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Sling TV

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Sling TV LLC
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryPay television
FoundedJanuary 5, 2015 (2015-01-05)
Area served
United States
ParentDish Network
Websitewww.sling.com

Sling TV is an American over-the-top internet television service that is owned by the Sling TV LLC subsidiary of Dish Network. Unveiled on January 5, 2015, at the Consumer Electronics Show, the service aims to complement subscription video on demand services for cord cutters, offering a selection of major cable channels that can be streamed through smart TVs, digital media players and apps.[1][2]

Sling TV is led by CEO Roger Lynch, who formerly served as the executive vice president of advanced technologies for Dish Network. The service's precursor, the ethnic television service DishWorld, was also brought under the auspices of Sling TV LLC and was rebranded as Sling International.[3] Sling TV officially launched on February 9, 2015, after offering the service on an invitation basis in January of that year. As of February 2016, the service has approximately 600,000 subscribers.[4]

History

Dish Network began to trial over-the-top ("OTT") internet TV in 2012 with the launch of DishWorld, a service providing access to over 50 ethnic and international television networks that was initially made available through an app for Roku digital media streamers.[5] In carriage deals struck during 2014 with companies such as A&E Networks, The Walt Disney Company and Scripps Networks Interactive, Dish Network began to acquire rights to distribute their networks as part of an over-the-top television service – a move that served as a stepping stone towards a mainstream OTT offering from the direct broadcast satellite provider.[6][7][8]

In November 2014, Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen explained that the company planned to launch its OTT service by the end of the year, and was aiming to have it cost around $30 per month. He explained: "the regular linear MVPD business is a mature business. You can't just go back every day and say 'I'm going to raise my rates to make my budget.' You have to figure out other revenue streams and get other people to pay for your product and watch more minutes of your product."[9]

The OTT service was officially unveiled as Sling TV on January 5, 2015 in a presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas;[10] the service is co-branded with the Sling brand owned by Dish Network's former parent Echostar, which also co-branded and provided placeshifting technology for the provider's Hopper with Sling multi-room DVR system. Dish did not provide any specific details on when the service would be launched, beyond "soon."[11][12] The DishWorld service will be absorbed into the Sling TV subsidiary and rebranded as Sling International, while there are also plans to launch a Sling Latino offering, an OTT service that would incorporate Spanish language networks, in the future.[13]

Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch explained that the service was designed to target the viewing habits of the 18–35 demographic, which he believed was being ignored by the traditional pay television industry (and is also represented by its slogan, "Take Back TV").[14] Lynch argued the service's approach required Dish to be selective in how it built the service's lineup, stating that "it would have been easy for us to do deals earlier on if we just agreed to say 'let’s just take these big pay TV packages and put them online.' We would have ended up with $60 or $70 bundles. We don't think that is the way to reach that demographic. We spent a lot of time working with programmers to make sure we had smaller bundles, lower costs and more flexibility." He also noted the importance of reaching a deal to include ESPN in the service, which he felt was a sign of validity for the provider.[14][15]

After an invitation-only beta, Sling TV officially launched on February 9, 2015. That same day, Sling announced a carriage deal with AMC Networks, allowing networks such as AMC, IFC, BBC America and SundanceTV to be included in the service as well.[16] On February 16, 2015, Sling TV announced an agreement to carry all four channels of Epix as a premium channel option to its customers.[17]

On April 1, 2015, as part of a wide-ranging deal between Dish Network and Time Warner that included the renewal of its carriage agreement for the Turner Broadcasting channels, Dish announced that it would add HBO to Sling TV as a premium channel add-on, which would include the primary linear channel (although excluding HBO's six multiplex channels) and on-demand programming content.[18][19][20] The premium channel was added to its service on April 9, 2015.

Sling TV debuted Sling Latino on June 4, 2015. The service features two Spanish-language packages, "Paquete Total" and "Paquete Esencial." Customers can purchase two additional add-on packs, "Colombia" and "España." This service does not require the purchase of the "Best of Live TV" package.[21]

Sling TV began offering a "Multi-Stream" package on April 13, 2016 that includes the FOX family of networks, including its regional sports networks. This was attained by dropping ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, and Freeform.[22]

Sling TV added FS2, FXX, Nat Geo Wild[23] and Viacom Media Networks[24] channels to the Multi-Stream package, as well as support for the Apple TV[25] on June 13, 2016.

Features and content

Sling TV is not designed to be a full substitute for a "traditional" pay television provider, but as a complement to subscription-based online services (such as Hulu and Netflix) and broadcast television.[26] Its base service costs US$20 per month, as opposed to the upwards of $60 to $90 (depending on the tier) that subscriptions to other pay television services cost; customers are not required to sign a contract after subscribing.[13]

Package Name Channels Price
Best of Live TV Adult Swim, A&E, AMC, Bloomberg, Cartoon Network, CNN, Comedy Central, Disney Channel, El Rey, ESPN, ESPN2, Flama, Food Network, Freeform, Galavisión, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Local Now by The Weather Channel, Maker, Newsy, Polaris TV, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, Univision, UniMas, Viceland $20
Best of Live TV-Multi-stream (Beta) Adult Swim, A&E, AMC, Bloomberg, Cartoon Network, CNN, Comedy Central, El Rey, Flama, Food Network, FOX On-Demand, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2, Fox Sports Networks, FX, FXX, Galavisión, HGTV, History, IFC, Lifetime, Local Now by The Weather Channel, Maker, National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo Wild, Newsy, Nick Jr., Polaris TV, TBS, TNT, Travel Channel, truTV, Univision, UniMas, Viceland $20
Sports Extra † beIN Sports, ESPN Bases Loaded, ESPN Buzzer Beater, ESPN Goal Line, ESPN News, ESPNU, Outside Television, SEC Network, Univision Deportes Network $5
Kids Extra BabyTV, Boomerang, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Ducktv, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, TeenNick $5
Hollywood Extra Epix, Epix 2, Epix 3, Epix Drive-In, SundanceTV, Turner Classic Movies $5
World News Extra Euronews, France 24, HLN, Fusion, NDTV, News 18 India, RT $5
Lifestyle Plus Extra BET, Cooking Channel, DIY Network, FYI, LMN, truTV, VH1, WE tv $5
Comedy Plus Extra CMT, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Spike, truTV, TV Land $5
Broadcast Extra † ABC, Univision, UniMas $5
Best of Spanish TV AZ Cinema, AZ Clic, AZ Corazón, Azteca, BabyTV, Bandamax, beIN Sports, beIN Sports en Español, Cbeebies, Cinelatino, Cine Sony, De Película, De Película Clásico, ESPN Deportes, FOROtv, NTN24, Pasiones, TeleFórmula, Telehit, TeLe-Romántica, UniMás, Univision, Univision Deportes Network, Univision tlnovelas $5
HBO HBO (live and on demand) $15
Cinemax Cinemax (live and on demand) $10

† Best of Live TV package only

Sling TV also features video on demand ("VOD") content, including catch-up programming from the channels carried on the service, and original content from Maker Studios – which includes the video gaming-oriented channel Polaris+.[13][16][27][28]

The service originally contained several limitations for contractual, economic, and technological reasons: only one stream could be used per-account, there is no DVR functionality beyond pausing and rewinding programming, and the service did not offer local broadcast television stations or regional sports networks.[29]

Lynch explained that including local stations and networks would increase the price of the service due to the high fees demanded by networks and station owners, but most cord cutters already have either an antenna or a subscription to a streaming service, such as Hulu, with which to view programming from the major broadcast networks.[13][27]

Sling TV can be streamed via a number of platforms: at launch, these included Android and iOS devices, Apple TV; OS X and Windows computers; LG and Samsung smart TVs; and Nexus Player, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Xbox One devices.[30] On January 5, 2016, Channel Master added Sling TV to their DVR+ product via a firmware update.[31]

Reception

Sling TV was named the CES 2015 "Best Home Theater Product", "Best Software/App", and "Best in Show" by Engadget, for its clear goal and pricing, its "intuitive, user-friendly and surprisingly well-done" interface, and the fact that the service "may very well be the beginning of the end for traditional pay TV" in the United States.[32]

Some broadcasters have been hesitant about over-the-top services such as Sling TV, showing concern that they may undermine their carriage deals with larger conventional cable, satellite and Internet TV providers. Time Warner initially noted that the carriage of its channels on the service was only for a "trial" basis, while both Time Warner's CEO Jeffrey Bewkes and an analyst from the firm Macquarie Capital claimed that current contract language in Dish's OTT carriage deals with the service's content distributors would cap the number of subscribers that the service is allowed to have at any given time to 5 million. Neither Dish Network or its content providers have confirmed any such cap.[14][15][33]

On April 4, 2015, some Sling TV users were affected by brief outages preventing them from streaming portions of TBS' coverage of an NCAA Final Four game between the Duke Blue Devils and Michigan State Spartans, prompting criticism over social media. On April 6, 2015, Sling TV said that the errors, which affected between 1,000 and 2,000 users, were the result of network server failures caused by high volumes of subscriber traffic (including by new users that signed up in time for the Final Four), explaining that "while the viewing experience was spot on for the vast majority our customers, we were able to rebalance traffic loads for those who were affected [through traffic redirection to a different network provider] and improve the experience for the remainder of the evening." Roger Lynch later stated that the service would limit future outages by upgrading its software to automatically switch from the main to a backup provider during spikes in streaming demand.[34][35][36]

In July 2015, Sling TV accused NBC Owned Television Stations, a division of the NBCUniversal unit of Comcast, of refusing to air advertising for the service on NBC owned-and-operated stations in major markets as a form of protectionism. CEO Roger Lynch stated that "Comcast has a demonstrated history of shutting down ideas it doesn’t like or understand, predictably to its benefit and at the expense of consumers."[37]

See also

References

  1. ^ Chris Welch (January 5, 2015). "This is Dish's Sling TV: an internet TV service that lets you stream ESPN for $20". The Verge. Vox Media.
  2. ^ Elyse Betters (January 9, 2015). "Dish Sling TV: What is it, and why is everyone talking about it?". Pocket-lint. Pocket-lint ltd.
  3. ^ "DSling TV Introduces Sling International; Launches Nearly 200 Channels in 18 Languages". April 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "Dish Network's Sling TV Has More Than 600,000 Subscribers". Retrieved February 19, 2016.
  5. ^ George Winslow. "DishWorld Launches on Roku". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  6. ^ Todd Spangler (September 16, 2014). "Dish Adds Food Network, HGTV and Other Scripps Cable Nets to Internet TV Lineup". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  7. ^ David Liebermann, Deadline.com (March 3, 2014). "Dish And Disney Finalize Output Deal That Ends Their Ad-Hopper Dispute". Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 4, 2014. {{cite news}}: Check |first= value (help)
  8. ^ Meg James (March 3, 2014). "Disney, Dish Network reach truce on ad-skipping AutoHop". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Publishing. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
  9. ^ Mike Farrell (November 4, 2014). "Dish OTT Targets $30 Price Point". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  10. ^ Joshua Brustein (January 5, 2015). "Dish's New Sling TV Service Could Free You From Cable". Bloomberg Businessweek. Bloomberg LP. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  11. ^ Pete Kafka (January 5, 2015). "You Can Finally Get ESPN on the Web, for $20 a Month". Re/code. Revere Digital LLC. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  12. ^ Will Greenwald (January 31, 2013). "Dish Network Hopper With Sling". PC Magazine. Ziff Davis. Retrieved January 5, 2014.
  13. ^ a b c d "Dish Unveils Internet Pay-TV Service, Sling TV, Starting at $20 per Month". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. January 5, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  14. ^ a b c Mike Farrell (January 13, 2015). "Dish Unveils Sling TV". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Jeff Berman (January 9, 2015). "Dish Network Doesn't Want Sling TV to Become Too Popular". TheStreet. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Todd Spangler (February 9, 2015). "Dish's Sling TV to Add AMC to $20 Monthly Internet Package, Launches Nationwide". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
  17. ^ Todd Spangler (February 16, 2015). "Dish Renews Epix Pact, Will Add Movie Channels to Sling TV Internet Service". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
  18. ^ Joe Flint; Shalini Ramachandran (April 1, 2015). "Turner and Dish Reach New Distribution Pact". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Retrieved April 6, 2015. (subscription required)
  19. ^ Chris Welch (April 1, 2015). "HBO is coming to Sling TV this month". The Verge. Vox Media. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  20. ^ "Cut the Cord with Sling TV now with HBO". BuzzMinds. April 18, 2015.
  21. ^ "Sling TV Streams Out 'Sling Latino' Service". Multichannel News. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  22. ^ http://www.theverge.com/2016/4/13/11420522/sling-tv-fox-channel-package-announced-no-disney-espn
  23. ^ "Beta Multi-stream update 2: Content from FXX, Nat Geo Wild and FS2 now available in BEST OF LIVE TV™ | Sling Blog". blog.sling.com. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  24. ^ "Sling TV adds Comedy Central, BET, Spike, MTV, Nick Jr., VH1 and more | Sling Blog". blog.sling.com. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  25. ^ "Sling TV now available on Apple TV | Sling Blog". blog.sling.com. Retrieved 2016-06-13.
  26. ^ George Winslow (May 23, 2012). "DishWorld Launches on Roku: Dish will offer more than 50 international channels on the Roku streaming platform". Broadcasting & Cable. NewBay Media. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  27. ^ a b "Why Dish's Sling TV Skinny Internet Bundle Isn't a Game-Changer". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. January 5, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  28. ^ Newman, Jared Newman (April 16, 2015). "Sling TV channel guide: All the programming, and all the restrictions, all in one chart". TechHive.
  29. ^ Geoff Baker (January 15, 2015). "Offering live sports online could harm league, team revenues". The Seattle Times. The Seattle Times Company. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  30. ^ Streaming of ESPN networks through WatchESPN is also offered to subscribers.
  31. ^ "DVR+ Software update - Support".
  32. ^ Mat Smith. "Presenting the Best of CES 2015 winners!". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  33. ^ David Murphy (April 5, 2015). "Report: Sling TV Subscriber Cap Revealed". PC Magazine. Ziff Davis. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  34. ^ Jeff Baumgartner (April 6, 2015). "Sling TV Struggles During Final Four". Multichannel News. NewBay Media. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  35. ^ "Sling TV Outage During Final Four Exposes Web Streaming Weakness". Advertising Age. Bloomberg News. April 6, 2015.
  36. ^ Victor Luckerson (April 6, 2015). "How March Madness Showed Streaming TV Isn't Perfect Yet". Time. Time Inc. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  37. ^ "Comcast's NBC refuses to air commercials for Sling TV". The Verge. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
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