LOS ANGELES — With a string of recent deals, cable and satellite providers are beginning to acknowledge a brutal truth that companies such as Hulu and Netflix have known all along: Many TV viewers, especially young ones, want shows and movies wherever, whenever and on whatever devices they choose.
Dish Network took a big step toward such a future with a deal announced Monday with Disney.
The agreement opens the way for the satellite TV service to live-stream Disney-owned channels such as ESPN and ABC over the Internet to customers’ smartphones, tablets, video-game consoles and other devices.
Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen hinted at the underpinnings of the deal last month, when he admitted that the traditional pay-TV business model is not appealing to younger people.
“We’re losing a whole generation of individuals who aren’t going to buy into that model,” he told analysts.
The new service will bypass Dish’s 14 million-customer satellite system and offer content via the Internet.
