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]

This is not something I need, but I feel I should support it. Anything to push the industry away from the current model.

[kcxiv]

Originally Posted by listopencil

Have you tried catching streams of live games?

i ****ing hate streams especially bootleg streams for football. I can do MMA and Boxing, but not football.

[unlurking]

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

i ****ing hate streams especially bootleg streams for football. I can do MMA and Boxing, but not football.

NFL Gamepass is a good quality stream if you have the bandwidth. Looks great on a large screen TV.

[SLAG]

Originally Posted by ragedogg69

This is not something I need, but I feel I should support it. Anything to push the industry away from the current model.

This - All of this

We need many people to sign up to show that it is a viable model that people want and will pay for.

The old guard is slowly changing.. and that is a good thing!!

[BigRedChief]

People have been wanting ala carte choice on what channels they purchase since cable came on the mass market in the 80's.

With this and HBO's effort coming up, maybe we care going to break up the monopoly?

[Eleazar]

I have local channels only through Uverse. I turn it up to basic cable during football season, then go back to lifeline service once the college football regular season ends.

If I could just get the ESPN suite of channels and Fox Sports delivered this way, I'd be the first one in line.

[DaveNull]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

People have been wanting ala carte choice on what channels they purchase since cable came on the mass market in the 80's.

With this and HBO's effort coming up, maybe we care going to break up the monopoly?

I think the word you're looking for is tying.

[Eleazar]

It's hard to watch football on a stream, the video fidelity is usually not there. You need a really high quality stream or it just ends up irritating you.

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by BigRedChief

People have been wanting ala carte choice on what channels they purchase since cable came on the mass market in the 80's.

With this and HBO's effort coming up, maybe we care going to break up the monopoly?

The interesting part will be seeing how the price points end up. People think "I pay $50 for Cable, so each of my 100 channels should only be worth $1" when the reality will be that individual channels will have to charge a lot more a la carte in order to make up for all the other people who aren't subscribing. For example, I'd guess adding NFL Network to this would cost another $7-$10 at least.

It'll be interesting to see how many (and how attractive) channels you could get if purchased individually compared to just getting the full set in a traditional subscription.

[ragedogg69]

Originally Posted by Fruit Ninja

i ****ing hate streams especially bootleg streams for football. I can do MMA and Boxing, but not football.

have you tried a streamtorrent or AceStream before? While they are not HD, they are a much better quality than most flash based streams.

[Lzen]

Originally Posted by Guru

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

That channel is in a package for an additional $50.

Seriously, this is intriguing. Although no ESPNU, which means not being able to see many KU basketball games.

[Lzen]

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.

That is cool. Directv has their app but it always tells me that I have to be on the same wifi as my receiver in order to view stuff from my receiver or DVR. What a bunch of BS.

[ragedogg69]

Originally Posted by Lzen

That is cool. Directv has their app but it always tells me that I have to be on the same wifi as my receiver in order to view stuff from my receiver or DVR. What a bunch of BS.

I never understood how that works. Some channels I can view at work, but not many. At home, is as simple as connecting the receiver to my ethernet or is there more to it?

[notorious]

Originally Posted by Lzen

That is cool. Directv has their app but it always tells me that I have to be on the same wifi as my receiver in order to view stuff from my receiver or DVR. What a bunch of BS.

That would suck.

[Baby Lee]

Dish Network announces Virtual Cable

- if ever there were a headline to sum up the state of technology.

A satellite company announces an effort to simulate cable technology through WiFi

What's next, GMC announces new virtual motorcycle.