Sling.com Delivers Premier Tennis Content
FOSTER CITY, CA, Apr 07, 2009 (MARKET WIRE via COMTEX News Network) -- Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), today announced content distribution partnerships with USTA and Tennis Channel that will bring premier tennis content and highlights to Sling.com. USTA and Tennis Channel join current Sling.com partners Tennis.com and IMG, making Sling.com a new video destination for tennis fans with a variety of premium content, including Grand Slam recaps, instruction, lifestyle programming and select match footage.
Sling's coverage will be ongoing throughout the year and will include special event environments programmed around some of the biggest tennis events of the season, including the US Open, Wimbledon, and other Grand Slam and tour events.
"Sling.com is the one-stop video destination for tennis fans, and we couldn't be happier to bring in-depth tennis coverage to our users," said Sling Media General Manager John Gilmore. "We are looking forward to bringing more great sports content to our consumers in 2009 as we cover the biggest events in the sporting world."
"The USTA's goal is to bring more tennis in more ways to more tennis fans and players," said Phil Green, USTA senior director of Advanced Media. "By partnering with Sling Media, we can do this and therefore remain an innovative leader in the sport."
"Tennis Channel's ongoing mission is to make as much tennis as possible available to as many fans who want to take part in the sport," said Robyn Miller, senior vice president, Marketing, Tennis Channel. "This partnership honors that calling by bringing our network's highlights, series episodes, short-form instructional programming and other content to Sling.com visitors who are hungry for tennis material that can't be found anywhere else. We're truly excited about this new opportunity to broaden Tennis Channel's reach, especially in a year when we'll add the US Open to our tournament lineup next to Wimbledon, the French Open and the Australian Open."
Sling's custom branded channel for Tennis Channel can be found at: http://sling.com/network/105/Tennis-Channel
About Sling.com
Sling.com is an ad-supported online video portal that gives users free access to a premiere library of diverse professional content from television networks, movie studios, sports leagues and top websites. A true "water cooler on the web," Sling.com combines professional programming with a unique editorial voice and easy, logical navigation, allowing users to browse within special channels, networks, and show pages that feature long- and short-form content from a variety of video partners. A full list of channels available on Sling.com can be found at http://www.sling.com/network/list.
About Sling Media
Sling Media, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ: SATS), is a leading digital lifestyle company offering consumer services and products that are a natural extension of today's digital way of life. Sling Media's product family includes the internationally acclaimed, Emmy award-winning Slingbox(TM) that allows consumers to watch and control their living room television shows at any time, from any location, using PCs, Macs, PDAs and smartphones and the revolutionary new SlingCatcher(TM), a universal media player that seamlessly delivers broadcast TV, Internet video and personal content to the TV. Sling Media is also the company behind the video entertainment web site, Sling.com, offering consumers a wide variety of popular TV shows, movies and other entertainment free for viewing online or on the TV using SlingCatcher. For more information on Sling Media, the Slingbox or the SlingCatcher, visit www.slingmedia.com. To watch your favorite TV shows and movies, check out www.sling.com.
About USTA
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the U.S. and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level -- from local communities to the highest level of the professional game. A not-for-profit organization with 725,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds in growing the game. It owns and operates the US Open, the highest attended annual sporting event in the world, and launched the Olympus US Open Series linking 10 summer tournaments to the US Open. In addition, it owns the 94 Pro Circuit events throughout the U.S., and selects the teams for the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic and Paralympic Games. The USTA philanthropic entity, USTA Serves, provides grants and scholarships and through tennis, helps underserved youth and people with disabilities to improve academics, build character and strive for excellence. For more information on the USTA, log on to usta.com.
About Tennis Channel
Tennis Channel (www.tennischannel.com) is the only 24-hour, television-based multimedia destination dedicated to both the professional sport and tennis lifestyle. A hybrid of comprehensive sports, health, fitness, pop culture, entertainment, lifestyle and travel programming, the network is home to every aspect of the wide-ranging, worldwide tennis community. It also has the most concentrated single-sport coverage in television, with telecast rights to the US Open, Wimbledon, Roland Garros (French Open), Australian Open, Olympus US Open Series, ATP Masters Series, top-tier Sony Ericsson WTA Tour championship competitions, Davis Cup and Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, and Hyundai Hopman Cup. Tennis Channel is carried by eight of the top 10 MSOs and has a national footprint via DIRECTV and DISH Network.
Media contacts: Jay Tannenbaum Sling Media 650-293-8007 Email Contact Chris Widmaier USTA 914-696-7284 Email Contact Eric Abner Tennis Channel 310-314-9445 Email Contact
SOURCE: EchoStar Corporation
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