Sling TV is hiking its prices in December

Key Takeaways

Sling TV is hiking prices by $5.99 for all three plans starting December 2024.
Sling says the price increase is due to rising costs from program providers and inflation.
Sling TV’s last price raise was in 2022 and still remains competitive against its main rival, YouTube TV.

Two words that are dreadful to hear together: price hike. Streaming services are notorious for hiking prices, whether it be Netflix, Disney+ or Max. Now, Sling TV is joining the mix.

Sling TV has announced it is increasing the price on all three of its plans by $5.99. The price changes will come into effect beginning on December 20 (via CNET).

Sling Orange, which is the cheapest plan, is going up from $40 to $45.99 per month. Sling Blue and Sling Orange+ will also see a $5.99 price increase, but the final price will vary depending on what part of the U.S. you are in due to ABC affiliate pricing. This is the first time Sling TV has raised prices since 2022.

Sling TV

Originals: No
Live TV: 500+ channels
Price: Starting at $40 per month (45.99 per month starting in December 2024)

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Why is Sling TV hiking its prices?

The streaming platform cites rising costs and inflation

Someone holding a remote with a TV in the background

Mohamed_hassan / Pixabay / Pocket-lint

Unfortunately, streaming services hiking prices isn’t a new thing, and more of them are sure to come in the future. Sling TV says its price hike is because of programming costs and inflation.

“The price we pay to provide you with the programming you enjoy continues to increase well above the pace of inflation. We actively fight every day on your behalf to keep costs as low as possible,” Sling said on its site. “However, due to these rising costs, the cost of Sling Orange, Sling Blue and Sling Orange + Blue will increase by $5.99 per month.”

So far in 2024, Sling has added over 50 channels to its paid service and over 150 channels to its Freestream service. This past summer, 4K streaming became available on Sling also.

Sling TV joins Max, Paramount+, Peacock, and Disney+ who all raised their prices this year. Netflix’s last price increase was in October 2023. Sling’s biggest competitor in TV streaming is YouTube TV, whose base plan is $72.99 a month. Sling’s various plans still fall below that, even with the $5.99 price increase. However, its channel offerings do differ.