Satellite Providers

DirecTV said it would be allowing customers to opt out of receiving their local TV stations, and pay a lower monthly rate in the bargain. Customers who opt out of receiving local stations directly through DirecTV will receive discounts of $12 a month or $140 a year.

The customer count for the third largest U.S. pay TV operator remains one of the great known unknowns, but Leichtman Research Group hazards another informed guess in its latest quarterly cord-cutting tally.

DirecTV, locked in a new contract dispute with Cox Media Group since Feb. 2, is offering assistance to subscribers who have lost access to the Cox stations. Because the sides failed to reach a new carriage deal, DirecTV is no longer legally permitted to distribute 12 CMG stations in nine markets. The blackout, started after the previous contract expired, includes subscribers to DirectTV STREAM and U-verse. Via its TV Promise website, DirecTV has established a ZIP code-based search system to determine a customer’s eligibility for credits, which can take up two billing cycles to appear on bills.

Cox Media Group said its television stations are no longer available to DirecTV subscribers because of a retransmission consent dispute. The previous distribution agreement expired Feb. 2. CMG has 12 stations in nine markets.

No. 1 satellite TV provider DirecTV is raising compliance concerns with new billing protocols proposed last year by FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel. She wants cable and satellite TV providers to adhere to an “all-in” billing format, which means one price for video programming to be displayed as a prominent single line item on bills and in promotional materials. DirecTV spent time with FCC officials recently to underscore the company’s difficulties in meeting the FCC’s requirements while complying with similar but not identical rules across multiple jurisdictions.

British media company Sky Group is planning to cut 1,000 jobs over the next year as the company transitions to internet-based TV from satellite. The majority of jobs cut will be concentrated in the Comcast-owned company’s engineering teams, primarily impacting those who install and service the satellite products, and will result in a reduction of about 4% of the business. It comes as the company says more of its customers are choosing to use the company’s streaming box Sky Stream and its new line of televisions, Sky Glass.

The National Football League isn’t officially saying anything yet, but the league just suffered a major loss. Failing to get the nearly decade-long antitrust lawsuit over the lucrative Sunday Ticket package thrown out of court, the Roger Goodell-run NFL is going to trial for potentially $6.1 billion just over a week after this year’s Super Bowl.

The company, led by chair Charlie Ergen and CEO Hamid Akhavan, said its goal is to “further unlock incremental strategic, financial and operating flexibility for its business” following the completion of its merger with Dish Network.

Some DirecTV customers were able to watch a national programming feed of NBC in areas where the local affiliate has been unavailable for weeks due to a prolonged dispute with Tegna, StreamTV Insider confirms. The test appears to be a first step toward replacing local broadcast affiliates with national network feeds in order to offset the loss of programming during programming disputes, like the one DirecTV currently faces with Tegna.

Shares in EchoStar were flat Tuesday morning on the first day of trading since the closing of the wireless firm’s merger with Dish Network. The all-stock deal, announced last summer, officially closed on Sunday. Dish had been its own separate entity since being spun off by EchoStar in 2008. The reunion offers Charlie Ergen a bit more runway to try to execute his strategic turn away from pay-TV and toward wireless, though EchoStar is for now the No. 4 player in a competitive market led by Verizon and AT&T.

Dish Network Corp. and EchoStar Corp. have completed their merger, reuniting Charlie Ergen’s satellite empire once again. The deal, which closed on Dec. 31, is key to Ergen’s plan to transition Dish away from the dwindling pay TV business and toward wireless services, challenging the likes of Verizon Communications, T-Mobile and AT&T. Dish, which had accrued significant debt, will now have access to more cash and time to expand its 5G network buildout and mobile and broadband offerings, including fixed home wireless and Boost Infinite, a low-cost mobile service.

Satellite TV broadcaster and terrestrial wireless operator Dish Network and EchoStar, its sister company focused on broadband services from space, have cleared a key regulatory hurdle in the way of their merger plans. The FCC gave its blessing Dec. 6 to transfer all of Dish Network’s licenses and authorizations to EchoStar, which would be the surviving entity following the transaction. The approval is one of the final conditions needed to complete a merger announced around four months ago.

DirecTV is ready to provide national feeds of broadcast networks if and when it is allowed to do so, a move that could help it offset the loss of local channels during carriage disputes, DirecTV’s Chief Programming Executive Rob Thun says.

A new report from GlobalData says the drop is due to cord-cutters and cord-nevers. Expected household penetration for 2023 is estimated at only 42%, which will drop even further to 32% in 2028.

Comcast, Charter, Altice USA, Dish, Verizon Fios shed 1.16 million subscribers in Q3, while streamers Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV and Fubo added 727,000.

Tegna is back on the rocks with DirecTV, signaling to viewers Saturday that its stations could soon be pulled off the programming grids of the pay TV operator’s platforms amid failing broadcast retransmission licensing negotiations. The broadcaster, which owns 64 network affiliates in 14 markets, told viewers with DirecTV satellite, DirecTV Stream and U-verse subscriptions that they could “lose” Tegna stations starting Nov. 30 without DirecTV agreeing to “fair, market-based” terms on broadcast retransmission licensing.

Dish Network has named Hamid Akhavan as CEO and said he will continue as CEO of sister company EchoStar. EchoStar and Dish have agreed to merge. The transaction is still being reviewed by the government, but the company expects it to close by year-end.  Akhavan has been designated to be the CEO of the combined companies.

AT&T Inc. has begun to explore options for its 70% stake in DirecTV as it approaches the end of an agreement under which it can legally sell its interest in America’s third-largest pay TV provider. Among AT&T’s options are: a dividend recapitalization, adding a new investor, or selling the stake and exiting the venture as early as August 2024, according to people familiar with the discussions, who asked not to be identified because the discussions aren’t public. A deal isn’t imminent and discussions are still in the early stages, they say. The current ownership structure may still continue as is.

Dish Network on Tuesday posted a sharply lower profit for the second quarter as its subscriber losses continued, though results still topped Wall Street expectations, and announced that it will recombine with satellite communications company EchoStar Corp. in an all-stock deal. Dish reported revenue of $3.91 billion, a 7% decline from the $4.21 billion in the second quarter of 2022, but above the $3.82 billion forecast by analysts polled by Zacks Investment Service.

Charlie Ergen is nearing a deal to merge his major holdings, Dish Network and EchoStar, a move aimed at giving him the financial flexibility to build a nationwide wireless network strong enough to take on the likes of AT&T and Verizon. A deal could be announced as soon as Tuesday, barring any last-minute snags, according to people familiar with the matter.

Starting the classic television network is now available in high-definition across the U.S. with new DirecTV and DirecTV Stream agreements.

Charlie Ergen is looking to merge the two halves of his telecom empire, Dish and EchoStar, a deal that would tilt Dish away from a satellite TV business in decline. Both companies have engaged advisers to sort through what a deal might look like, people familiar with the matter say. A key issue: EchoStar is financially stronger than Dish, which is spending heavily to build out a nationwide mobile network while outrunning the cord-cutting that has gutted its core business.

Earlier this week, DirecTV lost rights to Nexstar-owned locals, including ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, because of a contract dispute. Now DirecTV has announced that customers affected by the blackout will receive a one-time $10 credit. The catch is DirecTV , U-Verse TV, and DirecTV Stream customers have to apply for the one-time credit as it will not be automatically included.

More than 10 million DirecTV customers are without Nexstar stations as of Sunday evening after the two companies failed to come to terms on a new deal. DirecTV removed Nexstar’s 159 TV stations from its satellite, cable and streaming systems as a result, which includes major broadcast networks CBS, Fox, ABC, NBC and The CW as well as NewsNation, the cable news channel. Subscribers in 113 markets, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Denver, are all affected.

With continued pressure on satellite capacity and steady improvement in connectivity, vendors expect more networks to move at least some of their distribution to terrestrial IP over the next few years. Sinclair, MSG and Estrella have been among the early movers. Pictured: LTN’s Technical Operations Center in Columbia, Md.

Dish Network appears increasingly desperate to sell assets and raise money — and continues to battle speculation from insiders that it could face bankruptcy. The struggling satellite TV giant is expected to meet its commitment to cover 70% of the U.S. with a 5G wireless network by the end of the month, but sources are growing increasingly skeptical that Dish will have money to finish its buildout.

DirecTV, which held the rights to NFL Sunday Ticket for nearly three decades until YouTube took over the package, has struck a deal to continue distributing it to bars, restaurants and other commercial businesses. The satellite operator, which is owned by AT&T and private equity firm TPG, closed a multi-year agreement with EverPass Media, a specialist in delivering live sports and entertainment programming to businesses. The arrangement begins with the upcoming NFL season.

Dish Network’s first-quarter earnings dropped as it lost more subscribers, both on its satellite service and its Sling TV streaming service. Analysts attributed some of the poor performance in part to a cyberattack that delayed the processing of payments and stalled customer service. Dish finished the quarter with 9.198 million pay TV subscribers, down 552,000 from the end of year and down more than 1 million from a year ago.

Players across the telecom industry are openly debating whether Dish Network will crash and burn. At issue is whether Dish Network and its chairman, Charlie Ergen, can successfully leverage the company’s aging satellite TV business to finance the construction of a nationwide 5G wireless network. And then, after that, if the company can successfully use that network to challenge behemoths like T-Mobile and AT&T.

A U.S. District Court Judge on Friday dismissed lawsuits brought by Circle City Broadcasting charging that DirecTV and Dish discriminated against Circle City because it was a Black-owned business. Circle City owner Dujuan McCoy said he planned to appeal the decision. He also said he would work to prevent DirecTV and Dish from merging.

DirecTV has responded to GOP senators’ requests to explain its decision to drop the conservative news network Newsmax, saying the cut was part of a “routine” business dispute after criticism that the move was political.

Under siege from Republicans and conservatives, DirecTV on Sunday said it was still interested in bringing back right-wing news channel Newsmax. DirecTV dropped Newsmax prompting concerns among some lawmakers about censorship and conservative views being stifled. The satellite company seemed to be extending an olive branch on its website, where it made a statement concerning Newsmax. DirecTV remained adamant that it will not pay the license fee that Newsmax is demanding.

After raising Republican ire by dropping right-wing news channel Newsmax, DirecTV announced that it is adding The First, described as a conservative-appeal commentary channel, to its DirecTV, DirecTV Stream and U-verse TV services. DirecTV said it has made a multiyear commitment to carry the channel, which will be provided free to subscribers. DirecTV maintains that Newsmax is no longer being carried because it wanted a carriage fee after previously not charging one.

DirecTV stopped carrying Newsmax when an extension of their carriage agreement expired at 11:59 p.m. ET Tuesday in a move that could have repercussions in Washington. DirecTV, one of the first distributors to carry Newsmax, said it ceased carrying Newsmax because the conservative news network was seeking a carriage fee after being available free previously.

Conservative news network Newsmax might be dropped from DirecTV this week, in a move that Republican lawmakers are saying they would investigate although the pay-TV provider said the motivation is saving costs. DirecTV says it has been carrying Newsmax on its satellite TV service, DirecTV Stream and U-verse platforms at no cost to customers because Newsmax has not been charging a fee to carry the channel. That allows Newsmax the ability to generate advertising revenue. “However the network is now seeking significant fees that we would have to pass on to our broad customer base,” DirecTV said.

Dish Network ended 2022 with some of the most downer data the U.S. pay TV business has ever seen, losing another 191,000 satellite TV customers and 77,000 virtual Sling TV subscribers in the final three months of the year.  Dish, which won’t formally announce 4Q earnings until sometime next month, made the disclosure in an SEC filing Tuesday, in conjunction with the revelation of a $500 million secured debt offering.