ESPN May Change The Cable Industry and Give you more MACTION

Raise your hands if you have cable in part just because you want ESPN? One of the uglier parts of cable television is the lack of a la carte viewing options. It forces some people to buy the Home and Garden network while pushing others away from cable TV all together.

ESPN, whose rates are higher than most cable networks are part of an option which would help sports fans un-tether themselves from The Game Show Network.

I mean I enjoy an 80's rerun of "Press Your Luck" as much as the next guy but I'm not dropping 75$ on cable so that I can see Catherine from Iowa scream "No Whammy".

Dish Network's Sling TV announced yesterday that ESPN will be available via a streaming subscription, no cable contract required.

For $20 a month, Dish will offer ESPN, ESPN2, CNN, TNT, Food Network, HGTV and the Cartoon Network to consumers to stream on their laptops and mobile devices.

In addition, DISH, ESPN and ESPN Deportes customers will have access to the live and video-on-demand channel ESPN3, which of course includes the MAC network.

Some cable networks like HBO and Showtime offer some form of streaming. But ESPN has been on the sidelines and as one of the most viewed networks on television their entry into the streaming market may break open the flood gates.

"Consumers can now watch their favorite shows on their favorite devices that they already use to watch video. Live television, including ESPN, for $20 per month with no commitment or contract, is a game changer, The arrival of Sling TV lets consumers, who’ve embraced  services like Netflix and Hulu, take more control of their video entertainment experience." - Roger Lynch, CEO of Sling TV

ESPN owns a good deal of the college bowl season. Now, consumers won't have to remain shackled to a cable provider to see them.