Sling TV is raising its prices again.
The popular YouTube alternative is increasing its subscription price yet again for the fourth time in the past five years to offset the growing cost of programming, per Engadget.
Sling TV previously raised its prices in January and August 2021 because television networks had increased their charges to the company, per Fierce Video and Digital Trends.
Sling TV Price Increase Details
Sling TV announced through a blog post that it is further increasing its already raised prices by an additional $5 by December 3, per The Verge. As a result of this price increase, Sling Orange and Sling Blue's prices will soon be $40, while the all-inclusive package with both Orange and Blue will soon cost $55.
According to Sling TV, the increase is meant to offset the rising programming price television networks are charging. However, it is more likely that a new deal between the company and Disney is the reason behind the $5 increase.
You may remember that Sling TV lost all of Disney's 17 channels from its platform sometime in late September due to a carriage disagreement. These include ESPN, FX, the Disney Channel, Free Form, National Geographic, Baby TV, and ABC local stations in eight markets.
The carriage disagreement was caused by Dish's refusal to reach "a fair, market-based agreement" with Disney for continued distribution of the company's networks two days after the Game Show Network was restored on Dish and Sling TV following a similar dispute.
Meanwhile, Dish accused Disney of "walking away from the negotiating table" after allegedly being denied the $1 billion additional fee it asked to extend its previous deal with Dish.
However, a "tentative" deal brought Disney's channels back to Sling TV while a new (and hopefully) final agreement is being negotiated. At the time, it was speculated that the deal would result in a price increase, though how much was uncertain.
Sling TV group president Gary Schanman mentioned in the blog post that raising prices was not something the company takes lightly due to the impact of the current inflation.
"Our goal is not to be another burden to your wallet," Schanman added.
Whether it is due to its alleged new deal with Disney or rising programming prices, Sling TV is not the only platform raising its prices.
YouTube TV's prices went up by $30 after its 2020 price increase, charging subscribers $65 per month since then. Meanwhile, Hulu with Live TV also had a $5 price hike in Nov. 2021, with the service costing subscribers $70 per month.
Sling TV's Plans For The Future
Sling TV revealed in its blog post that it has plans to add more than 150 new channels through 2023, new User Profiles, and auto Binge Watching capabilities, per 9to5Google.
It is unclear if SlingTV's plan for the future contributed to the $5 price hike or if it was the cause in the first place. However, the addition of more than 150 new channels in 2023 alone could mean another price hike is coming soon.
