I bought a streaming service for one day and I think this might be the future of TV

It’s no secret that streaming services, including paid cable platforms, are getting more expensive. YouTube TV used to be just $50 once upon a time, and that price has now crept up to $83 a month. There was once a world where cutting the cord meant you could save a lot of money, and while that’s still the case, it’s not by as much as it used to be.

Streaming services have tried to sweeten the pot by offering cheaper ad-supported plans, and while that’s nice, it’s not the world that was promised. Sling TV’s latest attempt to win over customers is the most excited I’ve been about streaming services in years.

Sling TV now has the option to sign up for a Day Plan for $5, and that’s one of the best ideas I’ve seen in a long time. The thought behind it is that if you want to tune in for a specific event, you can spend $5, get a cable plan for 24 hours, and then head out after the time is up. It’s hardly any cost, and it sure beats paying $83 a month for YouTube TV. I decided to give it a try for myself, and I’m a big believer in this future.

Sling TV came out with a game-changer

This will save me so much money

With live TV stations being sprinkled all across streaming services such as Peacock, Paramount+, and HBO Max for some sports, the need to have a traditional cable service isn’t as important as it used to be. Instead, it’s nice to tune in every now and then for a big event without having too much of an investment, and that’s where the $5 day pass comes into play.

Football season is right around the corner, and this Day Pass feature includes ESPN, so you could sign up Monday, watch the Monday Night Football game, and then have your subscription expire the next day. That sure beats having to carry a cable subscription. The sign-up process is as simple as it gets, as all I had to do was sign into my Sling account on the website, click on the plans, and select the Day Pass option. From there, it’s the same as signing up for any of the plans, except this one only costs $5. The Sling TV UI looks exactly the same, and it’s just like having a monthly subscription. The only difference is that you automatically lose access after 24 hours. It’s also nice that there’s no recurring payment, so you don’t have to worry about it re-upping once the 24-hour clock expires.

I could easily envision myself using this service more in that exact scenario I described. I don’t get a lot of value out of paying for a subscription cable service as it is right now, and if I could only spend $5 a few times a month, you can rest assured that I’m going to do it. While I love almost everything about the service, there are still some drawbacks that have to be talked about. Sadly, not every service can launch with everything perfect.

Limited channel selection

Can’t have everything

If you’re familiar with the way Sling TV works, you have your pick between the Blue and Orange plans. These two plans have different channel selections, although there’s a fair amount of overlap between the two. The new Day Plan only features the Orange plan, as the main draw behind this is the access to sports and the ESPN networks. This is fine for what it is, but that means it has limitations. For example, WWE fans who only have a cable service for SmackDown, which airs on the USA Network in the United States, can’t take advantage of this. Essentially, you signed up for the regular Orange plan for Sling TV, but it’s only for a day.

I don’t know if Sling plans to roll out more channels in the future, but this one stings as I’d start using it instantly if that one channel were offered. You can add additional plans to your Day Pass for $1 each, and there are a few different packages you can pick from. Sadly, none of them give me the USA Network, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it becomes possible in the future. All in all, this is an excellent feature that I’d love to see Sling build upon.

Now, let me pump the brakes a little bit in case I have you eager to make a switch. Sling TV, thanks to having such a low price, comes with its share of caveats. A big one is the drop in quality compared to services like Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV. A lot of content streams in 720p, and I can confirm that that’s very noticeable. It’s also something that you could get used to in a hurry, and I might’ve only noticed because I switched from YouTube TV to try out the Day Pass, so I got to directly compare the two. It might not be a deal-breaker for you, but it’s something I thought would be worth mentioning. With its low price, I’m willing to put up with it.

There are so many beneficial ways to use this service that I think it’s worth dealing with the drawbacks. If we use the Monday Night Football example again, you could get away with spending just around $20 a month to watch all of those games. Sports rights are split up in a way they’ve never been before, so saving some cash where you can is important.

I would love to see other streamers tackle plans like this because I don’t see how this isn’t considered a huge win for Sling. I can’t exactly ding Sling for its quality because it never promised the highest quality. It sets out and does what it says it does. It’s easy to sign up for, and you can get up and running within seconds. I’ll definitely be back for another Day Pass in the future, that’s for certain.