Charlie Ergen Buys a Little Time as Dish-EchoStar Merger Closes

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As he looks to keep building out his 5G wireless network, Ergen now has access to EchoStar’s $1.9 billion in cash and estimated $265 million in free cash. But it’s all just a 'drop in the bucket,’ analysts say

Dish Network CEO Charlie Ergen
(Image credit: Kim Kulish/Corbis via Getty Images)

Charlie Ergen has completed the reunification of his satellite empire, with a merger officially closing that makes Dish Network a wholly owned subsidiary of EchoStar. 

Chairman Ergen and his fast-changing executive team are trying to fuel an expensive transition from a failing core pay TV operation into a full-fledged 5G wireless business, and they're billing the move as a connectivity play.

“This merger brings us one step closer to our goal of offering ubiquitous connectivity to people, enterprises and things, everywhere,” said Hamid Akhavan, the recently appointed president and CEO of EchoStar, in a statement.

But what the deal really does is buy a little time for Dish, which is burning through $2 billion of cash annually and had been cut off from capital markets. 

Also read: As Dish Reportedly Grows ‘Desperate’ to Raise Cash to Build Its 5G Network, the ‘B Word’ Increasingly Gets Thrown Around

The EchoStar satellite business was spun off from Dish back in 2008 — back when Dish touted nearly 14 million satellite TV customers. These days, Dish has fewer than 9 million subscribers spread across its core satellite TV operation and the lower-margin Sling TV vMVPD business. 

Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were down 58% year-over-year through the third quarter. 

Also read: Struggling Dish Network Lays Off More Than 500 Workers

Dish is also the middle of a challenging swim, trying to build from scratch a 5G wireless network. Its short- and long-term debt has reached $24.6 billion, and it’s estimated the company will need around $16 billion more through 2026 to keep operating and building. 

EchoStar provides Ergen with around $1.9 billion in cash and an additional $265 million in free cash. 

Following Dish’s rough third-quarter earnings report, equity analyst Craig Moffett predicted the company will wind up in bankruptcy within the next few years, even with the EchoStar merger.

(Image credit: MoffettNathanson)

“Against this dire picture, the cash on EchoStar's balance sheet — there can be no argument that the merger was conceived simply for access to a bit of cash to keep Dish going a little longer — is little more than a drop in the bucket,” Moffett wrote. 

Daniel Frankel
Daniel Frankel

Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!