Shopping for a Dish Network TV package can be overwhelming. You start by just wanting to watch your favorite shows, and then you find yourself torn between additional channels and extra costs.
For only a few more dollars, you can get these premium channels. For ten extra bucks a month, you'll get special features if you bundle. Limited time offer. Lock in your price for two years if you enroll today.
Calm down. Take a deep breath. It's your TV package and it's going to be all right. Instead of going through colorful and complicated charts listing thousands of channels within different bundles and offers, we're going to break down Dish TV's offerings when it comes to finding the right TV package for you.
Dish Network Explained
Dish Network is the third-largest paid TV company in America and the second-largest satellite TV company. Based out of Colorado, their network can be purchased almost anywhere in the country. That is different from cable, which has more regional networks. Since you just need the ability to hook-up a satellite dish to your home or apartment, Dish Network has almost nationwide availability.
Depending on the retailer, where and when you enroll in Dish Network, there are varying incentives and offers for switching. Sometimes you can get a lower price for a set amount of time. The offers may change depending on when and how you purchase your subscription.
Dish Network TV Packages
The simplest way to break down their TV offerings is that, for the most part, Dish Network offers four different TV packages. They vary in cost and features, but if you are looking for a place to start, you can work on understanding what you get for each of the four offerings:
Flex Pack
America's Top 120 Plus
America's Top 200
America's Top 250
As you move down the list, you will pay more every month and get additional channels in return. As you start considering the increased cost, you will want to consider the channels you will watch the most so you get the most for your money.
What All Packages Include
Before getting into the details of each offering, there is a set amount of features that make Dish Network an excellent option. They are at the cutting edge of technology and some of these details make their customers loyal fans for years. Those include:
Free Hopper Upgrade - One of the best and most advanced DVR's in TV
HD Free for Life with a 24-month agreement
Free next-day installation (depending on scheduling)
Free activation with a 24-month agreement
Three months free of Showtime, Cinemax and Starz
HBO for 1 full year with any America's Top package
In addition to those offers, three of the four packages include regional sports network(s) and the fourth package offers a channel pack that we'll explain in more detail.
Dish Flex Pack
Dish unveiled the best alternative to paying for a handful of different subscription services. It starts at $39.99, a cost that's on par with, if not less than, subscribing to four of the five different streaming services. What you get for that price are the advantages that come with a traditional television package, including a core package of over 50 of the best channels on TV.
Some of those options include FX, USA, CNN, TBS, TNT, GHTV, Comedy Central, E!, TLC, National Geographic, AMC, SyFy, The Food Channel, The Travel Channel, BET, Hallmark, Spike, A&E, TCM, IFC and the Cartoon Network - and that's just the start. Some of the channels that require separate subscriptions for over-the-top viewers now come included with the base TV package. This all starts at $39.99 per month, which is a price that's locked in for two years.
Once you have amassed your collection of included channels, you get to pick an additional pack of programming included with the price. And if you're happy with over 50 of the best cable programs on the market, you can decide to leave it at that and lower your bill. If you decide you want to keep your skinny bundle to the list of base channels, then they'll lower your bill $10 every month, which takes your cost down to only $29.99.
If you decide to include a pack of channels at the $39.99 rate, you can pick the series of channels that's right for you. Dish offers the local package that features all your standards like ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS. You can have the biggest network football games of the week and the most popular shows on TV in your living room at a manageable price.
It doesn't just have to be local TV. Dish offers the Kids Pack of additional Disney, Nickelodeon and animal channels. You can go with the News Pack or the Regional Action Pack for your nearby teams. Or the National Action Pack for ESPN and FS1. There's the Latino Bonus Pack, the Variety Pack, Heartland Pack and Outdoors Pack. What stands out about this is that a traditional provider is attempting to let viewers design a package of channels that fits them.
The Flex Pack comes with all the base channels plus one additional pack included for $39.99.
If you decide to add more bundles, you can pay a small monthly amount for the added channels. The breakdown of what packs you can get is as follows:
Local: CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, Univision and others
Variety: Investigation Discovery, Lifetime Movies, Freeform, Bravo, BET, Crime and Investigation
Kids: Disney, Disney Jr., Animal Planet, Nick Jr., Disney XD, Nicktoons, Boomerang, Baby TV
National Action: ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, Velocity, AXS TV, Fuse, TV Games Network, TVG2, Universal HD
News: FOX News, MSNBC, Weather, CNBC, FOX Business, BBC World News, Bloomberg, TheBlaze
Heartland: Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, GSN, OWN, Uplifting, Discovery Family, Baby TV, PIXL, RFD-TV, Ride TV, FamilyNet
Regional Action: Big Ten, FS2, Longhorn, Outside TV, Pac-12, SEC, World Fishing, ESPN Buzzer Beater
Outdoor: Outdoor, Outside, Sportsman, World Fishing
Adding an additional pack on top of the included one ranges in cost from $4 per month for the outdoor pack up to $10 per month for the national sports and news packs.
America's Top 120
For an additional $15 per month, America's Top 120 is the top choice when it comes to people who are the kind of sports fans who want to see big games but don't have to see every single match in every sport on TV. It's the most cost effective option that includes some of the best sports channels on TV, including your regional sports networks. A handful of the additional sports channels you get for $54.99 include:
Local Networks (ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox and CW)
ESPN Suite of Channels
Regional Sports Networks (SEC, Big Ten)
And More
It's the best option if you want to watch local stations, the best that cable has to offer, and the biggest games on TV. It's great if you love baseball, football and basketball. However, the biggest fans of soccer and hockey might opt for a more advanced package that offers the Fox Sports and NBC sports suite of channels.
America's Top 200
Dish Network's best, all-around option starts at another $10 on top of the 150 option. You'll be looking at $64.99/month, but you can get tremendous value out of that if you either watch a lot of TV or you have a family with a wide range in taste. It's a great option for big sports fans with interests that cover many different sports, commentary and analysis. It's also a great option for reality TV lovers who want to find some of the most jaw-dropping shows across all of cable TV. Some of the highlights include:
NFL Network
Bravo
Disney XD
Golf Channel
BBC America
MLB Network
GSN
BET
NBC Sports Network
Fox Sports 1
Discovery Family
America's 250
And then there's the bundle for the TV-lover who wants it all. If you can envision the ultimate cable network, then it's almost always going to be found on Dish's top-tier offering. For $74.99 - ten bucks more than the previous offering - you get all the channels plus options like beIN sports, STARZ Encore movie channels, FXM, EPIX Drive-in, Bloomberg TV, Nat Geo WILD, Nicktoons and The Movie Channel.
All in all, you get 250 channels featuring almost every kind of content you can imagine. It is perfect for families, friends, roommates and television lovers who want it all. Pretty much any channel you would want to watch would be at your fingertips with Dish's excellent offerings, like the Hopper and HD networks that are readily available.
And More
Where things get both interesting and a little complicated is that Dish also lets you customize, add and subtract different bundles and packages based on your interests. If you want to have a skinny pack but still want to have some extra sports channels, that's available for you. If you want to add premium networks and movie channels, then you can do that as well. There is a long list of options, allowing you to customize in a way that works for you:
Premium movie channels (HBO, Showtime, Cinemax, Starz) starting at $6 per month
Sports packs starting at $4 per month
DISH Latino packs
Final Verdict
The final verdict is that if you really like TV, then Dish Network is one of the best options on the market. For a cost that's less than four different streaming services, you get scores of channels that you can't find if you cut the cord. Those include local channels, live sports, movie networks and family shows that are only available on cable.
If you are the kind of TV lover who wants to have and watch it all, then you don't have to miss out on streaming services either. You can use the Hopper, their smartDVR device, to watch shows on Netflix as well.
Ultimately, if you watch a lot of television, then Dish Network offers a very competitive option for a good price. You won't miss out on the biggest games and local channels, and there are plenty of ways to mix-and-match any additional features you want. Whether it's for families, roommates or couples, there is a great way to bundle your channels to watch what you want.
Dish TV Packages Explained: Prices, Bundles, and Promotions appeared first on CreditDonkey
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