New DISH Subscribers to Get 2 Free Years of Ad-Free Netflix
The deal is similar to other team-ups between linear TV distributors and on-demand streaming services.
DISH Network has made a move that could prove highly attractive to prospective new subscribers. The company could sure use some; at last count it had around 6.1 million satellite customers, lagging far behind other pay-TV distributors like Comcast and Charter. Combining with DIRECTV will help, but on Thursday, DISH announced a new way to help attract and retain customers. The satellite giant will give new subscribers two years of free access to Netflix at no charge.
Key Details:
- New DISH subscribers get a free subscription to Netflix’s ad-free, Standard plan.
- Existing Netflix customers who sign up for DISH are also eligible for the deal.
- The agreement resembles partnerships made by Charter Communications with various streamers.
As of Thursday, Oct. 17, new DISH customers who agree to a two-year contract will get a free subscription to the ad-free Standard with Ads plan with Netflix for the length of that contract. As a Netflix Standard subscriber myself, I can attest to the difference it makes watching the service without ads.
The new offer will be valid for all new customers who agree to a two-year DISH contract and can also be used by those who are already signed up with Netflix. Once you’ve got your DISH and Netflix accounts all set up, you’ll be able to watch live TV channels and on-demand entertainment all on your DISH Hopper device.
“We’re always looking for ways to simplify and elevate the viewing experience for our customers,” DISH video services group president Gary Schanman said. “This new DISH and Netflix offer is a great opportunity to give DISH customers Netflix’s popular series and films. By bringing together the best of live TV and streaming, we’re offering convenience and access to the most sought-after content in one seamless experience.”
The partnership between DISH and Netflix is similar to those between Charter Communications and the various streaming services it has teamed up with over the last 13 months. Last September, Charter struck a deal with Disney to provide Disney+ and ESPN+ to customers at no extra charge. Since then, Charter has made similar agreements with Max, Paramount+, and several others.
The Netflix deal is slightly different, however. Charter pursued these deals with streamers on the basis that it didn’t want its cable customers to pay for content twice — once on linear channels and then again on a streaming service. DISH cannot make the argument that Netflix is double-charging customers to watch its titles, because Netflix doesn’t distribute any content via linear TV channels. So this is more of a pure bundle deal for DISH than what Charter has done.
Netflix does have one other distribution deal with a traditional TV distributor at the moment. It’s part of the StreamSaver bundle with Apple TV+ and Peacock, which can be purchased alongside Comcast’s Now TV plan or as a standalone combo by Xfinity TV and Internet customers.
As of now, there was no word of this partnership applying to DISH’s live TV streaming service Sling TV, but now that one deal between the companies has been locked down, perhaps another is in the cards for the near future.
Netflix
Netflix is a subscription video streaming service that includes on-demand access to 3,000+ movies, 2,000+ TV Shows, and Netflix Originals like Stranger Things, Squid Game, The Crown, Tiger King, and Bridgerton. They are constantly adding new shows and movies. Some of their Academy Award-winning exclusives include Roma, Marriage Story, Mank, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.