Without going into a lot of excruciating detail, a blackout is when a sports event is not allowed to be carried by certain broadcasters. When a blackout prevents fans from seeing a game, the end result is likely to be a lot of unhappy fans. Blackout rules seem to vary from sport to sport, and the idea behind them appears to be getting fans into the venues to see the games or to honor commitments with certain broadcasters who have an arrangement to carry specific games exclusively.

A partial solution for some NFL Football fans may be the “NFL RedZone” channel. A recent addition to DISH Network’s programming line-up, RedZone is described on its official site as follows: “Watching football on Sunday afternoons changed forever with NFL RedZone, brought to you by NFL Network. Every Sunday afternoon during the season, NFL RedZone takes fans from game to game to see all the key moments, live as they happen on the field, in HD. Catch all the key plays, from all the teams, and all the star players on NFL RedZone.”

According to a recent article in the North County Times, football fans were able to catch some of the action from a game on RedZone that had been blacked out in some areas. The game featured the San Diego Chargers Vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars and was described as a "dizzying affair of fumbles, interceptions, blocked punts and, of course, touchdowns,” which probably made RedZone viewers in the blacked out areas quite happy to catch the major plays, and viewers without RedZone seeing a different kind of red.

According to the article, NFL RedZone, “…delivered on its promise of showing every touchdown. But it also showed every momentum switch, every turnover.”

For the hardcore football fan, NFL RedZone not only offers plenty of the best action the NFL has to offer, but also a chance to catch some of the game that would have otherwise been totally off-limits due to a blackout.

California Newspaper Gives NFL RedZone High Marks

From June 25th to June 28th DISH Network subscribers will be able to watch three HBO channels for free, even if they are not subscribed to those channels.

Channels 303, 304 and 305 will all be free during this period.

These free weekend promotions are a great way to find out if some of DISH’s premium channels are something you would like to have access to on an on-going basis – a sort of “test drive” for the programming available on various premium channels.

HBO, or “Home Box Office” started out showing movies but has since moved into developing their own successful series-oriented programming as well. Perhaps the best-known HBO series was the very popular Sopranos.

Free Weekend of HBO on DISH Network

DISH Network has joined in on the fun by launching a new channel devoted entirely to the 2010 FIFA WorldCup South Africa. With baseball, football and basketball still being more popular here in the United States, the new channel is focused on Spanish-language viewers. Soccer is very popular in many South American countries, and many Spanish-language consumers here in the U.S. are likely to be very interested in the WorldCup games.

On DISH Network channel 826, The Univision FIFA World Cup Channel is online now, but is available only to DishLATINO customers. What’s unique about the new channel is that it also provides viewers access to Univision recaps, highlights and primetime replays of the best, most exciting games from the previous day.

Senior VP of Programming for DISH, Dave Shull said: “The Univision FIFA World Cup(TM) Channel, combined with Univision, TeleFutura and Galavision in high definition, offers our DishLATINO customers unprecedented access to the best the World Cup has to offer. We’re proud to partner with Univision to deliver more World Cup coverage than any other pay-TV provider in the country.”

Currently,the Univision FIFA World Cup Channel is free to all DishLATINO and DishMEXICO subscribers. Customers who subscribe to DishLATINO Dos or higher can also take advantage of DISH Network’s “HD Free for Life” promotion. For more information on DishLATINO’s exclusive WorldCup coverage, see the DISH Network Packages page.

New Spanish ‘All WorldCup, All The Time’ Channel on DISH Network

Jus One is now showing on channel 581, and carries religious programming, which encompasses a variety of religions that are prominent in  India. Programming is offered for  Hindus, Indian-Christians, Sikhs, Jains, and Buddhists.

Included are programs that include daily religious hymns, discourses, prayers, educational features, yoga and live call-in programs.

Jus One is available to DISH Network subscribers for $19.99 per month as part of the Punjabi Pack, which consists of five Punjabi channels. Subscribers can also opt to receive the new channel for $9.99 per month if ordered separately.

Jus One Channel Comes To DISH Network

FOX UP can be found at channel 35 or 6523, which probably depends on which satellite their system is set up to receive programming from.

A 10:00 p.m. news broadcast appears on FOX UP during the week, but the station also carries FOX prime time shows, NFL football games and syndicated programming such as “Two and a Half Men,” My Name is Earl” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”

Comments from WLUC President and CEO Rob Jamros welcome the addition of FOX UP to DISH Network’s offerings. “It means our viewers can get the news, entertainment and information they need in parts of Upper Michigan  that can’t receive us over the air,” he said.

FOX UP New Available on DISH Network

Personally, I’ve never watched the Versus channel and don’t anticipate doing so anytime soon. A quick glance at their official website makes it  appear to be more team-sports oriented than “outdoorsy” programming like hunting and fishing, although the website does include information about that kind of programming that the channel carries.

Regardless of my viewing habits, there are probably a great many DISH Network subscribers who will enjoy this opportunity to check out the Versus channel for free.

Apparently, DISH Network’s chief rival, DirecTV is not getting along too well with the folks that run the Versus channel, and it was recently dropped from their programming line-up. DISH Network has seized this opportunity to lure some DirecTV customers with a free offer. It appears to be a good move on DISH Network’s part, but it will probably be a while before they are able to gauge the effect on their subscriber numbers.

DISH Network Offers Free Versus After DirecTV Drops It

The NFL RedZone channel starts broadcasting on September 13th and sounds pretty much like a football fanatics dream come true. It is described as follows:

“NFL RedZone, produced by NFL Network, whips around every NFL game on Sunday afternoons delivering touchdowns and the most exciting moments live and in high definition. When a team goes inside the 20-yard line, known as the "red zone," fans see the crucial plays as they happen. The channel keeps fans up-to-date in real time, switching from game to game with live look-ins, highlights and a chance to see every important play.”

It sounds like the perfect content for the football fan who likes to follow more than one game at a time.

The new channel will be available on DISH Network in both standard and high definition and is part of the Multi-Sport Package, which is said to be available for the majority of DISH Network subscribers for $5.99 a month.

DISH Network Signs on For The NFL RedZone Channel

In addition TeleAmazonas offers news programs which include "24 Horas" and "Hora 7, and a number of variety-oriented programs like "La  Noche Con Pimental" and  "La Plena.”

TeleAmazonas is going to be available in the DishLATINO basic programming package and some of the other higher tier packages.

"We are thrilled to provide TeleAmazonas to our DishLATINO customers, giving them access to some of the best Ecuadorian programming — including the most popular soccer matches," said Eric Sahl, senior vice president of Programming for DISH Network Corporation. "Nowhere else will consumers find the high-quality Ecuadorian programming content TeleAmazonas offers."

DISH Network customers with eligible programming packages can view TeleAmazonas on channel 842.

DISH Network Is Exclusive Provider For TeleAmazonas