(Reuters) - U.S. satellite TV operator Dish Network Corp (O:DISH) reported a 56.6 percent jump in quarterly profit and a smaller-than-expected decline in pay-TV subscriptions.
Dish said it lost 116,000 pay-TV subscribers on a net basis in the third quarter ended Sept. 30. Analysts on average had expected a decline of 142,000, according to market research firm FactSet StreetEstimate.
Dish's pay-TV subscriber numbers include satellite TV and its online streaming service, Sling TV.
The company's satellite TV service, its mainstay, has been under pressure as more customers shift to online streaming services such as Netflix (O:NFLX) and ditch traditional cable, a trend known as "cord-cutting".
Dish last year launched Sling TV, a cheaper online streaming service with a slim bundle of channels, including live programing from networks such as ESPN. The company has also added NFL Network and NFL Redzone channels to Sling TV.
Dish, which raised its video service rates in January, said its average revenue per user rose to $89.44, beating the average analyst estimate of $89.12, according to FactSet.
The net income attributable to Dish rose to $307 million, or 64 cents per share, in the third quarter, from $196 million, or 42 cents per share, a year earlier.
Total revenue rose slightly to $3.75 billion from $3.73 billion.
Analysts on average had expected a profit of 68 cents per share and revenue of $3.74 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.