Dish becomes latest pay-TV operator to raise prices

Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH) has become the latest pay-TV operator to announce significant rate increases, upping the price of its "America's Top 120" and "America's Top 200" programming tiers by $5 a month.

According to TV Predictions, the price hikes--which also include a $2-a-month hike for Dish's "Smart Pack"--will not impact customers on promotional rates.

Dish, of course, attributes to the price rise to spiraling program costs.

"As the entire pay TV industry continues to experience significant increases in programming costs, well above the rate of inflation, Dish is making moderate price adjustments effective February 1, 2015," a spokesman told TV Predictions. "The percentage increase to our core package prices is far less than the percentage increase in programming costs to Dish."

Satellite rival DirecTV (NASDAQ: DTV) has already implemented rate increases of up to 6 percent, citing the same reasons. Cable operators Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA), Time Warner Cable (NYSE: TWC), Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) and Cox have also raised prices, although they're also touting DOCSIS 3.0 upgrades as excuses.

For more:
- read this TV Predictions post

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Cablevision customers warned about 2015 rate increases
Cable companies push back on spiraling program costs
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