Liberty Media Corporation News
Liberty Media Reports Record First Quarter Financial Results
— Completed News Corp deal and subsequently issued Liberty Entertainment tracking stock and reclassified Liberty Capital tracking stock. — Liberty Interactive Group's revenue increased 10% and operating cash flow increased 5%. — QVC's consolidated revenue increased 5% to $1.77 billion and operating cash flow increased 3% to $387 million. — Liberty Entertainment Group's revenue increased 11% and operating cash flow increased 17%.
"Liberty Media's transformation continues as we focus on building long term shareholder value by bringing a disciplined operating and creative financial approach to managing our assets," stated
On
Also during the quarter, Liberty modified certain terms of its 0.75% Time Warner Exchangeable Senior Debentures due 2023 to induce holders not to exercise their
LIBERTY INTERACTIVE GROUP — The businesses and assets attributed to Liberty Interactive Group are engaged in, or are ownership interests in companies that are engaged in, video and on-line commerce, and currently include Liberty's subsidiaries QVC, Provide Commerce, Backcountry.com, Inc., Bodybuilding.com, LLC and BUYSEASONS, Inc. and its 30% interest in IAC/InterActiveCorp, 25% interest in Expedia and 20% interest in GSI Commerce. Liberty has identified wholly-owned QVC, Inc. as the principal operating segment of Liberty Interactive Group.
Liberty Interactive Group's revenue increased 10% and operating cash flow increased 5% for the quarter. The increases are primarily due to growth at QVC and Provide Commerce and the addition of Backcountry.com, Inc. and Bodybuilding.com, LLC which were acquired in
QVC
QVC's consolidated revenue increased 5% in the first quarter to
"While we demonstrated slight revenue and operating cash flow improvement in a challenging retail environment, our results this quarter remained below QVC targets," said
QVC's domestic revenue modestly increased in the first quarter to
QVC's international revenue increased 15% in the first quarter to
The U.K. continued to show positive results during the quarter with revenue increasing 11% in local currency on an 11% increase in units shipped. QVC Japan's net revenue increased 4% in local currency during the first quarter 2008, the first increase since the first quarter of 2007. Beginning in
QVC's outstanding bank debt was
E-Commerce Businesses
Liberty Interactive's other e-commerce businesses, which include Backcountry.com, Provide Commerce, Bodybuilding.com and BUYSEASONS, had strong financial results in the first quarter and continue to grow at a rapid pace. In the aggregate, the e-commerce businesses experienced revenue and operating cash flow growth of 113% and 144%, respectively, primarily due to the previously mentioned acquisitions. Assuming the businesses were all consolidated on
Share Repurchases
During the first quarter, Liberty repurchased 4.7 million shares of Series A Liberty Interactive common stock at an average cost per share of
LIBERTY ENTERTAINMENT GROUP — The businesses and assets attributed to Liberty Entertainment Group are engaged in, or are ownership interests in companies that are engaged in, television and internet distribution and programming, and currently include Liberty's subsidiaries Starz Entertainment, LLC ("Starz Entertainment"), FUN Technologies, Inc., and the Liberty Sports Group, its equity affiliates GSN LLC and WildBlue Communications, Inc. and its interest in DIRECTV. Liberty has identified Starz Entertainment, LLC, a consolidated, wholly-owned subsidiary, as the principal operating segment of Liberty Entertainment Group. As noted earlier, Liberty issued the Liberty Entertainment Group tracking stock on
Liberty Entertainment Group's revenue increased 11% and operating cash flow increased 17% for the quarter. The increases are primarily due to the addition of the Liberty Sports Group which was acquired in
Starz Entertainment, LLC
Starz Entertainment revenue increased 3% to
The increase in revenue was primarily due to an increase in the effective rates for Starz Entertainment's services. Starz and Encore, the two principal service offerings of Starz Entertainment, experienced average subscription unit increases of 6% and 12%, respectively, during the quarter. The effects of these increases in subscription units are somewhat mitigated by Starz Entertainment's fixed-rate affiliation agreements.
Starz Entertainment's operating expenses increased 4% due to increased SG&A expenses associated with a new Starz branding campaign. Programming expenses were flat as lower bonus payment amortization was offset by a higher effective rate for the movie titles exhibited in 2008. Starz Entertainment continues to expect its 2008 programming expenses to be comparable to 2007 levels as it invests in original programming initiatives with the launch of its series Crash, Head Case, and Hollywood Residential.
"We continue to execute on our strategy of audience aggregation by being a fully integrated media company with the ability to produce all kinds of programming distributed on all platforms," said Starz LLC Chairman and CEO
Share Repurchases
During the quarter, Liberty announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to
LIBERTY CAPITAL GROUP — The newly reclassified Liberty Capital tracking stock began trading on
Liberty Capital Group's revenue increased
Starz Media followed up the January release of Mad Money with the April release of The Visitor to wide critical acclaim. Mad Money will soon be released on home video and air on Starz' premium channels. Starz' animation and live-action studios continue to produce original and for-hire content to be delivered across the Starz and other distribution channels.
Share Repurchases
During the quarter, Liberty announced that its Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to
1. Please see page 10 of this press release for the definition of operating cash flow and a discussion of management's use of this performance measure. Schedule 1 to this press release provides a reconciliation of Liberty's consolidated segment operating cash flow for its operating segments to consolidated earnings from continuing operations before income taxes and minority interests. Schedule 2 to this press release provides a reconciliation of the operating cash flow for each privately held entity presented herein to that entity's operating income for the same period, as determined under GAAP.
NOTES
Liberty Media Corporation operates and owns interests in a broad range of video and on-line commerce, media, communications and entertainment businesses. Those interests are currently attributed to three tracking stock groups: Liberty Interactive Group, Liberty Entertainment Group and Liberty Capital Group.
As a supplement to Liberty's consolidated statements of operations included in its 10-Q, the following is a presentation of financial information on a stand-alone basis for QVC and Starz Entertainment which have been identified as the principal operating segments of Liberty Interactive and Liberty Entertainment, respectively.
Unless otherwise noted, the foregoing discussion compares financial information for the three months ended
Fair Value of Public Holdings and Derivatives (amounts in millions and include the value of derivatives) December 31, March 31, 2007 2008 InterActiveCorp $1,863 1,728 Expedia (1) 2,189 1,515 GSI Commerce 181 121 Total Attributed Liberty Interactive Group $4,233 3,364 News Corporation 10,647 - DIRECTV (1) - 11,662 Total Attributed Liberty Entertainment Group $10,647 $11,662 Non-Strategic Public Holdings (2) 5,042 4,565 Total Attributed Liberty Capital Group $5,042 4,565 (1) Represents fair value of Liberty's investments in Expedia and DIRECTV. In accordance with GAAP, Liberty accounts for these investments using the equity method of accounting and includes these investments in its consolidated balance sheet at their historical carrying values. Does not include 78.3 million DIRECTV shares purchased on April 2, 2008. (2) Represents Liberty's non-strategic public holdings which are accounted for at fair value including any associated equity derivatives on such investments. Also includes the liability associated with borrowed shares which totaled $1,183 million and $751 million at December 31, 2007 and March 31, 2008, respectively.
Cash and Debt
The following presentation is provided to separately identify cash and liquid investments and debt information.
(amounts in millions) December 31, March 31, 2007 2008 Cash and Cash Related Investments: Total Attributed Liberty Interactive Group Cash (GAAP) $557 646 Total Attributed Liberty Entertainment Group Cash (GAAP) 89 981 Total Attributed Liberty Capital Group Cash (GAAP) (1) 2,489 2,259 Total Liberty Consolidated Cash (GAAP) $3,135 3,886 Debt: Senior Notes and Debentures (2) $3,108 3,108 QVC Bank Credit Facility 4,023 4,489 Other 61 78 Less: Unamortized Discount (15) (14) Total Attributed Liberty Interactive Group Debt (GAAP) 7,177 7,661 Senior Exchangeable Debentures (3) 551 551 Other 54 54 Total Attributed Liberty Entertainment Group Debt 605 605 Less: Fair Market Value Adjustment (132) (166) Total Attributed Liberty Entertainment Group Debt (GAAP) (4) 473 439 Senior Exchangeable Debentures (3) 3,930 3,442 Bank Credit Facility 750 750 Other 44 673 Total Attributed Liberty Capital Group Debt 4,724 4,865 Less: Fair Market Value Adjustment (659) (963) Total Attributed Liberty Capital Group Debt (GAAP) 4,065 3,902 Total Consolidated Liberty Debt (GAAP) (4) $11,715 12,002 (1) Does not include $692 million and $643 million of restricted cash on December 31, 2007 and March 31, 2008, respectively, that is reflected in other long-term assets in Liberty's condensed consolidated balance sheet. Please see discussion related to Investment Fund in the footnotes to Liberty's condensed consolidated financial statements included in its most recently filed Form 10-Q. (2) Face amount of Senior Notes and Debentures with no reduction for the unamortized discount. (3) Face amount of Senior Exchangeable Debentures with no reduction for the fair market value adjustment. (4) Does not include the $1.98 billion of debt used to fund the April 2, 2008 purchase of 78.3 million DIRECTV shares.
Total attributed Liberty Interactive Group cash and liquid investments increased
Total attributed Liberty Entertainment Group cash and liquid investments increased
Total attributed Liberty Capital Group cash and liquid investments decreased
Important Notice: Liberty Media Corporation (Nasdaq: LINTA, LINTB, LMDIA, LMDIB, LCAPA, LCAPB) President and CEO,
Certain statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including the statements regarding the long-term prospects of QVC and anticipated programming costs for Starz Entertainment in 2008. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and assumptions, which are inherently subject to uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Actual results, performance or achievements of the operating businesses of Liberty included herein could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks, uncertainties and other factors include, among others: the risks and factors described in the publicly filed documents of Liberty, including the most recently filed Form 10-Q of Liberty; general economic and business conditions and industry trends including in the advertising and retail markets; the continued strength of the industries in which such businesses operate; continued consolidation of the broadband distribution and movie studio industries; uncertainties inherent in proposed business strategies and development plans; changes in distribution and viewing of television programming, including the expanded deployment of personal video recorders and IP television and their impact on television advertising revenue and home shopping networks; disruption in the production of theatrical films or television programs due to strike by unions representing writers, directors or actors; increased digital television penetration and the impact on channel positioning of our networks; rapid technological changes; future financial performance, including availability, terms and deployment of capital; availability of qualified personnel; the development and provision of programming for new television and telecommunications technologies; changes in, or the failure or the inability to comply with, government regulation, including, without limitation, regulations of the Federal Communications Commission, and adverse outcomes from regulatory proceedings; adverse outcomes in pending litigation; changes in the nature of key strategic relationships with partners and joint ventures; competitor responses to such operating businesses' products and services, and the overall market acceptance of such products and services, including acceptance of the pricing of such products and services; and threatened terrorist attacks and ongoing military action, including armed conflict in the
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
As a supplement to Liberty's consolidated statements of operations, the following is a presentation of quarterly financial information and operating metrics on a stand-alone basis for the two largest privately held businesses (QVC and Starz Entertainment) owned by or in which Liberty held an interest at
Please see below for the definition of operating cash flow (OCF) and Schedule 2 at the end of this document for reconciliations for the applicable periods in 2007 and 2008 of operating cash flow to operating income, as determined under GAAP, for each identified entity.
QUARTERLY SUMMARY (amounts in millions) 1Q07 2Q07 3Q07 4Q07 1Q08 Liberty Interactive Group QVC (100%) Revenue - Domestic $1,174 1,184 1,174 1,676 1,176 Revenue - International 510 509 512 658 589 Revenue - Total $1,684 1,693 1,686 2,334 1,765 OCF - Domestic $278 292 278 396 281 OCF - International 96 91 86 135 106 OCF - Total $374 383 364 531 387 Operating Income $243 244 231 396 250 Gross Margin - Domestic 36.8% 37.6% 36.6% 35.4% 36.4% Gross Margin - International 37.6% 37.5% 36.7% 37.3% 36.8% Liberty Entertainment Group STARZ ENTERTAINMENT (100%) Revenue $265 254 282 265 273 OCF $73 55 88 48 74 Operating Income $60 42 78 30 60 Subscription Units - Starz 15.8 16.1 16.0 16.3 16.8 Subscription Units - Encore 28.2 28.4 30.3 30.7 31.4
NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
This press release includes a presentation of operating cash flow, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, for each of the privately held entities of Liberty included herein together with a reconciliation of that non-GAAP measure to the privately held entity's operating income, determined under GAAP. Liberty defines operating cash flow as revenue less cost of sales, operating expenses, and selling, general and administrative expenses (excluding stock and other equity-based compensation). Operating cash flow, as defined by Liberty, excludes depreciation and amortization, stock and other equity-based compensation and restructuring and impairment charges that are included in the measurement of operating income pursuant to GAAP.
Liberty believes operating cash flow is an important indicator of the operational strength and performance of its businesses, including the ability to service debt and fund capital expenditures. In addition, this measure allows management to view operating results and perform analytical comparisons and benchmarking between businesses and identify strategies to improve performance. Because operating cash flow is used as a measure of operating performance, Liberty views operating income as the most directly comparable GAAP measure. Operating cash flow is not meant to replace or supercede operating income or any other GAAP measure, but rather to supplement such GAAP measures in order to present investors with the same information that Liberty's management considers in assessing the results of operations and performance of its assets. Please see the attached schedules for a reconciliation of consolidated segment operating cash flow to consolidated earnings from continuing operations before income taxes and minority interest (Schedule 1) and a reconciliation, for QVC and Starz Entertainment, of each identified entity's operating cash flow to its operating income calculated in accordance with GAAP (Schedule 2).
SCHEDULE 1
The following table provides a reconciliation of consolidated segment operating cash flow to earnings from continuing operations before income taxes and minority interest for the three months ended
(amounts in millions) 2007 2008 Liberty Interactive Group $382 401 Liberty Entertainment Group 69 81 Liberty Capital Group (29) (59) Consolidated segment operating cash flow $422 423 Consolidated segment operating cash flow $422 423 Stock compensation (22) (16) Depreciation and amortization (151) (177) Interest expense (150) (166) Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments, net 344 (285) Gains on disposition of assets, net 6 3,682 Other, net 84 102 Earnings from continuing operations before income taxes and minority interest $533 3,563
SCHEDULE 2
The following table provides a reconciliation for QVC and Starz Entertainment of operating cash flow to operating income calculated in accordance with GAAP for the three months ended
(amounts in millions) 1Q07 2Q07 3Q07 4Q07 1Q08 Liberty Interactive Group QVC (100%) Operating Cash Flow $374 383 364 531 387 Depreciation and Amortization (120) (134) (129) (133) (132) Stock Compensation Expense (11) (5) (4) (2) (5) Operating Income $243 244 231 396 250 Liberty Entertainment Group STARZ ENTERTAINMENT (100%) Operating Cash Flow $73 55 88 48 74 Depreciation and Amortization (6) (6) (3) (6) (4) Stock Compensation Expense (7) (7) (7) (12) (10) Operating Income $60 42 78 30 60
SOURCE Liberty Media Corporation
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