EchoStar Corporation (SATS) saw its shares decline on Tuesday after reporting a third-quarter loss that missed analyst expectations. The company also reported a decrease in pay-TV subscribers, although Sling TV saw an increase. Despite the challenges, EchoStar highlighted its focus on customer acquisition and retention, as well as its transformative transactions in the wireless and pay-TV industries.
DirecTV, owned by AT&T and TPG Capital, is in contract renewal talks with Disney that could significantly alter the pay-TV industry. DirecTV aims to offer smaller, genre-specific packages to customers, while Disney is open to sports-specific packages and negotiating lower subscriber guarantees. The outcome of these negotiations could impact the availability of channels like ABC and ESPN, potentially leading to blackouts if no agreement is reached.
