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• DirecTV loves TiVo again

  Posted Sep 03 2008, 10:41 AM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: EchoStar, DirecTV, Tivo
  Rating:

  TiVo has been racking up some big-name partnerships lately, and today's announcement with DirecTV is icing on the cake. TiVo is creating a new high-definition DVR for DirecTV customers, and plans to launch it in the second half of next year.

  DirecTV will still have its own line of set-top boxes. But the company will market and sell the new DVR to customers who want TiVo service as well. This has got to be particularly gratifying for TiVo because the two companies went through a public breakup that DirecTV customers still cry over   Read More...

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• EchoStar's strange interest in spectrum

  Posted Dec 05 2007, 03:30 AM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: EchoStar, wireless
  Rating:

  Someone tell me why EchoStar Communications might bid for a chunk of the wireless spectrum the government is auctioning at the end of January. According to TheStreet.com, a Lehman Brothers research note said the satellite TV company filed plans to bid with the Federal Communications Commision on Monday. The FCC will reveal the full list of bidders later this month.

  This is prime spectrum that can carry signals far, and has some powerful wireless broadband uses. See PCWorld's useful primer on the subject for more information. A bidder might want to build a massive high-speed data network that competes with cable and phone companies. The spectrum can be used for cellphone traffic, too.   Read More...

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• Tough day for EchoStar

  Posted Nov 12 2007, 12:18 PM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: EchoStar, DirecTV

  Little by little, we're starting to see how tech companies are getting hit by the sub-prime mortgage crisis. The latest victim is EchoStar, who said in an SEC filing that it's not getting as many new subscribers to its DISH Network. The company is blaming the "deteriorating housing market and increased mortgage defaults," among several reasons. EchoStar shares are getting hammered today, falling nearly 14%.

  The numbers are pretty bad. Net new subscribers for the third quarter plummeted 63% from last year to 295,000. Subscriber churn rose to 1.94% from 1.76%. EchoStar again blamed "adverse economic conditions" as one of the factors. 

  That churn was churning Todd Mitchell's stomach. The Kaufman Brothers analyst called it a "red flag that slower growth was due to more than just a pullback in spending."    Read More...

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• EchoStar buys Sling: $380 million well spent

  Posted Sep 25 2007, 08:33 AM by Kim Peterson
  Filed under: Cisco, television, EchoStar
  Rating:

  EchoStar, the satellite company that runs the DISH Network, is buying Sling Media for $380 million. Former Sling VP Jeremy Toeman says the deal is a win-win for both sides, and I agree.

  I really didn't get Sling until execs actually demoed the company's signature product, the Slingbox (pictured), for me. The device connects to your TV and then can send the video to a computer over the Internet. The value here is for the traveler. If you're in a Singapore hotel room and you really, really want to catch the premiere of "The Office" on TV, the Slingbox is so worth it. If you're in a U.S. city that isn't showing your hometown baseball team in action, there you go.

  Sling Media has been a darling of the tech and venture communities for years, raising about $60 million in financing. But I've wondered how far the company could go with a $130 product. Bigger competitors, like Cisco, are closing in as well.

  So from Sling's side, this was a good move and the company got a nice sum of money. In an interview with paidContent, Sling CEO Blake Krikorian said he was about to raise another round before this acquisition. He's hoping to remain operator agnostic, despite the new ownership   Read More...

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