Put fans first. Good juju and PR will follow

Sports are pricey. Tickets for pro and college events can cost a fortune, and watching from your couch isn’t cheap either. How many streaming services do fans have to juggle before they finally say, “ENOUGH”?

It’s an ongoing public relations battle for companies that carry the games we love. Sure, leagues fuel it, but they’ll keep chasing fat paydays until networks and streamers finally slam on the brakes.

Enter Sling’s day, week and weekend passes that let you binge a game or five without committing to a bloated bundle. The competition hates it (go figure) because it siphons viewers from their platforms to the point they’ve gathered their lawyers to fight it. But that’s what makes Sling’s thing a bold PR move.

“SlingTV has broken the mold of expensive, rigid bundles with flexible Sling Orange Day, Weekend and Week Pass subscriptions—pay-as-you-want instant access,” a company statement said.

Translation: Sling picked a fight and shook a shifting industry. That kind of move gets you attention, customers and yes, publicity. Even if Sling loses in court (I hope it wins), it’s planted a seed.

Streaming services don’t lose money by extending deals. After all, introductory rates eventually expire. But Sling jolted an industry that priced out the very fans sports depend on to exist. Therein lies a message for all of us who want to work with like-minded and valued customers:

Perks get you publicity

Show customers you care with incentives that cut through industry chaos. Charge what the market bears, but keep fans at the fore.

• Make access affordable while your competitors keep jacking prices.

• Provide flexible options or fun twists to grab attention.

Even small brands can do it: a membership-only Q&A, a weekend pass or bonus perk. Be bold about it and you’ve got PR gold.

About those streaming sacrifices … we’re not powerless

Streamers will raise prices as long as we keep paying. Want to stop subscription creep? Pull the plug. (I promise—that thought hurts me as much as it hurts you.) The reason the industry is more fragmented and expensive than it was when we were mostly cable customers is because fans keep paying. The minute we don’t, things will change.

Knowing our insatiable craving for live sports, don’t expect that to happen. You can let your voices be heard, though. There are simple PR practices that will help you shake up any industry.

The bottom line

Businesses that put fans first will earn the publicity they deserve and loyalty that goes the distance. It involves strategic thinking and doing, but follow Sling, and you’ve got a shot.

^{©2025 Gail Sideman, gpublicity.com, SIDEbar}

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