Q. I have Sling TV and I’m very excited about watching the Oscars tonight. But does Sling have ABC, the channel that will air the Oscars? I can’t find it in my guide. — Donna, Dover, Delaware.
Donna, you are right. ABC tonight at 8 p.m. ET will air the 91st Academy Awards from the fabulous Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California. The event, which will reveal the winners of 2018’s best movies and performances, is expected to draw as many as 30 million viewers.
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However, the subscribers to Sling TV, the live streaming service owned by Dish, will not be among that audience, at least not while using their Sling TV subscriptions.
Why?
Sling TV does not carry ABC.
That’s right. No ABC.
You might recall that Sling TV once carried ABC in its Broadcast Extra add-on package, which costs $5 a month in addition to the $25-a-month base Blue or Orange plan. However, Sling eliminated Broadcast Extra last July when it lost Univision and UniMas in a programming dispute. (Univision and UniMas are still unavailable on Sling.)
What does Univision and UniMas have to do with ABC, you ask? Nothing. But Univision, UniMas and ABC were the only channels in Broadcast Extra so Sling decided to scrap the entire package instead of just offering ABC as a separate channel.
Sling is aware that not having ABC could ruffle a few feathers tonight. The live streamer is urging subscribers to use off-air antennas to watch ABC for free.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
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I hope stirr add new channels like bet hip hop and aspire network and more……this tv….and bounce tv….
….But when you have zero reception with an antenna, you’re SOL. And if Locast isn’t available in your market (now they force you to pay $5 a month, no longer a voluntary donation, btw) you’re SOL. Sling is becoming less and less attractive.