Mobile apps are where the action is, and that fact hasn’t been lost on Dish Network. The US Satellite TV supplier have opened the ad-skipping Hopper DVR platform to app software developers.
The move will (they hope) bring a slew of second-screen services and remote services for tablets and smartphones. Dish have already launched in-house apps such as the Dish Explorer app for iPad, that along with DVR controls also offers recommendations, social media trending and real-time stats on sporting events.
But Dish are looking for new approved software partners for the Hopper, and want them, “tapping a deeper well of creativity” and think of ideas that the company would not even think of. There is already an app for android and iOS designed by Thuuz Sports, that reports when a sporting event gets exciting using social signals and analytics.
Dish have over 14 million subscribers and offer over 200 channels. The Hopper is a home DVR system that was launched in March 2012, and has 3 tuners and 2Tb of space. A feature of Hopper called Auto Hop which lets customers watch recordings and bypass ads, has met with both criticism and lawsuits from the major networks including Fox, CBS, NBC and ABC.
But the concept is extremely popular, with technology giant Apple also said to be in discussions with TV companies about a system that would allow viewers to skip commercials, but unlike Dish, would compensate the networks for lost revenue.
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