Sling TV brings FOX, ESPN, beIN SPORTS and Univision

In a major development for streaming, Sling TV is now offering customers the opportunity to bundle FOX and ESPN channels together in addition to a long list of sports, news and entertainment channels.

For soccer fans specifically, it’s now possible for the first time ever to subscribe to ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, FS1, FS2, beIN SPORTS, Univision Deportes, UniMas and other networks without the need to have a cable or satellite TV subscription.

With those soccer-related channels available, soccer fans in the United States can watch Copa America, Euro 2016, MLS, Liga MX, La Liga, Champions League, Europa League, Serie A, Ligue Un, Bundesliga, World Cup qualifiers, World Cup 2018/2022/2026 and many other leagues and tournaments. Plus, Sling TV customers can access WatchESPN for any content that isn’t already available via ESPN or ESPN2 (such as tactical cams or games only available via ESPN3, etc).

Sling TV featuring FOX and ESPN channels is available as a free 7-day trial.

In the search for a holy grail of soccer streaming options, the only major leagues or tournaments that Sling TV doesn’t cover are the Premier League (via NBC Sports) and the programming available via FOX Soccer Plus (which includes some of the FA Cup games from the earlier rounds that don’t fit on FS1 or FS2 as well as Scottish league games).

So, what happened to make Sling TV change to make programming from FOX and ESPN available together? When Sling TV launched Sling MultiStream in April 2016, the beta version featured FOX and many other networks except that it didn’t include ESPN. Sling TV’s other package at the time had ESPN but the streaming provider wouldn’t allow you to co-mingle and have both ESPN and FOX under one subscription. Until now.

SEE MORE: Sign up for a free 7-day trial of Sling TV

We haven’t been able to find out why Sling TV made the decision to combine the two different packages, but we’ve confirmed that the capability to do so is now available (we’ve included step-by-step instructions below).

Pricing for the Sling TV package with FOX programming is $20/month, while pricing for the ESPN programming is also $20/month. Additional packages can be added from $5/month, which include beIN SPORTS, Univision Deportes and more. So, for the combo FOX/ESPN programming and beIN SPORTS plus Univision Deportes and other channels, it’s $45/month. And beyond that, there are tons of other options including adding HBO, more international channels, etc.

With the FOX/ESPN combined packages and Sports Extra add-on, the complete list of channels you’ll get as of press time includes:

ESPN, ESPN2, FOX, FOX Sports 1, FOX Sports 2, FOX Sports Net (regional channels), Univision, Univision Deportes, UniMas, Univision, beIN SPORTS, ESPNEWS, ESPN U, SEC Network, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Buzzer Beater, Outside Television, Galavision, Disney Channel, Nick Jr., AMC, CNN, HGTV, FX, Comedy Central, Cartoon Network, History, TNT, Food Network, TBS, Adult Swim, IFC, FXX, A&E, El Rey, Viceland, Lifetime, Travel Channel, Newsy, Bloomberg, TruTV, LocalNow, Polaris, Maker, BET, Flama, Free Form and National Geographic.

Note that ESPN and ESPN2 only feature live functionality, so there’s no opportunity to pause/rewind the programming. Nor is there an option to go back and watch older programming from the previous 3 days. Also, live and on-demand local FOX broadcast content is available in the following markets: Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte N.C., Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Gainesville, Fla., Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pa., Phoenix, San Francisco, Tampa, Fla. and Washington D.C. If your city isn’t listed, you’ll be able to watch FOX programming on-demand, but not live.

Still, for many soccer fans, the new offering from Sling TV could be an ideal alternative to paying $150 or more per month for cable/satellite subscriptions. Plus with Sling TV, the programming is available via computers, smart phones, tablets, smart TVs, Roku, Apple TV, video consoles, etc, so you can watch the content on the go or hook it up to your television to watch it there.

If you’re not familiar with Sling TV, it’s a legal streaming service that doesn’t require a cable or satellite TV subscription. All that subscribers need is an Internet or cellular connection as well as the app downloaded to the smartphone, computer, video game console, tablet, Roku or smart TV, and they can start streaming content within minutes.

Instructions

Here are the step-by-step instructions of how to get ESPN, beIN SPORTS, FOX, Univision Deportes and more with your free Sling TV trial:

1. Visit this webpage to get the free 7-day Sling TV offer.

2. Enter the e-mail address and password you want to use.

3. Click the two buttons to get both the ESPN and FOX packages (see screenshot below)

4. If you want to get beIN SPORTS and Univision Deportes, select the ‘Sports Extra’ add-on package.

Note that there are literally tens of options you can consider, so feel free to add the ones you’re most interested in. As part of the free trial, there’s no limit to the add-on packages you can select.

5. Enter your details on the billing page.

You won’t get charged during your free trial. If you want to cancel your 7-day free trial, you can do it online with ease.

6. On the billing page, don’t forget to check the black box next to the blue arrow (age verification).

7. You can now download any of the Sling TV apps so you can watch the content for free.

The Sling TV devices page is at sling.com/devices There are too many devices to list here that are available.

8. Once you download your app, launch it and enter your username and password, and then you’re in!

As you can see from the screengrabs below, the TV guide functionality is pretty intuitive. It’ll take a minute or two to get used to the controls, but you’ll be up and running within minutes and watching the Beautiful Game on FOX, ESPN, beIN SPORTS, Univision Deportes and more.