dish

Consumers may potentially get an even bigger price break if Dish is able to snap up Sprint Nextel.

Dish's $25.5 billion unsolicited bid for Sprint certainly adds a wrinkle to Sprint's existing merger plans with Japanese wireless carrier SoftBank. But a deal with Dish may be a boon to consumers, particularly ones looking for a mix of video, mobile, and Internet services.

A combination between Dish and Sprint means the two could bundle satellite-TV and mobile service together. In select markets where the telecommunications and cable providers don't have a strong presence -- particularly in rural … Read more

In the latest twist on the Sprint-Clearwire saga, Verizon Wireless apparently has entered the picture as a suitor for Clearwire's spectrum.

Verizon Wireless has offered to pay as much as $1.5 billion to acquire spectrum leases from networking company Clearwire, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cites people said to be familiar with the matter. The move would give the carrier "right to use airwaves currently controlled by Clearwire in big markets in the U.S.," the Journal said.

Word of the Verizon offer came hard on the heels of the announcement this morning that … Read more

Dish founder Charlie Ergen is clearly a massive "Seinfeld" fan.

Ergen wasn't shy about providing a shout-out to Jerry Seinfeld's classic situation comedy in discussing Dish's proposed $25.5 billion bid for Sprint Nextel.

In fact, Ergen compared his strategy to an episode of Seinfeld: 28 minutes filled with a lot of scenes that don't make sense, and a final two minutes where everything comes together.

For Dish, Sprint represents that final two minutes. The deal would be the linchpin to a strategy that Ergen said has been in the works for years. Ergen, … Read more

Dish Network has submitted a merger proposal for Sprint Nextel valued at $25.5 billion, putting itself into competition with Japan's Softbank to take over the wireless carrier.

Dish announced this morning that it is offering Sprint shareholders a total consideration of $25.5 billion, consisting of $17.3 billion in cash and $8.2 billion in stock. Sprint shareholders would receive $7 per share, and the cash and stock combination would represent a 13 percent premium to the value of the existing SoftBank proposal, according to Dish.

"The Dish proposal clearly presents Sprint shareholders with a superior … Read more

T-Mobile and Dish Network may be the next two companies to walk down the aisle.

Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen informally talked to T-Mobile's parent, Deutsche Telekom, about a potential deal, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Deutsche Telekom, in turn, is considering a deal with Sprint Nextel, but may look to Dish if that merger falls through, the report said.

A deal would give Dish what it has badly coveted for a while: access to an actual wireless network that it can pair with its own satellite-TV service. With the satellite-TV business stagnating, Dish could lean on the faster-growing … Read more

The upstart live-TV streaming service Aereo is said to be in partnership talks with AT&T and Dish Network, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Aereo's antenna/DVR technology allows consumers to watch live, local over-the-air broadcast television on certain Internet-connected devices for a fee. If it partners with television and Internet providers it could greatly increase its reach.

This news is likely to be much to the chagrin for several major broadcasters, which are suing the company for copyright violation. ABC, CBS (the parent of CNET), Fox, NBC Universal, and Telemundo, all alleged in a lawsuit filed … Read more

"The Big Bang Theory" star Kaley Cuoco doesn't mind making a few extra dollars endorsing products. Tweeting an ad to her 1.2 million Twitter followers is an easy way to pick up some spare change. Just as long as she isn't tweeting at Dish Network's behest about its ad-skipping Hopper DVR.

As first reported by The Wrap, Cuoco, or her representatives, deleted the following tweet after The Wrap inquired about it: "Amazing! Watching live TV anywhere on the #Hopper looks pretty awesome! Now where can I find a tiny beer? #ad."

Dish … Read more

Clearwire is tapping into the $800 million pool of financing Sprint has offered the company in a move that will likely make it more difficult for Dish Network to continue its bid for the carrier.

Clearwire said Thursday in a statement that it will take $80 million in financing from Sprint, which already owns a 51 percent stake in Clearwire, but is trying to buy the remaining shares. As part of its deal announced in December, Sprint agreed to pay Clearwire $2.2 billion and provide the company with up to $800 million in financing.

Meanwhile, satellite TV provider Dish … Read more