Dish Loses 268,000 Pay TV Subscribers in Fourth Quarter

[navychop]

 

[BarnRat]

Switch to a better provider.

What better provider do you have in mind?

 

[MitchDeerfield]

The whole business model is obsolete. Paying for 250 channels (with commercials) that you never watch so you can watch the 15-20 that you like. Paying for premium channels on top of that.

 

[AntiMoz]

Count me as one of the losses for Q4. My two year price lock was up and we now have solid internet out here in the boonies so we decided to go to YTTV. I wasnt sure how “the boss” would adapt but were doing just fine. The only thing we added was a ESPN+ account to replace the NHL Center Ice subscription we had with Dish. The one thing I do miss is the Hopper interface and guide and the ability to just key in a channel number. First world problem.

Im still here lurking though! Hard habit to break after 18 years of my almost daily routine of logging in here.

 

[HipKat]

Good, they deserve to go bankrupt for taking away the channels we're paying for.

Switch to a better provider.

Which channels would those be?

 

[Bruce]

Which channels would those be?

I assume he means the RSNs since those are the only channels taken away.

But soon it will not matter, the RSNs are pretty much done for.

 

[jerryez]

Streaming channels are having financial trouble also. Even Netflix is losing money. Streaming prices have risen almost to the point of sat/cable costs. I have the Welcome pack and there is nort more than $5 difference in it and the YTTVs type packages.

 

[Bruce]

Streaming channels are having financial trouble also.

All the losses have been planned, Disney has been saying it will turn a profit in 2024 since the service started.

Even Netflix is losing money.

No it is not, every quarter in 2022 has been profitable-

https://s22.q4cdn.com/959853165/files/doc_financials/2022/q4/FINAL-Q4-22-Shareholder-Letter.pdf

Streaming prices have risen almost to the point of sat/cable costs.

It is not even close, will prices go up, of course, but Traditional Providers would need a price freeze of about 5 years before streaming caught up.

I have the Welcome pack and there is nort more than $5 difference in it and the YTTVs type packages.

Definitely not a fair comparison, you get a whole lot more channels at that $65 price on YTTV then you get on the Welcome Pack.

 

[man00]

Only thing holding be back from leaving is lack of broadband internet, don't see that changing anytime in the near future. I can always switch from one to another satellite providers I guess

 

[jwhalerfan]

Only thing holding be back from leaving is lack of broadband internet, don't see that changing anytime in the near future. I can always switch from one to another satellite providers I guess

And that is the direction Dish is heading in. It's been the goal for several years now. If things go as planned, they will rival the competition with a fast, reliable, unlimited internet service. Their partnership with Google and buying all that spectrum looks promising.

 

[Yespage]

All the losses have been planned, Disney has been saying it will turn a profit in 2024 since the service started.

No it is not, every quarter in 2022 has been profitable-

https://s22.q4cdn.com/959853165/files/doc_financials/2022/q4/FINAL-Q4-22-Shareholder-Letter.pdf

It is not even close, will prices go up, of course, but Traditional Providers would need a price freeze of about 5 years before streaming caught up.

Definitely not a fair comparison, you get a whole lot more channels at that $65 price on YTTV then you get on the Welcome Pack.

I think the price differential is heavy on equipment. With Welcome Pack you get a physical receiver box that costs several hundreds of dollars. YTTV, nothing... just programming which you need a device to get (yes, almost all people have such devices, but you don't get electronics with streaming as one does with Directv or Dish).

 

[Bruce]

I think the price differential is heavy on equipment. With Welcome Pack you get a physical receiver box that costs several hundreds of dollars. YTTV, nothing... just programming which you need a device to get (yes, almost all people have such devices, but you don't get electronics with streaming as one does with Directv or Dish).

But do you have a monthly charge for that receiver(s) on top of the $50 for programing?

In the signature of the person I was quoting , it reads that he has a Hopper 3, which is $10 a month.

If you price it over 2 years, Welcome Pack is $60 a month, $1440 for 2 years, YTTV is $65, a new stick is $30, which is $66.25 per month or $1590 for the 2 years.

So a difference of $6.25 a month for a lot more programming.

But if you push it to 2 boxes, Welcome pack becomes $67 ( and more if you have to pay upfront for the Joey).

If you have to buy a second stick with YTTV, becomes $67.50 a month over 2 years.

 

[chuckster_dude]

Count me as one of the losses for Q4. My two year price lock was up and we now have solid internet out here in the boonies so we decided to go to YTTV. I wasnt sure how “the boss” would adapt but were doing just fine. The only thing we added was a ESPN+ account to replace the NHL Center Ice subscription we had with Dish. The one thing I do miss is the Hopper interface and guide and the ability to just key in a channel number. First world problem.

Im still here lurking though! Hard habit to break after 18 years of my almost daily routine of logging in here.

I'm the same way.....18 years a DISH customer but my loss will count in Q1 of this year.

We went with Hulu Live TV which includes ESPN+ (and Disney+ and regular Hulu). For $75 all-in, it's saving me ~$25 a month I would have spent with DISH and ESPN+ on its own (for NHL and NLL games). YTTV was on our radar and we may try that at some point but Hulu has been good......and my "boss" is getting used to it (she still gets HGTV and Food Network so she's happy with that). I like the DISH DVR functionality better but we'll get used to Hulu's.

Staying with DISH, my cost for Flex Pack/DVR/Protection would have been $90. Plus $10 for ESPN+. Plus $105 for Spectrum Internet/home phone. So we'd be at ~$205/month for TV/Internet/phone.

Leaving DISH, my cost for Hulu Live TV (including ESPN+) is $75. Plus $105 for Spectrum Internet/home phone. Which puts us at $180 a month for TV/Internet/phone. I'll take an extra $25/month in my pocket any time.

 

[jwhalerfan]

I'm the same way.....18 years a DISH customer but my loss will count in Q1 of this year.

We went with Hulu Live TV which includes ESPN+ (and Disney+ and regular Hulu). For $75 all-in, it's saving me ~$25 a month I would have spent with DISH and ESPN+ on its own (for NHL and NLL games). YTTV was on our radar and we may try that at some point but Hulu has been good......and my "boss" is getting used to it (she still gets HGTV and Food Network so she's happy with that). I like the DISH DVR functionality better but we'll get used to Hulu's.

Staying with DISH, my cost for Flex Pack/DVR/Protection would have been $90. Plus $10 for ESPN+. Plus $105 for Spectrum Internet/home phone. So we'd be at ~$205/month for TV/Internet/phone.

Leaving DISH, my cost for Hulu Live TV (including ESPN+) is $75. Plus $105 for Spectrum Internet/home phone. Which puts us at $180 a month for TV/Internet/phone. I'll take an extra $25/month in my pocket any time.

I think we all understand why people are dropping tv providers for streaming services.

 

[Bruce]

I'm the same way.....18 years a DISH customer but my loss will count in Q1 of this year.

We went with Hulu Live TV which includes ESPN+ (and Disney+ and regular Hulu). For $75 all-in, it's saving me ~$25 a month I would have spent with DISH and ESPN+ on its own (for NHL and NLL games). YTTV was on our radar and we may try that at some point but Hulu has been good......and my "boss" is getting used to it (she still gets HGTV and Food Network so she's happy with that). I like the DISH DVR functionality better but we'll get used to Hulu's.

Staying with DISH, my cost for Flex Pack/DVR/Protection would have been $90. Plus $10 for ESPN+. Plus $105 for Spectrum Internet/home phone. So we'd be at ~$205/month for TV/Internet/phone.

Leaving DISH, my cost for Hulu Live TV (including ESPN+) is $75. Plus $105 for Spectrum Internet/home phone. Which puts us at $180 a month for TV/Internet/phone. I'll take an extra $25/month in my pocket any time.

By the way, there are ways to save money with Hulu ( and other streaming services).

With my PNC Visa and Amazon Credit Card Points, I am able to get Gift Cards for streaming services.

And at a better price then the products they offer.

For example, with PNC, a $250 Google Play Card (YouTube TV) is 110,000 Points, while a $299 Nintendo Switch was 460,000 points.

So, check your Cards if available.

 

[Yespage]

But do you have a monthly charge for that receiver(s) on top of the $50 for programing?

In the signature of the person I was quoting , it reads that he has a Hopper 3, which is $10 a month.

If you price it over 2 years, Welcome Pack is $60 a month, $1440 for 2 years, YTTV is $65, a new stick is $30, which is $66.25 per month or $1590 for the 2 years.

So a difference of $6.25 a month for a lot more programming.

But if you push it to 2 boxes, Welcome pack becomes $67 ( and more if you have to pay upfront for the Joey).

If you have to buy a second stick with YTTV, becomes $67.50 a month over 2 years.

Welcome Pack isn't remotely a bargain these days. Comparing Flex would be more comparable.

 

[dishdude]

And don't forget the Wally, you can really save on equipment fees and still have the excellent UI of the Hopper. Flex with OTA tuner and a Wally gets you a lot of entertainment for about the same as streaming.

 

[jerryez]

I recently read where 47.6 million subscribers have left cable/sat for streaming in the last 10 years.

A Shockingly High Number of Americans Have Cut The Cord As The Death of Cable TV Draws Near | Cord Cutters News

In the early 2010s, cord cutters were often seen as a fringe minority out there. Now over half of Americans no longer pay for cable TV or other traditional pay-TV services. According to a report from the Insider Intelligence, 47.6 million American households are now cord cutters. They also...

cordcuttersnews.com

 

[Bruce]

I recently read where 54.6 million subscribers have left cable/sat for streaming in the last 10 years.

That number is mostly correct, but it is for those who left Traditional Providers, roughly 14-15 million of those who left, went to services like YTTV, Hulu Live, Sling, etc.

The rest, about 30 million, do not have Live TV, just Netflix, Paramount and the likes.

 

[jerryez]

That number is mostly correct, but it is for those who left Traditional Providers, roughly 14-15 million of those who left, went to services like YTTV, Hulu Live, Sling, etc.

The rest, about 30 million, do not have Live TV, just Netflix, Paramount and the likes.

I thought that YTTV, Hulu, and Sling were streaming providers also?