EchoStar Acquires Sling

DISH Network operator EchoStar today announced that it had agreed to acquire Sling Media. The deal is estimated at $380 million in cash and stock options and will give EchoStar its first truly direct control over Sling since investing and collaborating with the smaller company shortly after its 2004 launch. The deal will let satellite TV subscribers more readily stream their shows over the Internet to a computer or a cellphone, EchoStar said. Sling itself responded that the deal would let the fledgling company expand the distribution of its Slingbox media hubs.

Although the deal potentially affects Sling's incentive to develop a universal solution, company chief Blake Krikorian stressed that the Slingbox and its associated software would remain "multi-platform" and would not be tied to any one network. The acquisition is expected to receive formal approval by the end of the year.

By Electronista Staff