Sling TV only offers access to ABC, Fox, and NBC local channels, and the location of a subscriber greatly affects which of these local channels they have access to.
While those based in the Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Oakland (San Francisco), Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Jose (San Francisco), markets can potentially get ABC, Fox, and NBC through Sling TV, subscribers in many other areas might only get access to one or two local channels.
In some locations, subscribers may find they don’t get any local channels at all with Sling TV.
Whether Sling has the right local channels for you will ultimately depend on the locals you want access to and your location.
Local channels on Sling TV
Below is an overview of each of the markets Sling provides access to ABC, Fox, and NBC channels.
| DMA | ABC | FOX | NBC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | ✔ | ||
| Austin | ✔ | ||
| Boston | ✔ | ||
| Chicago | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Dallas | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Detroit | ✔ | ||
| Fresno | ✔ | ||
| Gainesville | ✔ | ||
| Hartford | ✔ | ||
| Houston | ✔ | ✔ | |
| Los Angeles | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Miami | ✔ | ||
| Milwaukee | ✔ | ||
| Minneapolis | ✔ | ||
| New York | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Oakland (San Francisco) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Orlando | ✔ | ||
| Philadelphia | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Phoenix | ✔ | ||
| Raleigh-Durham | ✔ | ||
| San Diego | ✔ | ||
| San Francisco | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| San Jose (San Francisco) | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| Seattle | ✔ | ||
| Tacoma (Seattle) | ✔ | ||
| Tampa | ✔ | ||
| Washington DC | ✔ | ✔ |
Subscribers in markets other than what’s listed above will most likely find they are unable to access local channels through Sling TV in their current location.
Understanding How Locals Work on Sling TV
With local channels on Sling TV limited to ABC, Fox, and NBC, those looking for access to CBS, PBS, and other local channels may find an alternate live TV service, like DirecTV, Hulu Live TV, or YouTube TV, to be a better option.
In addition, Sling currently only offers access to these local channels with select packages. For example, there are no local channels included with the Sling Orange plan.
You can use the links below to check location and package support for a specific local channel.
ABC on Sling TV
Sling TV began offering access to ABC local channels in early 2023. However, ABC local stations are currently only available to Sling Blue, Sling Select, Sling Essentials & Select, and Sling Orange & Blue subscribers.
ABC local channels are available through Sling TV in the following 8 markets.
| DMA | CALL SIGN |
|---|---|
| Chicago | WLS |
| Fresno | KFSN |
| Houston | KTRK |
| Los Angeles | KABC |
| New York | WABC |
| Philadelphia | WPVI |
| Raleigh-Durham | WTVD |
| San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose | KGO |
Fox on Sling TV
Fox local stations are currently only available to Sling Blue, Sling Select, Sling Essentials & Select, and Sling Orange & Blue subscribers.
Fox local channels are only available through Sling TV in the following 18 markets:
| DMA | CALL SIGN |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | WAGA |
| Austin | KTBC |
| Chicago | WFLD |
| Dallas/Fort Worth | KDFW |
| Detroit | WJBK |
| Gainesville | WOGX |
| Houston | KRIV |
| Los Angeles | KTTV |
| Milwaukee | WITI |
| Minneapolis/St. Paul | KMSP |
| New York | WNYW |
| Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne | WOFL |
| Philadelphia | WTXF |
| Phoenix | KSAZ |
| San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose | KTVU |
| Seattle | KCPQ |
| Tampa/St. Petersburg | WTVT |
| Washington, DC | WTTG |
NBC on Sling TV
NBC local stations are currently only available to Sling Blue, Sling Select, Sling Essentials & Select, and Sling Orange & Blue subscribers.
NBC local channels are only available through Sling TV in the following 11 markets:
| DMA | CALL SIGN |
|---|---|
| Chicago | WMAQ |
| Boston | WBTS |
| Dallas/Fort Worth | KXAS |
| Miami/Fort Lauderdale | WTVJ |
| Hartford/New Haven | WVIT |
| Los Angeles | KNBC |
| New York | WNBC |
| Philadelphia | WCAU |
| San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose | KNTV |
| Washington, DC | WRC |
| San Diego | KNSD |
Sling TV’s Local Channels Workaround
Anyone that has signed up to Sling TV in the past may have noticed that Sling almost always offers a number of new subscriber deals.
Many of these deals include prepaying for two or three months of service in advance and receiving an antenna and/or an AirTV device to help in improving the selection of local channels.
While additional hardware is not an ideal solution, it is an example of one of the ways Sling TV tries to bridge the gap between the local channels it offers and those it doesn’t.
Even with an antenna, it should be kept in mind that the local channels a home can receive will depend on the strength of the antenna and the local channels within reach of the antenna.
For those that want to stay with Sling TV, an alternative to additional hardware is to check if you can get access to any local channels through other streaming services you already pay for.
For example, Paramount+ Premium subscribers get access to their local CBS station as part of their subscription.
Likewise, Peacock Premium Plus subscribers get access to their local NBC channel as part of their subscription.
While subscribing to additional services is not the ideal, the reality is Sling TV is limited in the number of locals it provides access to and in the locations those locals are available.
If a single subscription with access to more locals is what you really want then it may simply be time to consider an alternate live TV streaming service.
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