Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Dish dishes on Charter Communications, claims it’s trying to sabotage Sling TV

sling tv 18 hour free preview for new customers dish app
Rich Shibley/Digital Trends
As one of the first Internet TV services to launch, Sling TV has faced its share of obstacles this year. While Sling is widely available, Sony’s PlayStation Vue has a larger channel lineup, giving it somewhat of an edge for those looking to cancel their cable, but the Dish-owned service doesn’t see other streaming services as its biggest competition.

In a recent FCC filing, Dish has accused cable giant Charter Communications of trying to sabotage Sling TV by discouraging companies from licensing their content to the service, Fierce Cable reports. This follows a prior filing from Dish regarding concerns about Charter’s acquisition of Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks.

“Charter’s laser-like focus on Sling TV shows that it views Sling TV as a serious competitive threat rather than a benign interest,” the filing reads. “It also shows that Charter does not believe its broadband Internet customers are more important than its video subscribers; instead, Charter is focused on protecting its video subscriber base rather than enhancing the broadband Internet experience for its subscribers.”

Much of the letter has been redacted before being shared, but it’s clear that Dish is not pulling punches. “Charter’s documents further reveal thinly veiled complaints to programmers about making their programming available to Sling TV and other OTT products,” the statement reads.

Charter responded with a statement of its own, saying that there is “no more friendly broadband provider” to streaming services. “Charter’s slowest speed is 60 Mbps, we have no data caps, no usage based billing, no contracts and no modem fees,” the company says.

Working with content providers is already one of the most difficult parts of Internet TV, with Apple’s inability to secure deals eventually leading to its decision to suspend its own TV streaming service earlier this month. If Charter is actually actively dissuading companies from working with Sling TV, Dish’s reaction would be understandable.

Earlier this month, Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch claimed that Comcast’s data caps are purposely targeted at preventing its cable customers from unsubscribing, claiming the caps “just happen to be at a level at or below what someone would use if they’re watching TV on the Internet.”

Related: Try Sling TV free for 7 days

Editors' Recommendations

Kris Wouk
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kris Wouk is a tech writer, gadget reviewer, blogger, and whatever it's called when someone makes videos for the web. In his…
Is Sling TV free with Amazon Prime?
Sling TV.

If you’ve ever wondered whether Sling TV is free if you also have Amazon Prime, wonder no more. It is not. And that’s because they are two entirely separate services, each with its own subscription.

Here’s the deal: Sling TV is what’s known as a multiplatform video distributor, or MPVD, in industry parlance. You pay a fee every month, and Sling TV gives you access to a bunch of linear channels in return. It’s a bit like cable TV in that way, only via the internet, and you have a little more control over how much you spend every month, and also which channels you end up getting.

Read more
Sling TV versus Hulu With Live TV
The Kids category on Sling TV.

The Kids section on Sling TV. Phil Nickinson / Digital Trends

This is one of those comparisons that may, on paper, seem simple enough. Sling TV is the third-largest live streaming service in the U.S. Hulu With Live TV is No. 2 and a good bit more expensive upfront.

Read more
Is Premier League Soccer on Sling TV?
Premier League on Sling TV.

The good news about sports in the modern era is that it’s possible to stream them just about anywhere, on any platform. That’s also the bad news about streaming sports. So let’s drill down even more: Can you watch Premier League Soccer on Sling TV?

As with so many things, the answer is yes: Premier League Soccer is on Sling TV. Just not all of it.

Read more