Most Sling cancellers had no measured rival before or after cancellation
Rival live-TV payment status among established Sling subscribers who canceled from March–July 2025, using six-month windows before and after cancellation
Share of established Sling cancellers
Source: YipitData U.S. e-receipt panel. Sling canceller cohort n=1,727. Measured rivals were YouTube TV, Fubo, DIRECTV, Philo, and Hulu + Live TV. Carrier and app-store billing can hide rival subscriptions.
Chart data
| Series | Share of established Sling cancellers |
|---|---|
| No measured rival before or after | 72.7% |
| Already paid a rival before cancellation | 18% |
| Newly paid a rival after cancellation | 9.3% |
How did new-rival payments compare with retained Sling subscribers?
Among 1,416 cancellers who had not already paid a rival, 11.3% newly paid one within six months, compared with 5.6% of 1,689 retained Sling subscribers measured over a matched window. The rate was about twice as high among cancellers, but the groups were not randomly assigned, so the comparison does not show that cancellation caused rival adoption.
Did having no measured rival mean subscribers stayed away from Sling?
No. About one-fourth of cancellers reactivated Sling within six months: 25.3% of those with no measured rival, 27.5% of new-rival payers, and 23.5% of subscribers who already paid a rival. The no-rival group therefore does not represent permanent exit from Sling or all paid streaming; it only describes the measured competing live-TV services.
Assumptions & Methodologies
We analyzed YipitData’s U.S. e-receipt panel. The cohort contained 1,727 established Sling subscribers who canceled from March–July 2025 after an observed active subscription and remained observable for complete six-month windows before and after cancellation. Measured live-TV rivals were YouTube TV, Fubo, DIRECTV, Philo, and Hulu + Live TV. A new rival required no pre-cancellation signal and a post-cancellation signal. The retained benchmark contained 1,689 Sling subscribers without a measured rival and used a matched six-month window. Carrier or app-store billing can hide rivals; DIRECTV includes satellite. Results are panel associations, not causal or market-wide estimates.