Rogers Communications reports third quarter 2015 results
- Rogers 3.0 plan delivers solid financial and operating metrics
- Continued revenue growth of 4% with increases across Wireless, Cable, and Media
- Adjusted operating profit growth of 3% and strong free cash flow of $660 million
- Wireless network revenue growth of 3%; 77,000 Wireless postpaid net additions on flat churn
- ARPA up 4% with strong growth in Share Everything plan adoption; now 33% of our postpaid base
- Cable adjusted operating profit up 2%; 24,000 Internet net additions up 50%
- Media adjusted operating profit more than doubled with the Toronto Blue Jays' on-field success and as Sportsnet continued as Canada's #1 sports brand on TV
- Introduced Rogers IGNITE Gigabit Internet; expected to cover Rogers' entire cable footprint by the end of 2016
- Launched 4K TV and announced the world's largest commitment to live sports broadcasting in 4K
- Launched LTE Extended Coverage so that Rogers offers unsurpassed LTE coverage nationally
TORONTO, Oct. 22, 2015 /CNW/ - Rogers Communications Inc., a leading diversified Canadian communications and media company, today announced its unaudited financial and operating results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2015.
Consolidated Financial Highlights
| Three months ended September 30 | |||
| (In millions of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts, unaudited) | 2015 | 2014 | |
| Operating revenue | 3,384 | 3,252 | |
| As adjusted 1: | |||
| Operating profit | 1,345 | 1,312 | |
| Net income | 472 | 405 | |
| Basic earnings per share | $ 0.92 | $ 0.79 | |
| Net income | 464 | 332 | |
| Basic earnings per share | $ 0.90 | $ 0.64 | |
| Free cash flow 1 | 660 | 370 | |
| Cash provided by operating activities | 1,456 | 1,057 | |
| 1 | Adjusted amounts and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures and should not be considered as a substitute or alternative for GAAP measures. These are not defined terms under IFRS and do not have standard meanings, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies. See "Non-GAAP Measures" for information about these measures, including how we calculate them. |
"It was a busy and productive quarter. We delivered solid financial and operating metrics again this quarter whilst delivering a number of new and exciting services to our customers," said Guy Laurence, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rogers Communications. "We also announced a significant enhancement to our residential proposition by introducing a 1-gigabit Internet service. It's clear the 'need for speed' is already becoming evident as the majority of new customers are moving to 100Mbps+ speeds. This, combined with our commitment to becoming the world's largest broadcaster of 4K sports content next year, sets us up well for the future. We also made steady progress on the customer experience and introduced the first in a series of leapfrog technologies to our business customers. To top it all, the Toronto Blue Jays made it to the American League Championship Series. It's been amazing to see the city and the country rally behind Canada's baseball team."
Key Financial Highlights
Higher operating revenue
Consolidated revenue increased 4% this quarter reflecting revenue growth of 5% in Wireless, 1% in Cable, and 8% in Media. Wireless revenue increased on greater smartphone sales and higher network revenue from the continued adoption of higher ARPA-generating Rogers Share Everything plans. Cable revenue increased due to continued Internet revenue growth and Media revenue increased primarily as a result of growth at Sportsnet and the Toronto Blue Jays.
Higher adjusted operating profit
The 3% increase in consolidated adjusted operating profit this quarter largely reflects the flow-through of the revenue growth discussed above, as well as cost efficiency improvements throughout the business. Wireless adjusted operating profit declined 1% primarily due to higher acquisition and retention costs.
Free cash flow growth improving financial flexibility
In the third quarter, we continued to generate strong operating cash flow and free cash flow at $1,456 million and $660 million, respectively. Our solid financial results enable us to continue to make investments in our network and still return substantial capital to shareholders. We paid $247 million in dividends this quarter, which represents a 5% increase from the same quarter last year.
Outlook
The company reiterates its 2015 outlook 1 as follows:
| 2015 | |||||||||||||||||||
| (In millions of dollars) | Guidance | ||||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated Guidance | |||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted operating profit 2 | 5,020 | to | 5,175 | ||||||||||||||||
| Additions to property, plant and equipment 3 | 2,350 | to | 2,450 | ||||||||||||||||
| Free cash flow 2 | 1,525 | to | 1,675 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | The preceding table outlines guidance ranges for selected full-year 2015 consolidated financial metrics provided in our January 29, 2015 earnings release and subsequently updated on July 23, 2015. These ranges take into consideration our current outlook and are based on a number of assumptions, including those provided in our January 29, 2015 earnings release. Information about our guidance, including its various underlying assumptions, is forward-looking and should be read in conjunction with "About Forward-Looking Information" and the related disclosure and information about various economic, competitive, and regulatory assumptions, factors, and risks that may cause our actual future financial and operating results to differ from what we currently expect. |
| 2 | Adjusted operating profit and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures and should not be considered as a substitute or alternative for GAAP measures. These are not defined terms under IFRS and do not have standard meanings, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies. See "Non-GAAP Measures" for information about these measures, including how we calculate them. |
| 3 | Includes additions to property, plant and equipment for the Wireless, Cable, Business Solutions, Media, and Corporate segments and does not include expenditures on spectrum licences. |
Strategic Update
Our Rogers 3.0 plan is a multi-year plan intended to:
- re-accelerate revenue growth in a sustainable way
- continue the company's track record of translating revenue into strong margins and free cash flow, a solid return on assets, and ultimately increasing returns to shareholders
Since the launch of 3.0, we have completed a company-wide reorganization that included removing three layers of management and a restructuring to ensure an enhanced customer focus. We remain committed to executing the pillars of 3.0:
- Be a Strong Canadian Growth Company
- Overhaul the Customer Experience
- Deliver Compelling Content Everywhere
- Focus on Innovation and Network Leadership
- Drive Growth in the Business Market
- Invest In and Develop Our People
- Go to Market as One Rogers
Our disciplined, steady execution during the quarter delivered the following against our 3.0 plan:
- solid growth in revenue and adjusted operating profit at 4% and 3%, respectively
- strong operating cash flow and free cash flow of $1,456 million and $660 million, respectively
- flat churn in our wireless business despite a seasonally competitive quarter and the "double cohort", as customer experience investments and value-added propositions gain traction
- Wireless net postpaid subscriber additions of 77,000 - over four times greater than the prior year quarter
- ARPA up 4% and blended ARPU up 3% excluding Mobilicity, roaming, and Wireless Home Phone
- higher-value smartphone activations of 737,000 devices, up 20%
- Internet net subscriber additions up 50% on strong adoption of IGNITE Internet offerings
Introduced Rogers IGNITE Gigabit Internet; expected to cover Rogers' entire cable footprint by the end of 2016
Today over 3.4 million homes in Ontario can get Rogers' Internet speeds up to five times faster than the competition. In October 2015, we announced plans to deliver 1-gigabit speeds to our entire cable footprint of over four million homes by the end of 2016. We can offer 1-gigabit services in 2016 using available spectrum capacity on our fibre-coaxial network at an incremental capital cost of less than $50 per home. As demand grows over time, we will need to augment capacity, but our ongoing investments will continue to be success-based. Our capital efficiency advantage will position us to earn attractive returns on investment for our shareholders.
Launched 4K TV and 4K set-top box; will broadcast over 100 live sporting events in 4K, including every 2016 Toronto Blue Jays home game and over 20 marquee NHL games
Rogers will deliver the next big innovation in home entertainment with the launch of 4K-ready gigabit Internet speeds, a new 4K set-top box, Rogers 4K TV, and the world's largest commitment to live sports broadcasting in 4K. These initiatives will allow our customers to enjoy four times the amount of pixels in standard HDTV for higher resolution and improved motion video. This launch highlights the unique mix of Rogers' assets:
- the delivery of 4K content requiring considerably more bandwidth, and allowing us to leverage our fibre-coaxial network advantage; and
- Rogers' sports content portfolio, which differentiates Sportsnet from its competitor.
Beginning in 2016, Rogers' customers will be able to access over 500 hours of live sports, movies, and shows, in addition to an ever-growing catalogue of original series, in 4K through a partnership with Netflix.
Compelling value propositions to attract higher lifetime value subscribers
We continued to introduce value-for-money offerings with leading content that increases the use of mobile devices and monetizes increasing data usage. We remain disciplined in how we attract value-accretive customers. During the quarter, we:
- expanded Roam Like Home from 35 to 75 countries with the addition of Mexico, the Caribbean, and South and Central America, further simplifying how our Wireless consumers use the Internet, make calls, and send texts and emails with their Share Everything plans; now representing over 2.1 million Roam Like Home customers;
- broadened the popular shomi video streaming service to be available to all Canadians coast to coast; and
- enhanced our Share Everything Plans by launching Share Everything+, allowing customers to choose from one of three content experiences: Texture by Next Issue, shomi, or Spotify Premium. This builds upon existing value offerings of Roam Like Home and Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE, growing our Share Everything subscribers to 33% of our current postpaid base.
Launched LTE Extended Coverage so that Rogers offers unsurpassed LTE coverage nationally
Since January, the Rogers LTE network has grown over 3 times larger across Canada. We activated AWS-1 spectrum, just one month after acquiring it, increasing LTE network capacity and the speed millions of customers can experience in key population centres in BC and Alberta. Rogers continues to roll out our prime "lower block" 700 MHz LTE spectrum, which provides better in-building penetration and rural LTE coverage. Our 700 MHz spectrum coverage now stands at 71% of Canada's population.
About non-GAAP measures
This earnings release contains non-GAAP measures such as adjusted operating profit, adjusted operating profit margin, adjusted net income, free cash flow, adjusted net debt, adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit, and adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share. These are non-GAAP measures and should not be considered as a substitute or alternative for GAAP measures. These are not defined terms under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and do not have standard meanings, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies. See "Non-GAAP Measures" for information about these measures, including how we calculate them.
About Rogers
Rogers Communications is a leading diversified public Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services to consumers and businesses. Through Rogers Media, we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. Our stock is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.
Information on or connected to our website is not part of or incorporated into this earnings release.
Quarterly Investment Community Teleconference
The third quarter 2015 results teleconference with the investment community will be held on:
- October 22, 2015
- 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time
- webcast available at rogers.com/webcast
- media are welcome to participate on a listen-only basis
A rebroadcast will be available at rogers.com/investors on the Events and Presentations page for at least two weeks following the teleconference. Additionally, investors should note that from time to time, Rogers' management presents at brokerage-sponsored investor conferences. Most often, but not always, these conferences are webcast by the hosting brokerage firm, and when they are webcast, links are made available on Rogers' website at rogers.com/events and are placed there generally at least two days before the conference.
For More Information
You can find additional information relating to us on our website (rogers.com/investors), including Supplementary Information and on SEDAR (sedar.com), on EDGAR (sec.gov), or by e-mailing your request to [email protected]. Information on or connected to these and other websites referenced in this earnings release is not part of, or incorporated into, this earnings release.
You can also go to rogers.com/investors for information about our governance practices, corporate social responsibility reporting, a glossary of communications and media industry terms, and additional information about our business.
This earnings release contains important information about our business and our performance for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, as well as forward-looking information about future periods.
This earnings release should be read in conjunction with our Third Quarter 2015 MD&A; our Third Quarter 2015 Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto, which have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34, Interim Financial Reporting, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB); our 2014 Annual MD&A; our 2014 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto, which have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB; and our other recent filings with Canadian and US securities regulatory authorities, which are available on SEDAR at sedar.com or EDGAR at sec.gov, respectively.
For more information about Rogers, including product and service offerings, competitive market and industry trends, and our overarching strategy, see "Understanding Our Business", "Our Strategy", and "Capability to Deliver Results" in our 2014 Annual MD&A. For our key performance drivers and objectives, see "Key Performance Drivers and Highlights" in our 2014 Annual MD&A and the section "Strategic Update" and "Key Financial Highlights" on pages 2 to 4 of our Third Quarter 2015 earnings release.
All dollar amounts in this earnings release are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. All percentage changes are calculated using the rounded numbers as they appear in the tables. This earnings release is current as at October 21, 2015 and was approved by the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors on that date. This earnings release includes forward-looking statements and assumptions. See "About Forward-Looking Information" for more information. We, us, our, Rogers, Rogers Communications, and the Company refer to Rogers Communications Inc. and its subsidiaries. RCI refers to the legal entity Rogers Communications Inc., not including its subsidiaries. RCI also holds interests in various investments and ventures.
We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI).
In this earnings release, this quarter refers to the three months ended September 30, 2015 and year to date refers to the nine months ended September 30, 2015. All results commentary is compared to the equivalent periods in 2014 or as at December 31, 2014, as applicable, unless otherwise indicated.
Summary of Consolidated Financial Results
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||
| (In millions of dollars, except margins and per share amounts) | 2015 | 2014 | % Chg | 2015 | 2014 | % Chg | ||
| Operating revenue | ||||||||
| Wireless | 1,973 | 1,880 | 5 | 5,670 | 5,407 | 5 | ||
| Cable | 871 | 864 | 1 | 2,610 | 2,596 | 1 | ||
| Business Solutions | 94 | 96 | (2) | 282 | 285 | (1) | ||
| Media | 473 | 440 | 8 | 1,519 | 1,282 | 18 | ||
| Corporate items and intercompany eliminations | (27) | (28) | (4) | (119) | (86) | 38 | ||
| Operating revenue | 3,384 | 3,252 | 4 | 9,962 | 9,484 | 5 | ||
| Adjusted operating profit | ||||||||
| Wireless | 879 | 888 | (1) | 2,485 | 2,521 | (1) | ||
| Cable | 416 | 409 | 2 | 1,232 | 1,241 | (1) | ||
| Business Solutions | 31 | 32 | (3) | 86 | 88 | (2) | ||
| Media | 58 | 23 | 152 | 116 | 53 | 119 | ||
| Corporate items and intercompany eliminations | (39) | (40) | (3) | (113) | (117) | (3) | ||
| Adjusted operating profit 1 | 1,345 | 1,312 | 3 | 3,806 | 3,786 | 1 | ||
| Adjusted operating profit margin 1 | 39.7% | 40.3% | (0.6 pts) | 38.2% | 39.9% | (1.7 pts) | ||
| Net income | 464 | 332 | 40 | 1,082 | 1,044 | 4 | ||
| Basic earnings per share | $ 0.90 | $ 0.64 | 41 | $ 2.10 | $ 2.03 | 3 | ||
| Adjusted net income 1 | 472 | 405 | 17 | 1,159 | 1,177 | (2) | ||
| Adjusted basic earnings per share 1 | $ 0.92 | $ 0.79 | 16 | $ 2.25 | $ 2.29 | (2) | ||
| Additions to property, plant and equipment | 571 | 638 | (11) | 1,667 | 1,702 | (2) | ||
| Free cash flow 1 | 660 | 370 | 78 | 1,402 | 1,162 | 21 | ||
| Cash provided by operating activities | 1,456 | 1,057 | 38 | 2,797 | 2,667 | 5 | ||
| 1 | Adjusted operating profit, adjusted operating profit margin, adjusted net income, adjusted basic earnings per share, and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures and should not be considered as a substitute or alternative for GAAP measures. These are not defined terms under IFRS and do not have standard meanings, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies. See "Non-GAAP Measures" for information about these measures, including how we calculate them. |
Key Changes in Financial Results Compared to 2014
Operating revenue
Wireless network revenue increased this quarter and year to date as a result of the continued adoption of higher ARPU- and ARPA-generating Rogers Share Everything plans, higher net subscriber additions, and the impact of our acquisition of Data & Audio-Visual Enterprises Wireless Inc. (Mobilicity), partially offset by a continued decline in roaming revenue as a result of our newly-introduced roaming plans.
Cable operating revenue increased this quarter and year to date due to Internet subscriber growth, movement of subscribers to higher speed and usage tiers, and the impact and timing of pricing changes across most product types, partially offset by TV and Phone subscriber losses over the past year.
Business Solutions operating revenue decreased marginally this quarter and year to date as the continued planned reduction in lower-margin, off-net legacy revenue more than offset the growth in on-net next generation services, including our data centre businesses.
Media operating revenue increased this quarter primarily as a result of advertising and subscription revenue growth at Sportsnet and game day and merchandise revenue at the Toronto Blue Jays, partially offset by continued softness in conventional broadcast TV and print advertising. Year to date, Media operating revenue further increased as a result of our nationwide exclusive National Hockey League (NHL) licensing agreement.
Adjusted operating profit
Wireless adjusted operating profit decreased this quarter and year to date as we incurred higher costs associated with increased volumes of subsidized smartphones. This was partially offset by the impact of the network revenue growth described above.
Cable adjusted operating profit increased this quarter as a result of higher revenue and various cost efficiency and productivity initiatives. Year to date adjusted operating profit was impacted by higher investments in programming and customer offerings.
Business Solutions adjusted operating profit decreased this quarter and year to date as the continued decline in off-net legacy services more than offset the continued growth in on-net and near-net next generation businesses and productivity improvements.
Media adjusted operating profit increased this quarter primarily as a result of the revenue changes described above and greater programming and production cost savings in the broadcast and print areas. Year to date, adjusted operating profit further increased as a result of our NHL licensing agreement.
Results of our Business Segments
WIRELESS
Wireless Financial Results
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||
| (In millions of dollars, except margins) | 2015 1 | 2014 | % Chg | 2015 1 | 2014 | % Chg | ||
| Operating revenue | ||||||||
| Network revenue | 1,776 | 1,732 | 3 | 5,155 | 5,042 | 2 | ||
| Equipment sales | 197 | 148 | 33 | 515 | 365 | 41 | ||
| Operating revenue | 1,973 | 1,880 | 5 | 5,670 | 5,407 | 5 | ||
| Operating expenses | ||||||||
| Cost of equipment 2 | 460 | 361 | 27 | 1,276 | 991 | 29 | ||
| Other operating expenses | 634 | 631 | - | 1,909 | 1,895 | 1 | ||
| Operating expenses | 1,094 | 992 | 10 | 3,185 | 2,886 | 10 | ||
| Adjusted operating profit | 879 | 888 | (1) | 2,485 | 2,521 | (1) | ||
| Adjusted operating profit margin as a % of network revenue | 49.5% | 51.3% | (1.8 pts) | 48.2% | 50.0% | (1.8 pts) | ||
| Additions to property, plant and equipment | 195 | 285 | (32) | 631 | 720 | (12) | ||
| 1 | The operating results of Mobilicity are included in the Wireless results of operations from the date of acquisition on July 2, 2015. |
| 2 | Includes the cost of equipment sales and direct channel subsidies. |
Wireless Subscriber Results 1
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||
| (In thousands, except churn, ARPA, and ARPU) | 2015 | 2014 | Chg | 2015 | 2014 | Chg | ||
| Postpaid | ||||||||
| Gross additions | 399 | 336 | 63 | 989 | 941 | 48 | ||
| Net additions | 77 | 17 | 60 | 75 | 57 | 18 | ||
| Total postpaid subscribers 2,3 | 8,240 | 8,131 | 109 | 8,240 | 8,131 | 109 | ||
| Churn (monthly) | 1.31% | 1.31% | - | 1.25% | 1.21% | 0.04 pts | ||
| ARPA (monthly) | $ 113.34 | $ 108.97 | $ 4.37 | $ 110.27 | $ 105.86 | $ 4.41 | ||
| Prepaid | ||||||||
| Gross additions | 218 | 165 | 53 | 498 | 369 | 129 | ||
| Net additions (losses) | 77 | 41 | 36 | 48 | (63) | 111 | ||
| Total prepaid subscribers 3,4 | 1,579 | 1,366 | 213 | 1,579 | 1,366 | 213 | ||
| Churn (monthly) | 3.08% | 3.12% | (0.04 pts) | 3.55% | 3.53% | 0.02 pts | ||
| Blended ARPU | $ 61.02 | $ 60.96 | $ 0.06 | $ 59.86 | $ 59.23 | $ 0.63 | ||
| 1 | Subscriber counts, subscriber churn, ARPA, and ARPU are key performance indicators. See "Key Performance Indicators". |
| 2 | Effective January 1, 2015 and on a prospective basis, our Wireless postpaid subscriber results included Wireless Home Phone subscribers resulting in a base adjustment of approximately 92,000 cumulative subscribers, which are not included in net additions, but do appear in the ending total balance for September 30, 2015. |
| 3 | As at end of period. |
| 4 | On July 2, 2015, we acquired approximately 154,000 Wireless prepaid subscribers as a result of our acquisition of Mobilicity, which are not included in net additions, but do appear in the ending total balance for September 30, 2015. |
Network revenue
The 3% increase in network revenue this quarter and 2% increase year to date were a result of:
- continued adoption of customer-friendly Rogers Share Everything plans, which generate higher ARPU and ARPA, bundle in various calling features and long distance, provide the ability to pool data usage across multiple devices, and grant access to our other offerings, such as Roam Like Home, Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE, Spotify, shomi, and Texture by Next Issue;
- our acquisition of Mobilicity; and
- an adjustment pertaining to the Rogers First Rewards loyalty program reflecting anticipated usage; partially offset by
- a 10% decrease in roaming revenue this quarter and a 14% decrease year to date as a result of changes to roaming plans, including the introduction of Roam Like Home in the US, Caribbean, Mexico, Latin America, and Europe, which simplify the customer experience and provide greater value to the customer. Roaming usage continues to increase, partially offsetting the declines in roaming rates.
The 4% increases in postpaid ARPA this quarter and year to date were each a result of the continued adoption of Rogers Share Everything plans relative to the number of subscriber accounts as customers increasingly utilize the advantages of premium offerings and access their shareable plans with multiple devices on the same account.
The stable blended ARPU this quarter and 1% increase year to date were a result of:
- increased network revenue; offset by
- the impact of expanding our lower ARPU-generating prepaid subscriber base relative to our total subscriber base as a result of our acquisition of Mobilicity; and
- the inclusion of lower-ARPU-generating Wireless Home Phone subscribers in our postpaid base.
Excluding the impact of roaming revenue and the Mobilicity and Wireless Home Phone subscribers, blended ARPU would have increased by 3% this quarter and 4% year to date.
The increase in gross and net additions to our postpaid subscriber base and relatively stable postpaid churn this quarter and year to date were a result of our strategic focus on enhancing the customer experience by providing higher-value offerings, such as our new Share Everything plans. Significantly, this was achieved during the industry's "double cohort" period.
The "double cohort" refers to the greater-than-usual number of subscriber contracts that ended as both three-year and two-year contracts expired near the same time. This industry-wide impact commenced late in the second quarter and will generally result in subscribers being on shorter-term contracts than in the past.
We activated and upgraded approximately 737,000 smartphones for new and existing subscribers this quarter, a 20% increase compared to the approximately 614,000 in the same period last year. This increase in smartphone activations was primarily a result of a greater number of hardware upgrades by existing subscribers and drove much of the 13% increase in retention spending discussed below.
The percentage of our subscribers with smartphones was 88% of our total postpaid phone subscriber base as at September 30, 2015 (December 31, 2014 - 88%). In our experience, smartphone subscribers typically:
- generate significantly higher ARPU; and
- are less likely to churn than customers on non-smartphone devices.
Equipment sales
The 33% increase in revenue from equipment sales this quarter and 41% increase year to date were a result of:
- increased device upgrades by existing subscribers and device activations by new subscribers;
- a shift in the sales mix to smartphones, which included a higher proportion of iPhone devices;
- changes in equipment sales prices; and
- the impact of the industry's "double cohort".
Operating expenses
The 27% increase in the cost of equipment sales this quarter and 29% increase year to date were a result of:
- a shift in the product mix of device sales towards higher-cost smartphones; and
- increased equipment sales volumes from our higher gross additions this quarter and year to date and 14% more upgrades this quarter and 16% more year to date. The majority of the upgrades were higher-cost smartphones.
Total customer retention spending (primarily consisting of subsidies on handset upgrades) was 13% higher this quarter and 20% higher year to date as a result of more existing subscribers upgrading their hardware this quarter and year to date.
Adjusted operating profit
The 1% decreases in adjusted operating profit this quarter and year to date were a result of the revenue and expense changes discussed above.
Other Wireless developments
Acquisition of Mobilicity
On July 2, 2015, we completed the acquisition of 100% of the outstanding common shares of Mobilicity for cash consideration of $443 million. Mobilicity provided wireless telecommunication services in Toronto, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver to its 154,000 prepaid subscribers and owned AWS-1 spectrum licences.
Subsequent to the acquisition of Mobilicity, Rogers and Wind Mobile Corp. (WIND) undertook an AWS-1 spectrum licence asset exchange in Southern Ontario to create an additional 10 MHz of contiguous, paired AWS-1 spectrum for Rogers. In addition, Rogers transferred certain non-contiguous AWS-1 spectrum licences previously held by Mobilicity to WIND in British Columbia, Alberta, and various regions in Ontario for nominal cash proceeds.
CABLE
Cable Financial Results
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||
| (In millions of dollars, except margins) | 2015 1 | 2014 | % Chg | 2015 1 | 2014 | % Chg | ||
| Operating revenue | ||||||||
| Internet | 344 | 311 | 11 | 995 | 928 | 7 | ||
| Television | 415 | 433 | (4) | 1,266 | 1,301 | (3) | ||
| Phone | 110 | 118 | (7) | 343 | 360 | (5) | ||
| Service revenue | 869 | 862 | 1 | 2,604 | 2,589 | 1 | ||
| Equipment sales | 2 | 2 | - | 6 | 7 | (14) | ||
| Operating revenue | 871 | 864 | 1 | 2,610 | 2,596 | 1 | ||
| Operating expenses | ||||||||
| Cost of equipment | - | 1 | (100) | 2 | 4 | (50) | ||
| Other operating expenses | 455 | 454 | - | 1,376 | 1,351 | 2 | ||
| Operating expenses | 455 | 455 | - | 1,378 | 1,355 | 2 | ||
| Adjusted operating profit | 416 | 409 | 2 | 1,232 | 1,241 | (1) | ||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | 47.8% | 47.3% | 0.5 pts | 47.2% | 47.8% | (0.6 pts) | ||
| Additions to property, plant and equipment | 244 | 274 | (11) | 722 | 764 | (5) | ||
| 1 | The operating results of Source Cable Ltd. (Source Cable) are included in the Cable results of operations from the date of acquisition on November 4, 2014. |
Cable Subscriber Results 1
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||
| (In thousands) | 2015 | 2014 | Chg | 2015 | 2014 | Chg | ||
| Internet | ||||||||
| Net additions | 24 | 16 | 8 | 21 | 38 | (17) | ||
| Total Internet subscribers 2,3 | 2,032 | 1,999 | 33 | 2,032 | 1,999 | 33 | ||
| Television | ||||||||
| Net losses | (31) | (30) | (1) | (104) | (83) | (21) | ||
| Total television subscribers 2,3 | 1,920 | 2,044 | (124) | 1,920 | 2,044 | (124) | ||
| Phone | ||||||||
| Net (losses) additions | (14) | (7) | (7) | (45) | 4 | (49) | ||
| Total phone subscribers 2,3 | 1,105 | 1,157 | (52) | 1,105 | 1,157 | (52) | ||
| Cable homes passed 2,3 | 4,130 | 4,025 | 105 | 4,130 | 4,025 | 105 | ||
| Total service units 4 | ||||||||
| Net losses | (21) | (21) | - | (128) | (41) | (87) | ||
| Total service units 2,3 | 5,057 | 5,200 | (143) | 5,057 | 5,200 | (143) | ||
| 1 | Subscriber counts are key performance indicators. See "Key Performance Indicators". |
| 2 | On November 4, 2014, we acquired approximately 16,000 Internet subscribers, 16,000 Television subscribers and 11,000 Phone subscribers from our acquisition of Source Cable. The acquisition also increased homes passed by 26,000. |
| 3 | As at end of period. |
| 4 | Includes Internet, Television, and Phone subscribers. |
Operating revenue
The 1% increases in Cable revenue this quarter and year to date were primarily a result of:
- the movement of Internet customers to higher speed and usage tiers, combined with a higher subscriber base for our Internet products; and
- the impact and timing of pricing changes implemented over the past year; and
- an adjustment pertaining to the Rogers First Rewards loyalty program reflecting anticipated usage; partially offset by
- Television and Phone subscriber losses over the past year.
Internet revenue
The 11% increase in Internet revenue this quarter and 7% increase year to date were a result of:
- general movement of customers to higher speed and usage tiers through the launch of our new IGNITE broadband Internet-based bundled offerings that provide subscribers with better choice on usage and incorporate value-added content;
- a larger Internet subscriber base; and
- the impact and timing of changes in Internet service pricing; partially offset by
- declines in Internet additional usage revenues as portions of the subscriber base move to the higher-value, unlimited usage plans discussed above.
Television revenue
The 4% decrease in Television revenue this quarter and 3% decrease year to date were a result of:
- the decline in Television subscribers over the past year primarily associated with the changing television consumption environment; partially offset by
- the impact and timing of pricing changes implemented over the past year.
Phone revenue
The 7% decrease in Phone revenue this quarter and 5% decrease year to date were a result of:
- a smaller subscriber base; partially offset by
- the impact and timing of pricing changes implemented over the past year.
Operating expenses
The stable operating expenses this quarter and 2% increase year to date were a result of:
- higher investments in programming and customer offerings; offset by
- relative shifts in product mix to higher-margin Internet; and
- various cost efficiency and productivity initiatives.
Adjusted operating profit
The 2% increase in adjusted operating profit this quarter and 1% decrease year to date were a result of the revenue and expense changes discussed above.
BUSINESS SOLUTIONS
Business Solutions Financial Results
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||
| (In millions of dollars, except margins) | 2015 | 2014 | % Chg | 2015 | 2014 | % Chg | ||
| Operating revenue | ||||||||
| Next generation | 71 | 69 | 3 | 214 | 200 | 7 | ||
| Legacy | 22 | 26 | (15) | 65 | 82 | (21) | ||
| Service revenue | 93 | 95 | (2) | 279 | 282 | (1) | ||
| Equipment sales | 1 | 1 | - | 3 | 3 | - | ||
| Operating revenue | 94 | 96 | (2) | 282 | 285 | (1) | ||
| Operating expenses | 63 | 64 | (2) | 196 | 197 | (1) | ||
| Adjusted operating profit | 31 | 32 | (3) | 86 | 88 | (2) | ||
| Adjusted operating profit margin | 33.0% | 33.3% | (0.3 pts) | 30.5% | 30.9% | (0.4 pts) | ||
| Additions to property, plant and equipment | 41 | 28 | 46 | 122 | 93 | 31 | ||
Operating revenue
The 2% decrease in service revenue this quarter and 1% decrease year to date were a result of:
- the continued decline in the legacy off-net voice and data business, a trend we expect to continue as we focus the business on on-net and near-net opportunities and customers move to more advanced and cost-effective IP-based services and solutions; partially offset by
- continued execution of our plan to grow higher-margin on-net and near-net next generation IP-based services revenue; and
- higher revenue from data centre operations.
Next generation services, which include our data centre operations, represented 76% (2014 - 73%) of total service revenue in the quarter and 77% (2014 - 71%) of total service revenue year to date.
Operating expenses
The 2% decrease in operating expenses this quarter and 1% decrease year to date were a result of:
- lower legacy service costs related to planned lower usage volumes and customer levels; and
- ongoing initiatives to reduce costs and increase productivity; partially offset by
- higher on-net next generation service costs associated with higher volumes.
Adjusted operating profit
The 3% decrease in adjusted operating profit this quarter and 2% decrease year to date were a result of the revenue and expense changes discussed above.
MEDIA
Media Financial Results
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | ||||||
| (In millions of dollars, except margins) | 2015 | 2014 | % Chg | 2015 | 2014 | % Chg | |
| Operating revenue | 473 | 440 | 8 | 1,519 | 1,282 | 18 | |
| Operating expenses | 415 | 417 | - | 1,403 | 1,229 | 14 | |
| Adjusted operating profit | 58 | 23 | 152 | 116 | 53 | 119 | |
| Adjusted operating profit margin | 12.3% | 5.2% | 7.1 pts | 7.6% | 4.1% | 3.5 pts | |
| Additions to property, plant and equipment | 12 | 23 | (48) | 32 | 66 | (52) | |
Operating revenue
The 8% increase in operating revenue this quarter was a result of:
- higher subscription and advertising revenue generated by our Sportsnet properties; and
- higher Toronto Blue Jays revenue; partially offset by
- continued softness in conventional broadcast TV and print advertising.
In addition to the above, the 18% year to date increase in Media operating revenue was a result of our nationwide exclusive NHL licensing agreement that became effective for the 2014-2015 season. The third quarter of 2015 was not significantly impacted by the NHL licensing agreement as the NHL season ends in the second quarter.
Operating expenses
The stable operating expenses this quarter were a result of:
- lower conventional broadcast TV programming costs;
- lower publishing costs; and
- operating efficiencies realized across various Media divisions; offset by
- higher sports related programming and production and other operating costs; and
- higher costs related to the Toronto Blue Jays.
In addition to the above, the 14% year to date increase in Media operating expenses was a result of higher programming and production costs related to the national and regional NHL licensing agreements.
Adjusted operating profit
The 152% increase in adjusted operating profit this quarter and 119% increase year to date reflect the revenue and expense changes described above.
ADDITIONS TO PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||||
| (In millions of dollars, except capital intensity) | 2015 | 2014 | % Chg | 2015 | 2014 | % Chg | ||
| Additions to property, plant and equipment | ||||||||
| Wireless | 195 | 285 | (32) | 631 | 720 | (12) | ||
| Cable | 244 | 274 | (11) | 722 | 764 | (5) | ||
| Business Solutions | 41 | 28 | 46 | 122 | 93 | 31 | ||
| Media | 12 | 23 | (48) | 32 | 66 | (52) | ||
| Corporate | 79 | 28 | 182 | 160 | 59 | 171 | ||
| Total additions to property, plant and equipment 1 | 571 | 638 | (11) | 1,667 | 1,702 | (2) | ||
| Capital intensity 2 | 16.9% | 19.6% | (2.7 pts) | 16.7% | 17.9% | (1.2 pts) | ||
| 1 | Additions to property, plant and equipment do not include expenditures on spectrum licences. |
| 2 | Capital intensity is a key performance indicator. See "Key Performance Indicators". |
Wireless
The decreases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Wireless this quarter and year to date were a result of the timing of capital purchases, partially offset by higher software and information technology costs as a result of the spectrum acquisitions made earlier this year. Deployment of our LTE network has reached approximately 92% of Canada's population as at September 30, 2015 (December 31, 2014 - 84%).
Cable
The decreases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Cable this quarter and year to date were a result of lower purchases of our next generation NextBox digital set-top boxes compared to the same quarter last year partially offset by greater investment in network and information technology infrastructure.
We also made investments this quarter to improve the capacity of our Internet platform, further improve the reliability and quality of the network, and continue the development of our next-generation IP-based video service.
Business Solutions
The increases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Business Solutions this quarter and year to date were a result of data centre investments and network expansion to reach additional customers and sites.
Media
The decreases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Media this quarter and year to date were a result of greater prior year investments made to our digital, IT infrastructure, and broadcast facilities.
Corporate
The increases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Corporate this quarter and year to date were a result of higher spending on premise improvements at our various offices as well as higher information technology costs.
Capital Intensity
Capital intensity decreased this quarter and year to date as a result of changes in additions to property, plant and equipment as described above, as well as the increases in revenue described previously in this earnings release.
Financial Guidance
There are no changes at this time to the consolidated guidance ranges for adjusted operating profit or additions to property, plant and equipment, which were provided on January 29, 2015, or the updated consolidated guidance ranges for free cash flow, which were provided on July 23, 2015. See "About Forward-Looking Information" in this earnings release and in our 2014 Annual MD&A. Free cash flow is a non-GAAP measure and should not be considered a substitute or alternative for GAAP measures. It is not a defined term under IFRS and does not have a standard meaning, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies. See "Non-GAAP Measures" for information about this measure, including how we calculate it.
Key Performance Indicators
We measure the success of our strategy using a number of key performance indicators that are defined and discussed in our 2014 Annual MD&A and this earnings release. We believe these key performance indicators allow us to appropriately measure our performance against our operating strategy as well as against the results of our peers and competitors. The following key performance indicators are not measurements in accordance with IFRS and should not be considered as an alternative to net income or any other measure of performance under IFRS. They include:
- Subscriber counts;
- Subscriber churn;
- Average revenue per user (ARPU);
- Average revenue per account (ARPA); and
- Capital intensity.
Average revenue per account - Wireless
Average revenue per account (ARPA) helps us identify trends and measure our success in attracting and retaining multiple-device accounts. A single Wireless postpaid account typically provides subscribers with the advantage of allowing for the pooling of plan attributes across multiple devices and on a single bill. Each Wireless postpaid account is represented by an identifiable billing account number. A single Wireless postpaid account may include more than one identifiable telephone number and receive monthly Wireless services for a variety of connected devices including smartphones, basic phones, tablets, and other devices. Wireless postpaid accounts under our various brand names are considered separate accounts. We calculate Wireless ARPA by dividing total Wireless postpaid network revenue (monthly) by the average number of Wireless postpaid accounts for the same time period.
Non-GAAP Measures
We use the following non-GAAP measures. These are reviewed regularly by management and our Board of Directors in assessing our performance and making decisions regarding the ongoing operations of our business and its ability to generate cash flows. Some or all of these measures may also be used by investors, lending institutions, and credit rating agencies as indicators of our operating performance, of our ability to incur and service debt, and as measurements to value companies in the telecommunications sector. These are not recognized measures under GAAP and do not have standard meanings under IFRS, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies.
| Non-GAAP measure |
Why we use it | How we calculate it | Most comparable IFRS financial measure |
| Adjusted operating profit and related margin |
|
Adjusted operating profit: Net income add (deduct) income taxes, other expense (income), finance costs, restructuring, acquisition and other, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, and impairment of assets. Adjusted operating profit margin: Adjusted operating profit divided by Operating revenue (network revenue for Wireless). |
Net income |
| Adjusted net income Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share |
|
Adjusted net income: Net income add (deduct) stock-based compensation, restructuring, acquisition and other, impairment of assets, gains on sale of investments, (gain) on acquisitions, losses on non-controlling interest purchase obligations, losses on repayment of long-term debt, and income tax adjustments on these items, including adjustments as a result of legislative changes. Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share: Adjusted net income divided by basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding. |
Net income Basic and diluted earnings per share |
| Free cash flow |
|
Adjusted operating profit deduct additions to property, plant and equipment, interest on borrowings net of capitalized interest, and cash income taxes. |
Cash provided by operating activities |
| Adjusted net debt |
|
Total long-term debt add (deduct) current portion of long-term debt, deferred transaction costs and discounts, net debt derivative (assets) liabilities, credit risk adjustment related to net debt derivatives, bank advances (cash and cash equivalents), and short-term borrowings. |
Long-term debt |
| Adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit |
|
Adjusted net debt (defined above) divided by 12 months trailing adjusted operating profit (defined above). |
Long-term debt divided by net income |
| Reconciliation of adjusted operating profit | ||||||
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||
| (In millions of dollars) | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | ||
| Net income | 464 | 332 | 1,082 | 1,044 | ||
| Add (deduct): | ||||||
| Income taxes | 124 | 133 | 354 | 377 | ||
| Other (income) expense | (59) | 12 | (36) | 11 | ||
| Finance costs | 190 | 202 | 582 | 615 | ||
| Restructuring, acquisition and other | 37 | 91 | 88 | 130 | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 576 | 533 | 1,697 | 1,584 | ||
| Stock-based compensation | 13 | 9 | 39 | 25 | ||
| Adjusted operating profit | 1,345 | 1,312 | 3,806 | 3,786 | ||
| Reconciliation of adjusted net income | ||||||
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||
| (In millions of dollars) | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | ||
| Net income | 464 | 332 | 1,082 | 1,044 | ||
| Add (deduct): | ||||||
| Stock-based compensation | 13 | 9 | 39 | 25 | ||
| Restructuring, acquisition and other | 37 | 91 | 88 | 130 | ||
| Gain on acquisition of Mobilicity | (102) | - | (102) | - | ||
| Loss on non-controlling interest purchase obligation | 72 | - | 72 | - | ||
| Loss on repayment of long-term debt | - | - | 7 | 29 | ||
| Income tax impact of above items | (12) | (27) | (33) | (51) | ||
| Income tax adjustment, legislative tax change | - | - | 6 | - | ||
| Adjusted net income | 472 | 405 | 1,159 | 1,177 | ||
| Reconciliation of adjusted earnings per share | ||||||
| (In millions of dollars, except per share amounts; | Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | ||||
| number of shares outstanding in millions) | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | ||
| Adjusted basic earnings per share: | ||||||
| Adjusted net income | 472 | 405 | 1,159 | 1,177 | ||
| Divided by: weighted average number of shares outstanding | 515 | 515 | 515 | 515 | ||
| Adjusted basic earnings per share | 0.92 | 0.79 | 2.25 | 2.29 | ||
| Adjusted diluted earnings per share: | ||||||
| Adjusted net income | 472 | 405 | 1,159 | 1,177 | ||
| Divided by: diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding | 517 | 517 | 517 | 517 | ||
| Adjusted diluted earnings per share | 0.91 | 0.78 | 2.24 | 2.28 | ||
| Reconciliation of free cash flow | ||||||
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||
| (In millions of dollars) | 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | ||
| Cash provided by operating activities | 1,456 | 1,057 | 2,797 | 2,667 | ||
| Add (deduct): | ||||||
| Additions to property, plant and equipment | (571) | (638) | (1,667) | (1,702) | ||
| Interest on borrowings, net of capitalized interest | (180) | (192) | (547) | (564) | ||
| Restructuring, acquisition and other | 37 | 91 | 88 | 130 | ||
| Interest paid | 234 | 261 | 638 | 648 | ||
| Change in non-cash working capital | (279) | (172) | 115 | (7) | ||
| Other adjustments | (37) | (37) | (22) | (10) | ||
| Free cash flow | 660 | 370 | 1,402 | 1,162 | ||
| Reconciliation of adjusted net debt and adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit1 | ||||||
| As at September 30 |
As at December 31 |
|||||
| (In millions of dollars) | 2015 | 2014 | ||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 1,000 | 963 | ||||
| Long-term debt | 15,487 | 13,824 | ||||
| Deferred transaction costs and discounts | 102 | 108 | ||||
| 16,589 | 14,895 | |||||
| Add (deduct): | ||||||
| Net debt derivative assets | (1,779) | (846) | ||||
| Credit risk adjustment related to net debt derivatives | (129) | (39) | ||||
| Short-term borrowings | 859 | 842 | ||||
| Bank advances (cash and cash equivalents) | 11 | (176) | ||||
| Adjusted net debt | 15,551 | 14,676 | ||||
| As at September 30 |
As at December 31 |
|||||
| (In millions of dollars, except ratios) | 2015 | 2014 | ||||
| Adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit | ||||||
| Adjusted net debt | 15,551 | 14,676 | ||||
| Divided by: trailing 12 month adjusted operating profit | 5,039 | 5,019 | ||||
| Adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit | 3.1 | 2.9 | ||||
| 1 | Effective September 30, 2015, we have retrospectively amended our calculation of adjusted net debt to value the net debt derivatives without adjustment for credit risk. For accounting purposes in accordance with IFRS, we recognize the fair values of our debt derivatives using an estimated credit-adjusted mark-to-market valuation by discounting cash flows to the measurement date. For purposes of calculating adjusted net debt and adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit, we believe including debt derivatives valued without adjustment for credit risk is commonly used to evaluate debt leverage and for market valuation and transactional purposes. |
Rogers Communications Inc.
Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
(In millions of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts, unaudited)
| Three months ended September 30 |
Nine months ended September 30 |
|||||
| 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | |||
| Operating revenue | 3,384 | 3,252 | 9,962 | 9,484 | ||
| Operating expenses: | ||||||
| Operating costs | 2,052 | 1,949 | 6,195 | 5,723 | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 576 | 533 | 1,697 | 1,584 | ||
| Restructuring, acquisition and other | 37 | 91 | 88 | 130 | ||
| Finance costs | 190 | 202 | 582 | 615 | ||
| Other (income) expense | (59) | 12 | (36) | 11 | ||
| Income before income taxes | 588 | 465 | 1,436 | 1,421 | ||
| Income taxes | 124 | 133 | 354 | 377 | ||
| Net income for the period | 464 | 332 | 1,082 | 1,044 | ||
| Earnings per share: | ||||||
| Basic | $ 0.90 | $ 0.64 | $ 2.10 | $ 2.03 | ||
| Diluted | $ 0.90 | $ 0.64 | $ 2.09 | $ 1.97 | ||
Rogers Communications Inc.
Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
(In millions of Canadian dollars, unaudited)
| As at September 30 |
As at December 31 |
|||
| 2015 | 2014 | |||
| Assets | ||||
| Current assets: | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | - | 176 | ||
| Accounts receivable | 1,648 | 1,591 | ||
| Inventories | 269 | 251 | ||
| Other current assets | 240 | 191 | ||
| Current portion of derivative instruments | 178 | 136 | ||
| Total current assets | 2,335 | 2,345 | ||
| Property, plant and equipment | 10,758 | 10,655 | ||
| Intangible assets | 7,274 | 6,588 | ||
| Investments | 2,274 | 1,898 | ||
| Derivative instruments | 1,742 | 788 | ||
| Other long-term assets | 211 | 356 | ||
| Deferred tax assets | 9 | 9 | ||
| Goodwill | 3,887 | 3,883 | ||
| Total assets | 28,490 | 26,522 | ||
| Liabilities and shareholders' equity | ||||
| Current liabilities: | ||||
| Bank advances | 11 | - | ||
| Short-term borrowings | 859 | 842 | ||
| Accounts payable and accrued liabilities | 2,337 | 2,578 | ||
| Income tax payable | 86 | 47 | ||
| Current portion of provisions | 12 | 7 | ||
| Unearned revenue | 410 | 443 | ||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 1,000 | 963 | ||
| Current portion of derivative instruments | 52 | 40 | ||
| Total current liabilities | 4,767 | 4,920 | ||
| Provisions | 51 | 55 | ||
| Long-term debt | 15,487 | 13,824 | ||
| Derivative instruments | 76 | 11 | ||
| Other long-term liabilities | 530 | 462 | ||
| Deferred tax liabilities | 1,831 | 1,769 | ||
| Total liabilities | 22,742 | 21,041 | ||
| Shareholders' equity | 5,748 | 5,481 | ||
| Total liabilities and shareholders' equity | 28,490 | 26,522 | ||
Rogers Communications Inc.
Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In millions of Canadian dollars, unaudited)
| Three months ended September 30 | Nine months ended September 30 | |||||
| 2015 | 2014 | 2015 | 2014 | |||
| Operating activities: | ||||||
| Net income for the period | 464 | 332 | 1,082 | 1,044 | ||
| Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities: |
||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 576 | 533 | 1,697 | 1,584 | ||
| Program rights amortization | 23 | 15 | 66 | 47 | ||
| Finance costs | 190 | 202 | 582 | 615 | ||
| Income taxes | 124 | 133 | 354 | 377 | ||
| Stock-based compensation | 13 | 9 | 39 | 25 | ||
| Post-employment benefits contributions, net of expense | 24 | 18 | (47) | (49) | ||
| Gain on acquisition of Mobilicity | (102) | - | (102) | - | ||
| Other | 33 | 16 | 69 | 23 | ||
| 1,345 | 1,258 | 3,740 | 3,666 | |||
| Change in non-cash operating working capital items | 279 | 172 | (115) | 7 | ||
| 1,624 | 1,430 | 3,625 | 3,673 | |||
| Income taxes received (paid) | 66 | (112) | (190) | (358) | ||
| Interest paid | (234) | (261) | (638) | (648) | ||
| Cash provided by operating activities | 1,456 | 1,057 | 2,797 | 2,667 | ||
| Investing activities: | ||||||
| Additions to property, plant and equipment | (571) | (638) | (1,667) | (1,702) | ||
| Changes in non-cash working capital related to property, plant and equipment and intangible assets |
(71) | 38 | (209) | (51) | ||
| Additions to program rights | (93) | (113) | (111) | (135) | ||
| Acquisitions and other strategic transactions, net of cash acquired |
(471) | - | (1,072) | (3,301) | ||
| Other | (4) | 7 | (38) | 16 | ||
| Cash used in investing activities | (1,210) | (706) | (3,097) | (5,173) | ||
| Financing activities: | ||||||
| Proceeds received on short-term borrowings | 26 | 25 | 272 | 221 | ||
| Repayment of short-term borrowings | (184) | (46) | (255) | (84) | ||
| Issuance of long-term debt | 1,366 | 300 | 4,816 | 2,882 | ||
| Repayment of long-term debt | (1,225) | (300) | (4,144) | (2,021) | ||
| Proceeds on settlement of cross-currency interest rate exchange agreements and forward contracts |
- | - | 1,059 | 2,150 | ||
| Payments on settlement of cross-currency interest rate exchange agreements and forward contracts |
- | - | (905) | (2,115) | ||
| Transaction costs incurred | - | - | - | (30) | ||
| Dividends paid | (247) | (235) | (730) | (694) | ||
| Cash (used in) provided by financing activities | (264) | (256) | 113 | 309 | ||
| Change in cash and cash equivalents | (18) | 95 | (187) | (2,197) | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period | 7 | 9 | 176 | 2,301 | ||
| (Bank advances) cash and cash equivalents, end of period | (11) | 104 | (11) | 104 | ||
About Forward-Looking Information
This earnings release includes "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking information"), and assumptions about, among other things, our business, operations, and financial performance and condition approved by our management on the date of this earnings release. This forward-looking information and these assumptions include, but are not limited to, statements about our objectives and strategies to achieve those objectives, and about our beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates, or intentions.
Forward-looking information
- typically includes words like could, expect, may, anticipate, assume, believe, intend, estimate, plan, project, guidance, outlook, and similar expressions, although not all forward-looking information includes them;
- includes conclusions, forecasts, and projections that are based on our current objectives and strategies and on estimates, expectations, assumptions, and other factors, most of which are confidential and proprietary and that we believe to have been reasonable at the time they were applied but may prove to be incorrect; and
- was approved by our management on the date of this earnings release.
Our forward-looking information includes forecasts and projections related to the following items, among others:
- revenue
- adjusted operating profit
- additions to property, plant and equipment
- cash income tax payments
- free cash flow
- dividend payments
- expected growth in subscribers and the services to which they subscribe
- the cost of acquiring subscribers and deployment of new services
- continued cost reductions and efficiency improvements
- the growth of new products and services
- all other statements that are not historical facts.
We base our conclusions, forecasts, and projections on the following factors, among others:
- general economic and industry growth rates
- currency exchange rates and interest rates
- product pricing levels and competitive intensity
- subscriber growth
- pricing, usage and churn rates
- changes in government regulation
- technology deployment
- availability of devices
- timing of new product launches
- content and equipment costs
- the integration of acquisitions
- industry structure and stability.
Except as otherwise indicated, this earnings release and our forward-looking information do not reflect the potential impact of any non-recurring or other special items or of any dispositions, monetizations, mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations, or other transactions that may be considered, announced or may occur after the date the statement containing the forward-looking information is made.
Risks and uncertainties
Actual events and results can be substantially different from what is expressed or implied by forward-looking information as a result of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, including but not limited to:
- new interpretations and new accounting standards from accounting standards bodies
- regulatory changes
- technological change
- economic conditions
- unanticipated changes in content or equipment costs
- changing conditions in the entertainment, information, and communications industries
- the integration of acquisitions
- litigation and tax matters
- the level of competitive intensity
- the emergence of new opportunities.
These factors can also affect our objectives, strategies, and intentions. Many of these factors are beyond our control or our current expectations or knowledge. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties, or other factors materialize, our objectives, strategies, or intentions change, or any other factors or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, our actual results and our plans could vary significantly from what we currently foresee.
Accordingly, we warn investors to exercise caution when considering statements containing forward-looking information and caution them that it would be unreasonable to rely on such statements as creating legal rights regarding our future results or plans. We are under no obligation (and we expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter any statements containing forward-looking information or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. All of the forward-looking information in this earnings release is qualified by the cautionary statements herein.
Before making an investment decision
Before making any investment decisions and for a detailed discussion of the risks, uncertainties, and environment associated with our business, fully review the sections of our Third Quarter 2015 MD&A entitled "Updates to Risks and Uncertainties" and "Regulatory Developments" and fully review the sections in our 2014 Annual MD&A entitled "Regulation in Our Industry" and "Governance and Risk Management", as well as our various other filings with Canadian and US securities regulators, which can be found at sedar.com and sec.gov, respectively.
SOURCE Rogers Communications Inc.
Investment community contact
Amy Schwalm
416.704.9057
[email protected]
Media contact
Terrie Tweddle
416.935.4727
[email protected]
Share this article