• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, November 25, 2008

Satellite provider Dish Network has begun offering a show that could stand alone as entertainment, but is also aimed at piquing viewer interest in programming that it offers on its pay-per-view and on-demand services.

The monthly 30-minute show "Dish Studio" features interviews with celebrities who may be starring in available programming, such as film stars Robert Downey Jr. ("Iron Man") and Harrison Ford ("Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull"). Outside of film, the November show has an interview with Oscar De La Hoya in advance of an upcoming fight that will be carried on pay-per-view.

Commercial-free, "Dish Studio" launched in September and also includes a rundown on family-oriented programming options.

The series, available to Dish's nearly 14 million subscribers, is hosted by Scott Patrick from "Hollywood One-on-One" on the Starz and Encore networks. One segment is "Patrick's Picks," where he weighs in on his movie picks on Dish that month.

Dish offers several other shows to its customer base that it produces, including the periodic "Charlie Chat," which features company head Charlie Ergen and co-founder Jim DeFranco commenting on new features and offerings that subscribers can utilize.

"The Tech Forum" features Mark Jackson, president of EchoStar Technologies, and Dan Minnick, vice president of engineering, as they provide details about new technology Dish has implemented that customers can benefit from.

Some of the "Dish Studio" content is available on Dish's Web site.