| Satellite TV became available to homes in the | | | | In 2005, Dish Network launched its most |
| United States in the early 1980s. Back then, | | | | impressive product to date, PocketDish. With |
| consumer-owned satellite dishes were about 12 | | | | PocketDish, subscribers can view and save |
| feet in diameter. Nowadays, though, satellite | | | | anything that was recorded on the Dish Network |
| dishes are much smaller. | | | | DVR. Subscribers can download programs or |
| There were many satellite TV providers but Dish | | | | movies onto their PocketDish, take it over to the |
| Network and DirecTV are the two main satellite | | | | house of a friend who doesn't have satellite TV |
| TV providers today. Another satellite TV provider | | | | and watch the shows from there. Subscribers |
| is Sky Angel, although it offers Christian and | | | | simply need to hook the PocketDish to a |
| family-friendly programming. Sky Angel and Dish | | | | television and that's it...they can now watch |
| Network have an agreement that their customers | | | | satellite TV on a different television. |
| can view each other's programs using the same | | | | DirecTV |
| equipment. | | | | DirectTV, Dish Network's rival in the satellite TV |
| Dish Network | | | | service industry, reportedly has 15 million |
| Dish Network has been providing satellite TV | | | | subscribers in the United States and 1.5 million |
| programming since the 1980s. The company is | | | | subscribers in Latin America. Hughes Electronics |
| owned by Echostar, a company based in | | | | introduced DirecTV's first satellite in 1994. Nine |
| Colorado. In 2003, Dish Network's subscriber base | | | | years later, in 2003, Hughes Electronics sold |
| in the United States reached five million | | | | DirecTV to News Corporation. |
| households. That same year, Dish Networked | | | | DirecTV is the leading satellite provider in the |
| partnered with SBC Communications and they | | | | United States. Like Dish Network, DirecTV offers |
| began offering SBC Dish Network television | | | | high-definition satellite service to its subscribers. |
| service. In 2005, Dish Network bought Voom's | | | | The company also offers the digital video |
| satellite and the company added the Voom | | | | recorder (DVR) set-top box. |
| programming to its satellite TV offering. | | | | |