Sling Media Acquired by EchoStar

[Mike Temporale]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWEN122920070925' target='_blank'>http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUSWEN122920070925</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>&quot;EchoStar Communications Corp&nbsp;said on Monday that it will buy Sling Media Inc, a privately held company known for its Slingbox device that relays home television programs to laptops and cell phones. EchoStar, parent of the Dish Network Satellite Television service, said the deal values Sling Media at approximately $380 million, payable in cash and EchoStar options. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2007, EchoStar said. The Slingbox connects cable and satellite TV set-top boxes to the Internet. As a result, cell phones and other Web-connected devices can show what's on a customer's living room TV.&quot;</em></p><p><img alt="" border="0" src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/500/spt/auto/1190749732.usr3.jpg" /></p><p>Anyone that's been a long time reader of Smartphone Thoughts will know that I'm a fan of SlingBox.&nbsp; While there hasn't been much news out of them recently, they've certainly changed that with this news.&nbsp; It's an interesting purchase by Dish network.&nbsp; I wonder if we'll start seeing satellite receivers with Sling's technology built right into it in the future? That would be pretty cool.</p>

[SteveHoward999]

I'm amazed no one has commented yet.

This is either fantastic or awful for mobile tv. Personally I want to see it as a positive thing. I might finally subscribe to Dish if they offer SlingBox with the bundle.

[SteveHoward999]

It gets more interesting -

http://www.engadget.com/2007/09/27/atandt-talks-with-new-sling-owner-echostar-said-to-be-heating-up/

EchoStar sure seems to be keeping itself busy these days, with its long-running talks with AT&T now said to be "heating up" just days after it acquired Sling Media for a cool $380 million. According to TheStreet.com, EchoStar is apparently considering splitting the company into two publicly traded units, one that would focus on its consumer TV service (which is where Sling fits in) and one that would focus on its wholesale satellite transmission service. As you can probably guess, it's the former that AT&T is interested in, and it's apparently prepared to pay $55 a share for the potentially separate company. According to TheStreet, however, EchoStar is currently holding out for a hefty $65 a share, although at least one analyst "sensing a deal in the works" is speculating that AT&T will "likely pay about $56 a share for the TV service." As TheStreet points out, the acquisition would likely help out AT&T with it's so-called Project Lightspeed (http://www1.alcatel-lucent.com/tripleplay/at&t.jhtml), which aims to combine TV, phone, and internet service on a single fiber optic network.