Internationals Moving 2/23

[Scott Greczkowski]

On February 23, 2006, 7 Arabic Language Channels Transitioning to 61.5°/148° Orbital Locations 7 Arabic-language channels will begin transitioning to the 61.5° and 148° orbital locations from the 121° orbital location starting February 23, 2006. Therefore, as of February 23, 2006, the antenna for new customers subscribing to these channels is a wing antenna (DISH 500 or 300) and will no longer be a SuperDISH antenna. To give you time to prepare for this change, we will continue to pay eligible incentives on SuperDISH installations for these 7 channels through March 7, 2006.

Please note that notwithstanding anything set forth in any agreement between a retailer and EchoStar Satellite L.L.C. to the contrary, effective as of February 23, 2006, no incentives or other payments of any type that arise from or relate to a SuperDISH antenna will be payable in connection with DISH Network subscribers who only activate these channels.

Existing customers should continue to use their installed SuperDISH antennas to view these channels until otherwise notified.

The 7 Arabic-language channels include:

* Abu Dhabi - Channel 768

* Al Arabiya - Channel 772

* NBN - Channel 770

* NEW TV - Channel 774

* Iqraa - Channel 773

* Noursat - Channel 771

* Melody Arabia - Channel 775

New Arabic Music Pack – Launching February 23, 2006

As we continue to move channels from the 121° orbital location to 61.5°/148°, DISH Network will be able to offer more programming choices than ever before. On February 23, 2006, we plan to launch a new Arabic music entertainment package called “Arabic Music Pack.” It will combine two new Arabic music channels, “Dandana” and “Mazzika,” with our current “Melody Arabia” music video channel, and will be located at the 61.5°/148° orbital location.

 

[Juan]

121 going bye bye?

 

[Chris Freeland]

This seams crazy to me. E* owns 121, so they will not dump it. It seams to me it would make more since to do just the opposite and transition International on 61.5 and 148 to 121 and use the wings for HD locals. Does this mean that E* is going to use the 121 SuperDish and the 105 SuperDish (E* is in I think it's 2nd year of a 10 year lease) for HD locals? Moving SD locals and Internationale's off these two birds only to replace them with HD locals makes no since! Of course this is E* we are talking about .

 

[Stargazer]

What is Dish Network up to when it comes to 105/121? They are moving the larger local markets off of 105 and internationals off of 121. They are moving the rest of the locals off of 121 to 110 right? I know they are moving the ones that have not already went from 105 to 129 on over to 110.

Could Dish Network be saving 105/121 for smaller local markets? Internet? Business only? They sure are scramming to get the channels off of 105/121 and preparing those slots for something else.

 

[Juan]

105/121 would probably work better as some type of INTERNET solution because that type of use would be better suited for occasional drops in signal

 

[mike123abc]

Dish has 3 Ku-FSS slots 85, 105 and 121. 85 and 105 are 10 year leases through 2014/2015, they own 121. It will be interesting to see what they do with them.

SD 121 for internationals was a nice solution because it gave a single location for the internationals. But, I have a feeling that a lot of the internationals are do it yourself installs for minimal $$, and superdish is not an easy install. You could do the prepaid dish thing for international packages fairly easy if they were 61.5/148.

If they clear the internationals off of 121 they will have the capacity for around 90 or so small markets HD LIL using superdishes (assuming they make 105/121 4 satellite dishes for 110/119/129+105 or 121).

It would be interesting to see Dish serve 90 small markets with superdish, small markets would be good since a lot fewer households would need a SD.

 

[Claude Greiner]

SuperDish internationals do not sell very well at 121.

Its great when the customer participates in a promotion and the Dish is FREE, but for the customers who just want international programming a superDish really puts a damper on things when I got to charge then over $200.

 

[Dishpointer]

Man this is strange news. Either Dish has plans to use 105/121 for HD lil or they really hate issuing out DPP44 switches I wonder if the joint internet rumor involves these two birds.

 

[mike123abc]

105 and 85 have Ka spot beams for satellite internet capability. A lot of unused capacity just sitting up there right now. I guess they figured it was worth the extra 10 mil to stick it on the bird in case they want to use it some day.

 

[Chris Walker]

Better call E* quick so I don't lose my Al Jazeera!

 

[Kirby Baker]

SuperDish internationals do not sell very well at 121.

Its great when the customer participates in a promotion and the Dish is FREE, but for the customers who just want international programming a superDish really puts a damper on things when I got to charge then over $200.

Well said. I would buy the German channels if they were on 61.5/110/119, but no way am I going to SD to get them.

 

[JPointerWI]

This is going to piss off a lit of mid-eastern people. They had to pay $200 for the SD plus install. Now they will have to pay another $100+install for a d500, and they are sitting on a mostly worthless piece of metal. I wonder if E* will do some kind of exchange ??

 

[Chris Freeland]

Could Dish Network be saving 105/121 for smaller local markets? Internet? Business only? They sure are scramming to get the channels off of 105/121 and preparing those slots for something else.

All of the above maybe?

SuperDish internationals do not sell very well at 121.

Its great when the customer participates in a promotion and the Dish is FREE, but for the customers who just want international programming a superDish really puts a damper on things when I got to charge then over $200.

I did not know that it was harder to sell 121 Internationals, this move is starting to make a little more since then, I was looking at it from a technical persperctive and this move must be from a marketing perspective.

Man this is strange news. Either Dish has plans to use 105/121 for HD lil or they really hate issuing out DPP44 switches I wonder if the joint internet rumor involves these two birds.

I agree that E* will likely use these two slots for smaller market HD lil, and since 105 has some KA band capacity it may be used for some kind of broadband service. However, the rumored joint venture between D* and E* is for terrestrial wireless service using cell phone towers for distribution, if E* does go into the satellite delivered broadband, it would not likely be part of the rumored Wi-Max joint venture. A broadband by satellite service would be for those people out of reach of the joint ventures cell towers and can not get cable or DSL service either.

As mike123abc has said, if E* does use 105 and 121 for small market HD lil, the SD's could be modified to have 4 LNB's to see 110/119/129 and 105 or 121, or in some locations a standard SuperDish for 110/119 and 105 or 121 with a 2nd Dish 500 or 300 pointed to 61.5 of course E* could simply use a 2nd dish for 129 too however, either way E* will be doing some DPP44 switches .

 

[rabbitt83]

i get the russian channel and the israeli channel on 61.5 i have a dish 500 and a dish for 61.5

 

[Sadoun]

IMHO, what DN should do is move 105 and 121 satellites to the 119 spot. That way they will have more capacity at 119.

Just like Hotbird in Europe. They place several satellites at one orbital location The satellites are very slightly spaced (maybe <0.1 degrees apart - equals to I think 30 miles in space ) that it will not make a difference at the receiving dish.

 

[Anole]

competition from FTA?

At $200 for the SuperDish, there would be a lot of competition from the little guy selling FTA receivers.
(not to mention self-installs)
An FTA dealer might be able to sell a package with install for $200, $250, or certainly $300, base price.

If a Dish dealer could hook up the international customer for $50 to $100 installed with all equipment, he wins.
Not to even mention the easy upgrade to all the Dish programming, just for the asking.

 

[mattb]

IMHO, what DN should do is move 105 and 121 satellites to the 119 spot. That way they will have more capacity at 119.

Just like Hotbird in Europe. They place several satellites at one orbital location The satellites are very slightly spaced (maybe <0.1 degrees apart - equals to I think 30 miles in space ) that it will not make a difference at the receiving dish.

E* already has multiple sats at 119 and 110, the problem is 105/121 are KU and Cband and not DBS. Plus E* is already using all the DBS transponders they have licensed for at 110/119 and if they moved KU/KA birds there they would have to some how fashion a new LNBF that would work DBS and KU both from the same spot, I dont know if that would be an easy undertaking, plus 110/119 would require a larger dish if the KU/KA Birds where there.

I suspect they will use 105/121 for small HD LIL or Business or Internet, E* Already has a great deal of leased action going on at 121 for Cband, they could do the same with the KU space that Internationals and locals where eating up.

I suspect if any more sats go to 110/119 they will be of the spot beam catagory so they can reuse frequencies and easly add more HD LIL and SD Lil markets.

 

[kenny911]

I wanted the German stations but didn't want to mount that satellite on my roof. Any news on the transition plans for the rest of the channels?

 

[JohnH]

mattb check out the Invacom site for the LNBF. EchoStar has entered into an agreement with Telesat Canada to use the KuFSS portion of Anik F3 when it is launched to 118.7 west.

ISPs are eating up KuFSS spectrum like crazy. EchoStar 9 and AMC 15 could likely do some of that as well as Occasional feeds in the KuFSS band while using the Ka band for some broadband as well as Local digital TV.

 

[DWS44]

This is going to piss off a lit of mid-eastern people. They had to pay $200 for the SD plus install. Now they will have to pay another $100+install for a d500, and they are sitting on a mostly worthless piece of metal. I wonder if E* will do some kind of exchange ??

You must have missed the MPEG4 HD Receiver debacle. After that mess, this shouldn't surprise anyone!