DISH Network lost 63,000 subscribers in the last quarter of 2014, ending the year with slightly fewer than 14 million, 79,000 less than at the start of 2014 and around the same number it had at the end of 2011. The company reported total revenue for 2014 of $14.6 billion compared to $13.9 billion in 2013, an increase of 5.3%. Net income increased 17% to $945 million. Founder Charlie Ergen is to resume his role as chief executive of the company.
For the full year, DISH activated approximately 2.601 million gross new Pay-TV subscribers compared to approximately 2.666 million in 2013. However, the company has seen total subscriber numbers decline over three successive quarters. DISH ended 2014 with approximately 13.978 million Pay-TV subscribers compared with approximately 14.057 million at the end of 2013, a reduction of just over half a percent.
Pay-TV average monthly revenue per subscriber was $83.77 during 2014 versus $80.37 in 2013. Pay-TV average monthly subscriber churn for 2014 increased slightly to 1.59 percent from 1.58 percent in 2013.
DISH added approximately 141,000 net broadband subscribers in 2014, bringing its total broadband subscriber base to approximately 577,000 compared to approximately 436,000 at the close of 2013.
The informitv Multiscreen Index shows the number of television subscribers to DISH Network has remained relatively unchanged since 2007.
The company said that Joe Clayton, who has been chief executive since June 2011, would retire at the end of March. He will be replaced by Charlie Ergen, who co-founded DISH more than 30 years ago and currently acts as chairman of both DISH and EchoStar.
“Over the last four years, Joe’s leadership has been instrumental to DISH as we have worked to engineer a fundamental transformation of our business,” said its founder. “He has set the stage for what will become a new company, and with that he has prepared a new class of management to address the adventures coming our way.”
“This team has done what it said it would — our operations are stronger, our leadership is deeper, our outlook is as positive as it ever has been,” said Clayton. “We were able to launch the Hopper, dishNet and Sling TV, navigate two spectrum auctions and deliver for our customers throughout. All of it was with great success.”