Dish loses fewer pay TV customers

Dish Network continues to bleed TV subscribers.

The satellite TV provider lost 194,000 subscribers in the latest quarter as customers shift to online streaming services such as Netflix, as well as newbies Disney and

Class="kln">Apple.

What's more, the company also lost 94,000 subscribers from its own low cost streaming service, Sling TV.

But the pay-TV subscriber loss was much smaller than what it had shed last year, and the company's rising profit handily beat Wall Street's estimates.

That helped drive shares higher at the market open Wednesday.

Dish also said it will enter the race for the next generation of wireless, 5G.

It'll acquire Sprint's prepaid business once T-Mobile and Sprint complete their merger deal.

That would make DISH the fourth-largest mobile carrier in the U.S., behind Verizon, AT&T and the soon-to-be combined T-Mobile and Sprint.

Dish says it could spend up to $1 billion to build out its wireless network this year.

Separately, the CEO of the majority owner of T-Mobile US, Deutsche Telekom, said Wednesday his company aims to overtake AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. - now that the deal to take over Sprint is back on track, after a New York judge threw out a petition by a dozen states to block the deal.

-------------- Dish Network continues to bleed TV subscribers.

The satellite TV provider lost 194,000 subscribers in the latest quarter as customers shift to online streaming services from Netflix and newbies Walt Disney and Apple.

What's more, the company also lost 94,000 subscribers from its own low cost streaming service, Sling TV.

But the pay-TV subscriber loss was much smaller than what it had shed last year, and the company's rising profit handily beat Wall Street's estimates.

That helped drive shares higher at the market open Wednesday.

Dish will enter the race for the next generation of wireless, 5G.

It'll acquire Sprint's prepaid business once T-Mobile and Sprint complete their merger deal.

That would make Sprint the fourth-largest mobile carrier in the U.S., pitting it against Verizon and AT&T.

Dish says it could spend up to $1 billion to build out its wireless network this year.

Separately, the CEO of the majority owner of T-Mobile US, Deutsche Telekom, said Wednesday his company aims to overtake AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. now that a deal to takeover Sprint is within reach.