02/03, 10:25pm
FCC may intervene on Dish, AT&T stoush
Dish is facing opposition from AT&T on its plans to develop a 4G LTE-Advanced mobile broadband network to complement its existing satellite TV and other services. It has petitioned the FCC on the matter, arguing that AT&T is pushing for an ‘overly aggressive and unrealistic schedule’ for its suggested build-out time frames. Dish argues that such conditions would ‘set Dish up for failure or force Dish into unfavorable business arrangements.’
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01/18, 9:55am
Dish hints willingness to talk carrier deals
Dish in responses to speculation has said it's open to deals that might see a carrier deal. CEO Joe Clayton disclosed to Bloomberg late last week that the company "could be acquired or... could be the acquirer" and was willing to entertain options. While a spokesman wouldn't address speculation about carrier acqusitions, Clayton had previously remarked that Dish would be willing to talk to T-Mobile and possibly other carriers.
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01/13, 7:30pm
Dish Hopper gets our run-through at CES
Dish Network had an unusually strong presence at CES this year and gave us time to try its new Hopper DVR system. The three-tuner box is one of the more aggressive recorders we've seen and can record as many as six shows at once through a unique trick: it loads the four major US TV networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC) on one tuner during prime time hours. It's hard to tell if there's any compression artifacts from the recorded shows on those networks, but it looked good in the controlled conditions of the CES floor.
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12/18, 7:55pm
ATT makes no progress on T-Mo asset sale offers
AT&T isn't making any progress in its attempts to sell T-Mobile assets to rescue its attempted buyout of T-Mobile, insiders uncovered Sunday. Discussions with smaller carriers have reportedly "gone cold," the Wall Street Journal heard. Among other problems, attempts to sell assets to Leap for its Cricket service fell as doubts existed that even this could salvage AT&T's proposed T-Mobile merger.
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12/12, 3:40pm
Would also want assets if divestiture required
Dish Network has indicated that it might be interested in acquiring assets from either AT&T or T-Mobile if their proposed $39 billion merger fails to go through. This insight came from Dish's CEO Joseph Clayton in an interview with Bloomberg. Dish has already expressed interest in acquiring customers and spectrum if US regulators require AT&T to divest any such assets in order to allow the deal to be completed.
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11/08, 3:45pm
Dish may use streaming to cut expensive TV
Dish is contemplating a TV streaming service that could be an end-run around costs for traditional TV, according to possible new leaks. The strategy as explained to the Wall Street Journal would see channels from "several" studios licensed for paid streaming online to help make it cheaper to adopt Dish's TV service. Some of the cost would come from excising sports channels it's normally required to carry from the cheapest Internet pricing plans, as they often cost disproportionately much more than other stations.
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10/09, 11:55pm
Yahoo rumored jumping ship from Hulu deals
Yahoo is reportedly out of the increasingly uncertain bidding process for Hulu, a claimed leak said late Sunday. The search engine has allegedly been identified by the WSJ sources as the original mystery bidder but also to have exited entirely. The internal turmoil following Carol Bartz' firing and the possibility of a sell-off were attributed to the departure.
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09/30, 4:45pm
Hulu owners may back out of sale after low bids
Earlier rumors of Hulu going back on its decision to sell itself off are proving true, two sources have told SAI. The bids, while they are still rolling in, aren't as high as initially hoped. Hulu's parent companies are reportedly looking for $2 billion for the online service.
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09/26, 10:20am
Dish looking for mobile carrier partner: CEO
The CEO of Dish Network, Joseph Clayton, said in an interview on Monday that the company could be looking into partnering or acquiring a wireless carrier. He floated to Bloomberg the prospect of getting either Sprint or Clearwire. The Dish executive admitted, however, that his company also need to secure wireless infrastructure, more technological capabilities, and distribution.
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09/23, 2:00pm
Blockbuster Movie Pass gives perks for satellite
Dish Network made a bet on Internet video Friday with Blockbuster Movie Pass. The service bundles satellite TV with mailed movie, TV, and game rentals as well as Internet streaming. Pitched as a rival to Netflix and Qwikster, it takes advantage of the Blockbuster rights and TV streaming to give a wider catalog of Internet video; 10,000 movies in total will stream to TVs and computers, including from Starz and others who have held out on Netflix to shelter their TV business.
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09/19, 11:50pm
Dish and Blockbuster hint big movie bundle Sept 23
Dish's ambitions for a major Internet movie service were confirmed late Monday after the company sent invitations to a special event for Friday, September 23. The "stream come true" gathering in San Francisco will be broadcast online from 1PM Eastern that day. Little is known about the exact details, but the satellite TV provider was confident it would have the "most comprehensive home entertainment package ever."
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09/06, 4:30pm
Google may try for very special Hulu bid
Google's bid for Hulu may involve a much more elaborate prospect than anyone else, insiders gave out Tuesday. Amazon, Dish, and Yahoo are all offering conventional bids of up to $2 billion, but Google is now thought to have said "there's enough money" for a much more involved deal. Tips to AllThingsD didn't identify what the intentions were, but the amount was enough that Hulu would have normally thrown it out were it not for the cash involved.
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09/02, 8:10pm
Dish plans Internet video push with Hulu, more
Dish Network is planning a big push into direct competition with Apple, Netflix, and other big Internet video services through its acquisitions, two leaks showed Friday. One scoop had it one of just three companies clearing the
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06/28, 1:25pm
Dish now near certain buyer for TerreStar
Dish Network's hopes to buy out TerreStar may have come true as reports have surfaced Tuesday that it's now the only bidder for the satellite smartphone creator. A deadline Monday night has passed with only a nearly $1.38 billion bid from Dish still around, giving it a near-certain win. Cellular carrier MetroPCS had considered a bid to get much-needed wireless spectrum, Reuters says, but has since backed out for unknown reasons.
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05/02, 7:20am
Dish and EchoStar pay 500m to settle with TiVo
Dish Network and its parent EchoStar started the month of May by reaching a settlement deal with TiVo. Following the loss of its last appeal in a finding of contempt, Dish and EchoStar said they would pay TiVo a total of $500 million to end all lawsuits and end trade bans on DVRs. About $300 million would be paid up front, while the remaining $200 million would be paid between 2012 and 2017.
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04/20, 2:00pm
Appeals court tosses EchoStar contempt for TiVo
EchoStar on Wednesday lost its case in a Federal Court of Appeals to try and overturn a contempt ruling in favor of TiVo. The court upheld a decision that EchoStar's Dish satellite TV DVRs were breaking a permanent ban on violating TiVo patents even after changes were made to the hardware. EchoStar is expected to pay a $300 million fine that it had reversed in May of last year.
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04/19, 11:45am
Dish will leave 500 Blockbuster stores open
Dish Network, which has recently announced the purchase of Blockbuster, has now said it would take on leases for about 500 of the video-rental's stores as of Tuesday. The papers were filed this past weekend with the US Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York, with a hearing planned for Thursday. After recent store closings, Blockbuster now has nearly 1,700 stores operating in the US.
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04/07, 6:30pm
Judge approves Dish buyout of Blockbuster
A bankruptcy court judge on Thursday gave approval to Dish's buyout of Blockbuster. The clearance for the $320 million deal was needed before the two could complete the deal, which has now been narrowed down from spring to April 25. Blockbuster CEO Jim Keyes said he was happy with the deal, in part since Dish would keep business mostly intact and take over many leases and the on-the-spot DVD rental kiosks.
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04/06, 7:30am
Dish snaps up Blockbuster for 320m
Dish said Wednesday that it had won an auction to buy Blockbuster. The satellite TV provider said it had offered $320 million, about $228 million of which was in cash, to beat out competitors like investor Carl Icahn and SK Telecom. Bids had gotten as high as $310.6 million, from Icahn, before Dish landed the final price.
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04/01, 4:00pm
Dish and Icahn part of bidding for Blockbuster
The bidding to buy out Blockbuster now includes Dish Network and well-known activist investor Carl Icahn, insiders claimed Friday. The two are both supposedly making just the minimum bid, around $290 million, to qualify for the auction before it starts in earnest on Monday. The WSJ in scraping information was warned that new bidders could come into play or make unions with each other.
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02/01, 9:55pm
Deal said to be worth $1 billion
Dish Network has announced that it will attempt to acquire DBSD North America, a satellite communications company that has been involved in ongoing Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The deal will reportedly cost approximately $1 billion, including an $87.5 million commitment as a debtor-in-possession credit facility to help bring the company out of bankruptcy protection ahead of the formal purchase.
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12/02, 12:25am
Motorola plans video media hub for mobile devices
Motorola at the Reuters Global Media Summit Wednesday said it would have a media hub at the CES expo in January. Motorola Mobility president Dan Moloney explained that the device would stream video with a mobile focus, primarily to smartphones and tablets. The unnamed hardware would be offered through service providers and would get its content from outside the home rather than from other nearby devices.
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12/01, 9:35am
Dish live TV viewing app reaches iPad
Dish Network today formally launched a new version of its Remote Access app for the iPad (free, App Store) to enable the promised live TV viewing option. Those with either the Sling Adapter on a ViP 722 series DVR or a ViP 922 Slingloaded DVR can watch their satellite TV from any high speed Internet connection, including on a sufficiently fast 3G link. Dish didn't mention what quality it would be, although standard definition is more likely.
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11/18, 2:55pm
Sling Adapter launches with iOS, Android apps
Sling today rolled out the Sling Adapter as both one of its lowest cost TV streamers and its first dedicated to its partner Dish. Running solely through its USB connection, it shares the TV from any ViP 722 or 722k DVR over either a web browser or a mobile app. Viewers can steer the DVR alongside controlling channels.
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10/06, 7:20pm
USPTO says TiVo patents valid, defeats EchoStar
TiVo today won a potentially final victory in its legal action against EchoStar after the US Patent and Trademark Office ruled that its patents were valid. The decision gives TiVo ownership of the "time warp" feature inherent to its DVRs and can't be appealed by EchoStar, which runs the satellite TV provider Dish Network. The USPTO decision could lead a federal appeals court to enforce a ban against Dish DVRs and a $300 million fine that had been overturned in May.
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09/24, 6:10pm
Sony teases Google TV event for October 12
Sony tonight sent an invitation to the press for an official unveiling of its Google TV-capable Bravia line. The request implies just one model as the "first Internet Television" and shows a glimpse of a new look that combines the monolithic design of existing sets with a new wireframe stand. Sony doesn't give clues as to features but expects to have live demos.
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09/16, 3:00pm
Dish to offer Logitech's Google TV box at discount
Dish Network is lining up a plan to subsidize the Logitech Revue Google TV box for a launch later this month as a leaked presentation has likely given away the plans. The Revue is now expected to launch on September 29 for a full price of $299, but any existing Dish satellite TV customer would get it for $179 plus a $4 DVR fee. Engadget's shots also confirm a recently spied media-oriented keyboard and the interface for loading third-party Google TV apps.
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09/14, 3:45pm
Google gives out 600 Google TV bundles?
The Google TV release is just around the corner, as Google Zeitgeist guests in Arizona on Tuesday reportedly received a Google TV bundle that included a Sony Bravia set and equipment from Dish. The gift also reportedly included installation from Best Buy's Geek Squad, and some 600 bundles were given away. An AllThingsD source added that Havaianas flip flops were part of the package, while the entertainment on hand was provided by Cirque Du Soleil.
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08/04, 6:15pm
Dish to bring streaming of TV on mobile devices
Dish Network has said it will soon let subscribers watch its satellite TV programs on their mobile devices for free. The functionality will arrive for the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch and BlackBerry smartphones in September and on Android-powered phones in October. Unless the mobile users have a Dish-compatible, dual-tuner DVR at home, however, they will have to watch whatever channel is set at home.
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06/08, 6:40pm
USPTO says TiVo patents invalid
TiVo suffered a second major setback in its lawsuit against Dish in as many months today as the US Patent and Trademark Office rejected two of the patents behind the complaint. The ruling isn't final but, if upheld, would dismantle the longstanding case TiVo has made against Dish and its former sibling Echostar, which accused both of copying the technology used behind simultaneous recording and playback in TiVo's DVRs.
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05/14, 12:25pm
TiVo must face new hearing in Dish lawsuit
TiVo faced a major setback on Friday as a US Federal Court of Appeals nullified the DVR producer's recent win over Dish. The decision cancels out as much as $300 million in awards after Dish and its sibling company EchoStar were found in contempt of a ban on shipping products that allegedly violate TiVo's patents. Officials said the issue was important enough to merit an en banc hearing, which will have all judges in the appeals court decide on whether or not to overturn the verdict.
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03/08, 5:05pm
Dish Android TV boxes would support YouTube
Dish and Google are teaming up on Android-based video hubs that would support Internet video as well as satellite, a leak from within the partnership reveals. A trial has reportedly been underway since late last year that would use Android to not only find Dish programming but also YouTube and other web videos. WSJ's contacts suggest the set-top box would allow a custom playlist of shows and support using a keyboard, not just a remote, to run searches.
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09/04, 4:00pm
TiVo wins $200m from DISH
TiVo on Friday won $200 million in extra damages from satellite TV provider DISH and its sibling EchoStar. The award comes after TiVo successfully argued that DISH and EchoStar were in contempt of an injuction that prevented the two from selling DVRs that allegedly infringed on TiVo's patents for its Time Warp feature.
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08/10, 11:00pm
SlingPlayer Mobile update
Sling Media is set to launch an update to its iPhone app, Sling Mobile, which is currently pending approval from Apple. Version 1.1 still lacks 3G streaming, although it adds several new features such as DISH Remote Access integration and improvements to the control interface. The DISH functions bring a content guide directly onto the iPhone, instead of importing a picture, while search and filter options have been expanded.
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10/06, 12:35pm
EchoStar and DISH Pay TiVo
EchoStar and DISH today were told by the US Supreme Court to pay TiVo $104 million for allegedly infringing on some of the DVR maker's patents. The decision comes following an unsuccessful appeal of an original 2006 decision by EchoStar and DISH and will potentially increase further if additional patent lawsuits and claims of contempt are decided in TiVo's favor. The set-top box producer last month accused DISH and EchoStar of violating a stop placed on their own DVRs by continuing to sell satellite TV DVRs with software TiVo says copies its features.
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12/07, 3:15pm
EchoStar DISH and Sling
EchoStar has formally split up in a way that could impact the future of Sling Media's Slingbox devices, based on details of an SEC filing. The company has formally changed its name to DISH Network. The change reflects the former EchoStar's core businesses of satellite TV service and producing its own set-top boxes, according to the update. Part of the company, now called Echostar Holdings, will break away from DISH and carries Sling Media with it. The Slingbox maker was bought by EchoStar in September and was originally believed to be used for adding Internet-based remote viewing for DISH subscribers.
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