Dish Network's (NASDAQ: DISH) splashy debut of its over-the-top programming service, Sling Television, won the Consumer Electronics Show's equivalent of top Oscars Sunday, winning several major "Best of CES" awards.
The $20-a-month service was honored in categories "Best Home Theater" and "Best Software/App," as well as for the granddaddy prize, "Best of the Best."
The "Best of CES" awards are sponsored by tech blog Engadget.
"CES is a massive show and every year it gets bigger," said Michael Gorman, editor in chief of Engadget. "Over the last five days we've looked at what feels like thousands of devices to find the technologies that will have a real impact on the industry and our lives. And after two very long nights of deliberations and Chinese takeout we're excited to award the very Best of CES 2015."
Dish debuted the highly anticipated product on Monday, Jan. 5, to journalists at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, demonstrating a subscription price point significantly lower than the $30 or more than had been expected by journalists and analysts.
The presentation of the service, which comes with ESPN, ESPN 2 and about 10 other major channels, works on any IP device and doesn't require a contract, came moments after Dish introduced major improvements to its Hopper DVR.
In fact, the comments by new Sling TV CEO Roger Lynch seemed to undermine the upgrades to Dish's legacy business presented just moments earlier.
"Pay-TV is a saturated market, and frankly a declining one," Lynch told the room.
For more:
- read this Engadget press release
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