A Rundown of DISH’s Most Popular TV Apps

Fun and time-saving applications shouldn’t just be limited to your mobile devices. DISH is wise to that trend, which is why they’ve created a variety of applications you can use on most of their receivers, including Hopper. It keeps things simple, allowing you to take shortcuts and providing you with a fun and helpful service. Their wide range of interactive TV apps cover news, weather, games and sports… all from the comfort of your favorite couch.

It’s still a relatively new feature, so DISH’s app library is still in its growth phase. As technology and compatibility continues to improve, expect to see more interactive apps come online soon. Here’s just a sampling of what you can get now…

Sports Apps

When it comes to sports, these apps take your fandom to the next level. They’ll give you a full and complete bridge to everything happening across any league. Whether you dig the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, or even cricket, you’ll never miss out on your favorite teams or players…

The Game Finder is the top sports app on DISH. It lets you stay on top of all the current games, no matter the sport. Game Finder lets you find ANY game by giving you quick and easy access to box scores, games that are airing on your specific plan, and an ability to schedule recordings – even if you’re not at home. It’ll even alert you if something big is happening — news or play — and allow you to switch directly to the game with the push of a button.

Let’s say you’re a lover of college football. Well, come August you want to be get all the updates, all the time, and never skip a beat. From gameday on Saturday to the release of the new rankings on Monday, the CFB Top 25 application lets you access current college football rankings and standings. The app is a nice and simple solution to finding out what is happening in the college world.

The MLBN interactive app gives you access to national and local news from around the league. Get news on every position, team, and score without having to switch to your phone or tablet. The app also keeps scores updated every minute and informs you if a game of interest will be playing on your programming plan.

Score Overlay is the biggest sports app from DISH. This small square sits on your screen, overlaying any show you’re watching on ESPN and ESPN2. With the push of a button, the box pops up and you can get updates on any sport and score from around the world. The data updates every 30 seconds so you don’t have to worry about refreshing anything yourself.

Music Apps

The Hopper (and most other receivers) have a few different music apps to help you find your jam. With a wide variety of high-quality music available, you’ll always find a station to fit the occasion. Whether it’s a dinner party or you’re just relaxing and reading a book, find that perfect complement in just a few seconds. Here are their three main music apps:

DISH Music gives you the ability to listen to over 50 stations. The stations come with commercial-free listening spanning every genre of music.

Sirius XM is one of the most popular ways to listen to satellite radio in the world, and DISH gives you the ability to bring Sirius into your home. Sirius XM has over 70 different channels of free music, transforming your television into a media centerpiece. From study sessions to romantic evenings, Sirius let’s you create whatever atmosphere you want.

You can’t have a music app suite without Pandora. Logging into your personalized Pandora account, you can listen to everything on your TV that you do on your phone or computer. Enjoy all your favorite songs or stations or start from scratch. Either way, having Pandora on your Hopper is a perfect music companion for ANY occasion.

Social Media Apps

Not surprisingly, DISH features a very functional suite of social media applications. The Hopper lets you seamlessly connect your TV to your social media accounts, all in just a few clicks of the remote. Access your Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, or Flickr. The last two let you upload your photos and share them with whoever you want, right from your TV. It’s the perfect way to share with friends and not miss that last play of the game.

Games

DISH Network channel 96 gives you a fun variety of interactive games. Hunting Trails, Tetris and others let you play the classics and even win real-world prizes. Certain games do require a subscription, and some an up-front cost. The fee process is painfully obvious BEFORE purchase, so no chance of accidental buys (ahem, Facebook).

Other games include Gomoku, a strategy game, Scrambler, Blackjack, and Texas Hold’em.

Conclusion

When it’s all said and done, what you really want from your satellite subscription is access to TV and entertainment, but it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra tossed in. Access to social media is great for the Facebook-addicted and brushing up on your Blackjack isn’t a bad idea if you’re Vegas-bound.

Looking forward, there’s plenty of interactive apps rumored to be in the DISH pipeline (which should be more intuitive). As is, navigating your social spheres with a remote is a lot harder than just swiping and using a mouse, so it’s not totally relevant yet. The games, while fun, are still a little clunky, as well. Overall, it’s a good start from DISH and should only get better from here. Enjoy the apps!

About the author

George Levint

George is the senior editor at DigitalFind and an expert in how technology at home impacts our lives. From funky analog radios to AI devices that try to out-think you, he's usually unfairly critical until proven otherwise. He also enjoys spending the occasional weekend off-grid to keep Skynet guessing.