Disney signs first major OTT deal with Dish Network

Dish Network Corp. announced a deal with Walt Disney Co. that will bring content from some of the most popular channels in United States, including worldwide sports leader ESPN, to over-the-top streaming services for the first time. In a press release late Monday, the satellite provider said live and on-demand programs from ABC, ABC Family, Disney Channel and ESPN will be available to its 14 million subscribers on televisions, computers, smartphones and tablets. Its subscribers will be able to log on to the new online TV service from anywhere, the announcement said. Dish Network is the first to convince Disney, one of the largest content holders in America, to adopt a large-scale over-the-top streaming service, the companies said. "We knew early on we had a responsibility with this deal to not only do what was best for our business, but to also position our industry for future growth,” Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney/ABC Television Group, said in the press release. Financial terms were not disclosed. Dish agreed to give up its AutoHop service, a one-button solution for skipping commercials during shows recorded on the PVRs provided by the carrier, when it comes to ABC content watched in the first three days after it airs. In return, the company said in the press release, Disney and Dish have agreed to drop all outstanding litigation between the two companies regarding AutoHop and other PVR services. "The creation of this agreement has really been about predicting the future of television with a visionary and forward-leaning partner," Dish CEO Joseph Clayton said in the release. "Not only will the exceptional Disney, ABC, ESPN entertainment portfolio continue to delight our customers today, but we have a model from which to deliver exciting new services tomorrow." Dish and Disney have also reached an agreement on a structure for future advertising models, according to the press release, including dynamic ad insertion, mobile ads and advertising measurement periods. The deal also includes two college-sports channels, SEC Network and Longhorn Network, which will be televised nationally. The agreement allows Dish access the new SEC Network digital platform, a partnership with ESPN that will launch in August 2014 and include more than 275 live games in major sports as well as exclusive content.

Disney signs first major OTT deal with Dish Network

Brief | March 4, 2014

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Disney signs first major OTT deal with Dish Network

Brief | March 4, 2014

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