Movies and TV Dish Network announces Virtual Cable

**dirk digler** · 01-05-2015, 01:29 PM

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

Quote:

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."

**notorious** · 01-05-2015, 01:38 PM

Dish Anywhere is ****ing awesome.

I can watch any channel, and all of my DVR content no matter where I am at.

I am so happy we switched from Directv.

**007** · 01-05-2015, 01:51 PM

Interesting. Throw NFL Network in there and I would consider $20 per month for the live sports.

**BigMeatballDave** · 01-05-2015, 01:57 PM

Looking forward to this.

**dirk digler** · 01-05-2015, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guru

Interesting. Throw NFL Network in there and I would consider $20 per month for the live sports.

I definitely would as well if they can add the major networks.

Dr. Gigglepants · 01-05-2015, 02:01 PM

Sounds awesome, something for everyone in the house, and not 100 channels we won't watch for even 5 minutes a year.

**Donger** · 01-05-2015, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Gigglepants

Sounds awesome, something for everyone in the house, and not 100 channels we won't watch for even 5 minutes a year.

Same here. As a collective, we watch maybe 10 channels on Dish. I'm pretty close to cutting it out altogether, but just haven't figured out a way to still get what we want to watch.

Dr. Gigglepants · 01-05-2015, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Same here. As a collective, we watch maybe 10 channels on Dish. I'm pretty close to cutting it out altogether, but just haven't figured out a way to still get what we want to watch.

I'm about to hit 6 years cable free, trust me, you just watch different OTA things (or not as much TV, which isn't a bad thing).

Sometimes the wife misses our HGTV days, which makes this new thing a no brainer for us. ESPN for my live sports, HGTV for her, Disney for the kiddies, a little Adult Swim is just icing on the cake for me.

I would also like to see what comes in the $5 add on, because if it has FX or FXX (for It's Always Sunny), I would about have every channel I need.

Now, if I could only trade out the AIDS-manifested-in-a-TV-channel that is CNN, this would be so perfect.

**dirk digler** · 01-05-2015, 02:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

Same here. As a collective, we watch maybe 10 channels on Dish. I'm pretty close to cutting it out altogether, but just haven't figured out a way to still get what we want to watch.

Yep I am in the same boat and would love to cut the cord but I just need a few more channels to jump on board before I could think about switching

**Donger** · 01-05-2015, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr. Gigglepants

I'm about to hit 6 years cable free, trust me, you just watch different OTA things (or not as much TV, which isn't a bad thing).

Sometimes the wife misses our HGTV days, which makes this new thing a no brainer for us. ESPN for my live sports, HGTV for her, Disney for the kiddies, a little Adult Swim is just icing on the cake for me.

I would also like to see what comes in the $5 add on, because if it has FX or FXX (for It's Always Sunny), I would about have every channel I need.

Now, if I could only trade out the AIDS-manifested-in-a-TV-channel that is CNN, this would be so perfect.

What, if at all, do you use to record/DVR?

Dr. Gigglepants · 01-05-2015, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Donger

What, if at all, do you use to record/DVR?

We don't have a DVR for anything we watch OTA, if that is your question. I wasn't really aware that there was such a thing.

kcxiv · 01-05-2015, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

Dish Anywhere is ****ing awesome.

I can watch any channel, and all of my DVR content no matter where I am at.

I am so happy we switched from Directv.

for me, its not possible. I like direct tv anyways. they always give me free shit and upgrades.

I'd love to pay cheaper, but that sunday ticket is a must have for me.

**notorious** · 01-05-2015, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

for me, its not possible. I like direct tv anyways. they always give me free shit and upgrades.

I'd love to pay cheaper, but that sunday ticket is a must have for me.

If you can't get the Chiefs games, you need Sunday ticket.

Redzone is more than enough for me on Sunday. Directv used to give me upgrades, but when AT&T took over they put a stop to it.

Seriously, they wouldn't give me what the new customers get even though I hadn't been "On Contract" for 4 years. They let me walk out the door to their direct competitor without even trying.

kcxiv · 01-05-2015, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by notorious

If you can't get the Chiefs games, you need Sunday ticket.

Redzone is more than enough for me on Sunday. Directv used to give me upgrades, but when AT&T took over they put a stop to it.

Seriously, they wouldn't give me what the new customers get even though I hadn't been "On Contract" for 4 years. They let me walk out the door to their direct competitor without even trying.

if i lived in an area where Chiefs games were shown i wouldnt have direct tv. i would probably just have comcast and their tv as i can get it super cheap, but DTV has that hold and i need to watch Chiefs games, no way in hell am i watching Raiders and Niners games all the time..

I like direct tv, they have always been good to me and hook me up, but who doesnt like to save money.

listopencil · 01-05-2015, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

if i lived in an area where Chiefs games were shown i wouldnt have direct tv. i would probably just have comcast and their tv as i can get it super cheap, but DTV has that hold and i need to watch Chiefs games, no way in hell am i watching Raiders and Niners games all the time..

I like direct tv, they have always been good to me and hook me up, but who doesnt like to save money.

Have you tried catching streams of live games?

01-05-2015, 01:38 PM	#2
notorious Supporter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Who knows? Casino cash: $2945884	Dish Anywhere is ****ing awesome. I can watch any channel, and all of my DVR content no matter where I am at. I am so happy we switched from Directv.
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01-05-2015, 01:51 PM	#3
007 Shaken. Not stirred. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London Casino cash: $14060126 VARSITY	Interesting. Throw NFL Network in there and I would consider $20 per month for the live sports. __________________ My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.
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01-05-2015, 01:57 PM	#4
BigMeatballDave GBM 8-12-15 Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Dayton, Oh. Casino cash: $10052154	Looking forward to this.
Posts: 59,997

01-05-2015, 02:01 PM	#6
Dr. Gigglepants Veteran Join Date: Apr 2011 Casino cash: $2342400	Sounds awesome, something for everyone in the house, and not 100 channels we won't watch for even 5 minutes a year.
Posts: 1,387