Seems as if Sling TV is trying very hard to keep up with the times as they have announced that joined with HBO, the Sling TV would be the first live Internet TV Service to offer both linear and Video-On-Demand content from HBO.
This is interesting news because we all know that April starts off with a bang courtesy of shows like Game Of Thrones, which the Sling TV will have HBO ready for prior to the shows premiere on April 12th. On top of that, Sling TV (with HBO) will be available on all devices that support it including Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, current Roku players and Roku TV’s, also in the fold: Xbox One, Android & iOS devices, and Macs and PCs.
The service will only set you back about $15 when you sign up for the “Best of Live TV” core package. Sling TV’s “Best of Live TV” $20 core package delivers ESPN, ESPN2, AMC, A&E, TNT, History Channel, H2, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, IFC, El Rey, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, ABC Family, Disney Channel, CNN, Lifetime and Galavision. This package additionally features access to WatchESPN, including ESPN3 and a few other channels as well via added prices and optional packages.
“Sling TV is bringing HBO to our customers on all of our supported devices in time for one of the most important TV moments of the year,” said Roger Lynch, CEO of Sling TV. “HBO delivers hit shows and movies that TV viewers crave, and with this addition we’re adding another heavy hitter to a lineup that includes ESPN, AMC, TNT and more.”
“It is has always been our desire to make the HBO subscription widely accessible,” said Tom Woodbury, President of Global Distribution, HBO. “Sling TV is a part of that ongoing evolution and we believe HBO is a great addition to the platform.”
Prior to this news, Dish’s Sling TV service only offered Epix so this merger with HBO is a GREAT move for the streaming service. The only details that have yet to be revealed is if the deal included live access to HBO, and if it not only includes HBO, but all of their affiliate channels. There’s no actual launch date for the HBO feature for Sling TV, but we do know it will arrive in time to see our favorite characters of Game of Thrones start off Season 5. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal is just one slice of a big pact that Time Warner Inc. and Dish Network have.
Seems like 2015 is the year of the Cord-Cutters, eh?