Dish Network's Top 60 package to cost $3 more a month in '06

Joyzelle Davis, Rocky Mountain News

Published December 30, 2005 at midnight

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EchoStar Communications will raise rates for its most popular Dish Network package by $3 a month next year.

Dish Network, the second-largest satellite-TV service in the U.S. with 11.4 million customers, told retailers last week it is raising the price of its introductory "America's Top 60 Package" by 9.4 percent to $34.99, according to a report by Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. senior analyst Craig Moffett.

EchoStar spokesman Mark Cicero confirmed the increase and said the Douglas County- based company guarantees that price won't increase again for two years.

Dish Network is raising rates overall an average of 4 percent next year, based on the average monthly customer bill of $57.80. Dish's "America's Top 120" and "Top 180" packages will increase in price by $2, to $44.99 and $54.99 per month, respectively.

The increases were driven by soaring programming costs, which increased 7 percent this year, Cicero said.

This month, Comcast - which provides cable service to about 700,000 subscribers in Colorado - said it would raise its rates an average of 6 percent for its standard cable package nationwide. Comcast hasn't said what price increase, if any, is in store for Denver customers.

Larger satellite-TV rival DirecTV, which typically announces rate increases in March, hasn't talked about its rates for 2006, spokesman Robert Mercer said.

This year, both EchoStar and DirecTV raised prices an average of about 4 percent.

EchoStar

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