EchoStar co-founder Charlie Ergen appeared at the Novaspace Paris World Space Business Week (WSBW) and, along with EchoStar CEO Hamid Akhavan, explained his strategy for delegates. “We are going to be an asset-light, growth company,” Akhavan told a press conference at WSBW. “That’s the forced pivot that we had to make by disposing of our […]
Financial discussions about a potential merger between the two declining DTH operators over North America could be on again. Indeed, those discussions have gone on for years and despite changes in ownership of DirecTV and enthusiasm from Charlie Ergen, founder of EchoStar/Dish Network, have come to nothing. But comments last week within Investor’s Business Daily […]
Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar has signed a $1.3 billion (€1.1bn) initial contract with Canada-based MDA Space to build 100 or so low Earth orbiting ‘MDA Aurora’ satellites for its proposed global Direct-to-Device scheme, addressing a potential “350 million Americans” and “more than 7 billion additional people globally”. EchoStar says the total cost of its initial constellation […]
Charlie Ergen, founder and chairman of the EchoStar/DISH combination, is reported to be negotiating with some of the company’s bond and debt-holders for extensions to its debt payment obligations. However, some debt interest payment obligations have – or are about to be – met. But there are still challenges. For example, the FCC is pushing […]
Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar share price rocketed 43 per cent on June 13th on news that Donald Trump has intervened with FCC chair Brendan Carr over the dispute between the FCC and EchoStar. June 16th saw EchoStar’s share price (Nasdaq:SATS) finish the day at $25.11 (€21.72). A week ago they were $15.99. In a nutshell, the […]
The planned merger between two US pay-TV satellite broadcasters is definitely off – at least for the moment. A deadline set by DirecTV passed without fresh discussions or progress happening. The blame for the decision falls on Charlie Ergen’s Dish/EchoStar and its bond (debt) holders. Under the complex merger deal, which would have created the […]
It should not be forgotten in the acres of business news coverage over the DirecTV (and TPG) acquisition of DISH Network that in selling DISH, chairman Charlie Ergen is very much giving up his ‘baby’. When his EchoStar 1 satellite was launched on a Chinese Long March rocket in 1995 Ergen was in the launch […]
The long-awaited merger between DirecTV and Dish Network appears imminent and could be announced as early as September 30th, according to a report in the WSJ. If an agreement is reached, the result would be the creation of the largest pay-TV operator in the US. Together, the pair would have some 20 million subscribers. The […]
DirectTV, owned by telco giant AT&T and Charlie Ergen’s DISH Network are reportedly in “early stage” talks to merge their pay-TV businesses. The report from Bloomberg says a successful merger would create the largest pay-TV platform in North America with around 16 million subscribers. There have been talks about a merger between the two players […]
Dish Network, the troubled US satellite-TV provider with more than $20 billion (€18.3bn) in debt, is holding talks with some of its convertible holders about potential new financing, according to a Bloomberg report. Dish is said to have received financing offers from convertible noteholders to provide fresh capital tied to wireless spectrum held at a […]