Photo: Dish Network

EchoStar companies Dish Network and Hughes Network Systems are launching a bundle that combines satellite TV and broadband internet. Geared toward customers in rural parts of the U.S., the companies said this service will provide better coverage and performance for customers. 

Dish TV packages start at $85 per month and Hughesnet packages start at $60 per month. Bundle customers will save $10 per month. The new Hughesnet service plans are powered by the new Jupiter 3 satellite and offer speeds of up to 100 Mbps and unlimited data. 

“Rural customers have traditionally had limited options for TV and internet in rural America. Dish and Hughes are solving those hurdles by further advancing connectivity in rural communities to provide the best value in TV and internet,” commented Hughes COO Paul Gaske. 

Both Dish TV and Hughesnet are both struggling with declining subscriber numbers amid the trend of cord-cutting in the TV business and competition from Starlink in satellite broadband. 

Dish TV and the company’s streaming service Sling TV shed a combined 348,000 subscribers in the first quarter of 2024. The company closed the quarter with 6.26 million Dish TV subscribers. 

Hughes lost 26,000 subscribers in the first quarter of this year, but losses slowed compared to last year. Hughes ended the quarter with 978,000 broadband subscribers.