DISH SAYS AUTOHOP DVR ALREADY A WINNER

DISH Network’s Hopper DVR, which allows viewers to automatically skip commercials on TV shows that they have recorded, has become a huge hit for the company, CEO Joe Clayton claimed in a conference call with analysts on Wednesday. Clayton said that it expects to ship 700,000 DVRs using the AutoHop technology to customers this year, and 600,000 in 2013 and 2014. Those plans of course, depend on how DISH’s legal battle with broadcast and cable networks pans out. “We do not know how the courts will rule on AutoHop, but we do know that we have already won in the court of public opinion,” Clayton said. Some analysts have observed that even if DISH’s content providers lose in court, they will likely try to get even when contracts come up for renewal in the future.