September 25th, 2007
EchoStar (DISH) announces Sling Media purchase
I am a huge fan of Sling Media’s Slingbox device and have used the Classic model for the last couple of years to watch TV on computers throughout my house and while on business trips. Dave Zatz sent in the press release announcing that EchoStar Communications Corp (you probably know them as DISH Network) is purchasing Sling Media for approximately US$380 million. It will be interesting to see how this plays out and I imagine that DISH Network subscribers will see the first benefits of this acquisition with some added functionality to their system.
I do have several questions and am sure they will be answered in time as the purchase details are worked out. Will there be a separate Slingbox division of EchoStar? How will the Slingbox hardware be sold (independently, only through DISH Network, etc)? Can we still expect continued mobile clients from Sling Media (SlingPlayer Mobile for S60 devices)?
Congratulations to all the awesome people at Sling Media and I wish you the best as you move forward with EchoStar.
Matthew Miller is an avid mobile device enthusiast who works during the day as a professional naval architect in Seattle. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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