A new way to pay for sports is a game-changer for fans

Being a sports fan in 2025 is an absolute mess. It’s impossible to keep track of who has the rights to each specific game, meaning that more often than not you’re left searching for the game, checking the streaming options, then realizing it’s on the one service you’re not paying for.

Now there’s a new option for sports fans which could really change the game ahead of college football season. Sling TV announced new tiered pricing on Tuesday, designed to give viewers access to sports for a temporary period of time. While it’s a more expensive option for every-week viewers, it does provide access to sports for short time periods making it much cheaper overall if there are only a few rivalry games you really care about each year, or have specific weeks circled on your calendar.

Sling TV has notable broadcasting agreements with ESPN and Warner Bros., which covers ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPNU, TNT and TBS. In addition they have local broadcasts streaming, which adds even more coverage for people who have cut the cord and either don’t have an antenna, or get poor reception over the air. It also offers an option for people who usually go out to a bar to watch a game, or a friend’s house — just in case something gets in the way.

It should be noted that this is not a cheap alternative for regular viewing. As it stands the Sling TV “Orange” package costs $45.99 a month, meaning that the day and weekend pass is roughly three-times as expensive per day, and the weekly pass is 50% more than the monthly fee. Still, it’s an incredible option for people who don’t want to stress over signing up for another monthly subscription, concerned they’ll forget to cancel.

“This launch is about putting control back in the hands of the fans, whether it’s tuning in for college football, professional sports, award shows, or a spontaneous movie night, all without having to sign a long-term, binding contract,” said Seth Van Sickel, Senior Vice President, Product and Operations, Sling TV. “With college football just around the corner, our new Day Pass offering is all consumers need to win on game day, for just $4.99.”

While this still isn’t the ideal option, at least we’re moving closer to having an easy way to watch sports on a regular basis without paying for bloated packages that cost more than cable ever did.