CES: Shull: Dish Looking to Expand 'Mini Packages' of Channels

Satellite operator sees opportunities for music, urban programming bundles

By Todd Spangler, Multichannel News -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/8/2013 5:41:52 PM

Complete Coverage: CES 2013

Las Vegas -- While Dish Network isn't charting a course toward full a la carte TV pricing, the satellite operator is planning to introduce more "mini packages" of thematically grouped channels similar to those it offers today to manage programming costs, according to senior VP of programming David Shull.

"We think that's the answer to the bundling conundrum the industry is facing," Shull said in an interview here at the 2013 International CES.

Dish is evaluating migrating channels out of core TV packages and into add-on tiers. Shull said areas the operator is looking at include music and urban networks. "If 70% or 80% of subscribers aren't watching a network it doesn't make sense to keep it" on a core tier, he said.

Click here to read the full story at Multichannel News.