Sling Orange vs YouTube TV: which one has your channels?

Short answer: YouTube TV carries far more of the 45 channels we track (40 of 45, base plan) than Sling Orange does (16 of 45), but it costs $37.00/mo more, as of 2026-07-19. If ESPN and the rest of the Disney-owned family are the only channels your household would miss, Sling Orange is the cheaper, narrower answer. If you also want local channels, general news, or sports outside ESPN, YouTube TV is the one that actually covers it.

Price, side by side

$45.99/mo
$82.99/mo
$444.00/yr
what Sling Orange saves you against YouTube TV, at each service's listed price

Both prices checked directly against each provider's own pricing page as of 2026-07-19, and re-confirmed current on 2026-08-10.

Every channel, checked

ChannelSling OrangeYouTube TV
A&EYesNo
ABCNoYes
AMCYesYes
Animal PlanetNoYes
BETYesYes
BravoNoYes
Cartoon NetworkYesYes
CBSNoYes
CNBCNoYes
CNNYesYes
Comedy CentralYesYes
Discovery ChannelYesYes
Disney ChannelYesYes
E!NoYes
ESPNYesYes
ESPN2YesYes
Food NetworkYesYes
FOXNoYes
Fox NewsNoYes
FS1NoYes
FXNoYes
Golf ChannelNoYes
Hallmark ChannelYesYes
HGTVYesYes
HISTORYYesNo
LifetimeYesNo
MeTVNoYes
MSNBCNoYes
MTVNoYes
National GeographicNoNo
NBCNoYes
NFL NetworkNoYes
NickelodeonNoYes
Paramount NetworkNoYes
PBSNoYes
PBS KidsNoNo
SyfyNoYes
TBSYesYes
The CWNoYes
TLCNoYes
TNTYesYes
truTVNoYes
USA NetworkNoYes
VH1NoYes
Weather ChannelNoYes

All 45 channels this site tracks, checked against both services as of 2026-07-19. Add-on-only carriage (a channel that needs a paid genre pack on top of the base plan) is marked "No" here. It's called out separately in the text below; this table is the base-plan answer only. Verify on each provider's own channel-lineup page before you sign up, since carriage changes and can vary by zip code for local channels.

Where they actually differ

Sling Orange is a narrow plan on purpose. It's built around the ESPN family (ESPN, ESPN2) and the rest of the Disney-owned channels, plus a short list of general entertainment. That's 16 channels total. YouTube TV covers 40 of the same 45, adding locals in most markets, general news (Fox News, MSNBC, CNBC), and sports outside the Disney family (FS1, NFL Network, Golf Channel), along with kids and lifestyle channels Sling Orange skips entirely.

The one place this flips: Sling Orange actually beats YouTube TV on three specific channels. A&E, HISTORY, and Lifetime are all in the Sling Orange base plan. On YouTube TV, Lifetime is only reachable through the paid Entertainment Plan add-on, and A&E and HISTORY aren't on YouTube TV at all, base plan or add-on. If your household watches any of those three regularly, that's a real point in Sling Orange's favor, not just a footnote.

Neither service carries an over-the-air broadcast network for free the way an antenna does. If locals matter and you don't want to pay for either service's version of them, see how antennas actually work instead.

Who should actually pick which

Pick Sling Orange if

  • ESPN, ESPN2, and the Disney-owned channels cover most of what your household watches
  • You don't need local ABC/CBS/NBC/FOX affiliates through the streaming service itself
  • Budget matters more than breadth, and $45.99/mo fits better than $82.99/mo
  • A&E, HISTORY, or Lifetime are must-haves for your household

Pick YouTube TV if

  • You want one service that also covers local news and network affiliates
  • Fox News, MSNBC, or CNBC are part of your regular watching
  • You follow sports outside the ESPN family: FS1, NFL Network, or Golf Channel
  • You'd rather pay more once than add a second service later to fill the gaps

If neither one fits

Both of these are single-service answers. Need ESPN and Fox News together? Sling Orange plus Sling Blue combines into one $60.99-$65.99/mo plan, still less than YouTube TV alone. Don't need ESPN at all? Philo is the cheapest plan we track at $25.00/mo. If your household's channel list doesn't cleanly match either single-service pick above, check the channel you'd actually miss in the full channel finder, and see the complete household math on streaming vs cable cost before you commit to either plan.