Dish Lost 21.8% Of Satellite Subs In Last 4 Years

[MitchDeerfield]

Dish execs are openly discussing merger options.

Dish has lost more than three million satellite TV customers in the last four years, a 21.8 percent decrease, according to company reports.

The company yesterday reported that it had 11.030 million satellite subscribers at the end of last year’s fourth quarter. At the end of the first quarter in 2014, Dish had 14.097 million satellite customers, meaning it has lost 3.067 million since then.

The company’s satellite service has been steadily losing customers since the end of the 2014 fourth quarter.

To counteract the growing satellite losses, Dish launched Sling TV, a live streaming service, in January 2015. The company revealed yesterday that Sling had roughly 2.2 million subscribers at the end of the 2017 fourth quarter.

“Within our Pay TV business segment, we’ve got a mature business in Dish TV and we’ve got a growth business in Sling TV,” Dish CEO Erik Carlson said yesterday during the company’s earnings call, following release of the fourth quarter report. (Seeking Alpha has provided a transcript of the call. )

However, the shrinking satellite numbers has Dish openly discussing possible mergers, including one with DIRECTV if AT&T felt it was necessary to sell its satellite unit to win approval of its merger with Time Warner. (The federal government has rejected the AT&T-Time Warner merger. AT&T is now fighting in court to get the deal approved.)

“I think you can extract out that as the industry declines in the linear TV business, that there’s consolidation opportunities, where you are going to need to be more efficient,” Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen said yesterday during the earnings call.

Dish Lost 21.8% Of Satellite Subs In Last 4 Years - The TV Answer Man!

 

[JSheridan]

 

[boba]

WHAT IS SLING TV???
Like so many other services/brands DISH has blurred the product lines by using similar names for the products.

What is the difference between "SLING TV" and DISH TV? If "SLING TV" is the growth market why doesn't Satellite Guys have a forum??

 

[comfortably_numb]

WHAT IS SLING TV???
Like so many other services/brands DISH has blurred the product lines by using similar names for the products.

What is the difference between "SLING TV" and DISH TV? If "SLING TV" is the growth market why doesn't Satellite Guys have a forum??

We do. It's called the Cord Cutters forum.

 

[MitchDeerfield]

We do. It's called the Cord Cutters forum.

Since OTT is growing by leaps and bounds, it might be a good idea to start some new forums like Sling TV and DirecTV Now. That is where the action is, not in the legacy cable sat outlets.

 

[rvvaquero]

Since OTT is growing by leaps and bounds, it might be a good idea to start some new forums like Sling TV and DirecTV Now. That is where the action is, not in the legacy cable sat outlets.

I don't know, there's still quite a bit of action in this forum.

 

[Tampa8]

You have to read carefully when these things get posted.
This is zero, zilch, nada different than what they have said for years. DISH actually did give an effort to buy/merge with Directv.
Also reading carefully DISH is actually saying they would be buyer if AT&T were selling, that is not quite that DISH is looking for a merger but would be open to one in a "fire sale" ... "if AT&T felt it was necessary to sell its satellite unit to win approval of its merger with Time Warner"

It's also a public note to regulators that there is a way for At&t to merge with Time Warner and they don't have to have such a huge advantage over everyone else which what regulators are afraid of, and DISH would be willing to expand Satellite Service as a trade off......

 

[MitchDeerfield]

You have to read carefully when these things get posted.
This is zero, zilch, nada different than what they have said for years. DISH actually did give an effort to buy/merge with Directv.
Also reading carefully DISH is actually saying they would be buyer if AT&T were selling, that is not quite that DISH is looking for a merger but would be open to one in a "fire sale" ... "if AT&T felt it was necessary to sell its satellite unit to win approval of its merger with Time Warner"

It's also a public note to regulators that there is a way for At&t to merge with Time Warner and they don't have to have such a huge advantage over everyone else which what regulators are afraid of, and DISH would be willing to expand Satellite Service as a trade off......

It's a pipe dream to ever think that Dish will be allowed to merge with DirecTV. Dish is way too profitable. When the govt. allowed Sirius and XM to merge, XM was almost ready to declare bankruptcy. Even that barely passed on a 3-2 vote.

And how can Dish expand its Satellite Service? Aren't they already everywhere in the CONUS?

 

[navychop]

The bloom will eventually be off the rose for OTT. Prices will rise. Internet caps will intrude. No combined EPG will annoy (as it is already).

OTT destroying satcos and cablecos is by no means an assured thing. I believe it is artificially low priced today.

 

[rvvaquero]

The bloom will eventually be off the rose for OTT. Prices will rise. Internet caps will intrude. No combined EPG will annoy (as it is already).

OTT destroying satcos and cablecos is by no means an assured thing. I believe it is artificially low priced today.

I agree. It's more of a cheap brunch than a free lunch.

 

[Gobucks]

The bloom will eventually be off the rose for OTT. Prices will rise. Internet caps will intrude. No combined EPG will annoy (as it is already).

OTT destroying satcos and cablecos is by no means an assured thing. I believe it is artificially low priced today.

Of course it's not a sure thing but I welcome competition. You never know it may help the industry.

All I heard in these forums is how T Mobile and Sprint where niche companies with their unlimited plans. Verizon and AT&T would never bring back unlimited or drop prices.

Some years later..... I'm paying less and have unlimited service.

Yea I know it's not at all the same but hey you never know.

Here in Columbus we have no cap from Spectrum or WOW. Spectrum floated the idea and before it happened they lost a ton of people to WOW.

Sure their may be a cap some day but not yet. I've been hearing don't worry it's coming for 5 years now. I'm just glad in Columbus we have a choice. Not everyone has that.

Just my 2 cents. Feel free to ignore as usual.

 

[MitchDeerfield]

The bloom will eventually be off the rose for OTT. Prices will rise. Internet caps will intrude. No combined EPG will annoy (as it is already).

OTT destroying satcos and cablecos is by no means an assured thing. I believe it is artificially low priced today.

Sure, the bloom will eventually be off the rose, like in 10-12 years. In the meantime, technology keeps improving at a very rapid clip. DirecTV Now is only $10 a month for three months. And the DVR feature will debut in the Spring.

 

[KAB]

Right now I have to decide whether to go with DirecTV Now for $10 a



Sure, the bloom will eventually be off the rose, like in 10-12 years. .

More likely 1-3.

 

[Bruce]

More likely 1-3.

It might, but so will Cable/Sat. prices, the biggest price advantage is no box charges, I would need 5 boxes, with Vue I get it with no increase in price.

That said, if DirecTV or Dish offered me the same channels I get with Vue (Core, no premiums) with 5 boxes for $50 a month I would jump in a second.

 

[JSheridan]

It might, but so will Cable/Sat. prices, the biggest price advantage is no box charges, I would need 5 boxes, with Vue I get it with no increase in price.

That said, if DirecTV or Dish offered me the same channels I get with Vue (Core, no premiums) with 5 boxes for $50 a month I would jump in a second.

Don't forget that Vue uses the very fast internet connection that you're fortunate enough to be able to have and that you pay separately for.

It's not a fair comparison at all.

 

[Ronnie-]

Don't forget that Vue uses the very fast internet connection that you're fortunate enough to be able to have and that you pay separately for.

It's not a fair comparison at all.

That is true, however for my own situation, I had the same internet at the same price when I had sat. So there is no added cost for it. For me.

 

[Bruce]

Don't forget that Vue uses the very fast internet connection that you're fortunate enough to be able to have and that you pay separately for.

It's not a fair comparison at all.

What does myself paying for broadband have to do with TV service, I would be paying the same price for it if I had Dish/DirecTV instead of Vue.

This would be a boring place if no one paid for their internet.

 

[JSheridan]

What does myself paying for broadband have to do with TV service, I would be paying the same price for it if I had Dish/DirecTV instead of Vue.

This would be a boring place if no one paid for their internet.

Paying for 'internet' and paying for a connection able to support 5 streaming devices are 2 entirely different things. Around here the difference is about $100 a month.

 

[comfortably_numb]

Paying for 'internet' and paying for a connection able to support 5 streaming devices are 2 entirely different things. Around here the difference is about $100 a month.

At least you have the option to pay more for a faster connection. The most I can get is 20/1.5

 

[JSheridan]

At least you have the option to pay more for a faster connection. The most I can get is 20/1.5

None of those options are available to me at all. That's what's available in the local village from the cable company. That's why I said 'around here'. My best option is 6 down .8 up DSL. We also have Hughesnet and Exede that serve as back-ups for the business.