DISH Network (DISHNETWORK) Info

DISH Network is owned by parent company EchoStar Communications Corporation.

DISH Network was launched in March, 1996, and, along with DirecTV, primarily competes with cable television providers throughout the United States. It is based in Englewood, Colorado. On 28 December 1995, EchoStar successfully launched its first satellite, EchoStar I. The launch of Echostar I was a gamble in that it was one of the first successful commercial launches from China after a series of spectacular failures. That same year, EchoStar established the DISH Network brand name to market its home satellite TV system.

The company used "DISH" as an acronym for Digital Sky Highway.

DISH Network Corporate Profile

EchoStar Communications Corporation is a publicly traded company (NASDAQ: DISH). Widely recognized in the communications industry for its research and development activities, EchoStar provides Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) television products and services through its DISH Network. DISH Network is a single source for equipment distribution, sales, installation, service and programming.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. & SANTA MONICA, Calif. Nov. 7, 2006 EchoStar Communications Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) and its DISH Network(TM) satellite TV service today announced an agreement with Lionsgate Entertainment to carry the studio's titles on its Video On Demand platform, DISH On Demand, as well as Pay-Per-View services, including high definition.

SuperDISH, DISH 500+, and DISH 1000+

During DISH Network's quest for capacity they had accumulated a dizzying array of satellite broadcasting technologies, orbital locations, and surplus capacity using non-mainstream technologies requiring larger dish sizes. To capitalize on these broadcasting assets DISH Network started providing extensive ethnic programming that receive programming from lower-powered satellites broadcasting in the non-DBS portion of the FSS band.

DISH Network offers specialized equipment for these customers including larger dish antennas. The SuperDISH, DISH 500+, and DISH 1000+ systems receive DBS signals from both of the primary 110°W and 119°W locations (129°W for DISH 1000+) as well as lower-powered FSS signals from either 121°W, 105°W, or 118.75°W. To underscore how exotic these systems can be the DISH 500+ and 1000+ systems receive circularly-polarized signals in the non-DBS portion of the FSS band — the only American satellite television service to do so.