Dish loses 31,000 pay TV subscribers ahead of planned leap into wireless

[Shawn Knight]

In brief: For the quarter ending June 30, 2019, Dish reported a total revenue of $3.21 billion, down from $3.46 billion in the year-ago quarter. Net income checked in at $317 million, again down from the $439 million the company brought home during the same period in 2018. Diluted earnings per share were $0.60 versus $0.83 a year ago.

Dish Network this week reported second quarter earnings, highlighting exactly why the company has made the bold decision to charge head-first into the wireless industry.

In terms of subscribers, Dish lost approximately 79,000 net Dish TV subscribers during the second quarter but added roughly 48,000 Sling TV subscribers. All said and told, Dish realized a net loss of approximately 31,000 pay TV subscribers which furthers the narrative that traditional pay TV is on the decline.

The Justice Department last week approved the mega merger between Sprint and T-Mobile albeit with provisions that they help a fourth competitor – Dish Network – enter the market. Sprint and T-Mobile are having to give up several key assets to get the merger pushed through including Sprint’s prepaid business, wireless spectrum and access to T-Mobile’s network for up to seven years.

Assuming the merger actually happens, the wireless landscape in the US could look vastly different in just a few years with the New T-Mobile, the emergence of Dish Network and the advent of 5G driving it all.

Masthead credit: satellite dish by Think A

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https://www.techspot.com/news/81212-dish-loses-31000-pay-tv-subscribers-ahead-planned.html

 

[wiyosaya]

As a former Dish customer, Dish has had wireless spectrum for around 5-years and they have done nothing with it.

Personally, if Dish has not included anything about what they plan to do with this additional spectrum in a very public press release, I would not count on them doing anything with it.

IMO, there has been way too much attention given to Dish's role in this when there have been no signs Dish will actually do anything with this spectrum.

IMO, the DoJ has been hoodwinked since T-mobile and Sprint both probably figure that Dish will do nothing with this.

 

[p51d007]

With the rates they charge, nope, still not switching. Streaming and over the air are good enough, considering the (lack of) good shows worth watching.

 

[Uncle Al]

Dish would have to put together one heck of a package and if they did it would leave a number of current providers scrambling. Spectrum had the opportunity to really upstage everyone if for no other reason that they INCLUDE public television in their offering, but the rest of the line up is nothing special. Fact is I am shocked that none of the other offer public television .... truly a shame when you consider some of PT's programming .... oh well, someday somebody will wake up .....