The Dish Network Blog

Dish Network has teamed up with The Weather Channel to launch a new weather service on Dish Network’s satellite TV platform. DISH subscribers now have access to an interactive weather program offered in tandem with the weather-related network.

Effective immediately, the company said, DISH Network customers watching The Weather Channel on DISH channel 214 will have ongoing access to extensive local and national weather information including current conditions, Doppler radar, and 24-hour/five-day forecasts. The interactive service also allows viewers to access weather data from across the country and save up to five favorite markets.

DISH said before this announced service expansion, viewers could only access the interactive feature through DishHOME channel 100.

“The innovative ITV application for local weather for DISH Network customers enables The Weather Channel to provide viewers with truly personalized weather forecasts that give customized, targeted information to help them plan their day,” said Becky Powhatan, The Weather Channel EVP, distribution and business affairs. “And now it’s become even easier and faster to obtain.”

DISH Network’s iTV service offers an interactive menu that includes more than 40 different virtual and enhanced channels including The Weather Channel’s Interactive Weather Application, CNN! Enhance d and Showtime Interactive. DISH said it has the most iTV-enabled set top boxes with more than 12 million households.  

Source: www.SkyReport.com

Question: Do you find yourself watching the pregame, the game itself, and then chasing your sports passion with a tall glass of re-cap, to only then tune into the 11:00 news to watch the highlights…of the same game? Question: Were you one of the thousands of unfortunate parents that broke the bank trying to buy your child tickets to a Hannah Montana concert? Have you watched High School Musical so many times that you yourself should probably have an “I love Troy” shirt? If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions then let me tell you all about the 2 new Interactive channels Dish Network will be releasing. Recently the popular satellite TV provider Dish Network boasted about new plans to add Interactive ESPN and Disney Ineractive to its growing channel lineup. Available to all of Dish Networks interactive platform, ESPN’s Interactive Zone will allow viewers play-by-play, minute-by-minute news and scores on all major games being played at the collegiate or professional level. It will also allow the 16 and unders in your household to receive show information from a sub-menu and interact with show related content, along with allowing viewers to program their DVRs for the network’s featured content. So grab a soda and some popcorn and invite the neighborhood over because Dish Network invites you to interact.

Is Dish Network such a good deal that it would tempt a cat burglar? Who knows but the funny premise is played out in this light-hearted commercial.

Twas’ the night before Christmas, when all through my pad, not a creature was stirring, not even dear old dad;

The stockings were hung by the chimney with love, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be heard up above;

The children were nestled all warm in their beds, while visions of Nickelodeon in HD danced in their heads;

And mama in her jammies, dreaming of the savings, dear old dad can’t stop thinking of his NFL channel cravings;

When up on the roof there arose such a clatter, we sprang from the bed to see what was the matter;

And at the small window I caught a glimpse of our new Dish, tears sprung to my eyes, for it was my family’s one Christmas wish;

The satellite dish on the roof, against the new fallen snow, gave me hope of the new quality television, I would soon have the pleasure to know.

When what to my wandering eyes would appear, but a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew that very second that it was jolly old St. Nick.

Just as quick as Dish Network satellite beams , his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted , and called them by name:

“Now,DASHER! Now, DANCER! Now PRANCER and VIXEN! On COMET! On CUPID! On DONDER and BLITZEN!

From the East Coast to the West Coast to the Islands of Nepal, high quality HD programming, and Dish Network to all!

Wasn’t it Jon Bon Jovi who sung “Shot down in a blaze of glory”? Is it possible that he was predicting the future for the Ohio State’s tax collection department? On November 7th a Franklin County judge ruled that the current Ohio State tax that mandates a 5% sales tax on satellite television is unconstitutional since it does not include local cable companies, making it hard for the satellite cable industry to be as competitive in the Ohio area. Satellite cable providers like DishNetwork have been dealing with unwarranted state taxes from Florida, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee since 2000. With all of that being said, despite the bogus taxes DishNetwork still remains the leading cable provider in the satellite industry. Now that is resilience. For more information on Dish Network and your local programming please contact 1-866-989-3474 or visit dish-network.com.

A recent article posted on Sky Report estimates that many Americans are not utilizing their televisions High Definition potential. In fact almost half of the American population is not taking full advantage of High Definition programming and their cable boxes capabilities. Sky Report states that recent research done by Leichtman Research Company suggests that 40% of all households with HDTV potential are not watching HDTV and not because the channel selection in high definition is lacking. The article goes on to state that an overwhelming 20% of viewers think that they are watching HD programming.

Perhaps this would be a wonderful opportunity for cable companies to look into more technology savvy cable boxes. Satellite cable companies like Dish Network provides their viewers with receivers that do the work for you. In fact it recognizes if your TV is a HD television and automatically adjusts your channel lineup accordingly. Unfortunately cable companies are still expecting viewers to memorize their channel lineup, memorize the HD channels and then enter a prefix before each HD channel they want to watch.

I don’t know about you but at the end of my busy day when I sit myself down on the couch to tune into some mindless entertainment, the last thing I want to do is play a battle of wits against my cable box. My suggestion…make it easy, satellite is a no brainer!

When I was growing up we had only one television in the house and I was the remote control well into my late elementary school years. The Disney Channel was not free and it was always a treat to go to my grandparents and watch “Kids Incorporated”. Satellite T.V. was something from the Twilight Zone and High Definition programming was never even heard of. Every kid on my block had rabbit ears and I’m not talking about the soft white fluffy kind that eats carrots.

These days’ televisions are in kitchens, children’s rooms and even the garage. Universal remote controls are sold at Drug Stores and by 2009, analog will be a thing of the past…my past that is. These days high definition channels are on the rise and satellite T.V. is very real, and a leading competitor in the cable industry giving millions of Americans across the U.S. a choice in their cable. With that being said, cable companies from the West Coast to the East Coast are raising cable rates leading me to question, “Do these corporate bullies not understand that the American public has a choice in their cable provider or does the American public not know that they have one?

Recently both Comcast and Cablevision have announced yet another recent rate hike for their cable customers, and unfortunately for their customers this is not the first one this year. Many speculate that this recent increase is an attempt to force viewers into a bundle package agreement and a commitment contract. I am here to tell you folks, that you have a choice and an obvious one at that. Satellite providers like Dish Network are capable of providing service to 97% of the nation’s population and still growing. So make yourself a fried bologna sandwich, crack open a bottle of pop and rest assured that Dish Network will continue to offer their viewers the lowest cable packages, superior customer service and a growing amount of High Definition channels along with promising their viewers a $49.99, 200 plus channels, no rate hike until 2009 package…if only they could bring back Land of the Lost back in Dish Networks high-quality high definition.

Some good news on the Dish Network home front regarding beam openings and beams that are remaining open to new subscription opportunities. Dish Network High-Speed Internet powered by WildBlue has new beam coverage open for customers located within Southern Texas, from the lower Rio Grande Valley to the lower Texas Gulf Coast. These new beams just reiterate Dish Networks commitment to leading the satellite industry. For more information on Dish Network please contact 1-866-989-3474 or visit their website at dish-network.com.

Many of us take for granted the reliable satellite local network programming that we receive from Dish Network but for a few local network access has not been available…until now.

Dish Network recently announced their plan to launch three new local SD programs as early as January 2008. With the addition of Helena MT, Laredo TX and Yuma AZ, Dish Network will be providing local network programming to 178 markets throughout the United States. This new addition will mean that DishNetwork will be representing an area over 97% of U.S. Households.

In recent months Dish Network announced their plan to offer ABC WWAY, NBC WECT, FOX WSFX and PBS WUNJ from the Wilmington, North Carolina, DMA. For more information on your local programming provided by Dish Network please visit the dish-network.com local channel listings

Dish Network allows customers to expand their DVR storage capacity with an external hard drive. If an external hard drive is connected, TV2 users now may access the recordings on the connected external hard drive. Please keep in mind that if the person at TV2 is using the external hard drive, the person at TV1 will have to wait until TV2 is finished; it’s now first-come, first-served between TV1 and TV2!