EchoStar Announces Financial Results for the Three and Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Feb. 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — EchoStar Corporation (NASDAQ:SATS) announced its financial results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023.

Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2023:

EchoStar reported 2023 total revenue of $17.02 billion, compared to $18.63 billion in 2022. The net decrease in revenue primarily resulted from subscriber declines, most significantly in its Pay-TV segment.
Net loss attributable to EchoStar in 2023 was $1.70 billion, compared to net income of $2.48 billion in 2022. The net loss in 2023 was primarily attributable to a noncash impairment to goodwill totaling approximately $758 million, and an adjustment to the carrying value of the 800 MHz purchase option totaling approximately $1.8 billion. Diluted loss per share was $6.28 in 2023, compared to earnings per share of $8.05 in 2022. Excluding the tax affected impact of the goodwill impairment and the 800 MHz adjustment, 2023 net income attributable to EchoStar would have been approximately $361 million.
Consolidated OIBDA totaled $1.32 billion, compared to $3.41 billion in 2022. (See OBIDA definition and non-GAAP reconciliation below.) The decrease in OIBDA was primarily attributable to the noncash impairment to goodwill and the subscriber declines previously discussed.

“We closed the year with the completion of the merger with DISH Network. The transaction combined DISH Network’s satellite technology, streaming services, engineering expertise, retail wireless business, and nationwide 5G network with EchoStar’s premier satellite communications solutions, enterprise go-to-market capabilities, and U.S.-based manufacturing. Collectively, it creates a global leader in terrestrial and non-terrestrial wireless connectivity, and entertainment services,” said Hamid Akhavan, president and CEO, EchoStar Corporation. “With the close of the merger, we will continue to integrate our business and realize savings and operational efficiencies. We also will increase our focus on identifying and targeting the best, most profitable customers in each of our addressable market segments – Pay-TV, Retail Wireless, and Broadband and Satellite Services.”

Three Months Ended December 31, 2023:

Consolidated revenue totaled $4.16 billion for the fourth quarter, compared to $4.53 billion in the year-ago quarter. The net decrease in revenue primarily resulted from subscriber declines, most significantly in the Pay-TV segment.
Net loss attributable to EchoStar totaled $2.03 billion for the fourth quarter, compared to net income attributable to EchoStar of $984 million in the year-ago quarter. The net loss in the fourth quarter of 2023 was primarily attributable to a noncash impairment to goodwill totaling approximately $758 million, and an adjustment to the carrying value of the 800 MHz purchase option totaling approximately $1.6 billion. Diluted loss per share was $7.48 for the quarter, compared to earnings of $3.21 per share in the year-ago quarter.
Consolidated OIBDA totaled negative $370 million for the fourth quarter, compared to $735 million in the year-ago quarter. The decrease in OIBDA was primarily attributable to the noncash impairment to goodwill and the subscriber declines previously discussed.
Net Pay-TV subscribers decreased approximately 314,000 in the fourth quarter, compared to a decrease of approximately 268,000 in the year-ago quarter. The company closed the quarter with 8.53 million Pay-TV subscribers including 6.47 million DISH TV subscribers and 2.06 million SLING TV subscribers. This increase in net Pay-TV losses resulted from the increase in net DISH TV subscriber losses due to lower gross new DISH TV subscriber activations and a higher DISH TV churn rate, offset by the decrease in net SLING TV subscriber losses due to lower subscriber disconnects in 2023 as a result of our emphasis on acquiring higher-quality subscribers.
Retail Wireless net subscribers decreased by approximately 123,000 in the fourth quarter, compared to a net decrease of 25,000 in the year-ago quarter. The company closed the quarter with 7.38 million Retail Wireless subscribers. This increase in net Retail Wireless subscriber losses primarily resulted from lower gross new Retail Wireless subscriber activations, partially offset by a lower Retail Wireless churn rate due to our emphasis on acquiring and retaining higher-quality subscribers.
Broadband net subscribers decreased by approximately 59,000 in the fourth quarter, compared to a decrease of 57,000 in the year-ago quarter. The company closed the quarter with 1.00 million Broadband subscribers. This increase in net Broadband subscriber losses primarily resulted from our capacity limitations, competitive pressure from satellite-based competitors and other technologies, and a more selective customer screening. The EchoStar XXIV satellite, also known as Jupiter 3, began service in December 2023, bringing additional broadband capacity and is expected to be an integral part of the Broadband and Satellite Services segment business.

Set forth below is a table highlighting certain of EchoStar’s segment results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 (all U.S. GAAP amounts reference results from operations):

Reconciliation of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measurement:

Full story available on Benzinga.com