FierceCable is reporting that Sling TV has quietly added ABC to its channel lineup in a number of major markets, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. To get ABC, subscribers must add the $5/month "Broadcast Extra" package on top of the basic package. Sling TV has included several ESPN channels (another Disney-owned property) since its launch, but ABC is the first of the four broadcast networks to be added to the streaming service, which (also according to FierceCable) may have as many as 600,000 subscribers at this point.
From FierceCable
Sling TV has quietly added the ABC Television Network to its service in select markets, operator Dish Network confirms.
According to a Dish rep, ABC is available in the $5-a-month "Broadcast Extra" add-on package, which also includes Univision and UniMas channels. It is only available to Sling users in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Houston, Raleigh-Durham and Fresno-Visalia. Sling customers need to call the company in order to get access to ABC.
As Dish notes, these markets represent more than half of the top 10 designated market areas (DMAs) and serve nearly 25 percent of the U.S. population.
The addition of a major broadcast network would mark a major product evolution for Sling TV, which has steadily built its programming bundle since launching a year ago.
Executives for ABC parent Disney recently talked up the service in their fourth-quarter earnings report. And John Skipper, president of ABC sibling network ESPN, said earlier this week that his channel is in talks with Dish about expanding its availability through streaming bundles.
To read the full FierceCable story, click here.
Additional Resources
• CBS's Live Stream of the Super Bowl Breaks Record at HomeTheaterReview.com.
• Five Questions to Consider Before Cutting the Cord at HomeTheaterReview.com.