Sling’s ‘Pause Extra’ Is New Strategy To Keep Streamers from Canceling – Technologist

If you’re a live streaming TV consumer, there’s a very good chance you have experienced a subscription price increase in the last 12 months.

Whether it’s full-service options like YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV, or skinny bundle offerings like Philo, the price of streaming has gone up on consumers thanks to supposed increased carriage costs for providers.

Sling TV, which positions itself between the premium and cheap live TV options, was not immune.

It recently raised subscription prices on its Orange, Blue and Orange + Blue packages. The cheapest you can subscribe with them is now $46 per month.

As you may have guessed, customer retention has been an issue for streaming services amid increased costs. Even money expert Clark Howard has talked about potentially ditching his live TV service in favor of free streaming TV (FAST) as costs continue to rise.

So what can be done to stop the exodus of subscribers who are canceling their service to save money?

Sling has a new anti-cancelation concept that could become an industry standard in the months ahead.

Sling Tries to Retain Customers with New ‘Pause Extra’ Package

Any time a streaming service announces that it will be raising prices, they know they’re going to have to deal with customer attrition for the weeks that follow.

Inevitably, there is a wave of customers who say they’ve “had enough” of the price increases and opt for the cancellation button upon hearing news that their bill is going up.

Sling is trying a fresh approach to keep those people from completely leaving their ecosystem in 2025.

Now, when someone tries to cancel their subscription, they’ll be met with the option to choose “Pause Extra” instead.

This package, which was recently discovered by Cord Cutter News, will give would-be cancellers a chance to stay in the ecosystem for a small monthly fee.

What Pause Extra Includes

For $5 per month, Sling’s Pause Extra is offering customers the following before they cancel:

• Complimentary AMC+ Access: This is a $9.99 per month value as a standalone subscription. You’ll get access to on-demand content from AMC, Sundance, Shudder and more. This includes access to the popular “Walking Dead” universe and hit shows like “Mad Men.”
• Unlimited Access to Your Existing DVR Library: This is a big one for people who binge TV shows. It appears that this new package will allow you to keep your DVR library, and access your recorded content even though you don’t have a full subscription. Presumably, you won’t be allowed to add new content from paid channels while paused. Still, this is a strong option for people who want to trim their bill but still have episodes of a show to watch.
• Sling Freestream Access: This is no big surprise, as anyone who sets up a free account with Sling can enjoy their growing FAST service. However, it does appear you can use your DVR functionality to get the most out of Freestream while you’re not paying for a full Sling subscription.

And, perhaps the most underrated part of this new package is that Sling will give you a $5 credit for each month that you pay for Pause Extra when you decide to reactivate a Sling subscription.

So, for example, if you paid $5 per month for four months of Pause Extra, you’d have a $20 credit toward your next month of a full Sling subscription.

Sling also says that you can continue to earn your points through their loyalty program while on Pause Extra.

Why This Strategy Might Actually Work

You may be familiar with the “pause” option on many streaming subscriptions, which allows you to stop paying for the service for a pre-established amount of time without losing your favorites, DVR recordings and other settings upon your return. Many of the live TV streaming services offer that.

But Sling really is taking things to the next level by offering a small package of benefits that presents a value worth more than its nominal monthly fee.

Doing so not only keeps the customer on the hook and revenue coming in, but it also makes them feel like they’ve won in the face of a price increase.

Sling probably believes it’ll be able to convert resubscriptions at a higher rate as a result. (We’ll have to wait and see if that is true.)

I wouldn’t be surprised to see other live TV streaming services attempt a similar strategy in 2025.

If you were canceling Sling, would Pause Extra be something you’d consider? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the Clark.com community.

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