DISH Network Information And Offers

DISH continues to offer free preview channels to subscribers, giving them an opportunity to check out channels that are not part of their programming package.

This month, the following channels are available to all DISH Network subscribers. DISH has been offering pretty generous free previews in recent months, with many of them lasting for the entire month. Some free previews are significantly shorter with some being offered just for a weekend.

The following are the free preview channels available during the month of February along with the dates that each free preview channel is available.

WE tv: February 2 – 28

GSN (Game Show Network): February 2 – 28 (available in high definition)

NHL Center Ice: February 13 – 19

The Military Channel: February 2 – 28

The Travel Channel: February 2 – 28 (available in high definition)

Existing customers should contact DISH Network if they want to upgrade their programming package.

In a move that will boost DISH Network’s leading role as the international programming provider to beat, the satellite broadcaster has launched two new South Asian channels that will enhance their South Asian programming choices.

NDTV 24×7 and NDTV Good Times boost DISH Network’s South Asian channels to more than 80. DISH Network is currently the only national pay-TV provider that is offering these channels to the viewing public.

NDTV 24×7 is the known as the flagship English language channel from NDTV. The channel offers 24-hour news coverage, information and entertainment content from India as well as sports and entertainment programming. Some of the channel’s most-watched programs include The Big Fight, Walk the Talk and We the People.

NDTV Good Times is the first travel and lifestyle channel that’s focused on the Indian and South Asian culture with programming that features food, health, shopping, travel and more. Some of NDTV Good Times most popular programming includes Band Baajaa Bride, Highway On My Plate and The Big Fat Indian Wedding.

"We are pleased to add a premiere South Asian news channel like NDTV 24×7 and the new entertainment channel NDTV Good Times for our customers interested in Indian programming," said Chris Kuelling, vice president of International Programming at DISH. "DISH is a leader in delivering TV channels from across India to those in the U.S. seeking news, sports and entertainment from their home country. The addition of these channels shows our continued commitment to serve the South Asian community."

NDTV Good Times is available as part of DISH Network’s Hindi Mega and Masti packs. NDTV 24×7 is included in the Hindi Mega Pack, English News Pack and DISH International Basic Package.

NDTV (New Delhi Television) is a pioneer in news coverage in India and is the most watched and most respected news network in India. NDTV programs such as The World This Week, The News Tonight and India’s first 24-hour news channel Star News.

The broadcaster has 23 offices and studios across India that utilize India’s most modern, cutting-edge production, news gathering and archiving capabilities with award-winning production and creative teams.

The first 24-hour French language children’s channel has been launched on DISH Network. Tivi5MONDE is available as part of the French Bouquet programming package which is priced at $19.99 per month and also includes TV5MONDE USA, America’s 24-hour French language entertainment channel.

Tivi5MONDE provides the best of French-language programming content which includes animation, education and dramas for tweens and young teenagers.The channel’s programming content is intended to apples to kids aged between 4 and 14 years old.

Marie-Christine Saragosse, General Manager of TV5MONDE said, "We are very pleased to launch this new channel with our long-time partners at DISH Network and to expand the TV5MONDE brand in the U.S. We anticipate Tivi5MONDE driving interest among young American Francophones and Francophiles while further promoting French-culture and language in the states."

Tivi5MONDE will start out offering programming that includes Chasseurs De Dragons, Galactik Football, Les Daltons and Marsupilami.

TV5MONDE is the only digital, world-wide French-language network, broadcasting 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to more than 220 million homes in 200 countries, making it the leading general entertainment television network in the world in terms of subscribers. In the United States.

DISH Network continues to cement their lead as the top provider of international programming with the addition of this new French-language channel. Although I do not have any specific information about more new programming being planned by DISH, I suspect we’ll see the company continue to expand on its already-impressive line-up of international programming.

Rural Media Group is preparing to launch a brand-new channel called RuralTV. Already well-known for their RFD-TV channel, Rural Media Group will launch RuralTV on DISH Network during February according to channel’s Facebook page.

With satellite television’s popularity among rural viewers, the decision to launch RuralTV on DISH Network makes sense. There are still rural areas in America where cable TV and other land-based services such as fiber optics are not available, making satellite service an excellent choice for many rural residents.

RuralTV is described as a “new rural business and lifestyle channel,” and will feature programming that includes news, daily market coverage that targets the business and policy issues of rural America. The new channel will also include equine programming, country music and entertainment programs, livestock auctions, rural events and international features.

Rural Media Group’s existing channel, RFD-TV is currently distributed to approximately 41 million homes and provides rural-focused programming 24 hours a day. RFD-TV is available on numerous pay-TV services such as DISH Network, DirecTV, Comcast, Verizon FiOS, Mediacom, Charter Cable, Optimum, Brighthouse, Suddenlink, Time Warner Cable, Cox Cable, and more than 600 independent rural cable systems.

In addition to programming produced for U.S. viewers, Rural Media Group also distributes programming to an international audience including viewers in Germany, Holland, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

A recent study conducted by TiVo reached a conclusion that does not surprise me at all. They found that DVR users watch more recorded programs compared to what they watch “live” (real time). The numbers conclude that DVR users watch recorded programming 62 percent of the time compared to only 38 percent of the time for “live” programming.

I’m a pretty hardcore DVR user so I would not hesitate to estimate that around 90 percent of what I watch is recorded. I do watch some ‘live’ TV but often get frustrated with the number of commercials that one has to endure when watching TV in real time. I guess it’s easy to get spoiled by the ability to “zap” through 90 seconds or so of commercials by pressing a button a few times.

There’s also the time shift factor. Having my DVR set up to record my favorite programs gives me the convenience of watching them when I want to watch them. Another benefit is that I hardly ever miss my favorite programs due to something unexpected that comes up such as a phone call or someone stopping by for a visit.

Since my wife and I don’t have a whole lot in common when it comes to television entertainment, the DVR also solves problems when there are conflicts regarding which program will be watched. Since our DISH Network ViP 622 DVR allows us to watch one program while recording another one at the same time, we both get to see the programs we want.

I suppose I’ve reached the point where I have a hard time thinking about watching TV without the benefit of a DVR. As I’ve said before, if you’re thinking of signing up for DISH Network I highly recommend getting a DVR if your budget allows. It will change the way you watch TV for the better.

DISH Network has recently announced an agreement with Univision which will result in the addition of new Spanish language programming available to DISH subscribers.

Univision, the leading provider of television programming for Hispanic Americans has entered into a multi-year agreement with DISH to provide expanded programming that is set to be introduced during the first half of 2012.

These additions will include new channels from Univision which include Univision Deportes, Univision tlnovelas, Univision Noticias. DISH will also offer exclusive access to Univision Deportes Dos.

Also included are Univision networks including the Univision Network, TeleFutura, Galavision as well as six TV channel offerings: Bandamax, Clásico TV, De Película, De Película Clásico, , Ritmoson and Telehit.

In addition to the new networks and channels, DISH Network’s Blockbuster @Home service will be offering thousands of hours of novelas and Spanish-language movies that will be available on-demand, allowing subscribers to watch their selections whenever they want.

"We are pleased to have reached an innovative deal with Univision for their newest channels and their primetime novelas on demand," said Dave Shull, senior vice president of Programming, DISH. "DISH is the leading provider of Latino content in the United States. This deal for exclusive linear and VOD content from Univision provides our customers with the broadest selection of top quality Spanish-language content."

This new agreement represents Univision’s first authentication partnership with a pay-TV provider, giving DISH subscribers access to Univision’s impressive offering of current prime time and library content.

This new agreement. makes DISH Network the best pay-TV choice for Hispanic viewers. DISH Network has long been the leader in international programming and this new agreement should further strengthen their position in that arena.

Having enjoyed the benefits of broadband internet for the last ten years or so, it’s hard to imagine going back to the days of dial-up internet. We had lived here about three years before broadband internet was was available and relying on dial-up while most of my friends and relatives has broadband was a bit frustrating.

Even these days, when it seems like just about everyone I know has access to broadband internet, there are still a lot of people who don’t have access to it. Many of these folks are in rural areas where it might not make sense for the broadband providers to offer service due to the poor return on the investment that would be required to install the required cables or fiber optic lines.

Although internet via satellite has been available for a while now, the technology and speed is being improved upon to bring subscribers a better experience. DISH Network has joined forced with ViaSat to offer a brand-new bundled service that includes DISH Network satellite television and next-generation satellite broadband service.

Beginning in February, the new bundles will be available to subscribers starting at $79.98 and will feature up to 12 Mbps download and 3 Mbps internet upload speeds, around-the-clock telephone technical support at no additional charge and installation starting at $99.00.

"This is one more example of DISH meeting the needs of consumers," according to DISH CEO Joe Clayton. "The market potential for this new Internet service is substantial given the nearly eight million to 10 million mostly rural American households that are unserved and millions more left with slower broadband alternatives."

Bundling satellite TV and broadband internet service simplifies things for subscribers since they can enjoy both services with the convenience of a single installer, one customer service organization as well as a single bill.

The newly renamed Blockbuster @Home service from DISH Network (formerly called Blockbuster Movie Pass) now offers more on-demand programming for children.

DISH Network announced that more than 3,000 new titles have been made available that are suitable for younger viewers. The new titles are intended for the three to thirteen-year-old age group. Expanding their offering of entertainment choices for the whole family appears to be an important priority for DISH.

Included among the new programs available as part of this expansion are offerings from Cookie Jar, Lions Gate Films, Scholastic Media and Vivendi Entertainment.

Some of the programs now available to Blockbuster @Home subscribers include Goosebumps, Heathcliff, I Spy, Inspector Gadget, Madeline, Strawberry Shortcake and Veggie Tales.

The Blockbuster brand is known for two things: family and movies and now we offer our customers more of both," said Dave Shull, senior vice president of Programming, DISH. "Our kid’s programming expansion provides families an even bigger selection of shows that are exciting and educational.

Although access to these on-demand titles usually requires a broadband-connected HD DVR, a new feature called “DISH Unplugged” will be available on the soon-to-be-released Hopper whole-home HD DVR system which will make many of these titles available directly from DISH Network satellites with no broadband internet connection required and no buffering to interrupt viewing.

To access Blockbuster @Home or other DISH Network on-demand titles, a DISH HD DVR ViP 612, ViP 622, ViP 722, ViP 722k or Hopper whole-home HD DVR system is required.

On-demand programming is where cable TV providers have had an advantage over satellite TV providers for a long time. That may be changing. DISH Network has recently announced new on-demand features that will give subscribers on-demand access to HBO programming.

DISH subscribers with select broadband-connected HD DVRs who have HBO or Cinemax included as part of their programming package will soon have the ability to access a new and improved version of HBO On Demand and Cinemax On Demand. This will enable them to choose from HBO’s impressive selection of on-demand programming.

Nearly every episode of HBO favorites such as Boardwalk Empire, Deadwood, Game of Thrones, True Blood and The Sopranos will be available to watch at a time of the subscriber’s choosing. Hit movies, sporting events, documentaries and comedy specials will also be available.

Due to the technology used to transmit television programming to satellite subscribers, on-demand programming has presented a challenge for satellite providers. With the ability to connect DISH Network systems to the internet, DISH was able to significantly improve their on-demand offerings. However, subscribers lacking broadband internet service were not able to take advantage of the new on-demand content.

The announcement of “DISH Unplugged” changes that by making hundreds of HBO TV shows and movies available to subscribers who have the forthcoming Hopper whole-home DVR system and do not have the system connected to the internet. Available on-demand programming will be delivered direct from the satellite without buffering. Programming available via “DISH Unplugged” will be updated on a daily basis, giving subscribers access to the most up-to-date HBO programming content.

The Hopper is set for release sometime during the first quarter (January – March) of 2012.

DISH Network is clearly making moves to close the on-demand gap that has existed between cable and satellite providers for a long time. As a dedicated (some might say addicted!) DVR user myself, the increased availability of on-demand programming available from DISH is certainly a welcome development.

Tablet devices are becoming more popular by the day and it’s easy to see why. Although accessing the internet on an iPhone, Blackberry or other smart phone is also popular, those of us with vision not quite as sharp as it once was, the tablet makes a lot of sense due to the larger display.

I’ve surfed the web on an iPhone and iPod, I didn’t find it particularly easy due to their small size. Many people love using the internet via their phone, but for myself, I prefer a tablet.

DISH Network has improved it’s Remote Access app for the iPad, enabling access to thousands of streaming on-demand movies and television programs. DISH subscribers with subscriptions to the Blockbuster @Home package or select premium movie packages, including HBO and Cinemax, will now be able to watch popular movies, TV shows and other programming by way of the newly-updated DISH Remote Access app on their iPad.

Using the Remote Access app for the iPad requires users to have a DISH log-in ID and password, a iPad with broadband internet access. The Remote Access app for iPad is available for free download by DISH customers at Apple’s iTunes Store.

Watching live TV using the Remote Access app for iPad also requires a DISH HD DVR with a broadband connection and a DISH Sling Adapter.