Latest in Dish Network

Dish Network chairman Charlie Ergen, a vocal critic of the programmers he routinely jousts with in contract talks, amped up his critique of the traditional TV business during a conference call with analysts Thursday. “The product itself, from a consumer point of view, isn’t good enough,” Ergen declared. While viewing…

Dish, the satellite TV provider and parent of Sling TV, is laying off staff to realign its workforce, the latest company across media to downsize amidst fallout from the coronavirus pandemic. "Due to the current economic climate, combined with changing needs of our customers and how we best serve them, Dish has made…

Updated with comments from conference call: Dish Network chief Charlie Ergen said he thinks it's inevitable that Dish will ultimate merge with rival DirecTV as pay TV is eroded by cord cutting and other pressures. It seems likely "that those two should get together because the growth in TV is not coming from linear,"…

With new channels joining the programming lineup and new features being rolled out, Dish Network’s Sling TV is raising prices. The internet-delivered bundle’s “Orange” and “Blue” tiers now cost $30 a month, up from $25. It now costs $45 to subscribe to a combination of Orange and Blue, up from $40. Sling, which got…

UPDATED with WarnerMedia statement: Even though Dish Network isn’t in the broadband or wireless business (yet), the company’s outspoken chairman, Charlie Ergen, sees the influx of new streaming services benefiting Dish and other pay-TV providers. Ergen addressed the topic during a conference call with Wall Street…

Dish Network, whose core satellite TV business has been steadily declining of late, reported better-than-expected financial results in the third quarter, including a rare gain in pay-TV subscribers. Earnings per share totaled 66 cents on a diluted basis, ahead of the forecast of 61 cents by Wall Street analysts…

In the third quarter, a period when it closed the $9.6 billion acquisition of 21 regional sports networks formerly owned by Fox, Sinclair Broadcast Group reported a 47% spike in revenue but a net loss of 64 cents a share. During a conference call with Wall Street analysts, CFO Lucy Rutishauser called Sinclair a “much…

Just in time for Sunday football, DISH Network today announced it has reached a multi-year carriage agreement with Fox Corporation for its owned-and-operated local stations, as well as FS1, FS2, BTN, Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Deportes. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fox-owned TV stations in 17 markets, as well as…

Fox-owned TV stations in 17 markets as well as FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, Fox Soccer Plus and Fox Deportes have gone dark on Dish Network in the latest carriage dispute to throw a wrench into the pay-TV ecosystem. The dispute affects Dish’s 12 million satellite households as well as millions more who subscribe to the…

UPDATED with talks extended: Disney and Dish have extended talks over a new contract for Disney’s FX and National Geographic Channel, avoiding a blackout that could have taken effect after a 9 PM PT deadline tonight. A source close to the discussions over a new deal referred to the talks this evening as “productive,&#8221…

The latest battlefront in the intensifying pay-TV carriage war is sports, with the YES Network and the regional sports networks formerly operated by Fox going dark on Dish Network on Friday. Disney ended up with the RSNs as a result of the 21st Century Fox deal, only to divest them to a group led by Sinclair Broadcast…

In a long-expected settlement, the Department of Justice has agreed to approve the $26 billion merger of No. 3 and No. 4 U.S. telecom providers T-Mobile and Sprint. As a condition of the approval, the combined entity has agreed to sell Sprint's Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Sprint-branded prepaid mobile services to D…