Sling TV Streaming Service To Add NFL Network

By Shalini Ramachandran 

NFL Network is coming to Dish Network Corp.'s Sling TV streaming package, on the heels of resolving a channel-carriage dispute.

The two companies had been in a fight over the fees satellite TV provider Dish would pay to carry NFL Network, which has exclusive rights to eight Thursday night football games. The channel had been dark in seven million Dish homes since mid-June, making it the NFL Network's first such blackout in its 13-year history.

The two sides reached a deal Tuesday, which also averted a blackout of NFL RedZone, a specialty channel that carries potential scoring plays of games every Sunday throughout the regular season.

NFL's addition to Sling TV comes on the heels of a string of digital deals the league has struck in recent months. In July, it signed a deal to be carried on Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Vue streaming service and it has beefed up partnerships with YouTube and Snapchat.

"Seeing the continuing evolution of the landscape, everybody is reacting and we're no different," said Hans Schroeder, NFL's senior vice president of media strategy, business development and sales.

It's part of a concerted effort on the NFL's part to be in front of younger fans who may not be glued to their TV sets but spend more time on social media on their phones. Mr. Schroeder said that the NFL is also testing the waters on virtual reality and augmented reality, like the hit smartphone game Pokémon Go.

But at the same time, the league is hoping that it can help grow new bundled services like Sling TV and Sony Vue to perpetuate the pay-TV model that's helped fuel its profits. NFL Network and NFL RedZone will be made available on Sling TV before the regular NFL season starts this fall.

"These networks will give Dish and Sling TV customers the inside look at a favorite American pastime as we approach the NFL seasons," said Dish's Warren Schlichting, executive vice president of marketing, programming and media sales.

Terms of the Dish-NFL Network deal weren't disclosed.

Write to Shalini Ramachandran at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 03, 2016 16:00 ET (20:00 GMT)

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