Big Cable Resists a Slingbox Solution

Cable TV executives are constantly talking about “TV Everywhere”—shows and movies available anywhere at any time. The Slingbox, a $180 gadget that lets users watch live TV via any Internet-linked device, would seem to dovetail nicely with that vision. Yet the cable industry has shown little interest in the technology. Comcast and Cox Communications, the No. 1 and No. 3 cable operators, say Sling isn’t a good fit for their services. And No. 4, Charter Communications, “has plotted a different route to … TV Everywhere,” says Rich DiGeronimo, the company’s chief for product and strategy.

One reason for cable’s reluctance to embrace Slingbox is its ownership. The technology is controlled by Dish Network, a satellite TV provider and a longtime cable rival. “Why help a competitor?” asks Amy Yong, an analyst at Macquarie Securities in New York. “The Comcasts of the world … are big enough that they can develop this internally.”