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Justin Herrick
Guest
It was only one year ago when Dish Network targeted cord cutters and launched Sling TV at CES 2015. Sling TV entered the market as a video streaming service offering live television to subscribers for $20 per month. Now, twelve months later, Dish Network has various add-ons to choose from to ensure subscribers get exactly they content they want. This specific model was met with skepticism, but Dish Network has been able to prove there is a way to send television over-the-top and maintain a quality. The company was able to secure ESPN and ESPN2 for Sling TV’s base package, giving consumers access to the always-wanted live sports. The extra packages, priced between $5-$7 (and $15 for HBO), have been enticing enough to lock in around 400,000 subscribers.
Dish Network is celebrating its beloved video streaming service’s unofficial birthday by activating an entirely new guide.
Things have been retooled so that subscribers can choose their favorite channels and view a slimmed down guide containing content from those channels. Subscribers can also start choosing their favorite shows and store them in a single place while Sling TV cooks up recommendations based on your viewing history. As seen in the image above, Sling TV is giving subscribers just want they want instead of getting in the way.
Sling TV is also debuting a new Now section for content currently airing on channels.
The exact date for the new guide’s launch wasn’t provided, but Dish Network states it will be on all major platforms — Android, iOS, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and web.
The more important Sling TV news coming out today, at least for me, is the addition of ESPN3. Never heard of ESPN3? That’s because it isn’t a channel offered by television providers. ESPN3 is a web-only video streaming service that ESPN utilizes to broadcast events that don’t have space on any of its channels. It also often carrier the peculiar events that ESPN would rather not bump an episode of SportsCenter for.
Roger Lynch, Sling TV’s CEO, is pumped to bring a new guide and ESPN3 to subscribers:
“With thousands of live and on-demand events from ESPN3, combined with Sling TV’s next generation interface, it’s never been easier for fans to watch their favorite teams.”
Having ESPN3 available on the Sling TV’s base package means that subscribers get thousands of live and on-demand events to watch at no extra charge. Incredible, right? I’d say so. Because ESPN is the most valuable channel for so many people, and Sling TV subscribers can get ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN3 in addition to various other high-end channels for just $20 per month.
Sling TV to Add ESPN3 into Channel Guide, A First for the Pay-TV Industry
- ESPN3 programming available at no extra cost in the “Best of Live TV” package
- Adds thousands of live and on-demand events, including NCAA Championships and a number of global sports
LAS VEGAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–ESPN3, a live multi-screen digital network that delivers thousands of live and on-demand sporting events annually, is set to launch within Sling TV’s “Best of Live TV” package later this quarter. This is the first time that ESPN3 will be integrated directly within a pay-TV provider’s channel guide.
“By incorporating ESPN3 into our service, Sling TV continues to lead as the premier destination for watching live and on-demand sports without a traditional pay-TV subscription,” said Roger Lynch, CEO of Sling TV. “With thousands of live and on-demand events from ESPN3, combined with Sling TV’s next generation interface, it’s never been easier for fans to watch their favorite teams.”
ESPN3 brings “Best of Live TV” customers access to thousands of live and on-demand events, including college football, college basketball, NCAA Championships, tennis, soccer, cricket and more, all within the Sling TV app.
In addition to ESPN, ESPN2 and now, ESPN3 in the “Best of Live TV” package, customers can supplement their sports programming with the “Sports Extra” add-on pack for $5 more per month. For more on the “Sports Extra” offering, click here.
Access to the WatchESPN app and WatchESPN.com remains available at no additional cost to all “Best of Live TV” subscribers on computers, smartphones, tablets and connected devices.
Sling TV Lineup
Sling TV’s “Best of Live TV” includes more than 20 channels for $20 per month. The package delivers ESPN, ESPN2, AMC, A&E, TNT, HISTORY, H2, TBS, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, IFC, El Rey, Adult Swim, Cartoon Network, ABC Family (to become Freeform later this month), Disney Channel, CNN, Bloomberg TV, Lifetime and Galavisión. This package additionally features live access to WatchESPN, including ESPN3 and on-demand content. Customers can choose to customize their entertainment experience with the addition of HBO for $15 per month. Additional a la carte-like add-ons include “Sports Extra,” “Hollywood Extra,” “Kids Extra,” “Lifestyle Extra,” “World News Extra” and Spanish language add-ons, “Deportes Extras” and “Películas & Novelas Extra,” each for $5 per month. In addition to live channels and VOD entertainment, Sling TV customers have access to popular content from Maker Studios.
About Sling TV
Sling TV L.L.C., a subsidiary of DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH), provides over-the-top television services including domestic and international live and Video-On-Demand programming. It is available on televisions, tablets, computers and smartphones. The Sling TV programming portfolio includes content from Disney/ESPN, HBO, AMC, A&E, Turner, Scripps, EPIX, Univision and Maker Studios. Sling Latino offers a suite of standalone and add-on Spanish-language programming packages tailored to English-dominant, bilingual and Spanish-dominant U.S. households. Sling International currently provides more than 200 channels in 18 languages across multiple devices to U.S. households. Sling TV is a next-generation service that meets the entertainment needs of today’s contemporary viewers. Visit www.Sling.com.
Follow @Sling on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/Sling #TakeBackTV
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