EchoStar’s Dish Network to Launch up to 100 New International Satellite TV Channels This Summer
April 4, 2003–EchoStar Communications Corporation announced today that its DISH Network satellite TV service is preparing to launch up to 100 new international television channels this summer and offer a one-dish solution for customers seeking news, sports and entertainment from around the world, in addition to a robust selection of American programming packages, all on a single dish.
With the launch this year of the EchoStar IX satellite, DISH Network intends to add up to 100 international channels from South Asia, the Middle East, the Philippines, Vietnam, Korea, Africa, China and more. DISH Network currently offers 42 channels of international programming in more than a dozen different languages.
DISH Network will provide a complete turn-key broadcast solution for international programmers, including billing, call centers and in-language customer service, low-cost set-top boxes, encryption, uplink services, and nationwide sales and installation support. EchoStar will also offer assistance with signal transport from across the globe to DISH Network’s uplink facilities in the United States.
“DISH Network, the fastest growing multichannel TV provider in the U.S., is offering international television programmers from all over the world a unique opportunity to reach their niche audiences on a nationwide basis,” said Michael Schwimmer, senior vice president of Programming at EchoStar. “No other multichannel TV provider can offer such a highly attractive and efficient total business solution for distribution of international programming channels in the United States with a single dish and set-top box receiver, capable of receiving both international and popular American television programming. This is truly a revolutionary and unprecedented commitment to the international programming marketplace.”
If this is any indication, I’d love to see GEO, ARY Digtal and Indus Vision in the US of A.