Net income for the second quarter of 2001 was $2m (£1.4m), or break-even on a per-share basis, beating analyst expectations of 10 cents (7p) a share. Income rose $135m (£94.6m) from $133m (£93.3m) last time.
EchoStar sits behind DirecTV in the US satellite pay-TV market. EchoStar recently launched a takeover bid for DirecTV, but was turned down by Hughes Electronics, a division of General Motors, in favour of a bid by Rupert Murdoch.
A potential merger of DirecTV and EchoStar sparked fears among GM executives about a lengthy anti-trust investigation by regulators.
Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is believed to be close to agreeing a deal with GM, which would see its digital and satellite holding company Sky Global Networks, parent of BSkyB, merging with Hughes.