DISH Network recently released their latest earnings report, illustrating the current state of DISH’s finances and subscriber levels. Following the dismal Q2 report, those in the know have been anxiously awaiting these latest numbers. We know that earnings reports can be a bear to sift through, so we’ve saved you the trouble and included the important highlights below.
Subscriber Growth:
DISH Network has been feverishly working to grow their subscriber base after reporting their worst quarterly drop in Q2 of 2016. While DISH is still working towards positive growth, the recent Q3 report shows a subscriber drop of 116,000, which is technically still good news given the 281,000 drop from the previous quarter. DISH Network’s launch of Sling TV at the beginning of 2015 has been integral in helping boost their total paid subscribers and will continue to help DISH’s subscriber numbers trend up as the company approaches positive subscriber growth. However, DISH will have to come up with another way to boost their paid subscribers as this Sling TV boost begins to wear off.
Revenue:
DISH Network reported positive revenue growth, as the company’s total revenue edged up from $3.73 billion to $3.75 billion. DISH’s total 2016 revenue comprises 71% of the total conventional satellite broadcast revenue in the entirety of the United States. At the end of 2015, DISH Network accounted for roughly 14% of the total US Pay TV Market, which includes cable giants like Time Warner and Comcast. If the Time Warner/Comcast merger is not shot down by the FCC, DISH can expect to see those number decline slightly by the end of 2016.
These new revenue numbers for DISH dramatically increased their share value, which now sits around 64 cents per share.
Spectrum Holdings
DISH Network purchased billions of dollars worth of spectrum holdings when the AWS-3 spectrum auction began in January. While the cancellation of DISH’s $3.3 billion discount left many wondering how DISH would react, DISH decided not to pay the difference and sold $3.4 billion of their spectrum holdings back to the FCC. This will allow DISH to take its time and decide on the optimal option of how to monetize their spectrum holdings.
It’s important to remember that DISH’s spectrum holdings do come with certain caveats, enforced by the FCC. For example, DISH must offer reliable signal coverage and service to at least 40% and 70% of the population in each area covered by its AWS licenses by March 2017 and March 2021. If DISH fails to complete those requirements in that time frame they will be forced sell, or even worse, relinquish their spectrum holdings to the FCC. However, there is no reason to worry about this yet. It is something to keep an eye on as you look at DISH Network’s earnings reports moving forward.
In summary, Q3 2016 was a good one for DISH Network. While they may not have reached the number many eventually hope for, they are trending up across the board. The jump in share value will leave many shareholders more than happy to wait and see what the end of 2016 brings.
Sources:
- https://www.trefis.com/stock/dish/model/trefis?easyAccessToken=PROVIDER_113bd99bb19edc7cff5ebd3e82ecc0c819241913
- https://www.trefis.com/stock/dish/articles/342025/title/2016-03-03
- http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2016/11/11/dish-network-earnings-snapshot-subscriber-loss-continues/#742df752d77b
