At the moment, any merger plan between Dish Network and AT&T’s DirecTV is just behind the scenes talk. But it could happen, and if so, how would the pair start saving cash? The usual synergy promises will trim head-count and the marketing and advertising budgets would be trimmed. But what about those orbital assets? The […]
AT&T’s DirecTV and Charlie Ergen’s DISH Network have reportedly resumed talks regarding merging their DTH operations – and a deal could be close. The New York Post says it has learned that discussions are again taking place despite past anti-trust concerns that such discussions would never pass muster with the competition authorities. The Post says […]
US DTH operator Dish Network is to raise $4 billion (€3.45bn) in senior secured notes. The cash-raising is being conducted through its Dish DBS Corporation sister company and will be used to fund an inter-company loan to Dish Network in order to finance the potential purchase of wireless spectrum licences. The news comes on top […]
Charlie Ergen, speaking to analysts on the DISH Network post-results analysts call, again touched on the prospects for a merger between DirecTV and Ergen’s DISH, saying a combination was “inevitable”. While the question and prospects of a merger have been discussed for some time, Ergen told analysts that, as he had said before, “that those […]
EchoStar, a business owned by Charlie Ergen, has a crucial date on June 25th for a rocket and satellite launch. If the satellite is successfully put into orbit then Ergen will secure near-global rights to S-band licences. If it doesn’t work – and two previous attempts have failed – then Ergen’s permissions to use the […]
Charlie Ergen’s DTH operation Dish Network intends on raising $1.25 billion in fresh debt by means of new senior notes. The cash will be raised via Dish DBS Corp, a subsidiary company. Dish will use the cash to refund some existing debt and general corporate purposes. A week ago, Dish reported quarterly earnings of 99c/share […]
Charlie Ergen, who is a major shareholder in Dish Network and EchoStar, has enjoyed a bump in his overall salary and compensation. Ergen is not quite in the same league as Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, but this past year his total compensation has rocketed from $2.36 million to $94.7 million although a large portion […]
Charlie Ergen’s Dish Network has priced an offering for $2 billion-worth of bonds. Dish, in connection with the offering, has also granted the initial purchaser a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $300 million in aggregate principal amount of the Notes. The Notes will mature on December 15th 2025. The Notes will not […]
Charlie Ergen’s Dish Network DTH operator has settled a $210 million (€173m) penalty in its dispute with the US government over breaching telemarketing rules. The case involved claims that “millions” of illegal calls were made to promote satellite TV. The states of California, Illinois, North Carolina and Ohio were also involved in the litigation and […]
The bulk of EchoStar’s business these days is focussed on its wholly-owned subsidiary Hughes Network Systems which itself is a major supplier of satellite-based broadband to consumer and business users. Last week EchoStar – itself controlled by Charlie Ergen – reported better than expected results on revenues and EBITDA. The results have prompted a significant […]