Sling TV gets more movies with Fandor Festival, and more channels from Starz

By Kris Wouk December 14, 2016

DirecTV Now passes 1million subscribers — 123RF/Peter Bernik

Since its launch, Dish’s live TV streaming service Sling TV service has continued to add channels at a fairly steady clip, and that pace is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon. Today the service announced that it was bringing even more channels for movie fans with the addition of Fandor Festival and more channels from Starz.

A few months ago, Sling TV added Starz and Starz Encore as a premium add-on. Now even more channels are coming to join them. As the name implied Starz Kids & Family brings family-friendly films like The Good Dinosaur and Annie, while Starz Edge offers up drama, action, and adventure with its own original series as well as movies like I am Wrath and The 5th Wave.

Recommended Videos

Starz Comedy also offers up original series, as well as comedy movies like Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Me, Myself and Irene. Finally, Starz West brings the Pacific feed of Starz, no matter where you’re located. What’s more, even with all of these new channels, the Starz premium add-on is keeping its original price of $9 per month.

While the Starz channels are mostly focused on mainstream movies, Fandor Festival focuses more on independent films like the comedy The Animal Project and documentaries like The Decline of the Western Civilization II: The Metal Years. This channel won’t be offered via a standalone add-on, but will instead be part of the $5 per month Hollywood Extra add-on pack. As the word “festival” in the name implies, Fandor Festival brings a number of favorites from Cannes, Sundance, and SXSW.

Finally, Fandor Festival is offering up something for every Sling TV subscriber, regardless of whether they subscribe to the Hollywood Extra pack. Each month the service will bring five free movies, which can be found in the Movies section of the Sling TV app under, as you might expect, “Free Movies from Fandor.”

Topics

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…

Audio / Video

ESPN, other Disney channels are back on Sling TV after contract dispute

Sling TV on Apple TV.

Update October 3: A weekend away was all it took for Disney and Sling TV to come to an agreement that restored the channels owned by the former on the streaming service owned by the latter.

"All of your Disney & ESPN channels have been restored," Sling TV announced on its website. "We sincerely apologize for your interruption in programming. Thank you for your patience and understanding."

Audio / Video

What is Pluto TV: channels, where to get it, and more

Pluto TV channel guide on a TV screen.

With so many streaming services to choose from, keeping track of which TV shows, movies, and channels are available where you can find them can be overwhelming, if not impossible. Even if popular services like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video pique your interest, they can also leave a massive dent in your wallet, especially if you plan to subscribe to more than one, as most people do when they decide to cut the cable cord.

Pluto TV, on the other hand, isn't Netflix or Hulu -- it's free.
Looking for a movie?

Entertainment

What is DirecTV Stream: plans, pricing, channels, and more

DirecTV Stream app icon on Apple TV.

DirecTV Stream is the latest name for AT&T’s live tv and on-demand streaming service, previously called AT&T TV, among other names. If you're looking to cut the cable cord, DirecTV Stream might be one service to consider among other services such as Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and more. But what is DirecTV Stream? There are still some things you should know, especially if you are interested in getting an AT&T streaming subscription. Let’s go over all the important questions.

What is DirecTV Stream?
DirecTV Stream is the most recent incarnation of AT&T’s streaming service that has had more than a few name changes. It combined the names of more regional streaming services under the DirecTV banner into a single name. Like many streaming platforms, DirecTV Stream is available on a wide variety of devices and can connect to popular apps like Netflix, HBO Max, Amazon Prime Video, and so on. A subscription also lets you support up to 20 devices at once, depending on the package that you choose.
What channel options does DirecTV Stream have?
AT&T TV’s channel lineup remains largely the same. That means you will be able to watch live TV with a subscription to DirecTV Stream. There are a lot of channels, including popular entertainment channels like FX HD, kid channels like Cartoon Network, Sports channels like ESPN HD, and hundreds more. DirecTV Stream has a full channel lineup guide so you can check which specific channels are included in each package and what certain channels can be added on for an additional fee. It’s an impressive lineup when compared to other options like Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV.