I don't know about Dish's plans but AT&T intends to move all TV customers to DirectTV Now streaming. If anyone has an AT&T unlimited wireless plan, they get a cost break on DirecTV Now and streaming doesn't apply to the data caps.
Dish also has SlingTV. They recognized early on that they (like DirecTV) have a "city problem", in that people in the city have a lot of options, and they also have good broadband speeds. So they can't compete as easily in the cities with pure satellite, and decided that they could lure customers away from cable using streaming.
They've done some interesting things, and actually the SlingTV customers can often be more profitable for ad revenue than their normal satellite customers, as they can target ads to the individual user that are more in line with what the user has interest in (not sure if they do it based on viewing patterns or based on cookies on your PC though).
I think Dish will be out of business before it's all said and done.
Dish is a very interesting company. I can only speak in broad terms about them (i.e. things they've said in their investor calls, etc) as I work closely with them (supporting them on HDDs in their DVR boxes) and have more of a view into what they're doing than most people.
But they've done some REALLY interesting things with their business over the past few years (all of this is public info):
1) Obviously SlingTV as I mention above. They have first mover advantage in the streaming TV package, and IMHO while Hulu, DirecTV Now, and Youtube are trying to come in at a higher price point, SlingTV has been maintaining the bottom tier price point. And a Sling user can be very profitable, both from the targeted ad point I raise above, but also because Dish doesn't have to provide that user with a single piece of equipment. For satellite, cable, etc, a truck roll to replace a box is a HUGE cost. The streaming guys don't roll trucks.
2) They went through a few years ago and basically fired their least profitable customers. They used to have all sorts of plans to chase customers who had poor credit, etc, presuming that "subscriber count" was the end-all be-all of their business. The problem was that SAC [subscriber acquisition cost] was way too high relative to the profit they'd make from a user, and the bottom tier of users would probably end up losing them money overall. Couple that with users [again, city users are the worst for this as they have alternative options] who would basically play out the 2 year promotional cost and then switch to the next best deal. So they analyzed who those customers were and stopped catering to them. The real key customers for both satellite guys are the rural customers. Those folks don't often have good broadband (so streaming is a no-go) and they don't have a host of alternative providers, so they frequently don't play the "2-year then switch" game. For Dish, by getting rid of some customers, they actually improved their business because their average profit per customer increased greatly by losing the bad ones. I think long-term, satellite will fade, but the rural customer base makes long-term a little longer than you'd think.
3) Dish owns a LOT of wireless spectrum. Wireless spectrum can be valuable, and Dish, by picking up a lot of it in FCC auctions, has a lot of valuable wireless "real estate". The next few years will be a big test to see if they can actually put it to use and transform the company out of simply "satellite TV" and into "connectivity". If you read the investor calls [at least until Charlie Ergen stepped down as CEO last December to focus on the wireless stuff; I haven't read any in the last quarter or two], it was clear that Dish saw the writing on the wall about the future of TV and has been working to remake the company to take advantage of new opportunities. Ergen said repeatedly on calls that his vision was for the company to be a connectivity company, not a satellite TV company.
4) There have also been a lot of rumors that Dish is an acquisition target, particularly due to the large amounts of spectrum they own.
Will they be successful? I don't know. Ergen is a VERY interesting dude, and I honestly believe that he saw a LONG time ago that the company needed to pivot. He's made some big bets on spectrum, and if they play out right for him, Dish is going to be just fine.
