DISH Network released their 2nd Quarter 2018 Earnings. For the 2nd Quarter 2018, Sling TV subscriber growth slows but Sling TV still has the most Live TV Internet streaming service subscriptions.

Sling TV

Sling TV (Television) is an internet Live TV subscription service owned by DISH Network. Sling TV was founded on January 5th, 2015 and officially launched on February 9, 2015.

Sling TV is one of the top Live TV streaming services. With Sling TV, subscribers can choose and pay for only the channel packages they want. There are no contracts and cancellation is simple.

What is Sling TV?

Sling TV Subscriber Growth Slows

During 2015 & 2016, Sling TV quickly grew to 1.3 Million subscribers. And then Sling TV added another 1 Million subscribers in 2017 for a subscriber total of 2.3 Million.

But for the 2nd Quarter of 2018, Sling TV only added 44,000 subscribers.

I don’t think this slow growth reflects poorly on Sling TV. Sling TV has a great Live TV streaming service with an intuitive interface and advanced features like a Cloud DVR.

I think the slow Sling TV subscriber growth can be attributed to growing competition and choices. Over the last year, Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV have aggressively marketed quality Live TV Internet streaming services. And DIRECTV NOW aggressively priced their Live TV streaming services to be competitive. Other Internet streaming services like Playstation Vue and fuboTV continue to improve their infrastructure and expand their channel offerings.

The landscape for Live TV streaming services is seeing more competition. And that is great for Cord Cutters.

Sling TV still has the most Live TV Internet streaming service subscribers. Can they stay on top?

Live TV Streaming Subscriber Numbers

Here are estimates of subscriber numbers from Live TV streaming subscription services:

1. Sling TV – 2.344 Million subscribers
2. DIRECTV NOW – 1.81 Million subscribers
3. Hulu Live TV – 800,000 subscribers
4. Playstation Vue (PS Vue) – 450,000 to 670,000 subscribers
5. YouTube TV – 300,000 subscribers
6. fuboTV – 100,000 subscribers
7. Philo – 50,000 subscribers

Note: All subscription numbers are either unofficial or estimated. Hulu Live TV and YouTube TV estimates are courtesy of CNBC. Playstation Vue estimate of 670,000 subscribers courtesy of Ben Bajarin. Philo subscriber estimate from Wikipedia. DIRECTV NOW, fuboTV, Hulu, and Sling TV self-disclosed their subscriber estimates.

Read more… Hulu Has Lost $1.887 Billion While Subscriber Numbers Climb

DISH Network vs Sling TV Subscribers

There is a trend emerging from companies that offer both traditional cable/satellite TV and Live TV Internet streaming services. The number of cable and satellite TV subscribers are declining while their Live TV Internet streaming service grows.

The shift is obvious with DISH Network and Sling TV. DISH Network is the traditional cable/satellite TV service that is losing subscribers. And Sling TV is the Live TV Internet streaming service that is adding subscribers.

The future of Live TV is with Internet streaming services like Sling TV. Traditional cable and satellite providers must transition to Live TV Internet streaming services if they want to compete.

In the chart below you can see how DISH Network subscribers have dropped from 12.23 Million to 10.85 Million in just one year. And in that same year, Sling TV subscribers have grown from 1.3 Million to 2.3 Million subscribers.

 

DIRECTV is experiencing the same shift from satellite TV subscribers to Internet (OTT) services like DIRECTV NOW. Read more… DIRECTV NOW Has 1.46 Million Subscribers

 

Sling TV New Subscriber Offers

Sling TV has several offers meant to drive subscriber growth. Let’s take a quick look at what offers new subscribers can get.

7-Day FREE TRIAL – Available to new customers upon account activation.

FREE Roku Express when you subscribe and prepay for 2 months of Sling TV.

SAVE $50 on a Roku Ultra – Just $49.99 when you subscribe and prepay three months of Sling TV.

SAVE $80 on AirTV + Adapter Bundle – Just $50 when you subscribe and prepay three months of Sling TV.

RELATED: What is the AirTV Player + Adapter?

SAVE $105 – Ultimate Cord Cutter Offer: RCA HDTV Indoor Antenna and AirTV Bundle – Just $70 when you subscribe and prepay three months of Sling TV

FREE Antenna Offer – Get free local channels with a RCA Indoor Antenna when you subscribe and prepay two months of Sling TV