Dish Network and its OTT-TV offshoot, Sling TV, announced plans to add 100 new tech jobs ro a new software development office that will be situated in a trendy, and increasingly technology-focused, part of downtown Denver.
As part of the plan, Dish will renovate about 20,000 square feet of the historic Grand Central Building (1615 17th Street) in the Union Station neighborhood. The location will serve as a new in-house software development hub for products such as the Dish Hopper DVR platform and Sling TV’s OTT service.
No word yet on whether these groups have formed a softball league with which to take out their competitive aggressions, but Dish said it’s currently recruiting for the new office, expecting it to be fully operation by June 2016.
Dish is adding the software-focused facility in an area of Denver that’s become a next-gen tech and service hub for the pay TV industry. Layer3 TV, a “next-generation” cable operator, opened its headquarters in the Denver LoDo district in September 2014. Comcast’s VIPER (Video IP Engineering & Research) has also set up digs in in the area.
Dish said the new office will become its 11th “major operation” in Colorado. Its Colorado presence also includes its Douglas County Meridian headquarters, a customer service, sales and installation location in Littleton, a customer service center in Thornton, and In-Home Services and Manufacturing offices in Denver, Englewood, Loveland, Grand Junction and Colorado Springs.
“DISH has continued to invest in Colorado since its founding in 1980, employing more than 4,000 employees across the state today,” Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper said, in a statement. “This step not only helps expand their presence, it gives another meaningful boost to Colorado’s thriving tech community as we welcome a new neighbor in downtown Denver."
“DISH is a homegrown company, and it’s very encouraging to see one of our area’s key employers choosing to expand right within the heart of LoDo and our regional transit hub,” added Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. “We’re proud to welcome them to Downtown Denver for their next stage of innovation and growth.”
“DISH and Sling TV are driving a consumer market that is changing in real-time, and we’re developing innovative ways to deliver video and connected services to millions of customers,” said Rob Dravenstott, Dish’s senior vice president and chief information officer. “From the heart of the thriving Denver tech community, this office will utilize collaborative software development models to expand our world-class IT group and play an integral role in creating next generation services.”
