Sling TV is "adding ESPN3 to its base package, a first in the TV services industry," according to Janko Roettgers of VARIETY. ESPN previously "exclusively sold ESPN3 through partnerships with internet service providers." Sling wants to "add additional channels to both its base and add-on packages -- just don’t expect a broadcast package any time soon." The streaming service "offers live programming from 23 channels as part of its base package, and a total of 65 channels if you count all available add-on packages." Meanwhile, Sling yesterday "unveiled a new user interface" at CES in Las Vegas that "puts a much bigger emphasis on on-demand content, making it easier to discover movies and TV show episodes without the traditional TV guide grid." Sling launched at CES a year ago (VARIETY.com, 1/5). ESPN3 will be added to Sling's $20 per month “Best of Live TV” package that is aimed heavily at cord-cutters and cord-nevers (Eric Fisher, Staff Writer). The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Natalie Jarvey noted Sling TV's presentation yesterday was "heavy on details about the content it offers and the types of people who are subscribing, but it did not include an update about the number of people who have signed up for the service" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 1/5).
BELLY UP TO THE NEW BAR: Dish Network yesterday at CES unveiled its new state-of-the-art DVR, the Hopper 3, that features recording of up to 16 separate programs simultaneously and a “Sports Bar Mode” for 4K televisions that split the screen into quadrants and show four separate programs at once. College football, a sport ESPN covers heavily, was cited by Dish Network execs as an optimal use of the “Sports Bar Mode” technology. Dish also unveiled yesterday the HopperGO, a $99 pocket-sized portable device that records up to 100 hours of recorded content and plays it back on smartphones and tablets without an Internet connection (Fisher).
