DISH Network is still committed to satellite TV

telcodad

Unlike DirecTV, which is increasingly pushing their customers to its streaming service, DISH Network still plans on launching new satellites:

Dish Faces Major Changes Amid Wireless Uncertainty With The FCC
By Luke Bouma, Cord Cutters News -June 3, 2025
https://cordcuttersnews.com/dish-faces-major-changes-amid-wireless-uncertainty-with-the-fcc/

Dish Network, a subsidiary of EchoStar, may be forced to refocus on its core television services as regulatory scrutiny threatens its ambitious wireless expansion plans. The company recently ordered a new geostationary satellite, ES XXVI, from Maxar Space Systems to bolster its satellite TV broadcast capabilities, even as it grapples with a potential bankruptcy filing and an ongoing Federal Communications Commission (FCC) investigation into its spectrum licenses.

Maxar announced on June 2 that it will deliver ES XXVI, based on its 1300 platform, in 2028. The satellite, like its predecessor ES XXV ordered in 2023, will ensure continued broadcast coverage across the United States and Puerto Rico, supporting Dish’s pay-TV services. With a robust design weighing up to 6,800 kilograms, ES XXVI will replace aging payloads in Dish’s fleet of approximately 10 owned and leased satellites. This move underscores Dish’s commitment to maintaining its television business, which remains a significant revenue driver despite a shrinking satellite TV market. …..

telcodad

Also on the TV Answer Man site today:

Dish Network Doubles Down On Satellite TV’s Future
By Phillip Swann, TV Answer Man - June 4, 2025
https://tvanswerman.com/2025/06/04/dish-network-doubles-down-on-satellite-tvs-future/

Dish Network, which recently chided DIRECTV for increasing its marketing emphasis on streaming, is boosting its commitment to satellite TV by ordering a new satellite to deliver programming to the United States and Puerto Rico. SpaceNews.com reports that the satellite is expected to be operational in 2028. Dish in 2023 also ordered a satellite but it’s unclear when that will be added to its fleet: https://spacenews.com/echostar-bets-on-tv-amid-fcc-mobile-scrutiny/

The decision to invest in new satellites runs counter to the prevailing wisdom that the satellite TV business will collapse in the coming years due to consumers shifting to less expensive streaming services. Both DIRECTV and Dish have lost millions of subscribers in the last several years because of cord cutting and other factors.

However, Dish appears to be following a strategy to target rural residents who have limited or no access to high-speed Internet services which is necessary to watch streaming. DIRECTV, which has acknowledged that it believes that streaming is the future, has reduced its marketing dollars on satellite, possibly creating an opportunity for Dish. …

Zer0Cool

well yeah their streaming option isnt doing as well as directv’s from what i understand. their traditional tv is all dish has :/

Dks01

DISH Network also licenses their technology to Bell Canada’s Satellite TV.

btlman1980

Could a DirecTV-DISH merger be back on track now?

https://tvanswerman.com/2026/03/19/dish-removes-biggest-obstacle-to-directv-merger/

Bloomberg News reports that EchoStar has agreed to a debt restructuring plan for Dish with the majority of its creditors. The debt, which once was estimated to be around $10 billion, was the major reason why DIRECTV opted out of its planned merger with Dish in November 2024. DIRECTV was concerned that Dish’s creditors would not agree to a debt exchange that would have reduced its liability. … EchoStar’s move to eliminate the debt issue could be a sign that the merger plan will soon be resurrected