always be a mix of a few services, like Sling TV, with Amazon Prime, HBOGo and Showtime thrown in for fun. Otherwise, how will we ever watch it all?