Dish Network’s Web TV service, Sling TV, continues its quest for content this week, adding a new deal with Epix that will serve up over 2,000 video-on-demand titles, as well as bringing yet another add-on bundle of channels to the table including Epix, Epix2, Epix3, and Epix Drive-in.
The new channels are expected to makeup the 4th official bundle available to supplement Sling TV’s $20/month core channel pack. For that sum, Sling TV subscribers get a base package of 11 live channels including choices like TNT, TBS, CNN, HGTV, ESPN, and ESPN2, while available add-on packs include News Extra, Kids Extra, and Sports Extra channel bundles priced at $5 each per month. No pricing has yet been set for the new Epix channels, which will get a release date “in the coming weeks.”
In addition, Sling TV recently signed a deal that will bring AMC into the fold of core channel offerings, bringing with it shows like The Walking Dead and the new break-out hit Better Call Saul, which recently debuted as the most-viewed cable premiere of all time. The deal with AMC will also bring on extras like BBC America, BBC World News, IFC, Sundance TV, and WE tv. Just how those channels will be implemented into the overall package is yet to be disclosed by Dish.
As for the new VOD options, Epix makes available newer features like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Star Trek: Into Darkness, and Wolf of Wall Street, a collection of older titles, and a growing catalog of live concert recordings. Sewing up popular on-demand programming will be key to the new service’s success in the burgeoning Web TV marketplace, and the latest titles join an already robust catalog of content from Disney, along with a wide selection of old and new movies, from Guardians of the Galaxy to Reservoir Dogs. Rental costs are currently set at $3 for SD, and $4 for HD.
Since its debut in January, Dish has continued to load up enticing new options to lure viewers already tired of the woes of traditional cable and satellite packages back into the pay TV landscape. For those looking for a new streaming machine, the service is offering an alluring deal which nets new subscribers a free Fire TV streaming stick, or Roku Streaming stick with a 3-month subscription, nearly evening the cost of the service with free hardware.
