Diversifying a bit from the competitive pressures of the mainland U.S. virtual MVPD market, Dish Network will distribute its Sling TV platform in Puerto Rico.
The satellite TV company will bring its two core Sling TV products to the still-recovering U.S. territory—the seminal $20-a-month Sling Orange tier and the $25 Sling Blue. Also making the journey are Sling TV’s International and Spanish-language networks and packages. Sling TV’s Spanish-language services include “Best of Spanish TV” and regional services like “Sudamérica,” “Caribe” and “España.”
Puerto Ricans will also have access to a free seven-day Sling TV trial, just like all U.S. customers.
It’s a differentiating play for Sling TV in the suddenly crowded U.S. vMVPD market, with none of the other competitors—including AT&T’s DirecTV Now—yet distributed in Puerto Rico.
For its part, Dish has competed in Puerto Rico against Liberty Global for several decades.
“Dish has served customers in Puerto Rico for 20 years, and we have been proud to lead the way in delivering the best experience in both service and technology,” Reynaldo Pagani, GM of Dish Puerto Rico, said in a statement. “The launch of Sling TV on the island is a continuation of our commitment to offer the best options in entertainment, and the streaming service is a great fit for on-the-go customers seeking a mobile, affordable, Internet-delivered solution.”
“Puerto Ricans are seeking a service that enables them to immediately enjoy the news, sports and shows they’ve been missing, and we’ve received hundreds of requests a day from Puerto Ricans interested in Sling TV,” added Jose Romero, general manager of Spanish-language marketing at Sling TV. “Our goal with this launch is to connect Puerto Rican customers with the programming they love, while delivering a new, immediate, easy option for Spanish and English television at the best value.”