FILE PHOTO: A Dish Network satellite dish is shown on a residential home in Encinitas, California, U.S., November 8, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake

(Reuters) - Dish Network Corp DISH.O posted a better-than-expected quarterly profit on Thursday, as the U.S. satellite TV service provider surprised Wall Street by adding more payTV subscribers.

The company’s pay-TV business added 148,000 subscribers in the second quarter, compared with analysts’ estimates for a loss of 166,000, according to research firm FactSet.

Dish has attempted to boost its online streaming service, Sling TV, by allowing viewers to watch both live and on-demand TV channels including Disney’s ESPN and Warner Media’s HBO. The effort paid off as the unit added 220,000 subscribers, compared with the previous quarter.

The company is also expected to get a stronger presence in the wireless market if the merger between T-Mobile TMUS.O and Sprint Corp S.N goes through, as the deal requires Sprint to sell its prepaid business to Dish.

Net income attributable to the company fell to $353 million, or 66 cents per share, in the third quarter ended Sept. 30 from $432 million, or 82 cents per share, a year earlier.

Analysts on average had expected a profit of 61 cents per share, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.

Revenue fell 6.8% to $3.17 billion, but beat analysts’ average estimate of $3.16 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.