On Thursday Sling TV announced that it will offer channels for sale individually (or “à la carte”) through the Sling TV app without requiring the purchasers to have a base subscription. Its à la carte offerings will include premium channels, like Showtime, as well as on-demand channels and sports packages.  

This is a big deal for pay-TV services. Media advocates spent years urging the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) to mandate that pay-TV providers offer their channels on an à la carte basis, and neither the FCC nor the pay-TV industry budged. So what’s prompting the shift now?