Worry Not...

So today you might have seen that Liberty Media is merging DirecTV with some of it’s Liberty Media assets.

According to DirecTV CEO Chase Carey this was a “defining transaction” for DirecTV.

I have looked over the details of the transaction and for DirecTV customers it means no changes to the service they have grown to love.

However for investors the merging of the assets helps clarify DirecTV’s capitol structure. For Liberty shareholders they look to make out the best as it gives their shares more value.

However ultimately it looks like with this new package it would be easier for Liberty Media to sell of the package if and when they feel the time is right.

Again for DirecTV customers this news is nothing to worry about, as your service is not going to change.

Sling Gets More Television

Echostar’s Sling Media Company is starting to really rev up its new Sling.COM portal. The new sling.com offers a brand new look and also offers many full length shows which you can watch online.

Sling.COM features suck shows as Family Guy, 24, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and CSI. Plus Sling.COM now offers programming from content providers such as MTV, Comedy Central and many more.

I received news about the new additions to their portal earlier today. I am hoping this is not the last good news I hear from Sling this week. I would love to see them officially launch the Dish Network Sling website which has been in beta since CES and I would also love to see them finally release the Slingplayer software for the iPhone that many geeks like myself have been waiting for, for a long, long time!

One The Road Again

One of the greatest things about doing a column like The Satellite Dish is being able to meet and interact with the movers and shakers in the satellite industry. For me its one thing to report on these people but its another thing to be able to sit and talk with these folks.

I am excited as I am scheduled to depart Connecticut for Denver, Colorado tomorrow morning. Denver is considered the home of Dish Network.

This week is Dish Network’s annual “Team Summit” event for Dish Network retailers and employees. The main events start on Thursday with the kickoff of the Team Summit event. But I am most looking forward to Wednesday, as I will be one of the lucky few to be able to take a trip to Cheyenne, Wyoming and tour the Dish Network uplink center.

The uplink center is where most of the channels are gathered and then rebroadcasts over Dish Network’s satellites to Dish Network customers around the country.

I was able to tour the uplink center a few years ago and it was a memorable tour as the technology you see is just out of this world.

This year I will also be lucky enough to take a tour of the Lockheed Martin facility and see where they build satellites. In all the years I have been talking satellites I have never seen a real satellite in person, perhaps this week I will finally see one.

Stay tuned, as it could be a very interesting week!

We will see you in the next edition!