Dish Earnings Fall 26 Percent; Echostar Swings to Profit
Dish Network Corp.’s (DISH) first-quarter profit fell 26 percent on higher costs related to adding more customers, signaling that the satellite-TV provider is on firmer ground with its turnaround.
Dish, long a runner-up to larger rival DirecTV Group Inc. (DTV), posted its fourth consecutive quarter of subscriber growth, thanks to aggressive pricing and improved customer service. The improvement illustrates the company’s ability to weather intensifying competition from telecommunications and cable providers, who are able to offer bundles that also include Internet and phone services.
“The strong results demonstrate further fundamental improvement,” said Mike McCormack, an analyst at J.P. Morgan.
