By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – @tvanswerman
How much does it cost to subscribe to Sling TV? The answer might depend on what day it is, or perhaps even what hour.
For several months, the Dish-owned live streaming service had offered the first month of service for just $20 a month, a $20 discount from the regular $40 a month base price for either its Orange or Blue plans.
But on Monday, Sling reduced the first month discount by $10, bringing the promo price to $30. But today, Sling has changed it again. Now there is no first month discount. The base price is $40 a month for all months.
Well, as of when we write this. It would not surprise us if Sling changes it again. And perhaps again.
Sling TV lost 234,000 customers in the first quarter, bringing its total to 2.1 million, the lowest point in five years. Dish may be testing whether the different promotional prices, or lack there of, will generate more revenue. (The company has not provided an official statement on the new pricing although we have asked for a comment.)
Dish’s streaming unit is not the only one that could be looking to generate more revenue from promotional plans. YouTube TV, the live streaming service owned by Google, earlier this month quietly reduced its promotional discount for each of the first three months of service from $10 a month to $8 a month. The monthly promo price for the first three months is now $64.99 instead of $62.99 which it had been since March when YouTube TV raised its non-promotional monthly price from $64.99 to $72.99.
But if you want Sling, it will now cost you a bit more. Maybe.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
