Quarter 3, 2022 Report

[Bruce]

Dish end of Quarter Two - 7,790,000

Dish end of Quarter Three- 7,610,000

So a loss of 180,000 Satellite Subscribers

Sling End of Quarter Two- 2,190,000

Sling End of Quarter Three- 2,410,000

So a gain of 220,000

https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/dish-sheds-257k-pay-tv-subscribers-across-satellite-sling-tv

DISH Network Reports Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results

/PRNewswire/ -- DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) reported revenue totaling $4.10 billion for the quarter ending September 30, 2022, compared to $4.45...

www.prnewswire.com

 

[MikeD-C05]

Dish end of Quarter Two - 7,790,000

Dish end of Quarter Three- 7,610,000

So a loss of 180,000 Satellite Subscribers

Sling End of Quarter Two- 2,190,000

Sling End of Quarter Three- 2,410,000

So a gain of 220,000

https://www.fiercevideo.com/video/dish-sheds-257k-pay-tv-subscribers-across-satellite-sling-tv

DISH Network Reports Third Quarter 2022 Financial Results

/PRNewswire/ -- DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) reported revenue totaling $4.10 billion for the quarter ending September 30, 2022, compared to $4.45...

www.prnewswire.com

They are making less profits over all compared to last year's quarter 3 reports,but somehow they are also adding 1000 wireless subs and 30,000 Sling tv subs, while losing Satellite subs. At least they have some positive growth in those two companies in the business.

They lost more satellite subs now down to 7.61 million from 8.42 million last year in this same quarter. Still dropping but at least Sling tv is adding some subs at 2.41 million, but last year same quarter it was at 2.556 . But over all they went up on the over all total for both of them at 10.2 pay tv subscribers. Which was down last year from last year's total of 10.18 total subs.

Net Income attributable Dish Network was at $412 million in the third quarter compared to last year's quarter at this time of $557 million. Time for them to crank up their wireless cell phone numbers to get their profits back up for the total company.

 

[jerryez]

I am sure that they are spending million$ to install cell tower equipment.

 

[MitchDeerfield]

As long as there is high-speed Internet, Satellite TV is doomed. I just joined the cordcutter club myself. Instead of paying for 300 channels that I don't watch, I get 4 or 5 services that I do, including free ones like Roku and Pluto.

 

[Bruce]

Here is their Form10-Q

Lot of doom and gloom in there, which is somewhat normal.

For example-

We have limited satellite capacity and failures or reduced capacity could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have made substantial investments to acquire certain wireless spectrum licenses and other related assets, and we may be unable to realize a return on these assets.

We have made substantial non-controlling investments in the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities related to AWS-3 wireless spectrum licenses, and we may be unable to obtain a profitable return on these investments.

https://dish.gcs-web.com/static-files/e51a67c9-3296-4b5d-bda7-264dba3b015f

 

[lakebum431]

Here is their Form10-Q

Lot of doom and gloom in there, which is somewhat normal.

For example-

We have limited satellite capacity and failures or reduced capacity could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We have made substantial investments to acquire certain wireless spectrum licenses and other related assets, and we may be unable to realize a return on these assets.

We have made substantial non-controlling investments in the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities related to AWS-3 wireless spectrum licenses, and we may be unable to obtain a profitable return on these investments.

https://dish.gcs-web.com/static-files/e51a67c9-3296-4b5d-bda7-264dba3b015f

That's the risk factors section. Very standard for every company. That's where you put everything that could possibly go wrong so the shareholders can't say "you never told me about..."

 

[Bruce]

That's the risk factors section. Very standard for every company. That's where you put everything that could possibly go wrong so the shareholders can't say "you never told me about..."

I know, hence why I wrote somewhat normal.

 

[nelson61]

Dish satellite service has moved to the cash cow mode where they put minimal money into it and use the profits it spits out to grow other business segments.
The wireless business is now where the money is (the tail that wags the dog) and the area to investigate when reviewing the financials.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I see that every year the satellites they have up there providing DISH tv will continue to get older and start failing. There satellites are about to age out. Even a merger between Directv and DISH won't help that fact. Both companies fleet of satellites are facing the end of their operational lifespans. The last satellite that DISH launched was more than 5 years ago.

Of their 11 operating satellites, only two are less than a decade old. Each of DISH's satellites has an estimated useful life of another 15 years. In another 5 and a half years, only one of their 11 satellites will still be inside it's estimated useful lifespan. Echostar XXlll was put into orbit by Space X in March of 2017, putting it around five months past it's birthday.

The situation is largely the same at the recently spun off Directv, where NO replacement satellites are planned for launch either. AT&T ,which just completed its spin off of Directv and its other pay tv assets to a joint venture with private equity firm TPG, declared in 2018 that it was done launching and buying satellites.

Both companies use proprietary set-top boxes that are incapable of decoding the other's signals, so a longer life of one fleet wouldn't help the customers of the other. Charlie Ergen's oft-stated prophecy of an imminent Directv-DISH merger actually comes to fruition. To dwell on whether a given quarter's subscriber losses are a little better, or a little worse, thean expected , or that just last quarter, is to miss the point. We are witnessing the long, slow goodbye of Satellite TV.



This was reported by Daniel Frankel ( NextTV) published August 12, 2021.

 

[Bruce]

Even a merger between Directv and DISH won't help that fact. Both companies fleet of satellites are facing the end of their operational lifespans. The last satellite that DISH launched was more than 5 years ago.

From Yesterday’s conference call-

Charlie Ergen-“You’re hesitant to be a political football for somebody to complain about big companies or whatever in an election cycle. But that election cycle is over next week. And then you have a window, where I think all companies are looking at M&A,”

“If the timing (of a DIRECTV-Dish merger) was right, it would be in the near term, not the longer term.”

Looks like the talks have continued since they started in January.

Still think it is a mistake, they(Dish) should focus on Broadband, we all know that is where the future is with Television Programming.

The Subscribers’ exodus from Traditional Live TV will not stop just because they merge.

 

[Yespage]

What is a "subscriber" to Sling? The T20 World Cup is on and Sling provides access to a base Willow Cricket package. Sling had been advertising that decently hard. So I wonder how much of that bump is the World Cup.

 

[Josephinelcajon]

As long as there is high-speed Internet, Satellite TV is doomed. I just joined the cordcutter club myself. Instead of paying for 300 channels that I don't watch, I get 4 or 5 services that I do, including free ones like Roku and Pluto.

I fear you are correct and for the few who do not have good enough internet may suffer in the future

 

[navychop]

StarLink, OneWeb, Kuiper, Iridium, Globalstar, etc.

 

[MikeD-C05]

From Yesterday’s conference call-

Charlie Ergen-“You’re hesitant to be a political football for somebody to complain about big companies or whatever in an election cycle. But that election cycle is over next week. And then you have a window, where I think all companies are looking at M&A,”

“If the timing (of a DIRECTV-Dish merger) was right, it would be in the near term, not the longer term.”

Looks like the talks have continued since they started in January.

Still think it is a mistake, they(Dish) should focus on Broadband, we all know that is where the future is with Television Programming.

The Subscribers’ exodus from Traditional Live TV will not stop just because they merge.

It's like shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. The cost of a merger and operating two satellite systems would be redundant. But will see if this really happens. I doubt it will.

 

[TheKrell]

It's like shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic. The cost of a merger and operating two satellite systems would be redundant. But will see if this really happens. I doubt it will.

Agree.

But aren't some of these satellite transponders operating on the same frequencies? In principle, Dish could acquire all of DirecTV's customers and orbital assets, and reassign them as needed to EA and WA. They could reuse all those VIP receivers that they're just throwing away for no good reason.

 

[navychop]

Echostar supposedly used to build receivers that could be programmed to accept DTV signals as well. I’m guessing Hoppers can’t do that. Certainly could not coexist in a home installation with DTV equipment.

 

[nelson61]

Two incompatable receivers and lnbs.
So one must go.
Toss in $400 for new receiver and lnb for something like 8 million units

3.2 billion dollars and not going to happen.

At best , they could eliminate duplicate back office staff and maybe one orbital slot (1 or 2 satellites).

 

[Bruce]

Neither of the two companies can buy the other right now, they do not have enough cash to do so.

Interest Rates are too high right now to get a loan, even if rates were a lot better, what would they tell the banks, we need a loan to buy another slowly dying Satellite Provider, this will help us stay in business a little while longer while we lose, roughly, 500,000-600,000 subscribers every quarter, by the way, do not look at our Satellite Fleet which will probably fail by 2032-2035 and we need extra cash to make our equipment compatible with each other.

So it would have to be a merger, but what good will that do, make the clock that will run out go a little longer, still are going to have to spend Billions on new equipment ( also need Billions to pay off TPG), why do that on a company that maybe will last 10 years at the most, after that, how much then can they make when a combined Sat Company is still losing at least 2 million subs a year.

Not like they can go public with a IPO, who would buy stocks in a company like that.

Then the Charlie Ergen factor, even if a merger, everything I have read about him says he will want control, that is just who he is, will that work?

 

[MikeD-C05]

Agree.

But aren't some of these satellite transponders operating on the same frequencies? In principle, Dish could acquire all of DirecTV's customers and orbital assets, and reassign them as needed to EA and WA. They could reuse all those VIP receivers that they're just throwing away for no good reason.

I wouldn't afflict anyone with those receivers when the hopper 3 is out there. The VIP was all the rage in the early to mid 2000s, but since 2012 the Hopper has been out. Now if they could find away to control the software in the Directv receivers so they could see DISH satellites and vice versa, you could keep it going till you could replace the old Directv receivers.

But I still think that they are both losing more subs every quarter. So I don't know how much longer either satellite company will be viable if separate or merged. By the end of this decade I see Satellite tv being gone. I barely see any satellite dishes in my park where I live and last decade they were everywhere.

But if DISH would forgo all their extra fees and additional receiver fees if you bought the receivers , they might keep more subs for a while longer. Because all those fees are becoming as high or higher than what we used to pay on programming in 1997 when I first had DISH installed. And we know that programming cost are going to keep going up like they have since 2000.

 

[navychop]

Their costs go up, so our bills go up.