US satellite TV provider Dish Network has announced it will accept Bitcoin payments from customers starting in the third quarter of this year.

The company, based in Colorado, will use Bitcoin payments processor Coinbase to process the transactions. Customers will be able to transfer Bitcoins through an online facility; Coinbase will absorb the digital currency and then remit dollars to Dish.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Bernie Han, Dish’s executive vice president, commented: "With this move, Dish isn’t necessarily making a bet on the future of digital currencies. But we see this new payment option as a way to boost customer service.

"We always want to deliver choice and convenience for our customers and that include the method they use to pay their bills."

Dish – which supplies 14m households with satellite TV and made $13.9bn in revenue last year – is the third-largest pay-TV provider in the United States. It stated that it will be the biggest company to accept Bitcoin so far.

"The initial idea for accepting Bitcoin came from Dish employees, some of whom are avid Bitcoin users," Han added.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Bitcoin payments processor Coinbase, headquartered in San Francisco, California, was launched in June 2012.

At the end of 2013, the company announced that it was processing $15m per month in Bitcoin transactions and that its customer base has reached 650,000 users.

Earlier this week, Coinbase launched a new feature called ‘Payment Pages’ allowing users to make a social, sharable payment profile.

Related articles:

PayStand unveils new online payment service for bitcoin, credit cards and e-checks

SmartMetric biometric payment card to enable P2P transfer of bitcoins