[Satellite TODAY 08-10-11] U.S. satellite-television provider Dish Network reported a loss of 135,000 subscribers in its 2011 second quarter, according to the company’s latest results, issued Aug. 9.

Analysts estimated Dish Network would lose 60,000 subscribers, after the operator gained 58,000 customers in the 2011 first quarter. Dish Network’s net income, however, rose to $335 million from $257 million in the same period last year. The operator’s sales rose 13 percent to $3.59 billion, which outperformed analysts’ consensus of $3.39 billion.

            RBC Capital Markets Analyst Ryan Vineyard said that the sluggish economy may be impacting Dish Network more than its competitors, as the operator targets lower-income subscribers with cheaper packages than its rival DirecTV.

“Every cable operator that’s reported has missed subscriber expectations, and DirecTV, same thing. Some of it was economic and some of it was competitive intensity,” Vineyard said in a statement.