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Sling TV Will be Free For Two Weeks to Help You Stay Informed on Coronavirus

You can now get free access to the Sling Blue package, which normally costs $30 a month. It'll let you stream more than 45 live TV channels, including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and Bloomberg TV.

Michael Kan
 & Michael Kan Principal Reporter

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You can now enjoy Sling TV for free for the next two weeks. On Thursday, the streaming service launched the special promotion to encourage users to stay at home amid the coronavirus pandemic. 

"With more states and municipalities issuing shelter-in-place orders, everyone needs the latest information to do their part," Sling TV president Warren Schlichting said in the announcement. "We're hoping to motivate Americans to stay home, and stay informed during this critical time."

The 14-day offer starts today and ends on April 5. During the period, you can get access to the Sling Blue package, which offers you more than 45 live TV channels. They include news networks such as CNN, Fox News, Bloomberg TV, and MSNBC, in addition to entertainment channels from AMC, TNT, USA and the Cartoon Network (No ESPN though. That's on the Sling Orange package) 

Users can enjoy the special offer by going to sling.com, and clicking on the “Get free TV now” option. You’ll then need to submit an email address, password and zip code, but no credit card is required. 

Unfortunately, the offer is only available to users new to Sling TV. But if you’re a past subscriber, you can consider accessing the special offer by using a different email address, and starting a new account. 

Sling TV, which is owned by Dish Network, is offering the special promotion a week after making some of its channels, including ABC News Live, free to all Americans in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Since Feb. 24, the service has noticed viewership of its top news channels has increased by 124 percent. 

Related

If you want to subscribe to Sling TV over the long haul, you’ll have to pay $30 a month. However, the company is offering $10 off the first month for new subscribers. 

Want something else to watch? Due to the coronavirus pandemic, lots of streaming services are offering extended trials and free deals, which you can take advantage of. 

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About Our Expert

Michael Kan

Michael Kan

Principal Reporter

My Experience

I've been a journalist for over 15 years. I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017, where I cover satellite internet services, cybersecurity, PC hardware, and more. I'm currently based in San Francisco, but previously spent over five years in China, covering the country's technology sector.

Since 2020, I've covered the launch and explosive growth of SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service, writing 600+ stories on availability and feature launches, but also the regulatory battles over the expansion of satellite constellations, fights with rival providers like AST SpaceMobile and Amazon, and the effort to expand into satellite-based mobile service. I've combed through FCC filings for the latest news and driven to remote corners of California to test Starlink's cellular service.

I also cover cyber threats, from ransomware gangs to the emergence of AI-based malware. In 2024 and 2025, the FTC forced Avast to pay consumers $16.5 million for secretly harvesting and selling their personal information to third-party clients, as revealed in my joint investigation with Motherboard.

I also cover the PC graphics card market. Pandemic-era shortages led me to camp out in front of a Best Buy to get an RTX 3000. I'm now following how the AI-driven memory shortage is impacting the entire consumer electronics market. I'm always eager to learn more, so please jump in the comments with feedback and send me tips.

The Best Tech I've Had:

  • My first video game console: a Nintendo Famicom
  • I loved my Sega Saturn despite PlayStation's popularity.
  • The iPod Video I received as a gift in college
  • Xbox 360 FTW
  • The Galaxy Nexus was the first smartphone I was proud to own.
  • The PC desktop I built in 2013, which still works to this day.

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