[Satellite News 01-10-12] Pay-TV operator Dish Network has kicked off 2012 with a slew of service enhancements, offerings and hardware. The company announced Jan. 9 that it signed new contract agreements with ViaSat and Univision Communications, expanded its Blockbuster home entertainment package and rolled out a next-generation HD DVR system.

            Dish Network CEO Joe Clayton confirmed that ViaSat’s next-generation satellite broadband service would be bundled with his company’s satellite TV platform in February. The operator will launch its advanced satellite broadband packages with speeds up to 12 Mbps for download and 3 Mbps for upload, combined with a variety of Dish TV programming packages starting at $79.98 per month.

“The market potential for this new Internet service is substantial given the nearly 8 million to 10 million mostly rural American households that are unserved and millions more left with slower broadband alternatives,” Clayton said in a statement.

            ViaSat will provide the satellite delivery services enhanced by Dish Network billing, installation, customer service and merchandising. Installation prices for the service will start at $99.

The continued partnership between ViaSat and Dish Network might surprise some analysts, who thought that the strategic reseller alliance between the two entities was in danger after Dish Network’s sister company, EchoStar, acquired ViaSat competitor Hughes Communications in February 2011.

            Another acquisition that EchoStar made last year was retail movie rental chain Blockbuster — a move that also gave the satellite operator access to its large, online video-on-demand library. Dish Network also announced Jan. 9 that it was expanding its family and children’s programming available through the company’s Blockbuster Home entertainment package.

Dish will add more than 3,000 titles suitable for children ages three to 13, including programming from partners Vivendi Entertainment, Cookie Jar, Lions Gate Films and Scholastic Media.

“The Blockbuster brand is known for two things — family and movies — and now we offer our customers more of both. Our kid’s programming expansion provides families an even bigger selection of shows that are exciting and educational,” said Dish Network Senior Vice President of Programming Dave Shull.

            Blockbuster Home is an expansion of the Blockbuster Movie Pass service that was introduced by Dish Network last fall. The programming package includes access to more than 100,000 DVD movies, TV shows and games by mail with unlimited in-store exchanges of DVDs and video games at participating Blockbuster stores. Many saw the Blockbuster acquisition as an EchoStar/Dish Network strategy to challenge online video service Netflix.

            Separately, Dish Network announced it signed a multi-year, multi-platform agreement with Univision Communications in Latin America. The operator said the deal would bring a comprehensive selection of Spanish-language networks and content to Dish Latino subscribers.

            Shull said that Dish Network would launch Univision’s new networks Univision Deportes, Univision Novelas and Univision Noticias and offer exclusive access to Univision Deportes Dos in the first half of 2012.

            “We are pleased to have reached an innovative deal with Univision for their newest channels and their primetime novelas on demand,” said Shull. “Dish Network is the leading provider of Latino content in the United States. This deal for exclusive linear and [video-on-demand] content from Univision provides our customers with the broadest selection of top quality Spanish-language content.”

            Univision Distribution Sales President Tonia O’Connor said that the Dish Network deal represents its first authentication partnership with a pay-TV provider and would give Dish Network customers access to Univision’s portfolio.

“This agreement with Dish Network speaks to their vision and understanding that growth in Hispanic audiences on Univision’s platforms will result in subscriber growth,” O’Connor said in a statement. “Dish is a great innovator. The distribution of these new Univision networks, and the thousands of hours of Spanish-language content that can be streamed in and out of home for the first time ever behind a pay-wall, demonstrates Dish’s commitment to deliver Hispanic subscribers the most robust content offering across multiple screens.”

            Financial details of the Dish Network/Univision deal were not disclosed.

            Dish Network’s Clayton also announced the introduction of a whole-home HD DVR entertainment system at the 2012 International CES show in Las Vegas. The CEO said his company’s new Hopper HD DVR and accompanying small Joey set-top boxes aim to create a whole-home HD DVR entertainment system that allows Dish Network customers to record, pause and play back shows from any room in the home. The Hopper unit features three-satellite TV tuners and a two-terabyte hard drive.

“Dish is proud to be the first to introduce a groundbreaking product that delivers the most choices for TV entertainment by integrating multiple sources of video into one set-top box,” said Clayton. “The Hopper gives our customers network TV shows on-demand and thousands of family movie choices streaming or delivered to the hard drive. With its massive storage, the Hopper leads the industry in delivering the most entertainment options, bar none, for every member of the household.”