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Dish Net's Sling TV Debuts, But ESPN Experience Lacks Basic Functionality Traits

Dish Network this week launched its Sling TV over-the-top network, and a number of media outlets offered reviews of the product, and in particular, ESPN's channel. ENGADGET's Richard Lawler wrote Sling's ESPN service was "like old-school, pre-2000 analog TV." Lawler: "You can forget about stuff like Start Over. It's like staying in a hotel or sitting in a waiting room and suddenly remembering you can't skip back to watch the highlight play that just happened, except here, you're specifically paying a monthly fee with the expectation that you can do just that." Sunday's Pro Bowl also was not available on Sling on mobile devices, as the NFL "has an exclusive deal for phones that Sling TV can't get around." WatchESPN users "suffered the same block for the same reason" (ENGADGET.com, 1/26). In Denver, Tamara Chuang wrote Dish makes "no bones about it that ESPN is Sling TV's raison d'être." When viewers "open the app, it defaults to ESPN." And at the top menu, the top category is "sports and not in alphabetical order" (DENVER POST, 1/27). THE VERGE's Chris Welch wrote ESPN is "obviously the standout, and it can't be overlooked." If a viewer is someone who "rarely watches anything beyond live sports, Sling may give you a way to save some money versus paying Comcast, Time Warner, or Dish" (THEVERGE.com, 1/26).

NOT THERE YET: In L.A., Jon Healey wrote if you are "looking for a streaming video service that's a perfect substitute for cable or satellite TV, Sling TV isn't it." Healey: "The streaming quality on the phone was quite good, provided I had a 3G or 4G connection. When I tuned to a college basketball game on ESPN while riding the train, the picture was pixellated briefly before settling into a crisp image." But if smartphone blackouts "are routine for major events, that could prove problematic for consumers who like to watch TV on the go" (L.A. TIMES, 1/26). FAST COMPANY's Harry McCracken noted channels like ESPN and ESPN2 "don't even let you press pause." For anyone who has "watched TV in the era of DVRs and streaming services," Sling TV "feels rather inflexible" (FASTCOMPANY.com, 1/26). Dish Net Exec VP/Advanced Technologies Roger Lynch said that the limited pause and rewind function for ESPN is "unlikely to change" (RECODE.net, 1/26). 

LAGGING BEHIND? CONSUMER REPORTS' Glenn Derene wrote the "most striking difference" between cable and Sling "was one of latency." Side by side, Sling TV "was running one to two minutes behind the programming on Optimum cable." The delay raises the "curious possibility that while you're watching a big basketball game on ESPN you could hear raucous cheering from your neighbors’ house only to discover -- two minutes later -- that the fuss was about a mind-blowing, buzzer-beating, game-winning three-pointer" (CONSUMERREPORTS.org, 1/26). VOX' Todd VanDerWerff wrote Sling is "caught in a middle ground between the cable model and the online streaming model, able to borrow some good things from both but also hampered by not having the chief advantages of either." Sling also "struggles to recover from hiccups with connections." That is "particularly not ideal in places with slower data connections for smartphones" (VOX.com, 1/26). RE/CODE's Peter Kafka wrote the stream is "just fine -- but better on smaller screens." Sling also "will stream to most laptops, tablets and phones," but "getting it on your TV will require some hardware." Sling is available on Roku and Amazon Fire, and though Lynch said that viewers "should theoretically be able to use Apple TV’s Airplay mirroring feature ... he doesn’t recommend it" (RECODE.net, 1/26).

NOT CUTTING JUST YET: The AP's Anick Jesdanun wrote ESPN alone "won’t satisfy many sports fans." Sling "will have March Madness basketball on TNT and TBS, but not TruTV and CBS." The "weakest part" of Sling is that there is "no ability to record shows" (AP, 1/26). BUSINESS INSIDER's Jay Yarow wrote Sling is "very much a first-version product." On a big-screen TV, the picture "is not as good as that of the crisp HD picture" from Verizon FiOS (BUSINESSINSIDER.com, 1/26). MASHABLE's Raymond Wong noted viewers "can only watch Sling TV on one device at a time." Wong: "If you're a single bachelor (or bachelorette) that's A-okay, but for families ... it's a serious blow" (MASHABLE.com, 1/26). USA TODAY's Mike Snider wrote Sling is "easy to use," and its interface is "very intuitive and easy to surf." The Sling app can be downloaded "onto your device whether it's an Android or iOS tablet or a Net TV device such as an Amazon Fire or Roku device connected to your TV or Xbox One video game system." Some smart TVs from LG and Samsung "also will have the app." The video quality on ESPN "doesn't match the quality I get on Verizon FiOS TV, but it is certainly watchable" (USATODAY.com, 1/26). TECH CRUNCH's Ryan Lawler noted the iOS app for Sling "generally works as promised" (TECHCRUNCH.com, 1/26). 

WHAT'S NEXT? In S.F., Benny Evangelista noted Sling "does plan to add another tier of sports networks, but hasn’t said what that will include." Given Dish’s "deals with Disney, one can surmise it might come with the SEC Network." But it is "unclear whether Sling can offer" Comcast’s RSNs. Comcast, which "makes big bucks selling cable TV service, would not have an incentive to offer its regional sports to a rival" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 1/27). 

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