Dish Loses 81K Video Subs

Dish Network, which said it is fully incorporating subscriber results from its over-the-top video service SlingTV in its overall numbers, still managed to lose 81,000 video customers in 2015, up from a loss of 79,000 subscribers in 2014.

Dish finished the year with 13.9 million video customers, compared to about 13.98 million in the prior year. The results were in sharp contrast to cable companies like Charter Communications and Time Warner Cable, which reported full year subscriber gains in 2015.

Full year revenue was $15.1 billion, up from $14.6 billion in the prior year. Operating income declined to $1.3 billion from $1.8 billion in the prior year, mainly because of a $516 million Federal Communications Commission auction expense and an impairment of long-lived assets expense of $123 million.

Net income in 2015 was $747 million compared to $945 million in 2014. Diluted earnings per share were $1.61 in 2015, compared with $2.04 in 2014.

Pay-TV ARPU was $86.79 during 2015 versus $83.77 in 2014. Pay-TV average monthly subscriber churn for 2015 was 1.71 percent compared to 1.59 percent in 2014.

Dish added 46,000 net broadband subscribers in 2015, bringing its total broadband subscriber base to about 623,000 compared to 577,000 at the close of 2014.

Dish is expected to hold a conference call with analysts to discuss fourth quarter and year-end results today at noon.