Earlier this month, Sling unexpectedly launched new Day, Week, and Weekend Pass plans. These short-term options allow consumers to sign up to the company’s Sling Orange plan for as little as one day, and for as little as $4.99.
However, it now looks like Disney is not too happy with the launch of these new short-term plans. So much so that Disney has now taken legal action by suing Sling TV.
In a statement to Deadline, Disney argued that Sling TV’s new mini-packages were launched without its consultation or approval. Furthermore, Disney argues that the new plans violate the terms of its existing license agreement with Sling.
From the consumer point of view, the new plans are a great way to sign up to a live TV package on a very short-term basis. In this sense, they could be used to sign up to watch just a single live sports event or live event in general.
It would seem that this is one of the main concerns Disney has with the new packages, as it does unlock the ability to consume a lot of Disney content over a short period, including ESPN, and at a much cheaper price than usual.
Much cheaper than even a Disney+ or ESPN+ subscription would cost, let alone a full live TV package.
From Sling’s perspective, the new options could also prove to be an effective way to attract new users, even if only for a day, week or weekend. As we have noted multiple times in the past, Sling TV has slowly seen its subscriber base decline over the past couple of years.
At the last count, Sling TV ended the second quarter of 2025 with 1.76 million subscribers, down on the 2 million subscribers reported for the second quarter of the year before. Not to mention, massively down on the 2.49 million subscribers Sling TV was enjoying at the start of 2022.
In a statement given to Variety, a Sling TV spokesperson argued the lawsuit has no merit and Sling is prepared to “vigorously” defend its right to offer customers the plans and options it wants.
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