DirecTV told retailers late last week that it was hiking rates for its lowest-price tier by 8.7%. The increase, which averages out to 4% across all tiers, takes effect March 1. The DBS operator raised rates more significantly for new subs than for existing ones. "This appears to be a clear indication that, at this point, churn management is a higher priority than is new subscriber growth," said Sanford Bernstein’s Craig Moffett. — EchoStar asked the FCC to impose conditions on the Comcast/Time Warner acquisition of Adelphia that would allow the DBS operator to make Comcast/Time Warner programming available a la carte; and would make the 2 MSOs provide all ancillary video services (including interactive and broadband applications) to EchoStar.

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Friday–November 7

3Q Was Rough for Cable—What Happened?

The concept of cable companies struggling to spark consistent subscriber growth in the new age of media isn’t new. Nor is it surprising that an ultra-competitive environment has made it difficult to sustain momentum. But when the sub losses stack for companies and the industry at large, there’s an underlying sense of skepticism from analysts eagerly listening to earnings calls.

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