Sling TV Blasts Disney For Overcharging For ESPN After Lawsuit Filing
By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Follow me on X.
Sling TV, which is being sued by Disney for including ESPN in the streamer’s new $4.99 ‘Day Pass’ plan, is now publicly accusing its legal opponent of overcharging for the sports channel.
In a press release today, Sling noted that the Day Pass allows viewers to watch a single day of its $45.99 a month Orange bundle for just $4.99; the Orange plan has roughly 30 channels including ESPN.
Disney has sued Sling for including ESPN in the short-term plan, saying it did not authorize it. The company is concerned that some viewers will opt to pay Sling $4.99 to watch a big game on ESPN rather than subscribe to ESPN’s new Unlimited app for $29.99.
Sling is now doubling down on its position, saying the $4.99 Day Pass will appeal to sports fans because ESPN is charging $29.99 a month for the new app.
“This is the deal ESPN and Disney don’t want you to know about,” Seth Van Sickel, senior vice president of product and operations for Sling TV, said in the release. “They’re charging $30 a month for games people used to get without paying more. Sling isn’t playing that game. We’re giving subscribers what they actually want: access to TV, for the entire day, five bucks and zero strings.”
Sling TV also includes ESPN and the entire Orange lineup in two other short-term plans: The Weekend package for 9.99 and The Week plan for $14.99.
“With no long-term contracts and lower costs, Sling puts control back in the hands of subscribers, signaling a shift toward competition that puts consumer value ahead of monopolistic control,” Sling says, in an obvious jab at Disney.
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Many deficiencies with sling, but I applaud them on this. They (the parent company I guess) are actually standing up for themselves and the consumers. espn (disney whoever) has been overcharging for many decades. Now they add in all kinds of more content many do not care about so they can continue to charge too much. I hope we can get these prices under control. Thank you sling for fighting.