DISH Networks has made much noise with HD recently, culminating with their launch of an all HD package, branded TurboHD. Now comes word that they are the “first” pay-TV provider to go all MPEG-4 with standard and high definition programming. “New customers in 21 designated markets in the eastern half of the U.S. who sign up for any DISH Network HD package will be the first in the nation to receive the industry’s most advanced delivery system on all televisions connected to DISH Network service,” said DISH in a company statement. The moves come on the heels of a couple dismal quarters for DISH, including 2Q08, where they lost subscribers for the first time in history.
So will these moves be enough? Maybe. You have to give DISH credit. They faced a major setback in HD earlier this year when they lost a satellite shortly after launch. They’ve managed to get past that hurdle. The MPEG-4 announcement makes for a great press release, but I’m not sure how much of an impact it will have on everyday consumers and their choice in pay-TV service. The TurboHD offering has a better chance of moving the needle for them. In addition, they announced new value programming options of $10/month and $20/month, tied to the DTV transition, echoing similar DTV exploitation strategies being pursued by cable competitors. DISH is feeling competitive heat from all angles, including telcoTV providers. It appears as if they are making some real efforts to meet those competitors head on, and reverse the trend of the past two quarters. Will it work?
DISH just doesn’t get it. They are loosing subscribers in large part because they chose to do away with VOOM the highest quality HD programing they had on the system. Most HD subscribers are there because of HD’s ability to dazzle its viewers. Instead DISH put on hoards of crappy quasi HD programing from the realm of
network crap. Much of it encoded by poor standards. I will never understand why they choose to do away with the highest quality content only to replace it with a multitude of junk poor quality programming. Wal-Mart mentality. Believe me my self and many other home theater owners did not buy our HD systems from Wal-Mart. Sure lots of new HD subscribers are coming online but don’t mistreat your loyal original early adopters who paid out the nose for your hardware just to go cheap. I am playing DISH $125.00 month and lost 12 of the best channels they had to offer to gain a bunch of new rescanned network sitcoms and sports in poor quality HD. As soon as some other provider picks up VOOM I too will be history at DISH