With Cable offering to buy out people's commitment and MORE cash to switch. I think a lot people not necessarily cord cutting (still a tiny group), but feeling the Dish bill to high--even if they know it is overall the lowest REGULAR rates--people see the grass is greener and switch to get those huge discounts for some relief, however temporary, but then can just move along to the next provider offering discounts to new subscribers. It's just too tempting to pass up.
Listen, Charlie know what is around the corner and this is why he has been trying so hard to get a wireless/cell company. Satellite is a one trick pony (even Charlie said that), and is by far the most vulnerable compared to the great hope the cable cos. and telcos have because they can morph into pure ISP's anytime and still make boat loads of money (like Comcast and now Charter having the $50 rate for 30Mbps as the standard rate, as in nothing at a lower price offered, and it seems to be working. We're not going to pay any less in the long run. It's just that our checks will got to a huge ISP bill and the HIGHER rates of the future for Netflix and Amazon at a minimum, but you can add Hulu Plus for some people. Worse, count on the same media companies we loath because of their high cost BUYING Netflix and Hulu, and Jeff Bezos may just be willing to allow a major media company get at seat on the board at Amazon if it means he can bag exclusive content for his Prime service.
This leads to the inevitable: a Hail Mary for a merger. Both Mike White and Charlie haven't been coy and flirtatious about a merger that past few years for nothing. I have no real evidence other than their musings about a merger not out of the question and the current state of flux for MVPD's, but to believe that Mike and Charlie are ACTIVELY talking to each other about NOW and are lining up their ducks in a row to really get the best chance of approval. With Rupert Murdoch no longer having an interest in stopping a merger this time around, it just might get approved. The after the merger and cost savings, they just might by Netflix. I really wouldn't be surprised to start seeing rumors in the press around the Q1 2014, then confirmation and announcement of an attempted merger. Charlie tried to got it alone, but it aint jelling. And nobody but DirecTV wants Dish. It's a natural. Who knows?