DISH Confronts Historic Low Satisfaction with Pay-TV, Kicks off “Tuned In To You” Promise with New Campaign

• DISH President: ‘Customers just want to be heard in an industry
  that has forsaken its ability to listen’
• DISH promotes customer-first mentality among employees with
  introduction of immersive training program, ‘Base Camp’
• New ‘Spokeslistener’ marketing campaign brings to life ‘Tuned In To
  You’ promise by challenging traditional spokesperson convention; first
  of new ads drop today

ENGLEWOOD, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–DISH today shared its vision to confront the low customer satisfaction
pervasive throughout the pay-TV industry. To redefine its relationship
with customers, DISH is doubling down on a company-wide commitment to listen,
in an industry that does not. This sentiment is captured in DISH’s newly
launched “Tuned In To You™” promise and accompanying “Spokeslistener™”
campaign.

“Customers just want to be heard in an industry that has forsaken its
ability to listen,” said Erik Carlson, DISH president and chief
operating officer. “‘Tuned In To You’ is more than a marketing slogan.
It’s a company-wide rallying cry and a long-term business philosophy.
DISH has a history of putting our customers first and taking bold steps
to make TV better. We are at our best when we listen to and fight for
what our customers want.”

DISH has served as a disruptive force since its 1980 emergence cemented
satellite television as viable competition to the cable industry,
ultimately driving innovation and lower prices. This tradition continued
with DISH as the first pay-TV provider to offer a DVR, and more recently
with an abundance of advancements like AutoHop,
conflict-free
TV with Hopper 3, Netflix
on Hopper DVRs, DISH
Anywhere, HopperGO,
as well as the My Tech tool’s reliable 75-minute arrival windows.
Further, the company has consistently fought for lower prices and
customizable programming options, including its 2-Year
Price Guarantee, Flex
Pack™ skinny bundle and live over-the-top service, Sling
TV.

DISH is examining every customer touchpoint, across all departments, to
evolve the delivery of customer service throughout its nationwide
workforce. These efforts are exemplified by the October launch of “Base
Camp,” an immersive training program that taps into the deep
understanding that frontline employees have of DISH’s customer base.

Through Base Camp, corporate employees work in the field for one month
to gain practical experience supporting new and existing customers.
Participants field customer calls from billing inquiries to tech
troubleshooting to sales inquiries from prospective customers. They
spend full business days accompanying DISH’s professional technicians to
observe the in-home services completed daily.

“The notion that management should roll back its sleeves and work with
its customer base is almost unheard of in corporate America,” said
Carlson. “But we can’t possibly fulfill on our ‘Tuned In To You’ promise
without a working knowledge of our customers and the interactions they
have with our brand.”

DISH expects to graduate 700 employees – including senior leaders – from
Base Camp by year end. All interns and full-time new hires at DISH’s
headquarters complete Base Camp within the first two months of their
employment, while a plan is in place for all existing corporate team
members to enroll in the training.

“Base Camp was one of the most eye-opening and educational
experiences I’ve had during my tenure at DISH,” said Warren Schlichting,
DISH executive vice president of media sales, marketing and programming.
“One by one, Base Camp is instilling into the members of our
headquarters team a ‘Tuned In To You’ mentality and a sense of urgency
to improve our customer experience.”

An immediate change consumers will see is DISH prominently featuring
feedback forms across every DISH.com
webpage. While the company has always sought feedback, it’s now
proactively asking TV lovers to share the ideas they see as capable of
improving the customer experience. These real-time insights are
distributed to designated leaders throughout the DISH business for
review and potential implementation.

DISH and the Spokeslistener

With internal changes underway, DISH’s “Tuned In To You” promise kicked
off today with a new multimillion dollar campaign – “The Spokeslistener”
– that challenges the traditional spokesperson convention commonly used
in television advertisements. DISH, with creative agency Camp + King,
launched a series of television, radio and digital advertisements that
illustrate the common frustrations experienced by pay-TV customers and
the solutions offered by DISH.

“A spokesman talks at you, while a Spokeslistener listens to and
communicates with you,” said Jay Roth, DISH senior vice president and
chief marketing officer. “It’s a demonstration of our commitment to
acknowledge common customer frustrations, and then take the appropriate
action to provide meaningful solutions.”

DISH’s first two Spokeslistener spots are rolling out on local network
affiliates (ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox) today in more than 150 markets
nationwide. Watch the spots here
and here.
The company will introduce additional ads in the coming months.

About DISH

DISH Network Corp. (NASDAQ:DISH), through its subsidiaries, provides
approximately 13.643 million pay-TV subscribers, as of September 30,
2016, with the highest-quality programming and technology with the most
choices at the best value. DISH offers a high definition line-up with
more than 200 national HD channels, the most international channels and
award-winning HD and DVR technology. DISH Network Corporation is a
Fortune 200 company. Visit www.dish.com.

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Contacts

DISH Network L.L.C.
Danielle Johnson
303-723-2191
danielle.johnson@dish.com
@DISHNews