DISH offically launches bitcoin payments

In May, Dish Network made headlines across the tech media for becoming the largest company to date to adopt bitcoin payments. The announcement did come with a caveat: Although the company’s partnership with Coinbase was formalized, actual payment integration wasn’t expected for several months as DISH worked out the kinks in the new system. After months of testing, the Coinbase integration is finally live.

To announce the launch of bitcoin payments, DISH partnered with Life On Bitcoin bloggers Austin and Beccy Craig, filming the couple as they became the first DISH customers to use the new Coinbase integration. The newlywed couple is currently creating a documentary of their first 101 days of marriage living and traveling exclusively on bitcoin. The video depicts the couple making a one-click payment, having already logged into their Coinbase account.

DISH has made no secret of the fact that they expect their early results from bitcoin to be limited, strongly suggesting that the integration is as much a marketing move as it is an attempt to appease the “tech-forward chatter” of their subscriber base. The company saw just under $14 billion in revenue last year, nearly twice bitcoin’s current total market capitalization. It’s unlikely that DISH will see results comparable with major bitcoin adopters like Overstock.com, at least in the short term, but as a publicity move the media provider stands to gain a huge amount of attention among tech tastemakers and a growing contingent of bitcoin-savvy Wall Street investors.