Sling TV now sells six plans, not two. Orange ($45.99 a month) is the ESPN and Disney plan. Blue (from $45.99) is the news and entertainment plan with local FOX and NBC in select markets. Below them sit four cheaper tiers starting at $19.99. Sling carries no CBS anywhere.
Most channel lists for Sling still describe a two-plan service. That stopped being true when Sling added its cheaper Essentials and Select tiers, and the difference matters if you are trying to spend less than $30 a month.
Everything below was checked against Sling’s own pages on 18 July 2026, including the local-market lists, which Sling publishes in its help centre rather than on its marketing pages.
Every Sling TV Plan and What It Costs
Sling splits into two families. Orange and Blue are the full plans people usually mean by Sling TV. Essentials and Select are the stripped-down tiers Sling added to compete at the bottom of the market, and they carry roughly 10 channels each rather than 30 to 50.
| Plan | Monthly | 3-month prepay | Streams | Channels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sling Essentials | $19.99 | $54.99 | 1 | 10+ |
| Sling Select | from $19.99 | from $49.99 | 3 | 10+ |
| Sling Essentials & Select | from $34.99 | from $94.99 | 4 | 15+ |
| Sling Orange | $45.99 | $114.99 | 1 | 30+ |
| Sling Blue | from $45.99 | from $114.99 | 3 | 40+ |
| Sling Orange & Blue | from $60.99 | from $159.99 | up to 4 | 50+ |
The prepay column is the part most comparisons skip. Paying three months up front on Sling Select works out cheaper per month than the monthly rate, and on Orange it costs slightly less than three monthly payments. If you already know you are staying for a season, prepay is the cheaper door.
Two things are not included by default on any plan. Cloud DVR is capped at 50 hours unless you add the Unlimited DVR option for $5 a month. Themed add-on packs run $6 a month each, except Sports Extra, which is $11 a month on a single plan or $15 on Orange & Blue.
Local Channels: The Exact Markets Sling Covers
This is where Sling is most often described wrongly. Sling does carry local broadcast channels, but only FOX and NBC, only in named markets, and only on Blue or Orange & Blue. In Sling’s own words, live local programming from FOX and NBC is available for customers located in select cities when subscribed to Sling Blue or Sling Orange plus Sling Blue.
Local channels are never included with Sling Orange, whichever market you live in.
Sling FOX markets (18)
| Market | Station |
|---|---|
| New York | WNYW |
| Los Angeles | KTTV |
| Chicago | WFLD |
| Philadelphia | WTXF |
| Dallas / Fort Worth | KDFW |
| Washington DC | WTTG |
| Houston | KRIV |
| Atlanta | WAGA |
| Phoenix | KSAZ |
| San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose | KTVU |
| Detroit | WJBK |
| Seattle | KCPQ |
| Minneapolis / St. Paul | KMSP |
| Tampa / St. Petersburg | WTVT |
| Orlando / Daytona / Melbourne | WOFL |
| Milwaukee | WITI |
| Austin | KTBC |
| Gainesville | WOGX |
Sling NBC markets (11)
| Market | Station |
|---|---|
| New York | WNBC |
| Los Angeles | KNBC |
| Chicago | WMAQ |
| Philadelphia | WCAU |
| Dallas / Fort Worth | KXAS |
| Washington DC | WRC |
| Boston | WBTS |
| San Francisco / Oakland / San Jose | KNTV |
| Miami / Fort Lauderdale | WTVJ |
| Hartford / New Haven | WVIT |
| San Diego | KNSD |
Six markets get both: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas and Washington DC. Everywhere else you get one network or neither. Sling also prices Blue higher in markets that include locals, so the figure you see at checkout can sit above the $45.99 base. Sling does not publish a single national price table for this, so check your own postcode with the channel finder on the Sling TV site before you judge the cost.
ABC is the messy case. Sling announced a small number of ABC markets back in 2023 and has never published a current market table, and ABC does not appear on its live local-channels page at all. Treat ABC as unlikely unless the channel finder says otherwise for your postcode.
Orange or Blue, and the Channels That Decide It
The two plans cost the same and share a large core, so the decision comes down to about twenty channels and the stream count.
Only on Orange: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN4K, Disney Channel and Freeform. If you want ESPN on Sling, Orange is the only route, and you are limited to one stream at a time.
Only on Blue: FOX News, MS NOW (formerly MSNBC), USA, Bravo, FX, SYFY, NFL Network, FS1, E!, National Geographic, TLC, Discovery Channel, truTV, Cartoon Network with Adult Swim, and HLN. Blue also carries the local FOX and NBC stations listed above and allows three streams.
On both: CNN, TNT, TBS, HGTV, Food Network, History, AMC, Comedy Central, A&E, BET, Lifetime, BBC America, Investigation Discovery, Nick Jr. and Travel Channel. The shared core is why one plan covers more ground on Sling than the equivalent entry tier elsewhere, and it is why TNT and TBS are available on either plan. If news is the reason you are subscribing, our MS NOW live stream and CNN live stream pages cover the free routes to those two channels.
Orange & Blue combines the lineups for a starting price of $60.99 and allows up to four streams, though only one of the Orange-exclusive channels can play at any moment, plus three others.
What Sling Does Not Carry
CBS is not on Sling in any market, on any plan. There is no CBS market table because there are no CBS markets. If CBS matters to you, Sling cannot be your only service.
That gap is smaller than it sounds, because the networks Sling misses are the ones an antenna picks up free. A one-off aerial covers CBS, ABC, NBC and FOX over the air in most populated areas, which pairs neatly with Sling’s strength in cable channels. Our guide to watching live TV without cable sets out how to combine the two.
The Cheaper Ways In
Sling does not offer a free trial. It has not for some time, and any page telling you otherwise is out of date. What it offers instead are three lower-commitment routes.
- Sling Freestream is genuinely free with no account and no card. It is a separate ad-supported service with its own channel set rather than a sample of Orange or Blue.
- The 1 Day Pass costs $4.99 and gives a day of Sling Orange. This is the closest thing to a trial, and it is the cheapest way to watch a single ESPN fixture.
- Prepay for three months if you are staying. Sling Select prepay works out below the monthly rate.
For a full current lineup by plan, Sling maintains its own channel guide, which is the only list that updates the moment carriage changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What channels are on Sling TV?
Both Sling Orange and Sling Blue carry a shared core including CNN, TNT, TBS, HGTV, Food Network, History, AMC, Comedy Central, A&E, BET, Lifetime, BBC America and Travel Channel. Orange adds ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel and Freeform. Blue adds FOX News, MS NOW, USA, Bravo, FX, SYFY, NFL Network, FS1, National Geographic, TLC, Discovery, truTV and Cartoon Network, plus local FOX and NBC in select markets.
Does Sling TV have local channels?
Yes, but only FOX and NBC, only in named markets, and only on Sling Blue or Sling Orange & Blue. Sling carries FOX in 18 markets and NBC in 11. Local channels are never included with Sling Orange, and Sling does not carry CBS anywhere.
Which markets have local channels on Sling?
FOX is available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington DC, Houston, Atlanta, Phoenix, San Francisco, Detroit, Seattle, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Tampa, Orlando, Milwaukee, Austin and Gainesville. NBC is available in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas/Fort Worth, Washington DC, Boston, San Francisco, Miami, Hartford/New Haven and San Diego.
How much is Sling TV in 2026?
Sling Orange is $45.99 a month and Sling Blue starts at $45.99. Orange & Blue starts at $60.99. The cheaper tiers are Sling Essentials at $19.99, Sling Select from $19.99, and Essentials & Select from $34.99. Plans that include local channels cost more than the base price, so check your postcode.
What is the difference between Sling Orange and Sling Blue?
Orange is the sports and family plan: ESPN, ESPN2 and the Disney channels, one stream, no local channels. Blue is the news and entertainment plan: FOX News, MS NOW, USA, FX, NFL Network and local FOX and NBC where available, with three streams. They cost the same and share a large core of channels.
Does Sling TV have ESPN and ESPN2?
Yes, on Sling Orange only. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN4K are Orange exclusives, so Sling Blue subscribers do not get them. The Orange & Blue bundle includes them, but only one Orange-exclusive channel can stream at a time.
Does Sling TV have a free trial?
No. Sling does not offer a free trial. The nearest options are the $4.99 1 Day Pass, which gives 24 hours of Sling Orange, and Sling Freestream, a separate free ad-supported service that needs no account or card.
How do I check whether a specific channel is on Sling?
Use the channel finder on Sling’s own site and enter your postcode. Lineups vary by market and change when carriage deals are renewed, so a postcode-resolved check is the only reliable answer for any individual channel.
Does Sling TV include DVR?
Every plan includes 50 hours of cloud DVR at no extra cost. Unlimited DVR is a $5 a month add-on.
Last updated 18 July 2026. Plans, prices and local-market lists verified against Sling’s own site and help centre on that date. Sling changes lineups and pricing several times a year, so check your postcode before subscribing.