If you have Dish TV and a compatible Alexa Device like the Echo Show 5 or Echo Dot you can control your TV using Alexa Dish Commands. In this post we teach you how you can use Alexa Dish Commands to control your dish TV with your voice.

Adding Alexa functionality to your Dish TV setup can be a great way to increase the functionality of your TV and your Alexa devices. It also allows you hands free control of your TV if your remote isn’t nearby.

With Alexa Dish Commands you can control most things that run through the control of your Dish TV box like changing channels, finding a show or even fast forwarding a movie.

The Alexa Dish Commands are a useful tool for controlling your TV but they don’t offer all of the same functionality as a TV with Alexa built in or a TV connected to a Fire TV Cube. However if you’re already paying for Dish TV you can add a lot of functionality to your TV and get them most out of what your are already paying for with your Dish TV service. Because if you have a compatible dish device it doesn’t cost anything extra to connect your Dish TV to Alexa.

Alexa Dish Commands: Required Devices

Dish TV Receiver (Wally, Hopper, Hopper 2, or Hopper 3)

Any Alexa Echo Device: Echo Dot, Sonos One With Alexa, Echo Show 5

Alex Dish Commands Setup

To set up dish with Alexa commands first just set up your Dish device and your Alexa device following the in app instructions. Then all you need to do is add the “Dish Skill” on the Alexa app. You go into the Alexa App, click on skills and search for the “Dish Skill” on Alexa. You can also click on the Dish Logo below and it will take you to the skill you need to add to Alexa.

Below is a screenshot of what the “Dish Skill” for Alexa dish commands looks like. Once you enable the skill follow the in app instructions and your Dish device will be configured to work with Alexa dish commands.

Alexa Dish Commands

You can control your Dish TV hands free with Alexa dish commands by saying the following:

“Alexa, change the channel to ESPN.”

“Alexa, change the channel to History Channel.”

The commands will work for changing the channel in the following format

“Alexa, change the channel to [Name of Channel].”

“Alexa, Tune to [Name of Channel]”

“Alexa, go to channel 150.”

“Alexa, go to channel [###].”

“Alexa, search for Big Bang Theory.”

“Alexa, find me movies with the Rock.”

“Alexa, search for western movies.”

“Alexa, show me Harry Potter Movies.”

If you want to use Alexa Dish Commands to play programs that you’ve recored on your DVR your can say the following.

“Alexa, watch modern family.”

You can then control recorded programs with the following Alexa dish commands:

“Alexa, fast forward.”

“Alexa, stop.”

“Alexa, resume.”

“Alexa, play.”

“Alexa, rewind.”

“Alexa, skip forward.”

Alexa Dish Commands: Summary

Adding an Alexa device to your Dish TV setup can add additional hands free Alexa command functionality to your TV. There are plenty of options for Alexa devices that will work with Dish Commands but our favorite devices are the low cost Echo Dot or if you want a device with a screen we recommend the Echo Show 5.

Or you could set up your TV with Sonos Beam sound bar with Alexa built in that will provide great quality sound for your TV and allow you to use Alexa commands with Alexa built into the Sonos Beam. You can even connect the Sonos Beam as part of a surround sound system using the Sonos Beam and Sonos One speakers.

Overall adding Alexa voice functionality is a great way to get more out of both Alexa and your TV.