The folks at Dish know that they have a hard road ahead of them.  "While Blockbuster's business faces significant challenges," says Dish VP Tom Cullen, "we look forward to working with its employees to re-establish Blockbuster's brand as a leader in video entertainment.

Dish hasn't revealed just what they'll be doing with Blockbuster yet, but Cullen hints at some big potential for the company.  "Blockbuster will complement our existing video offerings while presenting cross-marketing and service extension opportunities for DISH Network."  The deal is still pending approval, but assuming nothing goes wrong the deal is expected to close this summer.