Cowboy Channel Launches On DirecTV
The western sports and lifestyle network from Rural Media Group is now available in more than 30 million homes.
Dish Network’s Way Forward Still Not Clear
It is not exactly a secret that Dish Network has all but given up on its DBS service, choosing instead to concentrate on Sling TV while trying to squeeze out every last penny of profit from the satellite TV business. But the company’s income was way down in the second quarter, even taking into account the $280 million fine in the telemarketing case the company booked in the quarter. And all other key financial indicators declined in the quarter, except for slightly better churn.
Dish reports that it lost 196,000 net video subscribers in the second quarter, the continuation of a downward trend for the satcaster, and the pay TV industry as a whole. The satellite TV service lost fewer subs in this year’s second quarter compared to last year’s second quarter when it dropped 281,000 customers. However, Dish lost just 81,000 subscribers in the 2015 second quarter.
CBS News had it wrong when it reported that AT&T’s DirecTV was cheating customers with “bait and switch” tactics and overcharges over the past two years, AT&T told a group of Democratic senators who raised questions about the story. “Contrary to what is suggested in the story, AT&T is fully committed to honoring its deals, offers, and promotions—and AT&T meets that commitment every day.”
Exclusives
The two main satellite-television providers have struggled to adjust to today’s technology, as more Americans shun pricey TV subscriptions and watch video over the Internet. “The end game is near,” Todd Lowenstein, a portfolio manager at Highmark Capitol Management, says. “You have a mature and really structurally challenged satellite-TV business. Both companies are thinking about their next steps now.”
Ohio’s highest court ruled 5-2 against satellite companies that complained a sales tax is unfair because it doesn’t also apply to cable TV. The court affirmed a lower court’s decision that the tax does not amount to unconstitutional discrimination because it’s based on the different nature of the companies’ business activities.
Internet TV services such as Netflix and Hulu may finally be starting to entice people to cancel cable, though company executives are pointing to the weak economy and housing market to explain the quickening losses.
