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Sling TV adds personalized recommendations, starting on Apple TV
Sling TV is introducing an arguably overdue feature for insatiable viewers: personalized recommendations. As of January 17th, Apple TV users will receive custom-tailored suggestions for live and on-demand programs, whether it's a channel, a movie or a sports match. You can find it in the My TV section in a carousel alongside favorites.
AT&T, Dish point fingers after HBO blackout
It's been less than six months since HBO (and the rest of what is now called WarnerMedia) joined AT&T, and now we have our first bonafide carriage dispute. Both AT&T and Dish blamed the other for HBO and Cinemax going dark on the Dish Network and Sling TV services, in the first such tiff of HBO's 40-year history.
Sling TV adds à la carte channels, free shows and a rate hike
Sling TV pitches itself as a service for cord cutters, but there's always been one holdover: you've had to subscribe to a bundle of channels you don't necessarily want. Today, though, even that requirement is going away. Sling has introduced a new "experience" that offers access to some content without a bundle-based subscription. There are now certain channels and services available à la carte, for starters. You can subscribe to services like Showtime ($10 per month), CuriosityStream ($6) and the NBA League Pass ($29) on their own. The variety is rather low with just eight channels available so far, but Sling promises more in the months ahead.
Dish is bringing Netflix to more hotel rooms
Dish Network began offering hotel entertainment in 2017 with an Android TV-powered box that let guests stream and watch live television in the comfort of their own hotel room. YouTube and Sling TV were supported via built-in Chromecast, but Netflix was noticeably missing. Now Dish has Netflix, and will integrate the streaming content into its Evolve system in the coming months.
Sling TV touts 2.2 million subscribers as cord cutting continues
With how popular cord-cutting is, you'd think more services would be keen to share their subscriber stats. Dish pulled back the curtain today and revealed that its Sling TV service has some 2.2 million folks paying for the service. That's compared to just over 11 million Dish satellite customers. Those numbers don't mean a ton on their own, but when you compare them to AT&T's DirecTV Now numbers you can get a sense of where each are at. Last October, the telco reported that its streaming service had 787,000 subscribers. Of course, Sling TV has been around around a year longer, so that's to be expected.
CBS TV channels are back on Dish
Following an intentional three-day blackout, CBS channels are available once again for Dish customers, as the two companies have reached an agreement in a financial dispute. CBS and Dish have been feuding for months: CBS wanted Dish to pay higher fees to retransmit its content, and the carrier refused, arguing CBS was attempting to "tax" its customers amid declining viewership. On November 21st, CBS pulled 28 of its channels from 18 major markets serviced by Dish. Today, those channels are being restored and the companies have signed a multi-year carriage agreement, the terms of which have not been disclosed.
Alexa can control all the Dish TVs in your home
Dish has been cozying up with Amazon of late. The Pay TV provider already offers an Echo Dot to new customers, which lets you control its Hopper DVR or Wally with your voice. And, now you can do the same with all the Joey-enabled TVs in your home as well. As long as you have one of Amazon's smart speakers in earshot, you'll be able to bark orders at your extra television sets, which is great for when you want to pause and resume the action between rooms. And, if you seek to rule the TV in the kid's bedroom.
Sling TV adds pay-per-view events starting with UFC 214
SlingTV is taking another step toward replicating the traditional pay-TV experience: Offering pay-per-view events. If you're impatient, know that it starts this weekend with UFC 214, so you won't have too long to wait before testing it out for yourself.
Dish knows hotel TV sucks and it wants to help
Checking into a hotel can be like moving back in time, at least when it comes to media. We're all used to using our own devices to watch television and movies, stream music and play games, but many hotels still cling to their cable-style in-room TV systems that we basically bypass to use our own entertainment. Satellite internet and television provider Dish wants to change all that with a new system for hotels called Evolve. It's a 4K-capable box powered by Android TV that sits behind your room's monitor that you can stream to as well as watch live TV in HD.
Amazon opens Alexa voice control to all video streaming services
Alexa is about to be even more useful when it comes to your entertainment needs. Simple voice commands already let you navigate apps like Netflix, but tools to incorporate those types of commands are now available to any TV company, streaming service and other content providers.
Sling TV's $5 Cloud DVR arrives on Android and Roku
Sling TV's Cloud DVR feature is slowly becoming available for more subscribers. Now folks who use Android and Roku devices to stream live TV can pay $5 extra a month to store 50 hours of video on Sling's servers for anywhere/anytime viewing -- half as many hours that beta testers had access to in November. Of course, the Cloud DVR tools (like rewinding and skipping commercials) aren't available across every channel, which puts a damper on having them in the first place. And it even calls the entire feature's name into question, to be honest.
Samsung is using Dish Network techs to fix washing machines
Samsung recalled nearly three million top-loading washing machines last year after reports they were exploding. It gave customers the option of having their appliances fixed by a certified technician. Now, it's making good on that promise -- sort of. According to a report by Consumerist, it's sending out Dish Network techs to make the repairs.
Dish brings Alexa and multi-room music to Hopper DVRs
Until recently, the world of voice-controlled computing, nay, voice-controlled living, seemed like it was still a few years away from becoming mainstream. Amazon's Alexa platform, however, has made it easy for companies to bolt on the technology to their existing products. Case in point: Dish has announced that you'll soon be able to pair your Hopper DVR with the Amazon Echo or Echo Dot in order to change channels just by speaking.
Sling TV accidentally reveals its set-top box for cord cutters
The Sling TV team has inadvertently spilled the beans on its previously leaked media hub for cord cutters. Zatz Not Funny discovered a briefly available landing website for the AirTV Player, and it's clearer than ever that Sling (read: Dish) is catering to those determined to leave cable and satellite behind. The set-top box will revolve around a home screen that merges over-the-air TV tuning with not only Sling TV, but Netflix -- you won't have to jump between apps or devices to watch both your local news and the latest season of Black Mirror. And since this is an Android device (notice the "G" button on the remote), there's a good chance that other online services will be available as well.
Sling TV is joining Comcast's X1 cable platform
Sling TV's over the top internet service is about to arrive in an unusual landing spot: Comcast's cable boxes. The two companies just announced a partnership that will put the IPTV service on the X1 platform in the future, with 425+ channels including a number of multicultural offerings. According to the release, all Sling TV packages will be available on X1, with pricing consistent with other platforms. There's no word yet on exactly when the two will come together, but Netflix went from beta to fully available in just a couple of months, so that could bode well for the pairing.
Dish helps you follow out-of-town NBA teams
It's tough being a San Antonio Spurs fan living in New York City, since I can only watch games shown on national TV. With NBA Team Pass, though, that's not a problem. And starting today, Dish is making it available to its subscribers for $119 per season, becoming the first pay-TV provider to do so. Up until now, Team Pass was only available as an online streaming service, but you should note that out-of-market blackout restrictions still apply with Dish's offering.
Dish and Sling TV cut a deal for NFL Network streams
That didn't last long. On the heels of Dish Network deal with the NFL expiring, the company has announced that Sling TV (owned by Dish, of course) will have the NFL Network and NFL RedZone available for the 2016 season. Neither the streaming service or the NFL have said anything about pricing yet, but those details will shore up soon. It's part of a bigger deal with Dish, as well, with the aforementioned channels coming back to Dish's satellite customers as well.
Watch the Olympics in 4K Ultra HD on Comcast, DirecTV or Dish
The 2016 Summer Olympic Games are almost here, and despite the issues present in Rio, watching from home should be better than ever. If you're in need of something else to display on your brand new Ultra HD television then we have good news -- NBC will have 4K, HDR footage with Atmos surround sound available that's actually downsampled from 8K (which you can see for yourself, if you live in Japan). The only problem? Not every TV provider will be pushing it to viewers, and it will be on 24-hour tape delay.
Dish drops NFL channels after deal expires
Tribune stations went dark on Dish Network earlier this week, making it difficult for some customers to watch the NBA and NHL championship matchups. The TV provider is dealing with another sports-related dispute too, and this time it's with the NFL. Dish subscribers won't be privy to the league-owned NFL Network and NFL RedZone for the time being as contract negotiations stalled before the previous deal expired last night. The NFL pointed out that this is the first time a television provider has blacked out its channels and set up a website to let eager football fans in on other options for watching its content.
Sling TV debuts its new look on Apple TV
Apple's TV box is getting more internet TV friendly with the addition of Sling TV, but that's not the end of the announcements today. Apple TV will be the first platform with Sling's new "content-centric" UI. A big addition is the "My TV" section, which lets users pick favorite channels or easily resume watching a particular show, as well as other overall improvements. Sling's deal with Apple also means it will let subscribers buy a 32GB Apple TV for $89 -- if they prepay for three months of Sling's $20/month service. It's an odd way to build in what amounts to three free months of Sling, but that's what it will be when it goes live here.