Sling TV Gains Subscribers Amid Major Corporate Changes at EchoStar

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Sling TV, EchoStar‘s virtual multichannel video program distributor, increased its paid subscriber base by 11% in the third quarter, reaching 1.99 million as of September 30. This growth contrasts with the loss of 152,000 subscribers for EchoStar’s Dish brand, which now has 5.2 million subscribers.

Overall, EchoStar reported a combined total of 7.17 million subscribers across its platforms, a 1.3% increase from 7.07 million the year before. Sling TV’s growth comes partly from new subscription options, including single-day and weekend plans starting at $5, which coincided with the beginning of college football, NFL, and NBA seasons.

The satellite and virtual multichannel video program distributor segments together generated approximately $2.34 billion in revenue during the quarter. Key leadership changes at EchoStar also took place, with co-founder Charlie Ergen returning as CEO. Former CEO Hamid Akhavan has now been appointed as CEO of EchoStar Capital.

This transition follows significant spectrum sell-off transactions, including a $22.65 billion agreement with AT&T and a $19 billion deal with SpaceX, led by Elon Musk. These sales helped resolve the FCC’s review of EchoStar’s spectrum usage.

After the announcements, the FCC confirmed that EchoStar met its 5G network buildout requirements. Additionally, EchoStar revealed an amended agreement to sell unpaired AWS-3 wireless spectrum to SpaceX for $2.6 billion in stock.

“Through EchoStar Capital, we will fuel EchoStar’s growth into new and complementary arenas, beyond its satellite, streaming, wireless and enterprise business units,” said Akhavan in a statement. “This is an opportune moment in time for our business to go on the offense as we build upon our 45-year institutional heritage.”