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Las Vegas — Dish Networks, which has made headlines in recent months over contract disputes with high-profile content providers, is expected to draw attention back to its satellite-TV service by unveiling new products at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
CNET’s live blog of Dish Networks 2015 CES press conference
The third-largest US pay-TV service, Dish may introduce a new Internet TV service as it works to expand its audience beyond its 14 million subscribers. Dish is hosting a press conference at 11 a.m. PT on Monday, and I’ll be live blogging from the event at the Mandalay Bay hotel along with CNET’s David Carnoy and Sarah Tew, who will provide photography.
Dish has been setting the stage for months for its OTT (over-the-top) Internet TV service, the term used to describe video content that circumvents the typical set-top box to get on televisions via Internet delivery. Dish announced a deal in September with programmer Scripps Networks Interactive that includes the rights to stream channels like Travel and Food Network. In March, Dish reached a deal with Walt Disney Co., owner of networks including ABC and ESPN, to give it the right to stream video, live and on demand, as part of an Internet-delivered television service. Dish also secured the rights to A+E Networks channels like its namesake, Lifetime and History, in August.
The new service would make its debut as Dish copes with the third blackout on its system in recent months. Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network channels were blocked last month after negotiations for a new distribution deal broke down. Fox remains unavailable to Dish subscribers. CBS (the parent company of CBS Interactive, publisher of CNET) also briefly pulled its network from Dish’s service in early December before a new agreement was signed, and in October, Dish subscribers lost access to several Turner Broadcasting channels, including CNN and Cartoon Network, before the two reached a temporary accord in November.
