Sling TV is doing something pretty revolutionary in the streaming space, and I hope more streaming companies follow suit now that a major one has broken the seal. Instead of signing up for a month for a cable TV replacement, you can join Sling TV with a day pass, a weekend pass or a full-week pass.
If there's only one thing you want to watch and you don't have access to it through other means, you can simply purchase a day pass and watch it, then move on with your life. It's so simple, it boggles my mind that more streamers aren't doing it.
There are so many ways this could be useful with a live TV streaming service like Sling TV. Let's say you want to watch your favorite football team play on Sunday, but you only need to see one particular games for now — just grab a day pass.
"This launch is about putting control back in the hands of the fans, whether it's tuning in for college football, professional sports, award shows, or a spontaneous movie night, all without having to sign a long-term, binding contract," said Seth Van Sickel, senior vice president, product and operations, Sling TV.
Sling TV pass prices
The prices seem reasonable for a full day of streaming live TV with Sling's Orange plan. Here's how much Sling is looking to get for each of its new pass offerings:
- Day Pass: $4.99 - grants 24 hours of access
- Weekend Pass: $9.99 - access from Friday through Sunday
- Week Pass: $14.99 - 7-day access
- Sling Extras, including Sports Extra, News Extra, Entertainment Extra, Hollywood Extra, Lifestyle Extra, Heartland Extra and Kids Extra: $1 for a day pass, $2 for a weekend pass, $3 for a week pass (each)
To put the prices in perspective, here's how much Sling TV charges for its Orange streaming package monthly:
- $45.99 per month
- $199 for 5 months of prepaid service
Again, it's important to note that these passes are only offered with Sling's Orange plan, which primarily focuses on sports and family content. For now, there's no option to sign up for a Sling Blue or Sling Orange & Blue plan with passes (that's where the Extras come in, if you want to watch a specific channel).
This needs to be the norm
Just imagine how awesome it would be if Netflix, Prime Video and other services offered something similar. When a bingeable show like Wednesday season 2 drops on Netflix, you can pay for a day, weekend or week and blast through the show.
I don't watch a lot of TV or movies outside of golf, but I do like Wednesday and Cobra Kai. Does it really make sense for me to pay for Netflix monthly when I only want to binge those few shows when they drop (and watch Happy Gilmore 2)?
Not at all, so I end up signing up for a month and then canceling when I watch the shows. It's a pain, and I'd much rather pay a couple of dollars extra in the short term if it prevents me from forgetting to cancel and paying more in the long run.
We'll see if other streaming services start offering something like this (imagine the new WWE deal on ESPN, where you can get a day pass to watch the premium live event without being locked in).
Obviously, streaming services want you to forget to cancel so they can continue to receive your money for the long haul, but it's not in the best interest of consumers. So will more start offering short passes? Only time will tell, but I'm hopeful.
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