Advanced Television

charlie ergen

Report: “Never play poker with Ergen”

Charlie Ergen, co-founder of Dish and EchoStar, has something of a reputation as a poker player. Indeed, he was allegedly once banned from a casino at Lake Tahoe many years ago. A report from Tim Farrar of TMF Associates focuses on a filing by Globalstar which has notified the market that it had entered into […]

February 10, 2023

EchoStar expands S-band strategy

Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar has moved in regard to its coverage of the planet with S-band frequencies. EchoStar already has European coverage with its EchoStar Mobile Ltd under a licence from the EU (although due to expire in 2027). EchoStar has now dramatically expanded that coverage with a commitment to launch 28 satellites with Astro Digital […]

February 3, 2023By Chris Forrester

Problems grow for DISH Network

The US is continuing to see a steady evaporation of satellite TV subscribers. DirecTV, owned by AT&T, has lost a worrying 47 per cent of its subscribers since it was acquired by AT&T in 2015. Charlie Ergen’s DISH Network is in a similar situation and in an SEC filing on January 17th admitted that it […]

January 20, 2023By Chris Forrester

Ergen: “DISH, DirecTV merger getting closer”

Charlie Ergen, founder and chairman of DISH Network, speaking to analysts following the company’s Q3 earnings call, stated that the much-discussed merger between the US satellite pay-TV operators was getting closer. He told analysts that merger discussions ahead of the upcoming mid-term elections were difficult. “You’re hesitant to be a political football for somebody to […]

November 3, 2022By Chris Forrester

Ergen looks to combine DISH’s wireless units

Charlie Ergen, co-founder and chairman of DISH Network and EchoStar, also controls CONX, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company. Ergen now wants to combine CONX with Dish’s retail cellular operation, Boost Mobile. CONX, in a statement, says it will hold a special meeting of shareholders on October 31st to vote on the plan and in particular […]

October 14, 2022By Chris Forrester

DirecTV: “5G will spoil satellite signals”

DirecTV is arguing that rival Dish Network’s planned 5G signals will interfere with its DTH signals over North America. Dish Network, backed by Charlie Ergen, has invested heavily in winning licences for 5G terrestrial cellular networks in the US. DirecTV has told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that Dish Network’s mobile 5G signals “would cause […]

July 20, 2022By Chris Forrester

Ergen’s 5G at risk

Terrestrial 5G telephony in the US wants to use the 12.2-12.7 GHz wireless band. The problem is that satellite operators also use the same frequencies. OneWeb, a would-be satellite constellation, in a letter to the Federal communications Commission (FCC) on July 11th argued that the FCC should reject Charlie Ergen’s Dish Network plans to use […]

July 15, 2022

Dish Network: 52 week low

Charlie Ergen’s Dish Network pay-TV platform suffered a major stock-market hit on May 6th and damaged by news of a thumping 462,000 net subscriber loss during its Q1 trading. Dish’s share price fell 19.4 per cent by the close of trading, and a 52-week ‘low’ and with shares actually trading at $19.57 (compared with $47.05 […]

May 9, 2022By Chris Forrester

Analyst: EchoStar FY below expectations

Charlie Ergen’s EchoStar finished the year “with a thud” according to a report from Quilty Analytics. EchoStar has as a subsidiary a fast-growing business in Hughes Network Systems. But despite this benefit the end-of-year results were a disappointment. Hughes service revenues decline some 2 per cent and representing the first fall since EchoStar acquired Hughes […]

March 15, 2022By Chris Forrester

Ergen: “DISH, DirecTV will melt away without merger”

Charlie Ergen, speaking to analysts following his company’s results announcement, said that without a merger between DirecTV and his own DISH Network the risk is that transmissions from the tow pay-TV operators “will just melt away”. Ergen repeated his previous statements that a merger was inevitable. “The regulatory reasons to not allow [a merger] don’t […]

February 25, 2022By Chris Forrester