DISH Network Reports First Quarter 2015 Financial Results

[Scott Greczkowski]

DISH Network Reports First Quarter 2015 Financial Results

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DISH Network Corporation (NASDAQ: DISH) today reported revenue totaling $3.7 billion for the quarter ending March 31, 2015, compared to $3.6 billion for the corresponding period in 2014.

Net income attributable to DISH Network totaled $351 million for the quarter ending March 31, 2015, compared to $176 million from the year-ago quarter.

DISH activated approximately 554,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers compared to approximately 639,000 gross new Pay-TV subscribers in the prior year's first quarter. Net Pay-TV subscribers declined by approximately 134,000 in the first quarter. The company closed the first quarter with 13.844 million Pay-TV subscribers, compared to 14.097 million Pay-TV subscribers at the end of first quarter 2014.

Pay-TV ARPU for the first quarter totaled $86.01, compared to first quarter 2014 Pay-TV ARPU of $82.36. Pay-TV subscriber churn rate was 1.65 percent versus 1.42 percent for first quarter 2014.

DISH added approximately 14,000 net broadband subscribers in the first quarter, bringing its broadband subscriber base to approximately 591,000. DISH added approximately 53,000 net broadband subscribers in the first quarter 2014.

Detailed financial data and other information are available in DISH Network's Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

DISH Network will host its first quarter 2015 financial results conference call today at noon Eastern time. The dial-in numbers are (800) 616-6729 (U.S. toll-free) or (763) 488-9145, conference ID number 33717189. A webcast replay will be available on DISH's Investor Relations website at http://dish.client.shareholder.com from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Well this looks like a great day to call and get credits off my bill. Especially since they lost 134,000 subs last quarter. Funny, though they are still making profits even on less subs due to what? Annual PRICE HIKES.

 

[whitewolf8214]

Dish Drops 134,000 Satellite-TV Subscribers in Q1, Blaming Programming Disputes https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/dish-drops-134-000-satellite-tv-subscribers-q1-104103905.html

Dish Network dropped a net 134,000 satellite-TV customers in the first three months of 2015 — with the satcaster blaming ongoing programming spats for the sizable loss.The company, in a regulatory filing Monday, cited competition for the subscriber loss as well as on “multiple programming interruptions and threatened programming interruptions” with Turner Broadcasting, 21st Century Fox and certain local TV stations. In particular, Dish said it suffered lower activations and higher cancellations because of the loss of Fox News Channel and other entertainment networks starting in the fourth quarter 2014 and continuing into Q1. Fox News returned to the Dish lineup in mid-January.

 

[whitewolf8214]

Dish revenue rises as it earns more per pay-TV user https://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/dish-revenue-jumps-3-6-percent-pay-tv-103000950--sector.html

Dish Network Corp reported a 3.6 percent rise in quarterly revenue as it earned more per user in its core pay-TV business, making up for a fall in subscribers.The second-largest U.S. satellite TV company said average revenue per pay-TV user rose to $86.01 from $82.36.Dish, which raised prices in February, said net pay-TV subscribers fell by about 134,000 in the first quarter ended March 31.The company blamed the subscriber losses on blackouts of some channels due to disputes with media companies including Time Warner Inc's Turner Broadcasting, Twenty-First Century Fox Inc and other local network affiliates.Dish, which had 13.84 million subscribers as of March 31, was involved in a three-week dispute with Fox before signing a new distribution agreement on Jan. 15 that put Fox programming back on its service.Dish customers faced a 12-hour blackout of CBS Corp's programs and went for a month without Turner networks including CNN and Cartoon Network toward the end of last year before deals were reached to restore them.The company said the impact of the programming interruptions, which began in the fourth quarter and continued in the first quarter, has since subsided.Dish, the No. 2 U.S. satellite TV provider after DirecTV , has also been losing pay-TV subscribers in an increasingly competitive market, as rivals offer discounts to both new and existing subscribers.The company has been attempting to woo young viewers away from their cable or satellite subscriptions to its less costly Sling TV streaming service, which it launched in January.However, analysts said Dish's spectrum strategy would remain the focus."Today's results are unlikely to shift investor focus away from the AWS-3 regulatory process, the ultimate outcome of DISH's spectrum, and M&A potential in the space," Jefferies analysts wrote in a note.The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee is investigating whether the bidding strategies employed by Dish and two affiliates in a recent Federal Communications Commission auction of airwaves adhered to the law.Net income attributable to Dish jumped to $351.5 million, or 76 cents per share, for the first quarter from $175.9 million, or 38 cents per share, a year earlier.Total revenue rose to $3.72 billion from $3.59 billion.Analysts on average had expected a profit of 40 cents per share on revenue of $3.74 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.The company's shares were up marginally at $67.05 in light premarket trading.

 

[whitewolf8214]

Dish Quarterly Profit Tops Estimates Fueled by Price Increase http://finance.yahoo.com/news/dish-quarterly-profit-tops-estimates-101615699.html

Dish Network Corp., the second-largest U.S. satellite TV provider, posted profit that beat analysts’ estimates, fueled by a price increase that went into effect in January.First-quarter net income almost doubled to $351 million, Dish said Monday in a statement. That topped the $195.3 million average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Revenue climbed about 3 percent to $3.7 billion, while analysts had predicted $3.73 billion.Dish lost about 134,000 TV customers in the period compared with a gain of 40,000 a year earlier. The Englewood, Colorado-based company has faced challenges from emerging video providers like Netflix Inc., Hulu and Amazon.com Inc. In February, Dish started Sling TV, an online streaming service offering 20 channels of live programs and sports for $20 a month aimed at younger viewers.Sling TV’s “skinny bundle” was the idea of Dish co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Charlie Ergen. Under Ergen, Dish has amassed an estimated $50 billion worth of airwaves. Ergen is under pressure to outline a broader strategy that best suits the company’s spectrum holdings and mobile TV ambitions.

 

[MikeD-C05]

I am waiting to talk to the loyalty department/cancellations and guess what? There is a waiting period to talk to them. I've been on hold 5 minutes and the csr came on to tell me that there is still a waiting time and she would check back to connect me. Must be a lot of people on the phone trying to cancel right now.

 

[MikeD-C05]

Well I got the best deal I've ever got with DISH:

$65.00 off for 12 months
FREE HBO/SHOWTIME/Cinemax/Starz
and then 1/2 price HBO and Showtime for 6 months after that.

Bill would be $49.11 for top 200 base programming
hopper with sling and super joey

On my 2nd account for my parents:

$30.00 off for 12 months.
FREE Showtime/Cinemax/Starz and Encore
and then 1/2 price Encore for 6 months.

Bill would be $58.61 for top 200 base programming
722k receiver

Worth the 20 minute wait time and the specialist said that since I had been with them almost 19 years come January , I was approved for a larger credit due to my loyalty to them over the years.

 

[ggw2000]

I am waiting to talk to the loyalty department/cancellations and guess what? There is a waiting period to talk to them. I've been on hold 5 minutes and the csr came on to tell me that there is still a waiting time and she would check back to connect me. Must be a lot of people on the phone trying to cancel right now.

What do you do- just tell initial CSR that you want to talk to the cancellation department?

 

[Claude Greiner]

Gee, I wonder why Dish Networks Press release failed to mention they lost 134,000 subscribers

Here is the real story...

Dish Network dropped a net 134,000 satellite-TV customers in the first three months of 2015 — with the satcaster blaming ongoing programming spats for the sizable loss.

The company, in a regulatory filing Monday, cited competition for the subscriber loss as well as on “multiple programming interruptions and threatened programming interruptions” with Turner Broadcasting, 21st Century Fox and certain local TV stations. In particular, Dish said it suffered lower activations and higher cancellations because of the loss of Fox News Channel and other entertainment networks starting in the fourth quarter 2014 and continuing into Q1. Fox News returned to the Dish lineup in mid-January.

Meanwhile, the extent to which Sling TV — the company’s new lower-priced package of Internet channels — potentially cannibalized Dish’s core pay-TV biz was not immediately clear. Dish did not disclose the number of Sling TV customers it signed up in the period; the company may shed more light on the results on its earnings call with analysts Monday.


The company reported revenue of $3.7 billion for the quarter ended March 31, up from $3.6 billion in the year-ago period. Net income of $351 million nearly doubled for the most recent quarter, compared with $176 million in Q1 2014.

Revenue and profits were driven by Dish’s pay-TV price increases, which went into effect in January. Pay-TV average revenue per sub for Q1 was $86.01 per month, compared with $82.36 in the year-ago quarter.

Dish ended closed the first quarter with 13.844 million pay-TV subscribers, down 253,000 from 14.097 million at the end of Q1 2014. In February, the company launched Sling TV, a broadband-delivered bundle starting at $20 that now includes about 20 channels, but does not count those subs in its pay-TV tally.

By comparison, rival satcaster DirecTV added a net 60,000 new subscribers in Q1 — a historically weak period for the pay-TV sector. DirecTV said it had its lowest first-quarter churn rate in six years.

Meanwhile, Dish added about 14,000 net broadband-satellite subscribers in the first quarter, bringing its broadband subscriber base to approximately 591,000. That’s compared with net adds of 53,000 broadband subs in the first quarter of 2014.

 

[rajmarie]

Well I got the best deal I've ever got with DISH:

$65.00 off for 12 months
FREE HBO/SHOWTIME/Cinemax/Starz
and then 1/2 price HBO and Showtime for 6 months after that.

Bill would be $49.11 for top 200 base programming
hopper with sling and super joey

On my 2nd account for my parents:

$30.00 off for 12 months.
FREE Showtime/Cinemax/Starz and Encore
and then 1/2 price Encore for 6 months.

Bill would be $58.61 for top 200 base programming
722k receiver

Worth the 20 minute wait time and the specialist said that since I had been with them almost 19 years come January , I was approved for a larger credit due to my loyalty to them over the years.

What you told them. Please tell us the trick.

 

[lparsons21]

Since the OP showed the net loss of subs, I can't figure out what you're babbling about Claude!

Lost subs, made more money, all really important to those interested in buying Dish stock. For the rest of the 99.9% of the world it doesn't matter a whit. Well other than using the info to finagle a bit of discounts of course.

 

[Yespage]

Well I got the best deal I've ever got with DISH:

$65.00 off for 12 months
FREE HBO/SHOWTIME/Cinemax/Starz
and then 1/2 price HBO and Showtime for 6 months after that.

Bill would be $49.11 for top 200 base programming
hopper with sling and super joey

On my 2nd account for my parents:

$30.00 off for 12 months.
FREE Showtime/Cinemax/Starz and Encore
and then 1/2 price Encore for 6 months.

Bill would be $58.61 for top 200 base programming
722k receiver

Worth the 20 minute wait time and the specialist said that since I had been with them almost 19 years come January , I was approved for a larger credit due to my loyalty to them over the years.

And in 12 months we'll hear him complain about rates going up and how he deserves more credits.

 

[KAB]

Gee, I wonder why Dish Networks Press release failed to mention they lost 134,000 subscribers

Ummm, Claude....it did. Having optical troubles?

 

[Ronnie-]

Gee, I wonder why Dish Networks Press release failed to mention they lost 134,000 subscribers

I wonder why you wonder, because it did.

 

[KAB]

I wonder why you wonder, because it did.

And perhaps he wonders why no one takes him seriously??

 

[Claude Greiner]

Since the OP showed the net loss of subs, I can't figure out what you're babbling about Claude!

Lost subs, made more money, all really important to those interested in buying Dish stock. For the rest of the 99.9% of the world it doesn't matter a whit. Well other than using the info to finagle a bit of discounts of course.

Im sorry, The Dish press release use the word "declined" which is alot more sugar coated than the words such as "Loss" and "Dropped" as in the article I referenced.

I read the original post, I didn't notice that they did say they lost subs till you pointed it out.

 

[Claude Greiner]

Speaking of the loss, getting alot of spam from Dish lately in my email box wanting me to come back.

We used to make customers who didn't have email addresses customername@metro25.com

They must be emailing every one of their customers who have disconnected

 

[Tampa8]

The explanation for higher revenues with somewhat lower subs is this. A few years ago Charlie made it clear they were not as interested in keeping subs who do not pay and are willing to make no overtures to keep them. When times are tuff business can not afford to carry many customers who do not pay or it takes work to get them to pay.
So that leaves DISH trying harder to keep those who do pay and probably particularly those long time subscribers who pay. I think that's exactly why MikeD-C05 got the discounts he got. And it's one reason I have stayed with DISH nearly as long as he has. And I'm guessing many are like myself who get more than the core package, like HBO and BB where profits are higher.

 

[bobvick]

Seems to me that DirecTV is more aggressive with marketing than Dish. What I mean to say is, I see many more advertisement on television for DirecTV than Dish. If Dish did more aggressive marketing, and pointed out the fact that Sling provides YOUR TV everywhere, they could probably attract more subscribers that might be interested in features such as Sling. I think they do a rather poor job of explaining what Sling is and marketing it. I suppose they are happy though, increased revenue and EPS with a net loss of subscribers, maybe that means they now have a "higher quality" of clientele than in the past?

 

[MikeD-C05]

What do you do- just tell initial CSR that you want to talk to the cancellation department?

YES. I asked for Cancellation or Loyalty department. She asked me what I wanted ,like money off my bill? I said yes and then I waited like 15 minutes to then talk to a loyalty specialist.