Sling TV Adds New Features to Enhance the Viewing Experience
The new features include live sports scores, Apple purchase capability, user profiles and in-app “one click” content purchases
ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—Sling TV has announced a number of new viewing features that include live sports scores, Apple purchase capability, user profiles and in app “one click” content purchases.
The improvements are designed to give users more power and control over what they watch, allowing for a more personalized and unique experience that is individualized for everyone, the virtual MVPD said.
“Our top priority at Sling is to provide our customers with the best television experience possible. We want to put people in charge of their entertainment,” said Gary Schanman, executive vice president and group president, Dish Video Services. “That means, we look for ways to deliver new innovative functions that elevate the viewing experience and give customers more personalized features and menus allowing them to control what they watch, and how they watch and interact with the information available to them on our service.”
The new features include:
- Live Sports Scores: Viewers can still access real-time scores to help them find the most exciting games to watch, but now they can do it across all the major leagues Sling carries, including NCAA Football and Basketball, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB. Sling has added team records, seeding and ranking, game clock, live scores and the network the game is on. If the user is a subscriber they can immediately click into the game, other users will be sent to a page to add the content. The Sports Scores feature is built right into the home screen and can be accessed right next to the video player, so viewers can quickly find the game or the scores they need.
- Apple Purchase Capability: Now Sling users can use their Apple ID to buy Sling, manage purchases, subscriptions and add-ons within the app utilizing Apple Pay. Sling and Apple users can pay quickly in 44 currencies using payment methods associated with their Apple ID, access their purchased content on all devices the app supports and restore purchases on new devices. It also allows customers to quickly view payment history and manage all their Sling TV subscriptions or add-ons in one place.
- In App “One Click” Content Purchase: Free and current Sling paid subscribers can now immediately subscribe to recommended content they find through search, home page and even on partner platforms. This feature adds convenience and awareness to our users to find and enjoy all of our great content.
- User Profiles On All Devices: Enables users to create personalized profiles that have all their favorite shows, movies and DVR recordings. The feature allows for up to four additional user profiles that can be labeled and color-coded to easily differentiate among multiple users. Other features include more relevant personalized content on the Home Screen of each profile, the ability to schedule, manage and watch DVR recordings by profile, the ability to pick up where you left off with profile-specific “Continue Watching” and favorite channels specific to each profile.
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George Winslow is the senior content producer for TV Tech. He has written about the television, media and technology industries for nearly 30 years for such publications as Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News and TV Tech. Over the years, he has edited a number of magazines, including Multichannel News International and World Screen, and moderated panels at such major industry events as NAB and MIP TV. He has published two books and dozens of encyclopedia articles on such subjects as the media, New York City history and economics.