Sling TV Streaming Service To Add NFL Network
August 03 2016 - 4:15PM
Dow Jones News
By Shalini Ramachandran
NFL Network is coming to Dish Network Corp.'s Sling TV streaming
package, on the heels of resolving a channel-carriage dispute.
The two companies had been in a fight over the fees satellite TV
provider Dish would pay to carry NFL Network, which has exclusive
rights to eight Thursday night football games. The channel had been
dark in seven million Dish homes since mid-June, making it the NFL
Network's first such blackout in its 13-year history.
The two sides reached a deal Tuesday, which also averted a
blackout of NFL RedZone, a specialty channel that carries potential
scoring plays of games every Sunday throughout the regular
season.
NFL's addition to Sling TV comes on the heels of a string of
digital deals the league has struck in recent months. In July, it
signed a deal to be carried on Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Vue
streaming service and it has beefed up partnerships with YouTube
and Snapchat.
"Seeing the continuing evolution of the landscape, everybody is
reacting and we're no different," said Hans Schroeder, NFL's senior
vice president of media strategy, business development and
sales.
It's part of a concerted effort on the NFL's part to be in front
of younger fans who may not be glued to their TV sets but spend
more time on social media on their phones. Mr. Schroeder said that
the NFL is also testing the waters on virtual reality and augmented
reality, like the hit smartphone game Pokémon Go.
But at the same time, the league is hoping that it can help grow
new bundled services like Sling TV and Sony Vue to perpetuate the
pay-TV model that's helped fuel its profits. NFL Network and NFL
RedZone will be made available on Sling TV before the regular NFL
season starts this fall.
"These networks will give Dish and Sling TV customers the inside
look at a favorite American pastime as we approach the NFL
seasons," said Dish's Warren Schlichting, executive vice president
of marketing, programming and media sales.
Terms of the Dish-NFL Network deal weren't disclosed.
Write to Shalini Ramachandran at
shalini.ramachandran@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
August 03, 2016 16:00 ET (20:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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