Sling TV announced today that it is raising the monthly subscription fees for various offerings including its base services as well as the combined Sling Blue and Sling Orange. The company"s president, Warren Schlichting, wrote in a blog post that the price hike is due to the increase in programming prices.
The changes mean that both Orange and Blue will cost $45 and the base services will be priced at $30. The new prices will take effect starting today for new subscribers and after the January 22 billing cycle for existing customers.
Regarding the price increases, Schlichting said:
"Sling doesn’t own the networks you watch—we have to pay programmers for their channels so that we can provide them to you, and the price of programming has been going up. Unfortunately, we have to share those rising prices with you, so we can continue to provide you with the same great experience you’ve come to expect from Sling."
The Sling TV President also noted that the service has never raised the price for Blue since its launch in early 2015 despite the addition of 17 new channels so far. In addition, the Orange package never got a price hike since June of last year even though Sling TV has since introduced four networks to it including Investigation Discovery, Comet, MotorTrend, and Stadium.
In terms of features, the over-the-top internet TV launched a number of enhancements including player controls across recordable channels, new ribbons to discover content, an improved search, and a binge-watching feature. In the future, Sling TV plans to add more features and channels to the service, Schlichting said.