Dish Network announces Virtual Cable

[dirk digler]

Sounds promising and will be interesting to see if other companies follow suit.

http://money.cnn.com/2015/01/05/medi...ble/index.html
Is the future of cable a "personal subscription service" with a small bundle of television and online video channels delivered to phones, tablets and Internet-connected TV sets?

Well, it's one potential future, as portrayed by the Dish Network in a first-of-its-kind "virtual cable" announcement on Monday.

Dish, a pioneer in satellite TV, is preparing to launch Sling TV, a bundle of channels -- including ESPN and CNN -- that will be delivered via the Internet to subscribers. Sling's "core package" will cost just $20 per month, far less than most cable packages, mainly because it includes a small number of channels.

For the small but growing number of cord-cutters in the United States, Sling TV might be a reason to reconnect -- particularly because it's a low-cost way to receive ESPN. It may also pave the way for changes to the cable bundles that about 100 million households currently pay for.
But for the time being, the service is experimental; Dish CEO Joseph Clayton calls it "a viable alternative for live television to the millennial audience."

Dish announced the new offering during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The company declined to say when exactly it'll launch, other than "first quarter of 2015."

Sling TV is groundbreaking for a couple of reasons. One, it's entirely in the cloud; it requires no set-top-box or satellite dish (and annoying wait for the cable guy). It is bring-your-own-broadband.

Two, it is a per-person subscription, like Spotify, not a per-household subscription like traditional cable, satellite and broadband.

Three, it defies the television industry norm of bundling all of a company's channels together. For example, and probably most importantly for potential subscribers, Sling TV will include ESPN and ESPN2, but not ESPN's ancillary channels.

ESPN's parent, The Walt Disney Company, struck an Internet distribution deal with Dish (DISH) last spring.

Sling TV -- which has no relation to another product owned by Dish, the Slingbox -- will also carry ten other channels at launch: Disney's ABC Family and Disney Channel; Scripps Networks' Food Network, HGTV and Travel Channel; and Time Warner's TNT, TBS, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, and CNN.
(Time Warner is the parent of this web site.)

The typical channel bundle sold by Dish and its competitors includes hundreds of channels. Through Sling TV, additional channels will be available via $5 per month "add-on packs." One of the packs will include CNN's sibling HLN, Bloomberg TV, Cooking Channel, and DIY.

Absent from Monday's announcement are any channels owned by Viacom, like MTV; 21st Century Fox, like FX; Comcast, like Bravo; and any broadcast networks, like CBS and NBC.

But the bundle will include a selection of web series from Maker Studios, the online video maker that Disney acquired last year.

Sling TV said it expected to "expand its core package, video-on-demand content, online video and add-on packs throughout 2015."

Dish's introduction of Sling will be closely watched within the media industry, since several forms of "virtual cable" are being explored by various companies.

Making the cable bundle more convenient and appealing to young people -- one of Dish's main aims -- may help the mature industry win new subscribers, but it may also hurt smaller cable channels that currently survive on the backs of bigger siblings.

In a press release, Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch depicted the service as a natural step in the Netflixification of television.

"Live television, including ESPN, for $20 per month with no commitment or contract, is a game changer," he asserted.

"The arrival of Sling TV lets consumers, who've embraced services like Netflix and Hulu, take more control of their video entertainment experience."

[ragedogg69]

meh read the fine print at the bottom of the screen. they are doing a selective comparison.

[007]

so how is this working out for everyone?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Guru

so how is this working out for everyone?

I don't watch it that much, but the service works fine. The wife likes it for Food Network and HGTV, and I'll care more about ESPN once football season rolls around.

I wish DVR was more ubiquitous, and my old Roku is almost too slow to handle it, but overall it works as advertised.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish

Ok. Still that's significant savings over one or two years.

For what it's worth, I got my internet down to $35/month, so now the difference is even more significant.

[Buehler445]

So, you switched from DTV Face?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

So, you switched from DTV Face?

Yup.

[007]

has anyone figured out how much bandwidth an hour of watching would be. This would help me a lot. I used to have a router that could check this but it crashed.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Guru

has anyone figured out how much bandwidth an hour of watching would be. This would help me a lot. I used to have a router that could check this but it crashed.

I assume you're talking about SlingTV specifically. I didn't do any kind of a long-term test, but while my wife was watching Food Network, it generally hung around 3.5 Mbps - sometimes higher and sometimes lower, but I never saw it top 4.0 Mbps.

So...doing the math on that, 4.0 Mbps = 1.8 GB/hour (and that should be on the high end).

[aturnis]

You can get NFLN on PS4 without DirecTV right?

[aturnis]

Originally Posted by DaFace

For what it's worth, I got my internet down to $35/month, so now the difference is even more significant.

What are you getting for $35?

What speed internet?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by aturnis

What are you getting for $35?

What speed internet?

40/20 DSL with CenturyLink.

[007]

Originally Posted by DaFace

40/20 DSL with CenturyLink.

No bandwidth limit? If so I am pissed. I pay $56 per month for a 350gb cap.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by Guru

No bandwidth limit? If so I am pissed. I pay $56 per month for a 350gb cap.

Technically they do have a policy that says they can cap at 250GB, but I haven't ever heard of anyone getting dinged by it. We haven't topped that much to test it though.

[007]

Originally Posted by DaFace

Technically they do have a policy that says they can cap at 250GB, but I haven't ever heard of anyone getting dinged by it. We haven't topped that much to test it though.

Cox doesn't "do anything" when you exceed it but they do track it. At some point, I have to believe, they will "do something." Otherwise, why would they be tracking usage.

[LTL]

Originally Posted by Guru

Cox doesn't "do anything" when you exceed it but they do track it. At some point, I have to believe, they will "do something." Otherwise, why would they be tracking usage.

I have cox with the same plan and thought at some point they would do something for going over as I have been using around 700 GB a month for 6 months now. As of yet they haven't said or did anything.

Yesterday I logged in to look at my bill and checked my usage. It was at 48 percent which shocked the hell outta me and noticed it was based on 700 gigs not 350 anymore. When and why they did that no idea though.

This is in Tulsa so different cities may handle it different.