On Oct 19, we issued an updated research report on satellite TV operator DISH Network Corp. DISH.
DISH reported encouraging financial numbers in the second quarter of 2015, wherein both earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate.
Recently, DISH and leading TV broadcaster TEGNA Inc. TGNA reached a multi-year carriage agreement putting an end to the roughly two-day blackout of TEGNA’s 46 local TV channels on DISH’s network in 39 markets across 33 states and the District of Columbia.
Also, in August this year, DISH and leading TV broadcaster Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc. agreed in principle to sign a long-term deal concerning the retransmission of the latter’s TV stations on DISH’s distribution network, after the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) intervention.
These latest arrangement comes as a huge relief for DISH as the company, like other pay-TV operators, has been persistently losing video customers. At the end of the second quarter of 2015, DISH had roughly 13.932 million pay-TV subscribers, down 0.9% year over year. Average monthly pay-TV subscriber churn rate in the second quarter was 1.71% compared with 1.66% in the prior-year quarter.
Thus, a failure to strike a deal with TEGNA and Sinclair might have resulted in further churn and a decline in average revenue per user (ARPU) as well.
DISH’s commercial launch of Internet TV service, Sling TV, across the U.S., is a positive as foraying into the Internet TV sphere may help the company minimize its losses in the legacy pay-TV business.
Notably, DISH recently filed a petition urging the FCC to dismiss the pending merger between Charter Communications, Inc. CHTR and Time Warner Cable Inc. TWC. The main motive behind DISH’s move was to highlight the competitive impact that the merger is likely to have on the industry.
Meanwhile, DISH has created an extensive portfolio of spectrum – arguably, the most important component of wireless networks – over the last two to three years.
However, earlier this month, DISH’s affiliates – Northstar Wireless and SNR Wireless – gave up 197 spectrum licenses worth $3.3 billion after FCC rejected DISH’s spectrum discount claim.
Further, strong presence of online video streaming providers, increased cord-cutting and escalating programming expenses are major overhangs.
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