ENGLEWOOD, Colo., March 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As healthcare systems and local and state governments are working to keep constituents informed during the COVID-19 crisis, SLING TV has opened its news-rich SLING Blue service for 14 days free as a public service.

"With more states and municipalities issuing shelter-in-place orders, everyone needs the latest information to do their part," said Warren Schlichting, group president of SLING TV. "We're hoping to motivate Americans to stay home, and stay informed during this critical time."

SLING TV Offers 14-Day Free Television

Starting today and continuing through April 5, those new to SLING TV can receive 14 days of SLING Blue by visiting sling.com . SLING TV's Blue service offers more than 45 live channels, free cloud DVR, over 50,000 on-demand titles, and allows simultaneous viewing on three screens. SLING Blue offers a variety of today's most popular news channels including: CNN, FOX News, HLN, MSNBC, Bloomberg TV, Cheddar News, Newsy and Local Now.

News Consumption Rises

As the COVID-19 crisis has unfolded, television news consumption on SLING TV climbed by triple digits over the last month. Since February 24, SLING TV's viewership of top news channels increased by 121 percent.

"Now more than ever American's are anxious to stay up to date, and no other streaming service offers the depth of live news available on SLING Blue," said Schlichting.

"Stay in & SLING" Initiative

Last week, SLING TV launched its "Stay in & SLING" initiative to help keep Americans safe, informed and entertained while practicing social distancing at home during the pandemic. This initiative, in part, provides Americans with cost-free access to news, plus thousands of shows and movies for the whole family, with no paid SLING TV account required.

About SLING TV

SLING TV L.L.C. is an Emmy® Award-winning live streaming TV service that provides more than 700 channels from today's most popular networks across its general market, Latino and international services. It is available on all major streaming devices, smart televisions, tablets, game consoles, computers and smartphones. SLING TV offers two general market streaming services, SLING Orange and SLING Blue, that collectively feature content from Disney/ESPN, Fox, NBC, NFL Network, AMC, A&E, AXS, Discovery, Scripps, Turner, Viacom, NBA TV, NHL Network, Pac-12 Networks, GSN, Hallmark, SHOWTIME, STARZ and EPIX. On select devices, SLING TV offers customers access to free content, à la carte channels and services, plus Pay-Per-View events and movies on-demand. Additionally, SLING TV offers a suite of stand-alone and add-on Spanish-language services and packages tailored to English-dominant, bilingual and Spanish-dominant U.S. households. SLING TV is the leading U.S. provider of foreign-language programming, with more than 400 channels in 27 languages. Visit sling.com . SLING TV L.L.C. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH).

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sling-tv-gives-america-free-14-day-quarantine-offer-supports-local-and-state-shelter-in-place-orders-301030393.html

SOURCE Sling TV L.L.C.