Dish reveals Sling TV, its new Internet-TV service

For just $20 a month, cord-cutters can get access to channels including TNT, CNN and ESPN

I'll admit that the term "cord-cutter" didn't resonate with me for a long time. I didn't fully understand what it really meant: so they wouldn't have a television anymore, so what? People have been bragging about not owning a television... probably since televisions were first invented. Why should I care now? But now I get it. And, more importantly, so do the people who are in charge or distributing content.

We've  already seen a  few networks announce that they are launching their own subscription services, ones that do not require a cable subscription, but now, for the first time, a cable company is getting on board as well.

At the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas on Monday, Dish announced a new Web-TV service called Sling TV, which will allow subscribers to watch certain cable networks on their computers for less money per month.

The service, which will launch sometime this year (no exact date was revealed) will cost $20 a month and give subscribers access to 12 different Disney and Turner channels, such as Disney Channel, ABC Family, Food Network, HGTV, Travel Channel, TNT, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network and, most importantly, ESPN. It will also include best of online video with content from Maker Studios.

The company says the core package is also expected to expand throughout the year to include more channels. 

The service is aimed at young people who cannot afford a cable package or they simply don't want one. With so much content showing up online, it just doesn't make economic sense for a lot of people to pay through the nose for a bunch of channels they don't want.

“Sling TV provides a viable alternative for live television to the millennial audience,” Joseph P. Clayton, DISH president and CEO, said in a statement. “This service gives millions of consumers a new consideration for pay-TV; Sling TV fills a void for an underserved audience.”

There are some caveats to Sling TV. First of all, there is no DVR component, though there will apparently be a good amount of on-demand access and a 3-Day Replay feature. Also, according to Re/Code, only person can use it at a time, rather than traditional cable where different boxes could tune into different channels. It also will not give access to any local stations.

Sling TV can be access on a variety of Internet-connected devices, including Xbox One, Roku media streamers, PCs, Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick, and iOS and Android smartphones and tablets. It is not available on Apple TV at the moment, however.

This may seem like an odd move for a cable company, but Dish is simply giving the people what they want. Rather than attempting to lure people into a cable subscription they are not likely to ever buy, they are following the recent trend from a number of networks.

First HBO announced it would be launching its own stand-alone streaming service in 2015, one that will not require its subscribers to have a cable subscription, as HBO's previous streaming service, HBO Go, did.

That was immediately followed by an announcement from CBS that it would be doing the same thing. 

Other channels have sort of gotten in on the action including ABC, which launched a live stream in 2013, something that NBC is also reportedly set to launch this year. It's a step in the right direction, giving people the ability to watch via their computers, but both of those still require a cable subscription to watch, though.

This is a really important move by Dish, and it will be fascinating to see just how willing millenials are to pay for access to some of their favorite channels

(Image source: sling.com)