PART I

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Item 1. BUSINESS

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Brief Description of our Business

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DISH DBS is a holding company and an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of DISH Network, a publicly traded company listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market. DISH DBS was formed under Colorado law in January 1996. Our principal executive offices are located at 9601 South Meridian Boulevard, Englewood, Colorado 80112 and our telephone number is (303) 723-1000. We refer readers of this report to DISH Network’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020. Our subsidiaries operate one business segment.

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Pay-TV

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We offer pay-TV services under the DISH® brand and the SLING® brand (collectively “Pay-TV” services). The DISH branded pay-TV service consists of, among other things, FCC licenses authorizing us to use direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) and Fixed Satellite Service (“FSS”) spectrum, our owned and leased satellites, receiver systems, broadcast operations, customer service facilities, a leased fiber optic network, in-home service and call center operations, and certain other assets utilized in our operations (“DISH TV”). We also design, develop and distribute receiver systems and provide digital broadcast operations, including satellite uplinking/downlinking, transmission and other services to third-party pay-TV providers. The SLING branded pay-TV services consist of, among other things, multichannel, live-linear streaming over-the-top (“OTT”) Internet-based domestic, international and Latino video programming services (“SLING TV”). As of December 31, 2020, we had 11.290 million Pay-TV subscribers in the United States, including 8.816 million DISH TV subscribers and 2.474 million SLING TV subscribers.

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Business Strategy

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Our business strategy is to be the best provider of video services in the United States by providing products with the best technology, outstanding customer service, and great value. We promote our Pay-TV services as providing our subscribers with a better “price-to-value” relationship than those available from other subscription television service providers.

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1

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

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We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and accordingly file our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and other information with the SEC. As an electronic filer, our public filings are also maintained on the SEC’s Internet site that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

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WEBSITE ACCESS

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Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act also may be accessed free of charge through the website of our parent company, DISH Network, as soon as reasonably practicable after we have electronically filed such material with, or furnished it to, the SEC. The address of that website is https://ir.dish.com/.

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We have adopted a written code of ethics that applies to all of our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer and senior financial officers, in accordance with Section 406 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules of the SEC promulgated thereunder. Our code of ethics is available on the website of our parent company, DISH Network, at https://ir.dish.com/. In the event that we make changes in, or provide waivers of, the provisions of this code of ethics that the SEC requires us to disclose, we intend to disclose these events on DISH Network’s website.

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Item 1A. RISK FACTORS

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The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones facing us. We may face other risks described from time to time in periodic and current reports we file with the SEC. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

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COVID-19 Pandemic

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The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the economic environment generally, and on us specifically, have adversely impacted our business. Furthermore, any continuation or worsening of the pandemic and economic environment could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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A novel strain of coronavirus which causes the disease COVID-19 has resulted in a worldwide health pandemic. To date, COVID-19 has surfaced in nearly all regions around the world and resulted in global travel restrictions and business slowdowns or shutdowns. The COVID-19 pandemic has also created unanticipated circumstances and uncertainty, disruption, and significant volatility in the economic environment generally, which have adversely affected and may continue to adversely affect our business operations and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many of our subscribers are impacted by recommendations and/or mandates from federal, state, and local authorities to practice social distancing, to refrain from gathering in groups and, in some areas, to refrain from non-essential movements outside of their homes. Governmental authorities in affected regions are taking increasingly dramatic action in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

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These recommendations and/or mandates have created reduced in person selling opportunities and a reduction in subscribers’ willingness to open direct mail marketing and allow our in-home technicians into their homes which has had, and will continue to have, a negative impact on our gross subscriber activations. The removal of such recommendations and/or mandates may not change subscribers’ behaviors. The impact from the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, financial condition and results of operations is currently uncertain and not predictable and will depend largely on future developments, including the duration and spread of the pandemic within the United States, the response by all levels of government in their efforts to contain or combat the pandemic and to mitigate the economic disruptions, and the related impact on consumer confidence and spending, all of which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted. We cannot predict with certainty how long the COVID-19 pandemic will last, how effective vaccines may be or what other government responses may occur.

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The following risks and uncertainties related to our business, among others, could be impacted and/or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and any resulting worsening of the economic environment:

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To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic continues to adversely affect the U.S. and/or global economy and/or adversely affects our businesses, results of operations or financial condition, it may also have the effect of increasing the likelihood and/or magnitude of other risks described below.

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3

Competition and Economic Risks

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We face intense and increasing competition from providers of video, broadband and/or wireless services, which may require us to further increase subscriber acquisition and retention spending or accept lower subscriber activations and higher subscriber churn.

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Our Pay-TV business faces substantial competition from established pay-TV providers and broadband service providers and increasing competition from companies providing/facilitating the delivery of video content via the Internet to computers, televisions, and other streaming and mobile devices, including wireless service providers. In recent years, the traditional pay-TV industry has matured, and industry consolidation and convergence has created competitors with greater scale and multiple product/service offerings. Some of these services charge nominal or no fees for access to their content, which could adversely affect demand for our Pay-TV services. Moreover, new technologies have been, and will likely continue to be, developed that further increase the number of competitors we face with respect to video services, including competition from piracy-based video offerings. These developments, among others, have contributed to intense and increasing competition, which we expect to continue.

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We face increasing competition from content providers and other companies who distribute video directly to consumers over the Internet. These content providers and other companies, as well as traditional satellite television providers, cable companies and large telecommunication companies, are rapidly increasing their Internet-based video offerings. See “Item 7. Management’s Narrative Analysis of Results of Operations – Trends” for further information.

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Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and alliances among cable television providers, telecommunications companies, programming providers and others may result in, among other things, greater scale and financial leverage and increase the availability of offerings from providers capable of bundling video, broadband and/or wireless services in competition with our services, and may exacerbate the risks described herein. Such providers may be able to, among other things, utilize their increased leverage over third-party content owners and programmers to withhold online rights from us and reduce the price they pay for programming at the expense of other MVPDs, including us; underutilize key orbital spectrum resources that could be more efficiently used by us; foreclose or degrade our online video offerings at various points in the broadband pipe; and impose data caps on consumers who access our online video offerings. See “Item 7. Management’s Narrative Analysis of Results of Operations – Trends – Programming” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

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We believe that the availability and extent of programming, including unique programming services such as foreign language, sports programming and original content, and other value-added services such as access to video via mobile devices, continue to be significant factors in consumers’ choice among pay-TV providers. Other pay-TV providers may have more successfully marketed and promoted their programming packages and value-added services and may also be better equipped and have greater resources to increase their programming offerings and value-added services to respond to increasing consumer demand. We may be required to make substantial additional investments in infrastructure to respond to competitive pressure to deliver enhanced programming, and other value-added services, and there can be no assurance that we will be able to compete effectively with offerings from other pay-TV providers.

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Furthermore, this increasingly competitive environment may require us to increase subscriber acquisition and retention spending or accept lower subscriber activations and higher subscriber churn.  Increasingly, we must seek to attract a greater proportion of new subscribers from our competitors’ existing subscriber bases rather than from first-time purchasers of pay-TV services. In addition, because other pay-TV providers may be seeking to attract a greater proportion of their new subscribers from our existing subscriber base, we may be required to increase retention spending and/or provide greater discounts or credits to acquire and retain subscribers who may spend less on our services. Our SLING TV subscribers on average purchase lower priced programming services than DISH TV subscribers. Accordingly, an increase in SLING TV subscribers has a negative impact on our Pay-TV average monthly revenue per subscriber (“Pay-TV ARPU”). If our Pay-TV ARPU decreases or does not increase commensurate with increases in programming or other costs, our margins may be reduced and the long-term value of a subscriber would then decrease.

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4

In addition, as a result of this increased competitive environment and the maturation of the pay-TV industry, future growth opportunities of our DISH TV business may be limited and our margins may be reduced, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow. Our gross new DISH TV subscriber activations continue to be negatively impacted by stricter subscriber acquisition policies (including a focus on attaining higher quality subscribers) and increased competitive pressures, including aggressive marketing, more aggressive retention efforts, bundled discount offers combining broadband, video and/or wireless services and other discounted promotional offers. There can be no assurance that our gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, net DISH TV subscriber additions, and DISH TV churn rate will not continue to be negatively impacted and that the pace of such negative impact will not accelerate. In the event that our DISH TV subscriber base continues to decline, it could have a material adverse long-term effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

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Changing consumer behavior and new technologies in our Pay-TV business may reduce our subscriber activations and may cause our subscribers to purchase fewer services from us or to cancel our services altogether, resulting in less revenue to us.

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New technologies, products and services are driving rapid changes in consumer behavior as consumers seek more control over when, where and how they consume content and access communications services. In particular, through technological advancements and with the large increase in the number of consumers with broadband service, a significant amount of video content has become available through online content providers for users to stream and view on their personal computers, televisions, phones, tablets, videogame consoles, and other devices, in some cases without a fee required to access the content. While our subscribers can use their traditional video subscription to access mobile programming, an increasing number of subscribers are also using mobile devices as the sole means of viewing video, and an increasing number of non-traditional video providers are developing content and technologies to satisfy that demand. For example, these technological advancements, changes in consumer behavior, and the increasing number of choices available to consumers with regard to the means by which consumers obtain video content may cause DISH TV subscribers to disconnect our services (“cord cutting”), downgrade to smaller, less expensive programming packages (“cord shaving”) or elect to purchase through online content providers a certain portion of the services that they would have historically purchased from us, such as pay per view movies. These technological advancements and changes in consumer behavior and/or our failure to effectively anticipate or adapt to such changes, could reduce our gross new Pay-TV subscriber activations and increase our subscriber churn rate, and could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

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New technologies could also create new competitors for us. For instance, we face increasing consumer demand for the delivery of digital video services via the Internet. We expect to continue to face increased competition from companies who use the Internet to deliver digital video services as the speed and quality of broadband and wireless networks continues to improve.

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Our pay-TV competitors may be able to leverage their relationships with programmers to reduce their programming costs and/or offer exclusive content that will place them at a competitive advantage to us.

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The cost of programming represents the largest percentage of our overall Pay-TV costs. Certain of our competitors own directly or are affiliated with companies that own programming content that may enable them to obtain lower programming costs or offer exclusive programming that may be attractive to prospective subscribers. Unlike our larger cable and satellite competitors, some of which also provide IPTV services, we have not made significant investments in programming providers. As a result, it may more difficult for us to obtain access to such programming networks on nondiscriminatory and fair terms, or at all. See “Changes in the Cable Act, and/or the rules of the FCC that implement the Cable Act, may limit our ability to access programming from cable-affiliated programmers at nondiscriminatory rates,” below and “Item 1. Business – Government Regulations – FCC Regulations Governing our Pay-TV Operations – Cable Act and Program Access” in DISH Network’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 for further information.

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5

Changes in how network operators handle and charge for access to data that travels across their networks could adversely impact our Pay-TV business.

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With respect to our Pay-TV business, we rely upon the ability of consumers to access our SLING TV services and certain DISH TV functionality through the Internet. If network operators block, restrict or otherwise impair access to our services over their networks, our business could be negatively affected. To the extent that network operators implement usage-based pricing, including meaningful bandwidth caps, or otherwise try to monetize access to their networks by data providers, we could incur greater operating expenses and our SLING TV subscriber count could be negatively impacted. Furthermore, to the extent network operators create tiers of Internet access service and either charge us for or prohibit us from being available through these tiers, our SLING TV business could be negatively impacted.

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In addition, many network operators that provide consumers with broadband service also provide these consumers with video programming, and these network operators may have an incentive to use their network infrastructure in a manner adverse to our continued growth and success. These risks may be exacerbated to the extent network operators are able to provide preferential treatment to their data, including, for example, by offering wireless subscribers access to owned video content over the Internet without counting against a subscriber’s monthly data caps (“zero rating”), which may give an unfair advantage to the network operator’s own video content.

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We cannot predict with any certainty the impact to our business that may result from changes in how network operators handle and charge for access to data that travels across their networks.

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Economic weakness and uncertainty may adversely affect our ability to grow or maintain our business.

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Our ability to grow or maintain our business may be adversely affected by economic weakness and uncertainty, which could result in the following:

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Operational and Service Delivery Risks

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Any deterioration in our operational performance and subscriber satisfaction could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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If our operational performance and subscriber satisfaction were to deteriorate, we may experience a decrease in subscriber activations and an increase in our subscriber churn rate, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. To improve our operational performance, we continue to make investments in staffing, training, information systems, and other initiatives, primarily in our call center and in-home service operations. These investments are intended to help combat inefficiencies introduced by the increasing complexity of our business, improve subscriber satisfaction, reduce subscriber churn, increase productivity, and allow us to scale better over the long run. We cannot, however, be certain that our spending will ultimately be successful in improving our operational performance, and if unsuccessful, we may have to incur higher costs to improve our operational performance. While we believe that such costs will be outweighed by longer-term benefits, there can be no assurance when or if we will realize these benefits at all.

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If our subscriber activations decrease, or if our subscriber churn rate, subscriber acquisition costs or retention costs increase, our financial performance will be adversely affected.

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We may incur increased costs to acquire new subscribers and retain existing subscribers. For example, with respect to our Pay-TV business, our gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, net DISH TV subscriber additions, and DISH TV churn rate continue to be negatively impacted by stricter subscriber acquisition and retention policies for our DISH TV subscribers, including an emphasis on acquiring and retaining higher quality subscribers. In addition, our subscriber acquisition costs could increase as a result of increased spending for advertising and, with respect to our DISH TV services, the installation of more DVR receivers, which are generally more expensive than other receivers. Retention costs with respect to our DISH TV services may be driven higher by increased upgrades of existing subscribers’ equipment to DVR receivers.

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Although we expect to continue to incur expenses, such as providing retention credits and other subscriber acquisition and retention expenses, to attract and retain subscribers, there can be no assurance that our efforts will generate new subscribers or result in a lower churn rate. Additionally, certain of our promotions, including, among others, pay-in-advance, continue to allow consumers with relatively lower credit scores to become subscribers. These subscribers typically churn at a higher rate.

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Our subscriber acquisition costs and our subscriber retention costs can vary significantly from period to period and can cause material variability to our net income (loss) and free cash flow. Any material increase in subscriber acquisition or retention costs from current levels could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Programming expenses are increasing for our Pay-TV business, which may adversely affect our future financial condition and results of operations.

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Our programming costs represent a significant component of our total expense and we expect these costs to continue to increase on a per subscriber basis. The pay-TV industry has continued to experience an increase in the cost of programming, especially local broadcast channels and sports programming. In addition, certain programming costs are rising at a much faster rate than wages or inflation. These factors may be exacerbated by the increasing trend of consolidation in the media industry, which may further increase our programming expenses. Our ability to compete successfully will depend, among other things, on our ability to continue to obtain desirable programming and deliver it to our subscribers at competitive prices.

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When offering new programming, or upon expiration of existing contracts, programming suppliers have historically attempted to increase the rates that they charge us for programming. We expect this practice to continue, which, if successful, would increase our programming costs. In addition, our programming expenses may also increase as we add programming to our video services or distribute existing programming to our subscribers through additional delivery services, such as SLING TV. As a result, our margins may face further pressure if we are unable to renew our long-term programming contracts on acceptable pricing and other economic terms. Alternatively, to attempt to mitigate the effect of price increases or for other reasons, we may elect not to carry or may be unable to carry certain channels, which could adversely affect our net Pay-TV subscriber additions.

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In addition, increases in programming costs cause us to increase the rates that we charge our Pay-TV subscribers, which could in turn cause our existing Pay-TV subscribers to disconnect our service or cause potential new Pay-TV subscribers to choose not to subscribe to our service. Therefore, we may be unable to pass increased programming costs on to our subscribers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We depend on others to provide the programming that we offer to our Pay-TV subscribers and, if we fail to obtain or lose access to certain programming, our Pay-TV subscriber activations and our subscriber churn rate may be negatively impacted.

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We depend on third parties to provide us with programming services. Our programming agreements have remaining terms ranging from less than one to up to several years and contain various renewal, expiration and/or termination provisions. We may not be able to renew these agreements on acceptable terms or at all, and these agreements may be terminated prior to expiration of their original term. In recent years, negotiations over programming carriage contracts generally remain contentious, and certain programmers have, in the past, limited our access to their programming in connection with those negotiations and the scheduled expiration of their programming carriage contracts with us. In recent years, our net Pay-TV subscriber additions have been negatively impacted as a result of programming interruptions and threatened programming interruptions in connection with the scheduled expiration of programming carriage contracts with content providers. We cannot predict with any certainty the impact to our net Pay-TV subscriber additions, gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, and DISH TV churn rate resulting from programming interruptions or threatened programming interruptions that may occur in the future. As a result, we may at times suffer from periods of lower net Pay-TV subscriber additions or higher net Pay-TV subscriber losses.

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We typically have a few programming contracts with major content providers up for renewal each year and if we are unable to renew any of these agreements or the other parties terminate the agreements, there can be no assurance that we would be able to obtain substitute programming, or that such substitute programming would be comparable in quality or cost to our existing programming. In addition, failure to obtain access to certain programming or loss of access to programming, particularly programming provided by major content providers and/or programming popular with our subscribers, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, including, among other things, our net Pay-TV subscriber additions.

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Our programming signals in our Pay-TV business are subject to theft, and we are vulnerable to other forms of fraud that could require significant expenditures to remedy. Increases in theft of our signal or our competitors’ signals could, in addition to reducing gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, also cause our DISH TV churn rate to increase.

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We may not be able to obtain necessary retransmission consent agreements at acceptable rates, or at all, from local network stations.

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The Copyright Act generally gives satellite companies a statutory copyright license to retransmit local broadcast channels by satellite back into the market from which they originated, subject to obtaining the retransmission consent of local network stations that do not elect “must carry” status, as required by the Communications Act. If we fail to reach retransmission consent agreements with such broadcasters, we cannot carry their signals. This could have an adverse effect on our strategy to compete with cable and other satellite companies that provide local signals. While we have been able to reach retransmission consent agreements with most of these local network stations, from time to time there are stations with which we have not been able to reach an agreement, resulting in the removal of their channels primarily from our DISH TV lineup. There can be no assurance that we will secure these agreements or that we will secure new agreements on acceptable terms, or at all, upon the expiration of our current retransmission consent agreements, some of which are short-term.

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In recent years, national broadcasters have used their ownership of certain local broadcast stations to require us to carry additional cable programming in exchange for retransmission consent of their local broadcast stations. These requirements may place constraints on available capacity on our satellites for other programming. Furthermore, the rates we are charged for retransmitting local channels have been increasing substantially and may exceed our ability to increase our prices to our subscribers, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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Any failure or inadequacy of our information technology infrastructure and communications systems or those of third parties that we use in our operations, including, without limitation, those caused by cyber-attacks or other malicious activities, could disrupt or harm our business.

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The capacity, reliability and security of our information technology hardware and software infrastructure (including our billing systems) and communications systems, or those of third parties that we use in our operations, are important to the operation of our business, which would suffer in the event of system failures or cyber-attacks. Likewise, our ability to expand and update our information technology infrastructure in response to our growth and changing needs is important to the continued implementation of our new service offering initiatives. Our inability to expand or upgrade our technology infrastructure could have adverse consequences, which could include, among other things, the delayed implementation of new service offerings, service or billing interruptions, and the diversion of development resources. We rely on third parties for developing key components of our information technology and communications systems and ongoing service, all of which affect our Pay-TV services. Some of our key systems and operations, including those supplied by third-party providers, are not fully redundant, and our disaster recovery planning cannot account for all eventualities. Interruption and/or failure of any of these systems could disrupt our operations, interrupt our services, result in significant financial expenditures and damage our reputation, thus adversely impacting our ability to provide our services, retain our current subscribers and attract new Pay-TV subscribers.

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In addition, although we take protective measures designed to secure our information technology systems and endeavor to modify such protective measures as circumstances warrant, our information technology hardware and software infrastructure and communications systems, or those of third parties that we use in our operations, may be vulnerable to a variety of interruptions, including, without limitation, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, telecommunications failures, cyber-attacks and other malicious activities such as unauthorized access, physical or electronic break-ins, misuse, computer viruses or other malicious code, computer denial of service attacks and other events that could disrupt or harm our business. These protective measures may not be sufficient for all eventualities and may themselves be vulnerable to hacking, malfeasance, system error or other irregularities. For example, certain parties may attempt to fraudulently induce employees or subscribers into disclosing usernames, passwords or other sensitive information, which may in turn be used to access our information technology systems.

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In addition, third-party providers of some of our key systems may also experience interruptions to their information technology hardware and software infrastructure and communications systems that could adversely impact us and over which we may have limited or no control. We may obtain certain confidential, proprietary and personal information about our subscribers, personnel and vendors, and may provide this information to third parties in connection with our business. If one or more of such interruptions or failures occur to us or our third-party providers, it potentially could jeopardize such information and other information processed and stored in, and transmitted through, our or our third-party providers’ information technology hardware and software infrastructure and communications systems, or otherwise cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations, which could result in lawsuits, government claims, investigations or proceedings, significant losses or reputational damage. Due to the fast-moving pace of technology, it may be difficult to detect, contain and remediate every such event. We may be required to expend significant additional resources to modify our protective measures or to investigate and remediate vulnerabilities or other exposures, and we may be subject to financial losses. Furthermore, the amount and scope of insurance we maintain may not cover all expenses related to such activities or all types of claims that may arise.

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As a result of the increasing awareness concerning the importance of safeguarding personal information, the potential misuse of such information and legislation that has been adopted or is being considered regarding the protection, privacy and security of personal information, the potential liability associated with information-related risks is increasing, particularly for businesses like ours that handle personal subscriber data. The occurrence of any network or information system related events or security breaches could have a material adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and results of operations. Significant incidents could result in a disruption of our operations, subscriber dissatisfaction, damage to our reputation or a loss of subscribers and revenues.

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We currently depend on DISH Network to provide the vast majority of our satellite transponder capacity and other related services to us. Our business would be adversely affected if DISH Network ceases to provide these services to us and we are unable to obtain suitable replacement services from third parties.

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We lease the vast majority of our satellite transponder capacity from DISH Network and DISH Network is a key supplier of other related services to us. Satellite transponder leasing costs may increase beyond our current expectations. Our inability to obtain satellite transponder capacity and other related services from DISH Network or third parties could adversely affect our subscriber activations and subscriber churn rate and cause related revenue to decline. See Note 17 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our Related Party Transactions with DISH Network.

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Our failure to effectively invest in, introduce, and implement new competitive products and services could cause our products and services to become obsolete and could negatively impact our business.

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Technology in the pay-TV industry changes rapidly as new technologies are developed, which could cause our products and services to become obsolete. We and our suppliers may not be able to keep pace with technological developments. Our operating results are dependent to a significant extent upon our ability to continue to introduce new products and services, to upgrade existing products and services on a timely basis, and to reduce costs of our existing products and services. We may not be able to successfully identify new product or service opportunities or develop and market these opportunities in a timely or cost-effective manner. The research and development of new, technologically advanced products is a complex and uncertain process requiring high levels of innovation and investment. The success of new product and service development depends on many factors, including among others, the following:

If the new technologies on which we focus our research and development investments fail to achieve acceptance in the marketplace, our competitive position could be negatively impacted, causing a reduction in our revenues and earnings. For example, our competitors could use proprietary technologies that are perceived by the market as being superior. In addition, delays in the delivery of components or other unforeseen problems associated with our technology may occur that could materially and adversely affect our ability to generate revenue, offer new products and services and remain competitive. Further, after we have incurred substantial costs, one or more of the products or services under our development, or under development by one or more of our strategic partners, could become obsolete prior to it being widely adopted.

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If our products and services are not competitive, our business could suffer and our financial performance could be negatively impacted. Our products and services may also experience quality problems, including outages and service slowdowns, from time to time. If the quality of our products and services do not meet our subscribers’ expectations, then our business, and ultimately our reputation, could be negatively impacted.

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We rely on a single vendor or a limited number of vendors to provide certain key products or services to us, and the inability of these key vendors to meet our needs could have a material adverse effect on our business.

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Historically, we have contracted with and rely on a single vendor or a limited number of vendors to provide certain key products or services to us such as information technology support, billing systems, security access devices, and many components that we provide to subscribers in order to deliver our Pay-TV services. If these vendors are unable to meet our needs because they fail to perform adequately, are no longer in business, are experiencing shortages or discontinue a certain product or service we need, our business, financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected. We have experienced in the past and may continue to experience shortages driven by raw material availability (which may be negatively impacted by, among other things, trade protection policies such as tariffs and or/escalating trade tensions, particularly with countries in Asia), manufacturing capacity, labor shortages, industry allocations, natural disasters, logistical delays and significant changes in the financial or business conditions of its suppliers that negatively impact our operations.

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While alternative sources for these products and services exist, we may not be able to develop these alternative sources quickly and cost-effectively, which could materially impair our ability to timely deliver our products to our subscribers or operate our business. Furthermore, our vendors may request changes in pricing, payment terms or other contractual obligations between the parties, which could require us to make substantial additional investments.

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We depend on independent third parties to solicit orders for our services that represent a meaningful percentage of our total gross new subscriber activations.

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While we offer products and services through direct sales channels, a meaningful percentage of our total gross new subscriber activations are generated through independent third parties such as small retailers, direct marketing groups, local and regional consumer electronics stores, nationwide retailers, and telecommunications companies. Most of our independent third-party retailers are not exclusive to us and some of our independent third-party retailers may favor our competitors’ products and services over ours based on the relative financial arrangements associated with marketing our products and services and those of our competitors. Furthermore, most of these independent third-party retailers are significantly smaller than we are and may be more susceptible to economic weaknesses that make it more difficult for them to operate profitably. Because our independent third-party retailers receive most of their incentive value at activation and not over an extended period of time, our interests may not always be aligned with our independent third-party retailers. It may be difficult to better align our interests with our independent third-party retailers because of their capital and liquidity constraints. Loss of these relationships could have an adverse effect on our subscriber base and certain of our other key operating metrics because we may not be able to develop comparable alternative distribution channels.

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We have limited satellite capacity and failures or reduced capacity could adversely affect our business financial condition and results of operations.

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Operation of our DISH TV services requires that we have adequate satellite transmission capacity for the programming we offer. While we generally have had in-orbit satellite capacity sufficient to transmit our existing channels and some backup capacity to recover the transmission of certain critical programming, our backup capacity is limited.

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Our ability to earn revenue from our DISH TV services depends on the usefulness of our owned and leased satellites, each of which has a limited useful life. A number of factors affect the useful lives of the satellites, including, among other things, the quality of their construction, the durability of their component parts, the ability to continue to maintain proper orbit and control over the satellite’s functions, the efficiency of the launch vehicle used, and the remaining on-board fuel following orbit insertion. Generally, the minimum design life of each of our owned and leased satellites ranges from 12 to 15 years. We can provide no assurance, however, as to the actual useful lives of any of these satellites. Our operating results could be adversely affected if the useful life of any of our owned or leased satellites were significantly shorter than the minimum design life.

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Satellites are subject to significant operational risks while in orbit. These risks include malfunctions, commonly referred to as anomalies, which have occurred in our satellites and the satellites of other operators as a result of various factors, such as manufacturing defects, problems with the power systems or control systems of the satellites and general failures resulting from operating satellites in the harsh environment of space.

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In the event of a failure or loss of any of our owned or leased satellites, we may need to acquire or lease additional satellite capacity or relocate one of our other owned or leased satellites and use it as a replacement for the failed or lost satellite, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Such a failure could result in a prolonged loss of critical programming. A relocation would require FCC approval and, we cannot be certain that we could obtain such FCC approval. If we choose to use a satellite in this manner, such use could adversely affect our ability to satisfy certain operational conditions associated with our authorizations and could result in the loss of such authorizations, which would have an adverse effect on our ability to generate revenues.

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From time to time, new satellites need to be built and launched. Satellite construction and launch is subject to significant risks, including construction and launch delays, launch failure and incorrect orbital placement.

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Other than in certain limited circumstances, we do not carry commercial in-orbit insurance on any of the satellites we own, and generally do not use commercial insurance to mitigate the potential financial impact of in-orbit failures because we believe that the cost of insurance premiums is uneconomical relative to the risk of such failures. If one or more of our owned in-orbit satellites fail, we could be required to record significant impairment charges.

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We may have potential conflicts of interest with EchoStar due to our and DISH Network’s common ownership and management.

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Questions relating to conflicts of interest may arise between EchoStar and us in a number of areas relating to our past and ongoing relationships between DISH Network and EchoStar. Areas in which conflicts of interest between EchoStar and us, as a result of our relationship with DISH Network, could arise include, but are not limited to, the following:

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Neither we nor DISH Network may be able to resolve any potential conflicts of interest with EchoStar, and, even if either we or DISH Network do so, the resolution may be less favorable than if either we or DISH Network were dealing with an unaffiliated party. DISH Network does not have agreements with EchoStar that would prevent either company from competing with the other.

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We rely on highly skilled personnel for our business, and any inability to hire and retain key personnel or hire qualified personnel may negatively affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

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We believe that our future success will depend to a significant extent upon the performance of Charles W. Ergen, our Chairman, and certain other executives. The loss of Mr. Ergen or of certain other key executives could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Although all of our executives have executed agreements with certain non-competition restrictions that apply if they leave us, we do not have employment agreements with any of them. Mr. Ergen also serves as the Chairman of EchoStar. To the extent our officers are performing services for EchoStar, this may divert their time and attention away from our business and may therefore adversely affect our business.

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In addition, technological innovation is important to our success and depends, to a significant degree, on the work of technically skilled employees. If we are unable to attract and retain appropriately technically skilled employees, our competitive position could be materially and adversely affected.

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Acquisition and Capital Structure Risks

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Our parent, DISH Network, has made substantial investments to acquire certain wireless spectrum licenses and other related assets and we may make cash distributions in connection with the development of DISH Network’s wireless business.

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DISH Network has directly invested over $11 billion to acquire certain wireless spectrum licenses and related assets. See Note 2 and Note 16 in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in DISH Network’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 for detailed information regarding these licenses, including certain interim and final build-out requirements, as well as certain renewal requirements.

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DISH Network will need to make significant additional investments or partner with others to, among other things, complete its 5G Network Deployment and further commercialize, build-out and integrate these licenses and related assets and any additional acquired licenses and related assets, as well as to comply with regulations applicable to such licenses. Depending on the nature and scope of such activities, any such investments or partnerships could vary significantly. In addition, as DISH Network completes its 5G Network Deployment, DISH Network will incur significant additional expenses and will have to make significant investments related to, among other things, research and development, wireless testing and wireless network infrastructure. DISH Network may also determine that additional wireless spectrum licenses may be required to complete its 5G Network Deployment and to compete with other wireless service providers.

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In connection with the development of DISH Network’s wireless business, including, without limitation, the efforts described above, we have made cash distributions to partially finance these efforts to date and may make additional cash distributions to finance, in whole or in part, DISH Network’s future efforts. There can be no assurance that DISH Network will be able to develop and implement a business model that will realize a return on these wireless spectrum licenses or that DISH Network will be able to profitably deploy the assets represented by these wireless spectrum licenses.

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Our parent, DISH Network, has made substantial non-controlling investments in the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities related to AWS-3 wireless spectrum licenses and we have made and may make additional cash distributions to DISH Network so that DISH Network may fund the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities.

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During 2015, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries American AWS-3 Wireless II L.L.C. (“American II”) and American AWS-3 Wireless III L.L.C. (“American III”), DISH Network initially made over $10 billion in certain non-controlling investments in Northstar Spectrum, LLC (“Northstar Spectrum”), the parent company of Northstar Wireless, LLC (“Northstar Wireless,” and collectively with Northstar Spectrum, the “Northstar Entities”), and in SNR Wireless HoldCo, LLC (“SNR HoldCo”), the parent company of SNR Wireless LicenseCo, LLC (“SNR Wireless,” and collectively with SNR HoldCo, the “SNR Entities”), respectively. On October 27, 2015, the FCC granted certain AWS-3 wireless spectrum licenses (the “AWS-3 Licenses”) to Northstar Wireless (the “Northstar Licenses”) and to SNR Wireless (the “SNR Licenses”), respectively. The Northstar Entities and/or the SNR Entities may need to raise significant additional capital in the future, which may be obtained from third party sources or from DISH Network, so that the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities may commercialize, build-out and integrate these AWS-3 Licenses, comply with regulations applicable to such AWS-3 Licenses, and make any potential payments related to the re-auction of AWS-3 licenses retained by the FCC. Depending upon the nature and scope of such commercialization, build-out, integration efforts, regulatory compliance, and potential re-auction payments, any such loans, equity contributions or partnerships could vary significantly. For further information regarding the potential re-auction of AWS-3 licenses retained by the FCC, see Note 16 “Commitments and Contingencies – Commitments – DISH Network Non-Controlling Investments in the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities Related to AWS-3 Wireless Spectrum Licenses” in the Notes to DISH Network’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

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In connection with certain funding obligations related to the investments by American II and American III discussed above, in February 2015, we paid a dividend of $8.250 billion to DOC for, among other things, general corporate purposes, which included such funding obligations, and to fund other DISH Network cash needs. We may make additional cash distributions to DISH Network so that DISH Network may fund the Northstar Entities and the SNR Entities related to DISH Network’s non-controlling investments in these entities. We may need to raise significant additional capital in the future, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all, to among other things, continue investing in our business and to pursue acquisitions and other strategic transactions.

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We may pursue acquisitions and other strategic transactions to complement or expand our business that may not be successful, and we may lose up to the entire value of our investment in these acquisitions and transactions.

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Our future success may depend on opportunities to buy other businesses or technologies that could complement, enhance or expand our current business or products or that might otherwise offer us growth opportunities. To pursue this strategy successfully, we must identify attractive acquisition or investment opportunities and successfully complete transactions, some of which may be large and complex. We may not be able to identify or complete attractive acquisition or investment opportunities due to, among other things, the intense competition for these transactions. If we are not able to identify and complete such acquisition or investment opportunities, our future results of operations and financial condition may be adversely affected.

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We may be unable to obtain in the anticipated timeframe, or at all, any regulatory approvals required to complete proposed acquisitions and other strategic transactions. Furthermore, the conditions imposed for obtaining any necessary approvals could delay the completion of such transactions for a significant period of time or prevent them from occurring at all. We may not be able to complete such transactions and such transactions, if executed, pose significant risks and could have a negative effect on our operations. Any transactions that we are able to identify and complete may involve a number of risks, including:

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In addition, we may not be able to successfully or profitably integrate, operate, maintain and manage our newly acquired operations or employees. We may not be able to maintain uniform standards, controls, procedures and policies, and this may lead to operational inefficiencies. In addition, the integration process may strain our financial and managerial controls and reporting systems and procedures.

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New acquisitions, joint ventures and other transactions may require the commitment of significant capital that would otherwise be directed to investments in our existing business. To pursue acquisitions and other strategic transactions, we may need to raise additional capital in the future, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all. In addition, we make cash distributions to DISH Network to finance acquisitions or investments that will not be part of our business.

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In addition to committing capital to complete the acquisitions, substantial capital may be required to operate the acquired businesses following their acquisition. These acquisitions may result in significant financial losses if the intended objectives of the transactions are not achieved. Some of the businesses acquired by DISH Network have experienced significant operating and financial challenges in their recent history, which in some cases resulted in these businesses commencing bankruptcy proceedings prior to DISH Network’s acquisition. DISH Network may acquire similar businesses in the future. There is no assurance that DISH Network will be able to successfully address the challenges and risks encountered by these businesses following their acquisition. If DISH Network is unable to successfully address these challenges and risks, our business, financial condition and/or results of operations may suffer.

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We have substantial debt outstanding and may incur additional debt.

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As of December 31, 2020, our total long-term debt and finance lease obligations, including the debt of our subsidiaries, was $10.671 billion. Our debt levels could have significant consequences, including:

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In addition, we may incur substantial additional debt in the future. The terms of the indentures relating to our senior notes permit us to incur additional debt. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the risks we now face could intensify.

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We may need additional capital, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all, to continue investing in our business and to finance acquisitions and other strategic transactions.

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We may need to raise significant additional capital in the future, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all, to among other things, continue investing in our business, pursue acquisitions and other strategic transactions. Adverse changes in the credit markets, including rising interest rates, could increase our borrowing costs and/or make it more difficult for us to obtain financing for our operations or refinance existing indebtedness. In addition, economic weakness or weak results of operations may limit our ability to generate sufficient internal cash to fund investments, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other strategic transactions, as well as to fund ongoing operations and service our debt. We may be unable to generate cash flows from operating activities sufficient to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our debt and other obligations. If we are unable to service our debt and other obligations from cash flows from operating activities, we may need to refinance or restructure all or a portion of such obligations prior to maturity. Any refinancing or restructuring could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and/or financial condition. In addition, we cannot guarantee that any refinancing or restructuring would sufficiently meet any debt or other obligations then due. Furthermore, our borrowing costs can be affected by short and long-term debt ratings assigned by independent rating agencies, which are based, in significant part, on our performance as measured by their credit metrics. A decrease in these ratings would likely increase our cost of borrowing and/or make it more difficult for us to obtain financing. A severe disruption in the global financial markets could impact some of the financial institutions with which we do business, and such instability could also affect our access to financing. As a result, these conditions make it difficult for us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities because we may not have access to funding sources necessary for us to pursue organic and strategic business development opportunities.

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Our parent, DISH Network, is controlled by one principal stockholder who is also our Chairman.

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Charles W. Ergen, DISH Network’s Chairman, beneficially owns approximately 52.0% of DISH Network’s total equity securities (assuming conversion of all Class B common stock into Class A common stock) and controls approximately 90.4% of the total voting power. Through his voting power, Mr. Ergen has the ability to elect a majority of DISH Network’s directors and to control all other matters requiring the approval of DISH Network’s stockholders. As a result, DISH Network is a “controlled company” as defined in the Nasdaq listing rules and is, therefore, not subject to Nasdaq requirements that would otherwise require DISH Network to have: (i) a majority of independent directors; (ii) a nominating committee composed solely of independent directors; (iii) compensation of our executive officers determined by a majority of the independent directors or a compensation committee composed solely of independent directors; and (iv) director nominees selected, or recommended for the Board’s selection, either by a majority of the independent directors or a nominating committee composed solely of independent directors. Mr. Ergen is also the principal stockholder and Chairman of EchoStar.

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Legal and Regulatory Risks

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Our business depends on certain intellectual property rights and on not infringing the intellectual property rights of others.

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We rely on our patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, as well as licenses and other agreements with our vendors and other parties, to use our technologies, conduct our operations and sell our products and services. Legal challenges to our intellectual property rights and claims of intellectual property infringement by third parties could require that we enter into royalty or licensing agreements on unfavorable terms, incur substantial monetary liability or be enjoined preliminarily or permanently from further use of the intellectual property in question or from the continuation of our business as currently conducted, which could require us to change our business practices or limit our ability to compete effectively or could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Even if we believe any such challenges or claims are without merit, they can be time-consuming and costly to defend and divert management’s attention and resources away from our business. Moreover, because of the rapid pace of technological change, we rely on technologies developed or licensed by third parties, and if we are unable to obtain or continue to obtain licenses from these third parties on reasonable terms, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

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In addition, we work with third parties such as vendors, contractors and suppliers for the development and manufacture of components that are integrated into our products and services, and our products and services may contain technologies provided to us by these third parties or other third parties. We may have little or no ability to determine in advance whether any such technology infringes the intellectual property rights of others. Our vendors, contractors and suppliers may not be required to indemnify us if a claim of infringement is asserted against us, or they may be required to indemnify us only up to a maximum amount, above which we would be responsible for any further costs or damages. Legal challenges to these intellectual property rights may impair our ability to use the products, services and technologies that we need in order to operate our business and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Furthermore, our digital content offerings depend in part on effective digital rights management technology to control access to digital content. If the digital rights management technology that we use is compromised or otherwise malfunctions, content providers may be unwilling to provide access to their content. Changes in the copyright laws or how such laws may be interpreted could impact our ability to deliver content and provide certain features and functionality, particularly over the Internet.

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We are, and may become, party to various lawsuits which, if adversely decided, could have a significant adverse impact on our business, particularly lawsuits regarding intellectual property.

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We are, and may become, subject to various legal proceedings and claims which arise in the ordinary course of business, including among other things, intellectual property disputes.

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Many entities, including some of our competitors, have or may in the future obtain patents and other intellectual property rights that may cover or affect products or services related to those that we offer. In general, if a court determines that one or more of our products or services infringes on intellectual property held by others, we may be required to cease developing or marketing those products or services, to obtain licenses from the holders of the intellectual property at a material cost, or to redesign those products or services in such a way as to avoid infringing the intellectual property. If those intellectual property rights are held by a competitor, we may be unable to obtain the intellectual property at any price, which could adversely affect our competitive position. See “Item 1. Business – Patents and Other Intellectual Property” of DISH Network’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 for further information.

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We may not be aware of all intellectual property rights that our services or the products used in connection with our services may potentially infringe. In addition, patent applications in the United States are confidential until the Patent and Trademark Office either publishes the application or issues a patent (whichever arises first). Therefore, it is difficult to evaluate the extent to which our services or the products used in connection with our services may infringe claims contained in pending patent applications. Further, it is sometimes not possible to determine definitively whether a claim of infringement is valid.

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Our DISH TV services depend on FCC licenses that can expire or be revoked or modified and applications for FCC licenses that may not be granted.

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If the FCC were to cancel, revoke, suspend, restrict, significantly condition, or fail to renew any of our licenses or authorizations, or fail to grant our applications for FCC licenses that we may file from time to time, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. As an example, a loss of a frequency authorization would reduce the amount of spectrum available to us, potentially reducing the amount of DISH TV services available to our DISH TV subscribers. The materiality of such a loss of authorizations would vary based upon, among other things, the location of the frequency used or the availability of replacement spectrum. In addition, Congress often considers and enacts legislation that affects us and FCC proceedings to implement the Communications Act and enforce its regulations are ongoing. We cannot predict the outcomes of these legislative or regulatory proceedings or their effect on our business.

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If our internal controls are not effective, our business, DISH Network’s stock price and investor confidence in our financial results may be adversely affected.

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We periodically evaluate and test our internal control over financial reporting to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Our management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020. If in the future we are unable to report that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, investors, subscribers and business partners could lose confidence in the accuracy of our financial reports, which could in turn have a material adverse effect on our business, investor confidence in our financial results may weaken, and DISH Network’s stock price may suffer.

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We may face other risks described from time to time in periodic and current reports we file with the SEC.

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Item 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

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None

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Item 2. PROPERTIES

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The following table sets forth certain information concerning our principal properties.

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In addition to the principal properties listed above, we operate numerous facilities for, among other things, our in-home service operations, customer call centers and digital broadcast operations centers strategically located in regions throughout the United States. Furthermore, we own or lease capacity on 11 satellites, which are a major component of our DISH TV services. See further information under Note 6 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Item 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

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See Note 12 “Commitments and Contingencies – Contingencies – Litigation” in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding certain legal proceedings in which we are involved.

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Item 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

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Not applicable.

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PART II

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Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

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Market Information. As of March 15, 2021, all 1,015 issued and outstanding shares of our common stock were held by DOC. There is currently no established trading market for our common stock.

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Item 7. MANAGEMENT’S NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

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You should read the following narrative analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with the audited consolidated financial statements and notes to our financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This management’s narrative analysis is intended to help provide an understanding of our financial condition, changes in financial condition and results of our operations and contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but rather are based on current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections about our industry, business and future financial results. Our actual results could differ materially from the results contemplated by these forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including those discussed under the caption “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Furthermore, such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and we expressly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

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Overview

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Our Pay-TV business strategy is to be the best provider of video services in the United States by providing products with the best technology, outstanding customer service, and great value. We promote our Pay-TV services as providing our subscribers with a better “price-to-value” relationship than those available from other subscription television service providers. In connection with the growth in the OTT industry, we market our SLING TV services to consumers who do not subscribe to traditional satellite and cable pay-TV services, as well as to current and recent traditional pay-TV subscribers who desire a lower cost alternative.

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Financial Highlights

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2020 Consolidated Results of Operations and Key Operating Metrics

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Consolidated Financial Condition as of December 31, 2020

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We currently operate one business segment.

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Recent Developments

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COVID-19 Update

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A novel strain of coronavirus which causes the disease COVID-19 has resulted in a worldwide health pandemic.  To date, COVID-19 has surfaced in nearly all regions around the world and resulted in global travel restrictions and business slowdowns or shutdowns.  The COVID-19 pandemic has also created unanticipated circumstances and uncertainty, disruption, and significant volatility in the economic environment generally, which have adversely affected, and may continue to adversely affect, our business operations and could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.  As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, many of our subscribers are impacted by recommendations and/or mandates from federal, state, and local authorities to practice social distancing, to refrain from gathering in groups and, in some areas, to refrain from non-essential movements outside of their homes. Governmental authorities are taking various actions in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. COVID-19 has impacted our business, in particular in the following areas:

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We continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation and guidance from international and domestic authorities, including federal, state and local public health agencies and may take additional actions based on their recommendations. In these circumstances, there may be developments beyond our control requiring us to adjust our operating plan. As such, given the dynamic nature of this situation, we cannot reasonably estimate the impacts of COVID-19 on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows in the future.

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Pay-TV

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We offer pay-TV services under the DISH^® brand and the SLING^® brand (collectively “Pay-TV” services). As of December 31, 2020, we had 11.290 million Pay-TV subscribers in the United States, including 8.816 million DISH TV subscribers and 2.474 million SLING TV subscribers.

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We market our SLING TV services to consumers who do not subscribe to traditional satellite and cable pay-TV services, as well as to current and recent traditional pay-TV subscribers who desire a lower cost alternative. Our SLING TV services require an Internet connection and are available on multiple streaming-capable devices including streaming media devices, TVs, tablets, computers, game consoles and phones. We offer SLING domestic, SLING International, and SLING Latino video programming services.

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Trends

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Competition

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Competition has intensified in recent years as the pay-TV industry has matured. We and our competitors increasingly must seek to attract a greater proportion of new subscribers from each other’s existing subscriber bases rather than from first-time purchasers of pay-TV services. We face substantial competition from established pay-TV providers and broadband service providers and increasing competition from companies providing/facilitating the delivery of video content via the Internet to computers, televisions, and other streaming and mobile devices, including wireless service providers. In recent years, industry consolidation and convergence has created competitors with greater scale and multiple product/service offerings. These developments, among others, have contributed to intense and increasing competition, and we expect such competition to continue. We incur significant costs to retain our existing DISH TV subscribers, mostly as a result of upgrading their equipment to next generation receivers, primarily including our Hopper receivers, and by providing retention credits. Our DISH TV subscriber retention costs may vary significantly from period to period.

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Many of our competitors have been especially aggressive by offering discounted programming and services for both new and existing subscribers, including bundled offers combining broadband, video and/or wireless services and other promotional offers. Certain competitors have been able to subsidize the price of video services with the price of broadband and/or wireless services.

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Our Pay-TV services also face increased competition from programmers and other companies who distribute video directly to consumers over the Internet, as well as traditional satellite television providers, cable companies and large telecommunications companies, that are increasing their Internet-based video offerings. We also face competition from providers of video content, many of which are providers of our programming content, that distribute content over the Internet including services with live linear television programming, as well as single programmer offerings and offerings of large libraries of on-demand content, including in certain cases original content. These providers include, among others, Netflix, Hulu, Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Disney, Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, ViacomCBS, STARZ, Peacock, Fubo and Philo. Significant changes in consumer behavior with regard to the means by which consumers obtain video entertainment and information in response to digital media competition could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition or otherwise disrupt our business. In particular, consumers have shown increased interest in viewing certain video programming in any place, at any time and/or on any broadband-connected device they choose. Online content providers may cause our subscribers to disconnect our DISH TV services (“cord cutting”), downgrade to smaller, less expensive programming packages (“cord shaving”) or elect to purchase through these online content providers a certain portion of the services that they would have historically purchased from us, such as pay per view movies.

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Mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and alliances among cable television providers, telecommunications companies, programming providers and others may result in, among other things, greater scale and financial leverage and increase the availability of offerings from providers capable of bundling video, broadband and/or wireless services in competition with our services and may exacerbate the risks described in our public filings. These transactions may affect us adversely by, among other things, making it more difficult for us to obtain access to certain programming networks on nondiscriminatory and fair terms, or at all.

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Our Pay-TV subscriber base has been declining due to, among other things, the factors described above. There can be no assurance that our Pay-TV subscriber base will not continue to decline and that the pace of such decline will not accelerate. As our Pay-TV subscriber base continues to decline, it could have a material adverse long-term effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

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Programming

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Our ability to compete successfully will depend, among other things, on our ability to continue to obtain desirable programming and deliver it to our subscribers at competitive prices. Programming costs represent a large percentage of our “Cost of services” and the largest component of our total expense. We expect these costs to continue to increase due to contractual price increases and the renewal of long-term programming contracts on less favorable pricing terms and certain programming costs are rising at a much faster rate than wages or inflation. In particular, the rates we are charged for retransmitting local broadcast channels have been increasing substantially and may exceed our ability to increase our prices to our subscribers. Going forward, our margins may face pressure if we are unable to renew our long-term programming contracts on acceptable pricing and other economic terms or if we are unable to pass these increased programming costs on to our subscribers.

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Increases in programming costs have caused us to increase the rates that we charge to our subscribers, which could in turn cause our existing Pay-TV subscribers to disconnect our service or cause potential new Pay-TV subscribers to choose not to subscribe to our service. Additionally, even if our subscribers do not disconnect our services, they may purchase through new and existing online content providers a certain portion of the services that they would have historically purchased from us, such as pay-per-view movies.

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Furthermore, our net Pay-TV subscriber additions, gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, and DISH TV churn rate may be negatively impacted if we are unable to renew our long-term programming carriage contracts before they expire. In the past, our net Pay-TV subscriber additions, gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, and DISH TV churn rate have been negatively impacted as a result of programming interruptions and threatened programming interruptions in connection with the scheduled expiration of programming carriage contracts with content providers. For example, in June 2018 and November 2018, Univision Communications Inc. (“Univision”) removed certain of its channels from our DISH TV and SLING TV programming lineup. On March 26, 2019, we and Univision signed a new programming carriage contract which restored certain of these Univision channels to our DISH TV programming lineup. In October 2018, AT&T removed its HBO and Cinemax channels from our DISH TV and SLING TV programming lineup, as we and AT&T have been unable to negotiate the terms and conditions of a new programming carriage contract. AT&T offers its programming, including its HBO and Cinemax channels, directly to consumers over the Internet and provides HBO for free to its subscribers under certain offers. In July 2019, Fox Regional Sports Networks (“RSNs”) also removed certain of its channels from our DISH TV and SLING TV programming lineup. In August 2019, Sinclair Broadcast Group acquired the Fox RSNs. We experienced a higher DISH TV churn rate, higher net Pay-TV subscriber losses and lower gross new DISH TV subscriber activations during 2018 and 2019, when Univision, AT&T and Sinclair RSNs removed certain of their channels from our DISH TV and SLING TV programming lineup. There can be no assurance that channel removals, such as the removal of the channels discussed above or others, will not have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition or otherwise disrupt our business. 

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We cannot predict with any certainty the impact to our net Pay-TV subscriber additions, gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, and DISH TV churn rate resulting from additional programming interruptions or threatened programming interruptions that may occur in the future. As a result, we may at times suffer from periods of lower net Pay-TV subscriber additions or higher net Pay-TV subscriber losses.

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Operational Liquidity

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We make general investments in property such as satellites, set-top boxes, information technology and facilities that support our Pay-TV business. Moreover, since we are a subscriber-based company, we also make subscriber-specific investments to acquire new subscribers and retain existing subscribers. While the general investments may be deferred without impacting the business in the short-term, the subscriber-specific investments are less discretionary. Our overall objective is to generate sufficient cash flow over the life of each subscriber to provide an adequate return against the upfront investment. Once the upfront investment has been made for each subscriber, the subsequent cash flow is generally positive, but there can be no assurances that over time we will recoup or earn a return on the upfront investment.

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There are a number of factors that impact our future cash flow compared to the cash flow we generate at a given point in time. The first factor is our churn rate and how successful we are at retaining our current subscribers. To the extent we lose subscribers from our existing base, the positive cash flow from that base is correspondingly reduced. The second factor is how successful we are at maintaining our service margins. To the extent our “Cost of services” grow faster than our “Service revenue,” the amount of cash flow that is generated per existing subscriber is reduced. Our Pay-TV service margins have been reduced by, among other things, a shift to lower priced Pay-TV programming packages and higher programming costs. The third factor is the rate at which we acquire new subscribers. The faster we acquire new subscribers, the more our positive ongoing cash flow from existing subscribers is offset by the negative upfront cash flow associated with acquiring new subscribers. Conversely, the slower we acquire subscribers, the more our operating cash flow is enhanced in that period. Finally, our future cash flow is impacted by the rate at which we make general investments, incur litigation expense, and any cash flow from financing activities. Declines in our Pay-TV subscriber base and subscriber-related margins continue to negatively impact our cash flow, and there can be no assurances that these declines will not continue.

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Availability of Credit and Effect on Liquidity

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The ability to raise capital has generally existed for us despite economic weakness and uncertainty. While modest fluctuations in the cost of capital will not likely impact our current operational plans, significant fluctuations could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

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Debt Issuances and Maturity

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During the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2019, we repurchased $83 million and $22 million, respectively, of our 7 7/8% Senior Notes due 2019 in open market trades. The remaining balance of $1.295 billion was redeemed on September 3, 2019.

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Our 5 1/8% Senior Notes with an aggregate principal balance of $1.1 billion were redeemed on May 1, 2020.

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On July 1, 2020, we issued $1.0 billion aggregate principal amount of our 7 3/8% Senior Notes due July 1, 2028. Interest accrues at an annual rate of 7 3/8% and is payable semi-annually in cash, in arrears on January 1 and July 1 of each year, commencing on January 1, 2021.

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Our 6 3/4% Senior Notes due 2021 with an aggregate principal balance of $2.0 billion mature on June 1, 2021. We expect to fund this obligation from cash and marketable investment securities balances at that time and/or advances from our parent, DISH Network. However, depending on market conditions, we may refinance this obligation, in whole or in part.

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23

Future Liquidity

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We have made cash distributions to partially finance the development of DISH Network’s 5G Network Deployment and retail wireless business to date and may make additional cash distributions to finance, in whole or in part, DISH Network’s future efforts. We may need to raise significant additional capital in the future, which may not be available on acceptable terms or at all, to among other things, make additional cash distributions to DISH Network, continue investing in our business and to pursue acquisitions and other strategic transactions. See Note 12 in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information.

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Master Transaction Agreement

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On May 19, 2019, DISH Network entered into a Master Transaction Agreement with EchoStar (the “Master Transaction Agreement”) and effective September 10, 2019, certain satellites and real estate assets leased from EchoStar were transferred to DISH Network. As a result of the Master Transaction Agreement, DISH Network is now a supplier of the vast majority of our transponder capacity. See Note 20 “Related Party Transactions – Master Transaction Agreement” in the Notes to DISH Network’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 for further information on the Master Transaction Agreement.

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Covenants and Restrictions Related to our Senior Notes

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We are subject to the covenants and restrictions set forth in the indentures related to our long-term debt. In particular, the indentures related to our outstanding senior notes contain restrictive covenants that, among other things, impose limitations on our ability to: (i) incur additional indebtedness; (ii) enter into sale and leaseback transactions; (iii) pay dividends or make distributions on our capital stock or repurchase our capital stock; (iv) make certain investments; (v) create liens; (vi) enter into certain transactions with affiliates; (vii) merge or consolidate with another company; and (viii) transfer or sell assets. Should we fail to comply with these covenants, all or a portion of the debt under the senior notes could become immediately payable. The senior notes also provide that the debt may be required to be prepaid if certain change-in-control events occur. As of the date of filing of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we were in compliance with the covenants and restrictions related to our senior notes.

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24

EXPLANATION OF KEY METRICS AND OTHER ITEMS

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Service revenue. “Service revenue” consists principally of Pay-TV subscriber revenue. Certain of the amounts included in “Service revenue” are not recurring on a monthly basis.

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Equipment sales and other revenue. “Equipment sales and other revenue” principally includes the non-subsidized sales of Pay-TV equipment.

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Cost of services. “Cost of services” principally include Pay-TV programming expenses and other operating costs associated with our DISH TV and SLING TV services.

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Cost of sales - equipment and other. “Cost of sales – equipment and other” principally includes the cost of the non-subsidized sales of Pay-TV equipment. Costs are generally recognized as products are delivered to customers and the related revenue is recognized.

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Selling, general and administrative expenses. “Selling, general and administrative expenses” consists primarily of direct sales costs, advertising, third-party commissions related to the acquisition of subscribers, costs related to the installation of our new Pay-TV subscribers, the cost of subsidized sales of Pay-TV equipment for new subscribers and employee-related costs associated with administrative services such as legal, information systems, and accounting and finance.

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Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized. “Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized” primarily includes interest expense (net of capitalized interest), prepayment premiums, amortization of debt discounts and debt issuance costs associated with our senior debt, and interest expense associated with our finance lease obligations.

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Other, net. The main components of “Other, net” are gains and losses realized on the sale of investments, impairment of marketable and non-marketable investment securities, unrealized gains and losses from changes in fair value of certain marketable investment securities and equity in earnings and losses of our affiliates.

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Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”). EBITDA is defined as “Net income (loss) attributable to DISH DBS” plus “Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized” net of “Interest income,” “Income tax (provision) benefit, net” and “Depreciation and amortization.” This “non-GAAP measure” is reconciled to “Net income (loss) attributable to DISH DBS” in our discussion of “Results of Operations” below.

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Operating income before depreciation and amortization (“OIBDA”).  OIBDA is defined as “Operating income (loss)” plus “Depreciation and amortization.”  This “non-GAAP measure” is reconciled to “Operating income (loss)” in our discussion of “Results of Operations” below.

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DISH TV subscribers. We include customers obtained through direct sales, independent third-party retailers and other independent third-party distribution relationships in our DISH TV subscriber count. We also provide DISH TV services to hotels, motels and other commercial accounts. For certain of these commercial accounts, we divide our total revenue for these commercial accounts by $34.99, and include the resulting number, which is substantially smaller than the actual number of commercial units served, in our DISH TV subscriber count.

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SLING TV subscribers. We include customers obtained through direct sales and third-party marketing agreements in our SLING TV subscriber count. SLING TV subscribers are recorded net of disconnects. SLING TV customers receiving service for no charge, under certain new subscriber promotions, are excluded from our SLING TV subscriber count. For customers who subscribe to multiple SLING TV packages, each customer is only counted as one SLING TV subscriber.

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Pay-TV subscribers. Our Pay-TV subscriber count includes all DISH TV and SLING TV subscribers discussed above. For customers who subscribe to both our DISH TV services and our SLING TV services, each subscription is counted as a separate Pay-TV subscriber.

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25

Pay-TV average monthly revenue per subscriber (“Pay-TV ARPU”). We are not aware of any uniform standards for calculating ARPU and believe presentations of ARPU may not be calculated consistently by other companies in the same or similar businesses. We calculate Pay-TV average monthly revenue per Pay-TV subscriber, or Pay-TV ARPU, by dividing average monthly Pay-TV “Service revenue” for the period by our average number of Pay-TV subscribers for the period. The average number of Pay-TV subscribers is calculated for the period by adding the average number of Pay-TV subscribers for each month and dividing by the number of months in the period. The average number of Pay-TV subscribers for each month is calculated by adding the beginning and ending Pay-TV subscribers for the month and dividing by two. SLING TV subscribers on average purchase lower priced programming services than DISH TV subscribers, and therefore, as SLING TV subscribers increase, it has had a negative impact on Pay-TV ARPU.

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DISH TV average monthly subscriber churn rate (“DISH TV churn rate”). We are not aware of any uniform standards for calculating subscriber churn rate and believe presentations of subscriber churn rates may not be calculated consistently by different companies in the same or similar businesses. We calculate DISH TV churn rate for any period by dividing the number of DISH TV subscribers who terminated service during the period by the average number of DISH TV subscribers for the same period, and further dividing by the number of months in the period. The average number of DISH TV subscribers is calculated for the period by adding the average number of DISH TV subscribers for each month and dividing by the number of months in the period. The average number of DISH TV subscribers for each month is calculated by adding the beginning and ending DISH TV subscribers for the month and dividing by two.

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DISH TV SAC. Subscriber acquisition cost measures are commonly used by those evaluating traditional companies in the pay-TV industry.  We are not aware of any uniform standards for calculating the “average subscriber acquisition costs per new DISH TV subscriber activation,” or DISH TV SAC, and we believe presentations of pay-TV SAC may not be calculated consistently by different companies in the same or similar businesses.  Our DISH TV SAC is calculated using all of costs of acquiring DISH TV subscribers (e.g., subsidized equipment, advertising, installation, commissions and direct sales, etc.) which are included in “Selling, general and administrative expenses,” plus capitalized payments made under certain sales incentive programs and the value of equipment capitalized under our lease program for new DISH TV subscribers, divided by gross new DISH TV subscriber activations. We include all new DISH TV subscribers in our calculation, including DISH TV subscribers added with little or no subscriber acquisition costs. Although we no longer have a separate line item for subscriber acquisition costs on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss), our methodology for calculating DISH TV SAC is unchanged from prior periods.

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26

​

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

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Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2019.

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*  Percentage is not meaningful.

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**During the first quarter 2020, we removed approximately 250,000 subscribers representing commercial accounts impacted by COVID-19 from our ending Pay-TV subscriber count.  During the year ended December, 31, 2020, 80,000 of these subscribers came off pause or had temporary rate relief end and are included in our ending Pay-TV subscriber count as of December 31, 2020. The effect of the removal of these 250,000 subscribers as of March 31, 2020 and the addition of these 80,000 subscribers as of December 31, 2020 was excluded from the calculation of our gross new Pay-TV subscriber activations, net Pay-TV subscriber additions/losses and Pay-TV churn rate for the year ended December 31, 2020.  See “Results of Operations – Pay-TV subscribers” for further information.

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27

Pay-TV subscribers

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DISH TV subscribers. We lost approximately 408,000 net DISH TV subscribers during the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the loss of approximately 511,000 net DISH TV subscribers during the same period in 2019. This decrease in net DISH TV subscriber losses primarily resulted from a lower DISH TV churn rate, partially offset by lower gross new DISH TV subscriber activations.

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SLING TV subscribers. We lost approximately 118,000 net SLING TV subscribers during the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the addition of approximately 175,000 net SLING TV subscribers during the same period in 2019. This decrease in net SLING TV subscriber additions was primarily related to lower SLING TV subscriber activations, increased competition, including competition from other subscription video on-demand and live-linear OTT service providers, and delays and cancellations of sporting events as a result of COVID-19.

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DISH TV subscribers, gross. During the year ended December 31, 2020, we activated approximately 1.094 million gross new DISH TV subscribers compared to approximately 1.348 million gross new DISH TV subscribers during the same period in 2019, a decrease of 18.8%. This decrease in our gross new DISH TV subscriber activations was primarily related to the impact of COVID-19. Beginning in the second half of March 2020, COVID-19 and the related governmental recommendations and/or mandates created reduced in person selling opportunities, and a reduction in customers’ willingness to open direct mail marketing and allow in-home technicians into their homes as well as delays and cancellations of sporting events.  As a result, beginning in the first quarter 2020, we reduced our marketing expenditures and our gross new DISH TV subscribers began to decrease. We continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 and cannot predict with certainty the impact to our gross new DISH TV subscribers as a result of, among other things, higher unemployment and lower discretionary spending and reduced ability to perform our in-home service operations due to the impact of social distancing. In addition, our gross new DISH TV subscriber activations continue to be negatively impacted by stricter customer acquisition policies for our DISH TV subscribers, including an emphasis on acquiring higher quality subscribers, and by increased competitive pressures, including aggressive short term introductory pricing and bundled offers combining broadband, video and/or wireless services and other discounted promotional offers, and channel removals.

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DISH TV churn rate. Our DISH TV churn rate for the year ended December 31, 2020 was 1.38% compared to 1.62% for the same period in 2019. This decrease primarily resulted from the impact of COVID-19, including, among other things, the recommendations and/or mandates from federal, state, and local authorities that customers refrain from non-essential movements outside of their homes and the resulting increased consumption of our Pay-TV services. In addition, COVID-19 had an impact on competitive pressures due to, among other things, a reduction in customers’ willingness to allow competitors’ technicians into their homes and delays and cancellations of sporting events that reduced the attractiveness of competitors’ promotional offers and services. Furthermore, our DISH TV churn rate for the year ended December 31, 2019 was negatively impacted by Univision’s removal of certain of their channels from our programming lineup. We continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 and cannot predict with certainty the impact to our DISH TV churn rate as a result of, among other things, higher unemployment and lower discretionary spending and reduced ability to perform our in-home service operations due to the impact of social distancing. In addition, this decrease also resulted from our emphasis on acquiring and retaining higher quality subscribers. Our DISH TV churn rate continues to be adversely impacted by external factors, such as, among other things, increased competitive pressures, including aggressive marketing, bundled discount offers combining broadband, video and/or wireless services and other discounted promotional offers, as well as cord cutting. Our DISH TV churn rate is also impacted by internal factors, such as, among other things, our ability to consistently provide outstanding customer service, price increases, programming interruptions in connection with the scheduled expiration of certain programming carriage contracts, our ability to control piracy and other forms of fraud and the level of our retention efforts.

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Beginning in March 2020, several federal, state, and local government agencies implemented recommendations, guidelines, and orders regarding “social distancing” in an attempt to slow or stop the spread of COVID-19. As a result of these actions, many bars, restaurants, and other commercial establishments have been and continue to be recommended and/or ordered to suspend all non-essential “in-person” business operations and/or operate at reduced capacity. In addition, airlines and hotels significantly reduced operations as a result of government actions and/or related lower consumer demand. In an effort to avoid charging commercial customers for services in their establishments which are no longer open to the public, we have paused service or provided temporary rate relief for certain of those commercial accounts. For certain commercial accounts, each subscription is counted as one Pay-TV subscriber. For other commercial accounts, as discussed above, we divide our total revenue for these commercial accounts by $34.99, and include the resulting number, which is substantially smaller than the actual number of commercial units served, in our Pay-TV subscriber count. During the first quarter 2020, we removed 250,000 subscribers from our ending Pay-TV subscriber count for commercial accounts we placed on pause, or received reduced revenue, or for which we anticipate the account to disconnect due to COVID-19. During the year ended December 31, 2020, 80,000 of these subscribers came off pause or had temporary rate relief end and 69,000 of these subscribers disconnected.

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We have not incurred and do not expect to incur any significant expenses in connection with the return of these commercial accounts and accordingly, these commercial accounts were added to our ending subscriber count and were not recorded as gross new Pay-TV subscriber activations. We cannot predict when the remaining commercial accounts will be able to fully reopen, how many will return or when they may return to active subscriber status, and there can be no assurance that they will return. We continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 and cannot predict with certainty the impact to our subscriber base, gross new DISH TV subscribers and our DISH TV churn rate as a result of, among other things, higher unemployment and lower discretionary spending and our reduced ability to perform our in-home service operations due to the impact of social distancing. As such, given the dynamic nature of this situation, we cannot reasonably estimate the impacts of COVID-19 on our financial condition and results of operations.

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We cannot predict with any certainty the impact to our net Pay-TV subscriber additions, gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, and DISH TV subscriber churn rate resulting from programming interruptions or threatened programming interruptions that may occur in the future. As a result, we may at times suffer from periods of lower net Pay-TV subscriber additions or higher net Pay-TV subscriber losses.

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We have not always met our own standards for performing high-quality installations, effectively resolving subscriber issues when they arise, answering subscriber calls in an acceptable timeframe, effectively communicating with our subscriber base, reducing calls driven by the complexity of our business, improving the reliability of certain systems and subscriber equipment, and aligning the interests of certain independent third-party retailers and installers to provide high-quality service. Most of these factors have affected both gross new DISH TV subscriber activations as well as DISH TV subscriber churn rate. Our future gross new DISH TV subscriber activations and our DISH TV subscriber churn rate may be negatively impacted by these factors, which could in turn adversely affect our revenue.

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Service revenue. “Service revenue” totaled $12.576 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020, an increase of $140 million or 1.1% compared to the same period in 2019. The increase in “Service revenue” compared to the same period in 2019 was primarily related to an increase in Pay-TV ARPU discussed below, partially offset by a lower average Pay-TV subscriber base.

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Pay-TV ARPU. Pay-TV ARPU was $91.77 during the year ended December 31, 2020 versus $85.92 during the same period in 2019. The $5.85 or 6.8% increase in Pay-TV ARPU was primarily attributable to the DISH TV programming package price increases in the first quarter 2020 and 2019, the SLING TV programming package price increases in the first quarter 2020 and fourth quarter 2019, higher ad sales revenue and fewer commercial accounts compared to the same period in 2019, which have lower Pay-TV ARPU than residential subscribers.

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29

Cost of services. “Cost of services” totaled $7.916 billion during the year ended December 31, 2020, a decrease of $468 million or 5.6% compared to the same period in 2019. The decrease in “Cost of services” was primarily attributable to a lower average Pay-TV subscriber base and the reduction of expense associated with the satellite lease for EchoStar XVIII and Nimiq 5, partially offset by increases in programming costs per subscriber. The reduction in satellite lease expense relates to our lease of EchoStar XVIII from DISH Network which ended in May 2019 as a result of an agreement to sell our interests in the Local Multipoint Distribution Service (“LMDS”) and multichannel video distribution and data service (“MVDDS”) licenses in exchange for the EchoStar XVIII satellite. During September 2019 pursuant to the Master Transaction Agreement, we began accounting for our Nimiq 5 satellite lease as a finance lease. Accordingly, expenses related to this lease are no longer recorded in “Cost of services,” but rather in “Depreciation and amortization” and “Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized” on our Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (Loss).  Programming costs per subscriber increased during the year ended December 31, 2020 due to rate increases in certain of our programming contracts, including the renewal of certain contracts at higher rates, particularly for local broadcast channels. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in programming costs per subscriber due to, among others, Sinclair RSN’s removal of certain of their channels from our programming lineup in July 2019 and multiple one-time programming adjustments in the third quarter 2020. “Cost of services” represented 62.9% and 67.4% of “Service revenue” during the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. See Note 17 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the Master Transaction Agreement.

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In the normal course of business, we enter into contracts to purchase programming content in which our payment obligations are generally contingent on the number of Pay-TV subscribers to whom we provide the respective content. Our “Cost of services” have and will continue to face further upward pressure from price increases and the renewal of long-term programming contracts on less favorable pricing terms. In addition, our programming expenses will increase to the extent we are successful in growing our Pay-TV subscriber base.

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Selling, general and administrative expenses. “Selling, general and administrative expenses” totaled $1.441 billion during the year ended December 31, 2020, a $227 million or 13.6% decrease compared to the same period in 2019. This change was primarily driven by a decrease in subscriber acquisition costs resulting from fewer gross new DISH TV subscriber activations, a $70 million reduction to litigation expense as a result of the Telemarketing Litigation settlement and cost cutting initiatives, including a focused set of staffing reductions. See Note 12 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements for further information on the Telemarketing Litigation.

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DISH TV SAC. DISH TV SAC was $851 during the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $822 during the same period in 2019, an increase of $29 or 3.5%. This change was primarily attributable to fewer commercial additions compared to the same period in 2019 and an increase in advertising costs per subscriber. Commercial activations historically have lower DISH TV SAC than residential activations, and therefore the decrease in commercial activations had a negative impact on DISH TV SAC. Beginning in the first quarter 2020, as a result of COVID-19 and the related governmental recommendations and/or mandates, our in person selling opportunities and our customers’ willingness to open direct mail marketing and allow in-home technicians into their homes were reduced. Accordingly, we reduced our marketing expenditures and our gross new DISH TV subscriber activations began to decrease. Although we reduced our marketing expenditures, gross new DISH TV subscriber activations decreased at a higher rate, resulting in an increase in advertising costs per subscriber during 2020 compared to 2019.

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During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the amount of equipment capitalized under our lease program for new DISH TV subscribers totaled $151 million and $191 million, respectively. This decrease in capital expenditures primarily resulted from a decrease in gross new DISH TV subscriber activations.

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To remain competitive, we upgrade or replace subscriber equipment periodically as technology changes, and the costs associated with these upgrades may be substantial. To the extent technological changes render a portion of our existing equipment obsolete, we would be unable to redeploy all returned equipment and consequently would realize less benefit from the DISH TV SAC reduction associated with redeployment of that returned lease equipment.

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Our “DISH TV SAC” may materially increase in the future to the extent that we, among other things, transition to newer technologies, introduce more aggressive promotions, or provide greater equipment subsidies.

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30

Depreciation and amortization. “Depreciation and amortization” expense totaled $505 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, a $73 million or 12.6% decrease compared to the same period in 2019. This change was primarily driven by a decrease in depreciation expense from equipment leased to new and existing DISH TV subscribers, partially offset by an increase in depreciation expense as a result of our Nimiq 5 satellite lease being accounted for as a finance lease beginning in September 2019 and depreciation associated with EchoStar XVIII. See Note 17 in the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements in this Form 10-K for further information.

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Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized. “Interest expense, net of amounts capitalized” totaled $683 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, a decrease of $74 million or 9.8% compared to the same period in 2019. This decrease was primarily related to a reduction in interest expense resulting from debt redemptions during 2020 and 2019, partially offset by an increase in interest expense as a result of the issuance of our 7 3/8% Senior Notes due 2028 on July 1, 2020.

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Income tax (provision) benefit, net. Our income tax provision was $500 million during the year ended December 31, 2020, an increase of $226 million compared to the same period in 2019. The increase in the provision was primarily related to an increase in “Income (loss) before income taxes.”

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For discussion of the Pay-TV results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2019 compared to the year ended December 31, 2018, see “Results of Operations - Year Ended December 31, 2019 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2018” in our 2019 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Non-GAAP Performance Measures and Reconciliation

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It is management’s intent to provide non-GAAP financial information to enhance the understanding of our GAAP financial information, and it should be considered by the reader in addition to, but not instead of, the financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Each non-GAAP financial measure is presented along with the corresponding GAAP measure so as not to imply that more emphasis should be placed on the non-GAAP measure. We believe that providing these non-GAAP measures in addition to the GAAP measures allows management, investors and other users of our financial information to more fully and accurately assess both consolidated and segment performance. The non-GAAP financial information presented may be determined or calculated differently by other companies and may not be directly comparable to that of other companies.

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EBITDA

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EBITDA is not a measure determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered a substitute for operating income, net income or any other measure determined in accordance with GAAP. EBITDA is used as a measurement of operating efficiency and overall financial performance and we believe it is a helpful measure for those evaluating operating performance in relation to our competitors. Conceptually, EBITDA measures the amount of income generated each period that could be used to service debt, pay taxes and fund capital expenditures. EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for measures of performance prepared in accordance with GAAP.

The changes in EBITDA during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, were primarily a result of the factors described in connection with operating revenues and operating expenses.

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31

OIBDA

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OIBDA, which is presented below, is a non-GAAP measure and does not purport to be an alternative to operating income (loss) as a measure of operating performance. We believe this measure is useful to management, investors and other users of our financial information in evaluating operating profitability of our business on a more variable cost basis as it excludes the depreciation and amortization expenses related primarily to capital expenditures and acquisitions, as well as in evaluating operating performance in relation to our competitors. OIBDA is calculated by adding back depreciation and amortization expense to operating income (loss).

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The changes in OIBDA during the year ended December 31, 2020, compared to the same period in 2019, were primarily a result of the factors described in connection with operating revenues and operating expenses.

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Item 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

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Market Risks Associated with Financial Instruments

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Our investments and debt are exposed to market risks, discussed below.

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Cash, Cash Equivalents and Current Marketable Investment Securities

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As of December 31, 2020, our cash, cash equivalents and current marketable investment securities had a fair value of $1.371 billion. Of that amount, a total of $1.371 billion was invested in: (a) cash; (b) money market funds; (c) debt instruments of the United States Government and its agencies; (d) commercial paper and corporate notes with an overall average maturity of less than one year and rated in one of the four highest rating categories by at least two nationally recognized statistical rating organizations; and/or (e) instruments with similar risk, duration and credit quality characteristics to the commercial paper and corporate obligations described above. The primary purpose of these investing activities has been to preserve principal until the cash is required to, among other things, continue investing in our business, pursue acquisitions and other strategic transactions, fund ongoing operations, repay debt obligations, expand our business and pay dividends from time to time.  Consequently, the size of this portfolio can fluctuate significantly as cash is received and used in our business for these or other purposes.  The value of this portfolio is negatively impacted by credit losses; however, this risk is mitigated through diversification that limits our exposure to any one issuer.

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Interest Rate Risk

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A change in interest rates would affect the fair value of our cash, cash equivalents and current marketable investment securities portfolio; however, we normally hold these investments to maturity.  Based on our December 31, 2020 current non-strategic investment portfolio of $1.371 billion, a hypothetical 10% change in average interest rates would not have a material impact on the fair value due to the limited duration of our investments.

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Our cash, cash equivalents and current marketable investment securities had an average annual rate of return for the year ended December 31, 2020 of 0.4%.  A change in interest rates would affect our future annual interest income from this portfolio, since funds would be re-invested at different rates as the instruments mature.  A hypothetical 10% decrease in average interest rates during 2020 would result in a decrease of approximately less than $1 million in annual interest income.

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32

Restricted Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Investment Securities

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As of December 31, 2020, we had $58 million of restricted cash and marketable investment securities invested in: (a) cash; (b) money market funds; (c) debt instruments of the United States Government and its agencies; and/or (d) instruments with similar risk, duration and credit quality characteristics to commercial paper. Based on our December 31, 2020 investment portfolio, a hypothetical 10% increase in average interest rates would not have a material impact on the fair value of our restricted cash and marketable investment securities.

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Long-Term Debt

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As of December 31, 2020, we had long-term debt of $10.524 billion, excluding finance lease obligations and unamortized deferred financing costs and debt discounts, on our Consolidated Balance Sheets. We estimated the fair value of this debt to be approximately $11.139 billion using quoted market prices. The fair value of our debt is affected by fluctuations in interest rates. A hypothetical 10% decrease in assumed interest rates would increase the fair value of our debt by approximately $145 million. To the extent interest rates increase, our future costs of financing would increase at the time of any future financings. As of December 31, 2020, all of our long-term debt consisted of fixed rate indebtedness.

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Derivative Financial Instruments

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From time to time, we invest in speculative financial instruments, including derivatives. As of December 31, 2020, we did not hold any derivative financial instruments.

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Item 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA

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Our consolidated financial statements are included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K beginning on page F-1.

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Item 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

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Not applicable.

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Item 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

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Disclosure controls and procedures

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Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based upon that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.

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Changes in internal control over financial reporting

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There has been no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) during our most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

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Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

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Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Our internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles.

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33

Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:

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Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate.

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Our management conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). Based on this evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2020.

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Item 9B.OTHER INFORMATION

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None

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Item 14.PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES

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Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

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Appointment of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for 2020. KPMG LLP served as our independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020.

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Our Board of Directors, in its discretion, may direct the appointment of a different independent registered public accounting firm at any time during the year if the Board of Directors believes that a change would be in our best interests.

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Fees Paid to KPMG LLP for 2020 and 2019

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The following table presents fees for the aggregate professional audit services rendered by KPMG LLP for the audit of DISH Network’s and our annual financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, and fees billed for other services rendered by KPMG LLP to DISH Network and us during those periods. We have reported the fees billed for services rendered to both DISH Network and us because the services are not rendered or billed specifically for us but for the DISH Network consolidated group as a whole.