On National Cut the Cord Day, Sling offers a “Fling”

https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?id=tag%3Areuters.com%2C2015%3Anewsml_GM1EB160CSY01&share=true

On National Cut the Cord Day, Sling offers a “Fling”

Will the promotional offer bring in more customers?

Last February, Sling TV proclaimed the first-ever National Cut the Cord Day on February 9, in order to encourage Internet users to give up cable. Sling could not have possibly known that the shutdowns that followed a few weeks later would bring the cord-cutting trend to new heights.

Now, a year later, Sling TV is celebrating the “holiday” for the second time, with a special offer it’s calling Sling Fling. The company describes it as “a daily, no credit card required, six-night primetime TV event,” in which over 100 live channels from the Sling Orange, Sling Blue and 4 Extras packages are available, in addition to Showtime.

The offer runs through February 14. Sling TV is also offering new customers a month of Sling Orange or Sling Blue for $10. In another offer, new customers are offered a free AirTV Mini streaming device when they prepay for their first month.

“Sling Fling will give cable customers an opportunity to experience SLING TV’s extensive line-up of live and on-demand content, so they can happily leave cable behind with confidence,” Michael Schwimmer, group president, SLING TV, said as part of the announcement.

“Cable customers have suffered for too many years and they just want a better option—the channels they love at a much lower price. Our goal is to give everyone the chance to explore the benefits of live streaming with SLING TV, and join the millions of SLING TV subscribers who save money and enjoy their favorite sports, news and entertainment.”

Last month, Sling TV, which is owned by Dish Network, announced that it was raising the prices of its base services, Sling Blue and Sling Orange, by $5 a month for new customers, to $35, while offering the package of both for $50 a month, also a $5 per month increase.

The company had pledged in the summer of 2020 to not raise prices on current customers for a year, but the new pricing only applies to new customers. That pledge came in reaction to some of Sling TV’s vMVPD rivals, including YouTube TV and Fubo TV, announcing price hikes around the same time.

“Unfortunately, we are forced to raise prices because the television networks keep charging us more, but we fight hard to get the best deal for our customers,” Schwimmer had said in the announcement of the increase. “The proof of our commitment is apparent, as SLING TV is still the best deal in the market, keeping our prices much lower than cable and other live streaming services. SLING TV customers can rest assured that we’ll continue to offer the best combination of live news, sports and entertainment cable channels at the best value.”

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.

Image: Reuters.