OK, is that a problem with Dish or Echostar? Is Dish not ordering what they need or Echostar not producing product? Could Dish be cutting back on inventory to help their financials?
Dish Earning Conf Call Monday 8/4/08
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Now that is news. Odds are, they want to cut a deal with Tivo and clean up that injunction and the uncertainty surrounding it.
The programming will likely be equal or better than Direct by end of the year if nothing else blows up. The problem with subscribers is that "stickness" they talked about in the Tivo lawsuit. Once a sub picks a provider, the sub is lazy and will probably not change for a long time. Dangerous to lose customers while the market is shaking out.
Also one thing Charlie did say was that the new Echostar 11 satellite would be in operation by the end of the month and when its put into operation they will expand their HD offerings again at that time.
Its a great year for HD fans.
Is the new hd going on 110 or be mirrored on 61.5 and 129???
Where is the card swap they announced a while back, I don't think anyone has reported a card upgrade.
I totally agree with this. Charlie wanted to sell the Dish Network programming side to AT&T and keep the Echostar satellite side. Consequently, everything on the Dish side seemed to be frozen in time for a while. Unfortunately for Charlie, in the technology industry putting things on hold is a grave mistake. Dish fell behind, they lost their focus and apparently they paid (any maybe are still paying) for it.
LEts see....
$5.98 DVR fee per receiver
$5.00 NO phone line connection fee
$7.00 hd enabeling fee per hd dvr
$6.00 sd additional/lease receiver
$7.00 hd addtional /lease receiver
$39.99 external enabeling fee per house
$4.99 sd pay per view
$5.99 hd pay per view
$6.99 hd pay per view on video on demand
$7.00 no basic top programming pack
I am sure there are others, but that is just a few that I can think of. Fees are higher than ever and still increasing. THey have created more cable like fees than the Cable industry itself. THe fact that they are charging more for their additional receiver /lease fees than DIRECTV that charges just 4.99 per additional /lease , is noticable. THe pay per views are the highest in the sat industry. DO they think that someone would pay that much for a hd pay per view pre recorded on your own hard drive? I could go to the movies for a matinee for that price. Almost $40.00 to enable my own external hard drive that I bought myself seems very greedy. Then there is the DVR fee PER RECEIVER. That still sticks in my craw. THis forces many people to sub to the highest programming pack out there to escape the dvr fees. The dvr advantage sounds like a great pack till you find out it is only for ONE dvr receiver. Then lets talk about the extra hd pack(Platinum pack ) that DISH sells for $10.00 more . DIRECTV sells there's for only $4.99 more. Is there any channel in that Platinum pack worth $10.00 ,much less all 7? LETs not forget the yearly price increase EVERY YEAR now that DISH has even though they say that they are working to keep prices down. THAT is a joke when you consider there is little difference in the price of the top programming packs between the two sat companies compared -less fees.
So I can see why DISH is making more profit than ever , no matter how many subs they lose. They keep jacking the price of their programming EVERY year. They keep creating new fees to add to their service and they too have gone up to new higher prices. THE pay per views are the highest in the sat industry. All those cable like fees add up and evidently they have added to the profit line enough to make up for the loss of 25,000 subs.
I didn't know a thing about how either DISH or DirecTV was owned or who ran it when I became a sub - and I would wager just about everything I own that the overwhelming majority of people in our satellite population still don't know or care about this.
That being said, the United States (and I am sure all over the world) there are stories of entrepreneurs starting new ventures from scratch and making it big - that also failed to spot quickly enough things going on around them that eventually led to those companies shrinking, folding, being sold or who lost everything.
Examples such as Woolworths, and just last week Bennigans come right to mind. My point - you can't hang your hat forever on good decisions that were made 15 years ago, or 5 years ago, or in this day and age even 6 months ago. Now, I am not saying or implying the demise of DISH, just that you can't say that because someone did something right 5 years ago they will always turn out right - it does not work that way.
Let's just hope that the same level of competition remains between the satcos for many years to come. All of the new stuff coming online these days is outrageous.
That being said, the United States (and I am sure all over the world) there are stories of entrepreneurs starting new ventures from scratch and making it big - that also failed to spot quickly enough things going on around them that eventually led to those companies shrinking, folding, being sold or who lost everything.
Examples such as Woolworths, and just last week Bennigans come right to mind. My point - you can't hang your hat forever on good decisions that were made 15 years ago, or 5 years ago, or in this day and age even 6 months ago. Now, I am not saying or implying the demise of DISH, just that you can't say that because someone did something right 5 years ago they will always turn out right - it does not work that way.
Let's just hope that the same level of competition remains between the satcos for many years to come. All of the new stuff coming online these days is outrageous.
No, No, No! The Churn Rate was 1.87% (per month, as riffjim4069 pointed out - Thanks!). And 1.87% is 0.0187, not 0.00187 (trust me on this one).
So, the equation is:
13,900,000 X 0.0187 X 3 = 780,000 (+/-) customers lost (gross).
Brad
re: cardswap
it's supposed to start rolling out in the fall. When I had my 942 and 811 upgraded... the tech specifically showed me the card slots and said "You'll be getting a new card soon it will plug in here".
I just smiled since I knew what the card slot was for.. but it's the first time a timeframe has been put on the cardswap even if it was from an installer
it's supposed to start rolling out in the fall. When I had my 942 and 811 upgraded... the tech specifically showed me the card slots and said "You'll be getting a new card soon it will plug in here".
I just smiled since I knew what the card slot was for.. but it's the first time a timeframe has been put on the cardswap even if it was from an installer
I total agree these fees are killing Dish. The bad pub is hurting dish also a net loss of 25K customer is bad real bad. \\\
Now Charlie is waking up to the fact that what made DISH # 1 in growth is good customer service. Dish now has the worst customer service in the pay tv industry. Dish had always depended on word of mouth to grow their service thus we got Club Dish--But who will now recommend dish???
Also I noticed that Dish is now promoting TURBO service--I got ton of ads from Dish while watching the NFL hall of fame Preseason-Game.
I expect Charlie will try to grow the business through a big increase in running national TV ADS promoting the TURBO HD pack.
Will this work I do not know.
That blows my mind, to borrow a phrase from an earlier era. I can just barely understand how this might happen for brand new HD DVRs. But what about all that MPEG2 gear coming off lease and getting refurb'd? Can't they make a deal for new customers using refurb'd receivers?
There are 25,000 reasons to call Dish Network and request a better deal...
I think MikeD-C05 hit a home run concerning this issue. All I can say is today is a great day to call Dish Network and tell 'em you want to renegotiate the terms of your contract or you'll dump them faster than Charlie dropped VOOM and GolTV. I know most people don't like the hassle, but I never paid full price and always had one or two additional discounts, beyond the promotional ones, while I was a Dish Network customer...I just asked, and I told them why it was in their best interest to provide me with additional freebies. Right now, E*will probably be very willing to throw a bone or two to their best customers (pay bills on time)...and they need you more than you need them!
Some things I might ask for:
- $10 off per month for 12-months
- Starz movie pack free for 6-months
- Waive all DVR fees beyond the 1st one
- Free "bump" to the next higher package (i.e. AT250 vice AT200) for 12-months
Anyway, does anyone have the toll-free number for a E* Resolution Specialist these days?
I think MikeD-C05 hit a home run concerning this issue. All I can say is today is a great day to call Dish Network and tell 'em you want to renegotiate the terms of your contract or you'll dump them faster than Charlie dropped VOOM and GolTV. I know most people don't like the hassle, but I never paid full price and always had one or two additional discounts, beyond the promotional ones, while I was a Dish Network customer...I just asked, and I told them why it was in their best interest to provide me with additional freebies. Right now, E*will probably be very willing to throw a bone or two to their best customers (pay bills on time)...and they need you more than you need them!
Some things I might ask for:
- $10 off per month for 12-months
- Starz movie pack free for 6-months
- Waive all DVR fees beyond the 1st one
- Free "bump" to the next higher package (i.e. AT250 vice AT200) for 12-months
Anyway, does anyone have the toll-free number for a E* Resolution Specialist these days?
:up
That could be a reason they showed a profit after a loss of customers. Cutting your spending on inventory to show more money in the bank before earnings are announced. Problem is they need to add even more subs this quarter to offset the cost of restocking. How much do you want to bet that Dish is hoping for a large customer growth this quarter because of the announcement of more HD then Direct by year end, 1080p VOD and Eastern Arc. I hope Poker Charlie is holding a royal Flush in his hand.
The fees are killing people. Now with the swapping of mpeg2 to mpeg4 receivers how many more lease fees are they going to be adding to people. I know myself I am thinking about dropping my 211 because I wind up paying $14 more a month in fees because of it. I own my 622 and did a DIU from an 811 to a 211 so they charge me a $7 lease fee for the 211 and $7 additional receiver fee for the 622. Even if another companies total bill is the same each month you have people leaving because they feel ripped off. If that is they way they need to show a profit at least hide the fees in the cost of the packages.
First, you really have to dig into the numbers to interpret the increased "profit" reported.
It may be legitimate (to the extent that there is any objective measure of profit) or it might be some creative accounting involving the split up of Dish and Echostar (I don't know if that would factor in here).
Further, a question to ask is how many times in the past 5-10 years have Dish and/or D*, and you can include perhaps cable/other providers in that, showed a net loss of subscribers. If it happens not infrequently then it's not as bad as if it hasn't happened at all.
As smart as Charlie is I still don't understand why he felt it necessary to mess with his money-printing machine (Dish). Agreed no one here is privy to all the details, but couldn't he just leave well enough alone and not try to revamp things by dumping Voom? No one really knows what part that played in this scenario but why take a chance (granted, hindsight)?
It may be legitimate (to the extent that there is any objective measure of profit) or it might be some creative accounting involving the split up of Dish and Echostar (I don't know if that would factor in here).
Further, a question to ask is how many times in the past 5-10 years have Dish and/or D*, and you can include perhaps cable/other providers in that, showed a net loss of subscribers. If it happens not infrequently then it's not as bad as if it hasn't happened at all.
As smart as Charlie is I still don't understand why he felt it necessary to mess with his money-printing machine (Dish). Agreed no one here is privy to all the details, but couldn't he just leave well enough alone and not try to revamp things by dumping Voom? No one really knows what part that played in this scenario but why take a chance (granted, hindsight)?
If you do this won't they lock you into another 2 year contract? If so I think most would want to leave the door open to other options. It's like handcuffing yourself to a pole and throwing away the key while your on the Titanic.
Yes... it makes you realize how insignificant we are on this tiny little forum...
Were any of you aware that Dish paid a dividend early in the year of $3.78 a share. That is about the highest dividend of any communications stock. What did DirecTV pay? Nothing!
