DISH vs Hulu

Sling Discontinues Short-Term Passes

Sling TV has discontinued its short-term 'Sling Passes,' which allowed users to subscribe for one to seven days. Introduced in August 2025, the passes included Day, Weekend, and Week options, priced at $4.99, $9.99, and $14.99 respectively. The launch aimed to attract cord cutters during football season, but faced legal challenges from Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery, who sued Sling's parent company DISH for breach of contract over the unapproved packages. The lawsuits likely influenced the decision to retire the passes, though no official reason was given. Sling now returns to its standard lineup: Orange, Blue, combined Orange & Blue, and the newer Basic plans ($19.99/month).

• Sling TV discontinued its short-term Sling Passes as of October 5, 2026.
• The passes, launched in August 2025, included Day Pass ($4.99), Weekend Pass ($9.99), and Week Pass ($14.99).
• Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery filed lawsuits against DISH over the passes for breach of contract.

DISH Teams Up with United Airlines to Provide Live Football at 35,000 Feet

Passengers on United airplanes with Starlink-enabled seatback screens have access to live college and pro football games starting this week across ...

Sling TV's Future Uncertain After DISH Bankruptcy Filing

Sling TV — one of the first over‑the‑top live multichannel services, launched February 9, 2015 — faces an uncertain future after its parent’s prepackaged Chapter 11 filing. DISH DBS Corporation (an EchoStar subsidiary) filed for Chapter 11 on June 30, 2026 after a delay in closing a large spectrum sale to AT&T left the company short of cash to repay $2 billion in notes. Sling peaked near 2.6 million subscribers around 2020 but reported 1.707 million subscribers as of the end of June 2026. The restructuring aims to clean the balance sheet and wind down DISH’s wireless build; industry observers expect EchoStar may consider selling or spinning off DISH satellite and Sling assets once the process concludes.

• Sling TV launched on February 9, 2015 as an over‑the‑top live multichannel television service in the U.S.
• Sling reported 1.707 million subscribers as of the end of June 2026, down from a peak near 2.6 million around 2020.
• On June 30, 2026, DISH DBS Corporation (an EchoStar subsidiary) filed a prepackaged Chapter 11 case in Houston.

MMMs Can Tell You If CTV Worked.

Marketing mix models (MMMs) are gaining attention as an alternative to click-centric measurement, particularly for Connected TV (CTV). They can indicate whether CTV contributed to growth, but a channel-level readout often hides significant operational complexity and can be misleading. A campaign may run across numerous networks, segments, and devices, and the same channel label can encompass very different executions. Using MMMs as arbiters of judgment rather than calibration tools can lead to wrong budget decisions, especially when geo-tests are contaminated by imperfect location signals. The article argues that MMMs are a valuable counterweight to platform-reported attribution but should be sequenced with more granular diagnostics to understand why performance occurred, looking at network mix, audience, frequency, and creative. The goal is to use MMMs to sharpen questions rather than end them.

• MMMs are increasingly used to measure CTV effectiveness.
• MMMs can indicate whether a channel worked but not why.
• CTV campaigns often run across many networks, segments, and devices.

Disney+ and Hulu raise prices, marking latest streaming inflation

Disney has increased prices for its Disney+ and Hulu streaming services, continuing an industry-wide trend of rising subscription costs. The ad-free bundle now costs $21.99 per month (up from $19.99), while ad-free standalone plans for each service rose to $21.49 (up from $18.99). Ad-supported standalone plans also increased to $12.49 per month. This follows similar price hikes by Peacock, Apple TV, and Netflix in recent months. Disney's entertainment streaming revenue grew 11% to $5.5 billion in Q3 2026, driven partly by prior price increases. The company is also exploring a free ad-supported tier for Disney+ to compete with platforms like YouTube and Tubi, and recently launched a 'Playlists' feature. Additionally, Disney hired its first Chief Technology Officer, Karandeep Anand, former CEO of Character.AI.

• Disney+ and Hulu ad-free bundle price increased from $19.99 to $21.99 per month.
• Standalone ad-free Disney+ and Hulu plans each rose from $18.99 to $21.49 per month.
• Standalone ad-supported Disney+ and Hulu plans increased to $12.49 per month.

Swayable's Jenny Wall on CTV's Mid-Funnel Role

Jenny Wall, newly appointed Chief Growth Officer at Swayable, discusses the growing focus on performance in CTV advertising, but stresses the enduring importance of mid-funnel brand building. She highlights that while performance marketing is gaining attention, creating demand through creative and upper-funnel strategies remains crucial. Wall sees AI as a decision-support tool rather than a replacement for human creativity, and notes that clean rooms and identity graphs are enabling better outcome measurement. She argues that CTV should be priced as premium TV, not undervalued digital, and that mid-funnel strategies will rival programmatic in importance. Swayable hired Brian Lawrence as CRO, forming a leadership trio with CEO James Slezak to drive growth.

• Jenny Wall joined Swayable as Chief Growth Officer, previously at VideoAmp, Hulu, and Netflix.
• Swayable hired Brian Lawrence as Chief Revenue Officer.
• Wall believes AI tools enhance decision-making but not replace human creativity.