C/P: In a move that should please sports and child programming fans alike, EchoStar unveiled plans to launch ESPN's Interactive Zone and Disney Channel Interactive TV on DISH Network. Company officials said Monday the new features will be available to all of DISH's interactive platform. ESPN's Interactive Zone features up-to-the-minute news and scores for the major professional and collegiate sports. Viewers can launch the application by clicking an on-screen icon during select programs across ESPN's stable of channels. The feature is also available on DISH's DishHOME channel 100.
Other key features of ESPN's Interactive Zone include ESPN headline news and reports, a bottom-screen ticker with headlines from the day, picture-in-picture display, TV listings for all ESPN networks and, of course, interactive advertising campaigns.
For Disney Channel's interactive features, viewers can program their DVRs for the network's featured content, receive show information from a sub-menu and interact with show-related content. The interactive application also allows DISH subs to access the live Disney Channel East from any Disney-related page instantly.