DISH Network Ups HD Offerings

By Jonathan Hemingway -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/10/2007 3:16:00 PM

Echostar’s DISH Network  is increasing its high-definition (HD) offerings with planned channel rollouts over the next three months.

On Wednesday, DISH will launch eight regional sports networks (RSNs) in HD. The networks offered include Fox Sports Net (FSN) Arizona, FSN Northwest, FSN Cincinnati, FSN Pittsburgh, FSN Detroit, FSN North, SportsTime Ohio and SportsNet New York. Including nine other HD RSNs launched earlier this year, DISH now offers 17 RSNs in hi-def.

On August 15, DISH will rollout seven national HD channels that will be added to its DishHD package. Channels included in the package are MHD, which features music programming from MTV, VH1, and CMT; Golf/Versus HD; Animal Planet HD; The Science Channel HD; TLC HD; Discovery HD; and History HD. History HD will not actually be up until September 1. These additions will give DISH Network the largest national HD line-up, according to the company.

 The company announced the additions just days after DBS competitor DIRECTV launched a new satellite to expand its HD capacity. DIRECTV expects to have capacity to offer 100 HD channels by year’s end.