Dish Network Corp. reported that it lost subscribers in the latest quarter as pressure from blackouts of HBO and Univision has weighed on its base. Shares of the satellite-television provider fell nearly 8 percent on Wednesday afternoon in response. (WSJ)
The HBO and Univision contract disputes cost Dish around half of its subscribers losses reported during the latest quarter. (THR)
Satellite service subscribers fell below the 10 million mark for the first time in 15 years. And although the increase in Sling TV subscribers might appear to be a bright spot, Dish disclosed in its annual report that it can actually be a bad thing for the bottom line. (MarketWatch)
Dish president and CEO W. Erik Carlson said there has been “no meaningful movement” in talks with HBO about the impasse, the first in the network’s nearly five-decade history. The blackout began in November. (Deadline)
The five biggest U.S. pay-TV providers, Comcast, AT&T/DirecTV, Charter, Dish and Verizon, saw their traditional subscriber rolls shrink 4.2 percent in 2018, as they collectively lost around 3.2 million customers for the year. That’s an acceleration from estimated sector-wide declines of 3.7 percent in 2017 and 2 percent in 2016. (Variety)