Sling Freestream Is the Latest FAST Service on the Market

Dish rolled out its own FAST (free advertising-supported streaming television) channel today dubbed Sling Freestream. An offshoot of the company’s existing Sling TV, this new service can be downloaded as an app on Roku and will soon be available on all of the other devices that already house Sling TV. Sling Freestream includes more than 210 channels and 41,000 on-demand titles for free, plus the capability to subscribe to any other streaming service.

"We know some people want free content, some may want a year-round paid subscription, while others may want to subscribe for certain events or shows,” Sling TV group president Gary Schanman said in a statement. “We have coupled world-class content with the option to easily flex in and out of premium pay TV, creating a one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.”

Sling Freestream will also include its own paid subscription models that each add more premium channels to the live TV option. Sling Orange and Sling Blue each cost $40 per month to add channels like HGTV, FX, and TBS to the live channel lineup, replicating the model of its parent company, Dish.

This is the latest addition to a growing field of FAST services, with streaming platforms reverting back to the basic cable TV model. This category encompasses services like Pluto TV, Tubi, Roku, and Freevee, and recently Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it’s also joining the space with a channel that will feature a combination of content from the Warner Bros. studio, HBO, and Discovery. Many newer smart TVs are also including their own FAST service, like Samsung which defaults to its Samsung TV Plus channel when other apps are not selected.

All these platforms are aiming to combine the success of streaming with the reversion back to live TV. Nearly all have a paid option that allows you to not only watch shows live, but record your favorites and access ad-free versions of those shows. 

Brianna Wellen is a TV Reporter at Primetimer who became obsessed with television when her parents let her stay up late to watch E.R.