The real reason why Sling TV is so bad

Sling TV may be one of the most affordable television streaming services on the market, but the platform disappoints when it comes to the streaming experience.

More and more users are deciding to cut the cord with their cable providers every day and they are moving over to television streaming services like Sling TV.

However, although Sling TV used to be an immensely popular low-cost live TV alternative, the platform’s lack of dependability has given it a horrible reputation.

The rise of cord cutting

Cutting the cord with traditional cable television providers may have started out as a way for tech-savvy users to save a few dollars on their monthly bills, but it has now become so much more.

A recent study conducted by the Leichtman Research Group, Inc. (LRG) found that the largest pay-TV providers in the United States (US) lost about 1.73 million subscribers in the second quarter of 2023 alone.

And with new services surfacing every day, and the increase in various Smart home-entertainment systems, it seems unlikely that this cord-cutting revolution will slow down soon.

The real reason why Sling TV is so bad

One of the biggest reasons (besides cost, of course) why people make the jump from traditional cable television to streaming is because of the added convenience and dependability that these services provide.

Put frankly, streaming services are supposed to allow you to watch what you want (within the scope of your chosen package), when and how you want to.

And this is exactly where most of the problems occur with the once top-of-the-game Sling TV.

Sling TV managed to carve a niche for itself as one of the most affordable streaming services available in the US, with packages starting from as low as $40 a month and a few premium add-on options, all of which include a strong focus on Live TV channels.

But unfortunately, Sling TV’s persisting technical struggles and quality issues have given the service a reputation for being particularly temperamental.

And even though there are a few die-hard Sling TV users out there who are willing to deal with the service’s continued buffering, jumping and choppy visuals, most longtime cord cutters have already started looking for an alternative way to fulfill their Live TV and Sports Channel needs.

The Sling TV buffering issue

Simply Googling: “Sling TV problem”, will conjure up countless results relating to the service’s technical issues, which causes streams to buffer, jump around, or even become so pixelated that the content becomes almost unwatchable.

And although there is always a question about whether internet providers may be to blame for this drop in quality, it is quite evident that the real problem lies with Sling TV’s disappointing frame-rate and low streaming quality (which typically remains around 720p).

Moreover, this does not even begin to cover the issues that some users have had while trying to stream on the Sling TV app on devices like Xbox consoles or mobile phones .

The Sling TV packages

Many television streaming services offer a variety of different packages to choose from. However, in Sling TV’s case, this has become a huge frustration for larger households.

Users, who only want to stick to the Sling TV Orange or Sling TV Blue packages are forced to choose between having access to channels like MotorTrend and ESPN (Orange) and channels like Bravo, Discovery Channel, FOX and NBC (Blue).

As a result, the reliance on add-on packages for a more well-rounded television experience ends up increasing Sling TV’s low starting price to a more market-related level, anyway.

Some alternatives for Sling TV

If you are one of the viewers that have grown tired of dealing with Sling TV’s technical issues, it may be worth your while to consider some of the other popular television streaming services on the market.

YouTube TV is perhaps one of the fastest-growing television streaming services on the market and is also the closest replacement for Sling TV.

YouTube TV is slightly more expensive than Sling TV and the service’s packages range between $34.99 monthly (for the Spanish plan) and $72.99 monthly (for the full plan) and up to $217.98 per month if you include a Frontier internet bundle.

But the full plan includes access to over 100 Live TV channels, which includes ESPN, ESPN 2, NFL Network, ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and many, many more, which are all available to stream in 1080p HD.

Some of the other television streaming options include: