Once the undisputed king of live TV streaming, Sling TV is bleeding subscribers to rivals offering better features.
Sling has long been a favorite choice among streamers looking for a good price and à la carte options. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Sling is its lack of local channels, something that helps keep its prices low. Unfortunately for the company, that hasn’t helped it keep customers.
According to TechCrunch, the company lost some 77,000 subscribers in Q4 2022 alone, bringing its total subscriber base to 2.33 million subscribers.
The company recently raised prices, and temporarily lost access to Disney-owned channels over a carriage dispute. The two factors may well have played a role in the company’s subscriber drop.
In an interview with TechCrunch, however, Sling President Gary Schanman hinted the company may introduce a free tier.
“Free is part of our thoughts about how we think about that engagement with the customer. We want a lifelong relationship with the subscriber where they see value in what we provide — and [free content is] a piece of that,” Schanman said.
If the company does deliver on Schanman’s musings, it could go a long way toward helping Sling regain its crown.