In a move designed to free up cash flow and create operating efficiencies, DISH Network purchased the EchoStar satellite business for a cool $800 million. That purchase includes nine direct-broadcast satellites, select real-estate property and all the personnel associated with their satellite operations.
Those who have been paying attention to DISH Network for a while now will remember back to 2017 when DISH acquired EchoStar assets that included set-top box development, Sling TV technology, software development employees and U.S. satellite TV ground infrastructure.
DISH President and CEO Erik Carlson released a statement about this most recent acquisition. “In 2017, when Dish acquired the EchoStar assets that we needed to deliver the Dish TV and Sling TV customer experiences, key broadcast satellite operations and services remained with EchoStar,” said Carlson. “This transaction brings those operations, including the BSS satellites, associated assets and key team members, in house and we expect those additions will create operational efficiencies and improve both free cash flow and EBITDA.”
Experts suspect that this purchase is designed to support DISH Network’s streaming service, Sling TV, in some way. However, the specifics of how this purchase will help still remains under wrap. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, DISH has a plan for the future, even if we don’t know it yet.
It is worth noting that this deal is not yet finalized, but those involved have made it clear that it is in fact, happening. The finalization is just waiting on typical closing conditions. What exactly does that mean? Your guess is as good as ours. The deal is expected to be finalized before 2020.
Sources:
https://www.9news.com/article/money/business/dish-buys-echostar-satellite-business-in-deal-valued-at-800-million/73-ffefc7e1-f80a-4ab8-af31-e3608c15939b
Dish Buys A Bigger Share of EchoStar to Use With Sling TV & Dish TV
