Xbox One owners who want to ditch their cable connection have a new tool to speed them on their way today. Sling TV launched on Microsoft’s game console, bringing its service, which includes channels like ESPN, TNT and CNN, to the device.
Pricing for Sling TV starts at $20 for the “Best of Live TV” package that includes 17 channels. Users can also choose to add additional channels through the service’s Sports Extra, News Extra, Kids Extra, Hollywood Extra and Lifestyle Extra packages, which each cost $5 a month. People who own an Xbox will also get a whole month to try out the service, which is longer than the one week trial timeframe that’s available to other customers.
This launch is the first time that Sling TV has appeared on a gaming console. Until now, people who wanted to watch shows from Sling TV had to use one of Amazon or Roku’s set-top boxes, or stream the service to a device running iOS or Android.
It’s a move that makes sense for Microsoft, since the Xbox One already offers features like the OneGuide channel guide for people who have an existing TV connection. Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be a hub for users’ living room entertainment, and adding Sling TV allows the console to better perform that function for people who have cut their cable subscription.
Here’s a video from Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb showing off the new app on the Xbox One: