Dish Network Confrence Call Recap

[goaliebob99]

Were Live doing the Dish Network Conference Call Recap. The Conference call is just getting started.

First question that was quick.

Where are you with Smart Card swap.

More than halfway through to be completed by midyear and will start testing off turnoffs then. They are in the process of developing the next generation of cards.

 

[goaliebob99]

Charlie anticipates a tivo ruling to come in several months, Charlie doesn't sound happy.

 

[goaliebob99]

Question on Sirius and Dish along with the 700 Mhz

There wasn't any anonymity towards anyone, as reported in the press, we saw in sirius a financial opportunity for a company that was in a good buisness that didnt have a good balance sheet. We saw an opportunity for the a company that does the same that we do at dish today. As far as 700 MHZ we dont have a license due to the digital delay, but we see our 700 mhz as a stratigic play.

Is there any changes in reguards to sling?

The previous managment saw sling as a product, we see it as a feature, sorta like a dvr wich ties the video to the subscriber. We think its a fundmental thing that we think the subscriber at home will want. Our first product comes out this summer with the 922 in regards to sling being a feature.

 

[goaliebob99]

Next question:

Q: Reinvesting back into the business with a box swapout, whats the cost.

A; We have done a couple of things right, our balance sheet is in good condition, We dont have another major payment untill Oct 2011, so we dont have to go to the credit markets. I belive we have the best video market out there so I belive they will pick us over our competitors, over the last 3-4 years our operations has degraded and coustomer service has degraded with it. Its became way to complicated to operated, Fraud and Piracy was another operation that degraded wich one coustomer would cancell and then sign back up. In 2008 our goal is to stop getting worse, now were focusing on getting better.

 

[jdmacor]

In 2008 our goal is to stop getting worse, now were focusing on getting better.

Whoa now Charlie, that sounds like a bit too much for you and your company to handle...

 

[goaliebob99]

Q.The 9.99 promotion has the phones been ringing?

A. From the big picture, the lost of the att was a big negative as they have lost subscribers but it was a positive as we were able to go and get subscribers that wanted to stay with us. Were going to have to see how things like that balances out in the coming years. We have certainly tightened up our credit standards. In the past we might have taken coustmers with lower credit, today were not doing that.

Q. Tivo

A. In the future we would like to do buisness with tivo, but we have an honest disagreement, and the judge will make a ruling on this in the future. Once that ruling comes down it will lay the ground work for the future. We belive that the intllectual property laws should promote innovation. There a few things that we have to look at like what the laws says and what the design is. We belive that were right on both accounts. We have to look at what the judge says and it would give us a road map to how we proceed going forwared. There is a way for both of us to make money, and those converations only take place, you can only get to that point if both sides are far apart from both expectations, and we have to get to that place. (ie settling thier differences)

 

[goaliebob99]

Q. Sirius, what was the gain on that transaction and do you see any competitive disadvantage with liberty due to this


A. We dont know what liberty would do with this assets, we believe liberty is a minority share holder and we assume that their management will continue to do so. We haven't reported that yet and that will be a q 1 event.

Q. Have you renegotiated the univision contract

A. We haven't disclosed that yet, from time to time we loose providers, but as we negotiate those costs we will announce those when we can

Q. Where do you see prices going for 2009.

A. Up

Q. Can you elaborate the time frame of the Voom Litigation

A. Were in the process of Discovery, so we imagine that will go on for another few years.

 

[goaliebob99]

Q. Att did you actually add subs or did you loose subs from att.

A. Churn for att subs is a bit higher, Ruoughly a million subs with 5.5 percent churn of a million wich is a net gain from att.

 

[goaliebob99]

Talking SAC now.

 

[goaliebob99]

Well folks thats it.. not much..

 

[M Sparks]

A. We haven't disclosed that yet, from time to time we loose providers,

Charlie can't even spell ON THE PHONE!

 

[Juan]

Q. Have you renegotiated the univision contract

A. We haven't disclosed that yet, from time to time we loose providers, but as we negotiate those costs we will announce those when we can

.

Hmm another programming dispute on the horizon?

 

[HDRoberts]

As I speak only English, I'm not concerned about a Univision dispute.

 

[Scott Greczkowski]

Will Univision be that much of a problem? Isn't Univision owned by NBC Universal? I think they have a good working relationship.

 

[RandallA]

Will Univision be that much of a problem? Isn't Univision owned by NBC Universal? I think they have a good working relationship.

Are you kidding? The moment they drop Univision, all the Dish Latino subscribers will switch provider. I don't know how many Dish Latino subscribers they have but I'm assummng is over a million.

 

[dmendenjr]

Will Univision be that much of a problem? Isn't Univision owned by NBC Universal? I think they have a good working relationship.

Wonder if it more of a "must-carry" dispute? Getting Univision HD into local market packages might be where the looming dispute could originate...

 

[flyingsquirrel]

Will Univision be that much of a problem? Isn't Univision owned by NBC Universal? I think they have a good working relationship.

It could be pointed out that Dish seems to have a good relationship with Disney but yet does not carry ESPN-U in HD.

It could also be pointed out that Dish seemed to have an agreement with CBS-Showtime, yet put the last nail in the coffin on Smithsonian last week and carries almost nothing of Showtime in HD.

And it could be pointed out that Dish settled with Fox and has Fox News HD and Fox Business News in HD, but has steadfastly refused to carry Speed or FX in HD.

 

[technoguy]

Will Univision be that much of a problem? Isn't Univision owned by NBC Universal? I think they have a good working relationship.

Telemundo is Owned by NBC not Univision.

 

[kstuart]

Univision is a Network, each local area has a Univision OTA channel which is very popular amongst Hispanics.

Dish also carries a National West and East feed of Univision in basic packages as a result of the previous deal with Univision.

 

[jacmyoung]

Talking SAC now.

Well that is a very important subject, anyone has any detail on this?