There is no doubt that internet TV is changing the landscape. Major providers which were previously closed to the idea are now scrambling to get their own services up so that they can cater to cord cutters who would rather pay for a streaming service they can access through a variety of devices than pay for a conventional cable or satellite service. Dish today announced Sling TV, its new internet TV service, which costs $20 per month.
I should clarify here that Sling TV is a completely new service that Dish has developed on its own, it hasn’t partnered with the Sling Media or Slingbox, its just the naming choice that might make it seem like so. Dish could have chosen another brand to ensure that people didn’t get confused.
For $20 per month Sling TV will provide subscribers access to cable networks like CNN, Food Network, TBS, TNT, HGTV, Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, Adult Swim, ESPN and ESPN2. This is an enticing lineup, but sports fans take note, Dish has said that there might be some restrictions on content from ESPN on mobile devices owing to the deal this network has with Verizon, additional details about this will be provided further down the line.
The fact that subscribers don’t have to sign a contract is what will attract cord cutters and millennials, who can simply pay for the subscription one month, and decide not to the very next month. Sling TV can be accessed from a variety of devices like Android and iOS smartphones and tablets, set-top boxes, PC and Mac through a web browser. There’s even support for Nexus Player, LG Smart TVs, and the Xbox One.
Those who want additional content can pay $5 per month extra on top of the $20 subscription fee for “genre packages,” only two have been announced so far, Kids and News. Viewers won’t be spared the commercials so do keep that in mind, don’t expect that paying extra will get you an ad-free experience.
Even though Dish has formally unveiled Sling TV it hasn’t said as yet when this service will be launched, it will obviously be limited to subscribers in the U.S. for now.
Filed in . Read more about CES, CES 2015 and Dish. Source: theverge