Dish TV Owner EchoStar Loses 168,000 Pay-TV Subs in Fourth Quarter

Hollywood Reporter

by Georg Szalai

March 2, 2026

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EchoStar, owner of Dish TV, reported a net loss of approximately 168,000 pay-TV subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2025, an improvement from the previous year's decline of 253,000. By the end of the year, EchoStar had 7 million pay-TV subscribers, including 5.02 million Dish TV subscribers and 1.98 million Sling TV subscribers. While the company saw a decrease in net subscriber losses for both services compared to previous years, it faced significant challenges. The drop in Dish TV subscribers—636,000 lost in 2025 versus 785,000 in 2024—was attributed to lower new activations and higher churn rates, though the latter improved slightly. Sling TV also saw a net loss of 167,000 subscribers, shifting from a gain of 37,000 in 2024. The company's financial performance reflected these trends. EchoStar reported a fourth-quarter loss of $1.2 billion compared to a profit of $335 million the previous year. Revenue fell to $3.8 billion from $4.0 billion, and operating income before depreciation and amortization swung to a $567 million loss from a $397 million profit. For the full year, EchoStar's net loss widened to $14.50 billion from $119.55 million in 2024, primarily due to non-cash asset impairments and

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Originally published on Hollywood Reporter on 3/2/2026