Dish Network sees record subscriber losses

US pay TV giant Dish Network lost a record 281,000 pay TV subscribers in the second quarter amid strong competition and a carriage dispute with channels group Tribune Media that saw a number of services withdrawn.

Dish Network said that it had 13.593 million pay TV customers at the end of the quarter, down from 13.932 million at the same point last year. The number includes Dish’s Sling TV OTT offering, with satellite numbers not being revealed separately.

Dish said it activated 527,000 gross new pay TV subs in the quarter, down from 638,000 for the same period last year.

Total revenue was more or less flat at US$3.84 billion (€3.5 billion), up from US$3.83 billion last year. Net income was US$410 million, up from US$324 million.

Dish also lost 15,000 net broadband customers, taking its total to 613,000.

Last month Tribune Media withdrew 42 local broadcast channels from the platform in a carriage terms dispute. However, Dish also blamed the subscriber losses on increased competition, stricter customers acquisition policies and a focus on acquiring higher value subscribers.