Echostar prepares potential bankruptcy filing

[fmj77]

Stuck in the 70s I see.back when all you needed was 2 or 3 OTA channels...sad part is the content was about 10x better back then

True. There is so much content these days but very little of it catches my interest.

 

[b4pjoe]

i think the channel lineup is different on dtv stream BYOS vs using there streaming box

Channel lineup is the same either way.

 

[nelson61]

Filed Thursday

DTTM Operations LLC, the entity that manages trademarks on behalf of President Donald Trump, has applied to use his name and the term T1 for telecom services.

Investor????

 

[llokey]

At one point Trump also called Newsmax Inc. founder Chris Ruddy to ask if EchoStar's DISH satellite TV service carried conservative news outlets like his, according to people familiar with the matter.
--
The meeting concluded with the president encouraging Carr and Ergen to work together and reach some kind of deal, the people said.

I guess politics "trumps" business and legal operations.

 

[telstar_1]

I am expecting DISH to file within the next few weeks. Honestly the sooner they do it the better.

As I said it can save the company. However my big fear is for the retailers who sell DISH Network as the courts may rule that they lose their payments including residuals, since retailers would be considered creditors and not employees of DISH Network.

That is the only downside I see. But with reorganization we could see a bright future for DISH. I still ultimately see DISH partnering up with someone like Amazon on the phone / internet side of things. And with Amazon launching their own satellite internet service they have a great partner who's been doing satellite internet for a long time and could manage and control the new Amazon fleet, without reinventing the wheel.

And like I said before... I do expect at some point DISH will own DIRECTV.

The DISH story is not over, just going to be changing to a new chapter. (Well besides Chapter 11 lol.)

Dealers are still receiving resids? What does it amount to?

 

[telstar_1]

I can envision a prepackaged bankruptcy with a small bond carve out for the judge to decide.
EchoStar already had agreement with the majority of their bondholders to roll the debt.
A small group held out.
The judge could easily say their "crumbs" get swept up in a new deal - possible stock or pennies on the dollar for the bonds>

Regarding the retailers.
In a hybrid sales system , the judge would be faced with the possibility of firing a large portion of the sales staff that bring in the customers (the retailers).
They need the retailers to keep the business going so some kind of arrangement would likely protect their income.

Regarding satellite TV. It would end up in some new entity rolling Dish and Directv together which was almost a done deal this winter.

And, the wireless business (largely built out) can be a great success if the bond servicing costs go away - converted to stock or pennies on the dollar.

They don't employ sellers, do they?

 

[zippyfrog]

If Dish ends up filing for bankruptcy, is there a chance that prices would go down or at least not have a large increase each year? I know this is always the case, but especially when a company files for bankruptcy, isn't part of the strategy to try and keep as many paying customers as possible?

 

[Bobby]

If Dish ends up filing for bankruptcy, is there a chance that prices would go down or at least not have a large increase each year? I know this is always the case, but especially when a company files for bankruptcy, isn't part of the strategy to try and keep as many paying customers as possible?

If you consider a $5 a month annual increase large I don't see that changing. There are still contract increases, utility bills, and wages to pay along with annual raises to that pay.

 

[Bruce]

If Dish ends up filing for bankruptcy, is there a chance that prices would go down or at least not have a large increase each year?

There is no way that will happen.

This is like when Dish dropped the RSNs, a lot of people here thought Dish would lower the price, or not have a price increase, since it was no longer paying a per sub fee for those channels.

No drop and the yearly price increase happened on schedule, Dish's profits were up a little because of that, because they are a corporation, not your friend, the goal is to make money.

I know this is always the case, but especially when a company files for bankruptcy, isn't part of the strategy to try and keep as many paying customers as possible?

Nope, the idea is show the judge/court how much your company earns, to justify staying in business and to pay off any creditors

 

[zippyfrog]

There is no way that will happen.

This is like when Dish dropped the RSNs, a lot of people here thought Dish would lower the price, or not have a price increase, since it was no longer paying a per sub fee for those channels.

No drop and the yearly price increase happened on schedule, Dish's profits were up a little because of that, because they are a corporation, not your friend, the goal is to make money.

Nope, the idea is show the judge/court how much your company earns, to justify staying in business and to pay off any creditors

Thanks for this info - I have never been in bankruptcy before, and am not sure how it works. I didn't know if more paying customers, even if they are paying slightly less (just a couple of dollars less or no increase) looks better for the health of a business when presented to a judge/court.

 

[Juan]

Thanks for this info - I have never been in bankruptcy before, and am not sure how it works. I didn't know if more paying customers, even if they are paying slightly less (just a couple of dollars less or no increase) looks better for the health of a business when presented to a judge/court.

I would expect to lose channels

 

[Jim S.]

Filed Thursday

DTTM Operations LLC, the entity that manages trademarks on behalf of President Donald Trump, has applied to use his name and the term T1 for telecom services.

Investor????

Use the term T1 for telecom services?!

Hopefully someone lends them a clue, but in this regulatory environment I'm not optimistic.

 

[Foxbat]

Trying to trademark T1 for a product in the telecommunications field should be a quick rejection. T1 has been in use for decades and refers to the 1.544 Mbps standard Data Line service available from telecom companies.

 

[Bobby]

Trying to trademark T1 for a product in the telecommunications field should be a quick rejection. T1 has been in use for decades and refers to the 1.544 Mbps standard Data Line service available from telecom companies.

That is very true. I worked my last 10 years in the phone business in data communications.