DISH freezes pricing to 2009

Echostar will freeze prices for its most popular satellite television packages until 2009 as competition sharpens in the slowing U.S. economy. The owner of the DISH Network said it is also offering three months free programming to new customers and will waive activation fees.

The move comes as stronger concerns over a U.S. recession prompt investors to question where consumers will cut their home spending on goods and services. The concerns have intensified competition for pay-TV customers among satellite television operators, cable TV companies and phone companies that have launched nascent video services.

EchoStar has traditionally marketed its services to lower income households as well as to the higher end, while larger satellite rival DIRECTV Group DTV.O has more recently focused on higher income households by tightening credit requirements for new customers. Some analysts believe this is one of the reasons EchoStar has seen a sharper slowdown in subscriber growth as economic pressures first begin to be felt at the lower end of market.