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Technology Stocks : Echostar Comm. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: pass pass who wrote (1271)	4/18/2000 11:50:00 PM
From: Raymond Clutts	Respond to of 1394

Speaking objectively as a shareholder of both companies. No.

To: pass pass who wrote (1271)	4/20/2000 1:57:00 PM
From: Frank Walker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1394

There's a report on DISH at fool.com that shows 4Q subscriber numbers grew by 438,000 from about 2,962,000, for a projected annualized growth of 59.1%. GMH in the 4Q added 515,000 to a base of about 7,485,000, for an annualized growth of 27.5%. Here's an extract from the above link: "On key growth measures, the company continues to deliver. In the fourth quarter, EchoStar added 438,000 net subscribers (excluding churn). Total subscribers for the year grew 63% to 3.4 million as the company added 1.4 million during the year. By comparison, number one satellite television company DirecTV, a division within Hughes Electronics (NYSE: GMH) , added 515,000 new subscribers in the fourth quarter, and has more than 8 million U.S. customers." That's probably why DISH has been a hotter stock than GMH. I have not looked at the market caps. There's another Fool article at fool.com that talks about GMH, also an interesting piece about how to evaluate companies using subscriber numbers at fool.com ILG (got lots of DISH, a little GMH)

To: pass pass who wrote (1271)	4/28/2000 7:28:00 AM
From: Stoctrash	Respond to of 1394

Locals-Deals Drive EchoStar 1Q skyreport.com EchoStar floored analysts with its first quarter numbers, particularly DISH Network subscriber counts for the three-month period. During the first quarter, EchoStar added 455,000 net subscribers for its DISH Network service, ending with approximately 3.865 million subscribers as of March 31. This week, DISH Network crossed the 4 million subscriber mark. EchoStar Chairman Charlie Ergen said local channels and free dish promotions propelled subscriber enrollments. He added that more than half of the service's customers are taking local channels in the 28 markets it serves. Ergen also said retransmission deals the company is negotiating with broadcasters are "making good progress, but it will go down to the wire." DBS companies have until the end of May to sign retransmission agreements with broadcasters for carriage of local stations. "I think taking local channels down (in May) is pretty remote," Ergen said. "I think it's a minor to low risk for the company." Analysts were impressed with the subscriber numbers. "We knew first quarter DBS growth would be strong, but this is better than we thought," C.E. Unterberg Towbin's William Kidd said of the DISH numbers. Bear Stearns' Vijay Jayant said the subscriber numbers were "better than expectations." He predicted DISH would end up with 415,000. EchoStar reported revenue of $566 million for the first quarter, compared to $310 million for the corresponding period in 1999. Pre-marketing cash flow grew to $186 million. The company's operating loss for the quarter totaled $142 million, compared to $56 million reported during the corresponding period in 1999. As expected, record customer growth led to increased upfront acquisition costs, which impacted the operating loss. EchoStar also promoted Michael Dugan to president and chief operating officer. He will assume responsibility for all operational aspects at the company, including DISH Network and EchoStar Technologies Corporation. DISH Unveils New Promotion EchoStar will debut its "Digital Dynamite" program for DISH Network today, an effort that will allow new customers to pick up two DBS receivers virtually for free. Under the program, customers can get two receivers if they pay a one-time fee of $99 and commit to paying $49.99 a month for the America's Top 150 programming package. The $99 charge pays for installation of both receivers and covers the $5 monthly fee associated with second receivers. Through Digital Dynamite, customers get a three-year price guarantee on the AT-150 package price and in-home service and support if problems surface with the equipment. Receivers that are part of the package include model 2700 and model 4922. The latter model has OpenTV interactive software built inside. EchoStar also will extend its "One Rate" promotion. Under that deal, customers can get a free DISH 500 system if they commit to programming that amounts to $39.98 a month for a year. However, instead of free installation, new customers must pay a $99 installation fee if they want

To: pass pass who wrote (1271)	5/2/2000 12:53:00 PM
From: Stoctrash	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1394

EchoStar, DirecTV battle white hot MCI WorldCom scours for wireless opportunities By Jeffry Bartash, CBS MarketWatch Last Update: 7:19 PM ET Apr 28, 2000 NewsWatch WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- If you thought the satellite TV battle between EchoStar Communications and market leader DirecTV couldn't sizzle any hotter, think again. The two combatants, already involved in a testy legal bout alleging unfair marketing and other low-blow tactics, have ratcheted up efforts to win new subscribers in an increasingly competitive market for pay television. For the first time, EchoStar has acquired more new subscribers (455,000) in a quarter than DirecTV (405,000), though it still only has about half the the 8.3 million customers of its larger rival. But those gains did not come without a heavy cost. EchoStar spent 10 percent more in the first quarter to gain new customers than it did in the last three months of 1999. All told, EchoStar (DISH: news, msgs) spent $467 for each new viewer, up from $425 in the fourth quarter. By comparison, DirecTV?s subscriber acquisition costs remained flat at $500. Though the unit of Hughes Electronics (GMH: news, msgs) pays more, it also gets more money from each subscriber every month -- $58 compared to about $46 for EchoStar?s Dish network. With the temporary end of free installation and other expensive promotions, both companies say they expect subscriber acquisition costs to trend down to around $450 for the year. That remains to be seen. As cable TV operators fight back with improved service and high-speed Internet connections and the market for satellite TV matures, it could become harder for Dish and DirecTV to gain new converts in the U.S. Looking ahead, the two rivals are aiming to propel growth through the introduction of new services and technologies. Both companies are now offering local channels, for instance. More than half of all new subscribers at DirecTV in the first quarter purchased local viewing packages, said spokesman Bob Marsocci. And Dish saw so much demand for its local service that analysts question whether the company really had to spend as much as it did in the first quarter to get new customers to sign on. Dish, meanwhile, also offers a satellite TV set-top box that combines TIVO-like recording features, which allow viewers to stop shows in midprogress and see them later or to tape shows without blank cassettes. Not to be outdone, DirecTV is also set to unveil its own TIVO set-top box. The satellite TV operator will also start its free Wink interactive service in a few months that, among other things, allows viewers to purchase recordings of music they see on their television or to call up statistics on sports players during games. The biggest battleground, however, may concern high-speed Internet connections. EchoStar recently announced a deal with Gilat Satellite Networks (GILTF: news, msgs) to offer two-way fast access by the end of 2000. It also has a separate agreement with privately held Isky to offer two-way access by mid 2001. DirecTV, feeling heat from EchoStar as well as from fast-spreading high-speed cable and the phone companies? digital subscriber line service, unveiled plans on Thursday to begin its own two-way high-speed service by the fourth quarter. DirecTV already offers Net access via its DirecPC unit, but that business only allows users to load information onto the Web via a 56K modem. The new service, to be attached to a satellite operated by PanAmSat, a subsidiary of Hughes, will provide true two-way access. Download speeds would reach up to eight times faster than a 56K modem, while "upload" speeds would average from two to four times faster. The new service is likely an interim stopgap until Hughes launches its multibillion Spaceway service in several years. But with competition pressing in from all sides, DirecTV can?t wait. "You just look at the competition in the marketplace," said Marsocci, referring to the cable and phone suppliers. "And obviously, Dish has made agreements with Gilat and Isky." Still, even with all the new features, the suspicion here is that the hyper growth in satellite TV in the United States is set to slow, at least a notch. Which is why both carriers are taking their battle next to Latin America. WorldCom?s wireless plans