Rogers Reports First Quarter 2012 Financial and Operating Results

First Quarter Revenue of $2,954 Million, Adjusted Operating Profit of $1,091 Million, Adjusted EPS $0.68, and Pre-Tax Free Cash Flow of $485 Million;

Postpaid Wireless Net Subscriber Additions of 47,000 Driven by Second Highest Quarter of Smartphone Activations Ever, Including a 35% Increase in iPhone Activations and a Stabilizing Trend in Postpaid Churn, Wireless Network Margins Remain Strong at 46%;

Cable Total Service Units Down 7,000 in Seasonally Slow and Highly Competitive Quarter, While Margins of 46% Reflect Ongoing Realization of Cost Efficiencies;

Media Revenue Growth of 4% Reflects Seasonally Slow Quarter Combined With Continued Softness in the Ad Market Offset by Strong Subscriber Growth, While Programming Investments and New Initiatives Incrementally Dilute Margins;

TORONTO, April 24, 2012 /CNW/ - Rogers Communications Inc. today announced its consolidated financial and operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2012, in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS").

Financial highlights are as follows⁽¹⁾:

				Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars, except per share amounts)					2012						2011				% Chg
Operating revenue				$				2,954		$				2,987	(1)
Adjusted operating profit								1,091						1,160	(6)
Adjusted net income								356						423	(16)
Adjusted earnings per share				$				0.68		$				0.76	(11)
Adjusted diluted earnings per share				$				0.67		$				0.76	(12)

⁽¹⁾ This summary of our first quarter 2012 results should be read in conjunction with our First Quarter 2012 MD&A, our First Quarter 2012 Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto, and our 2011 Annual Report all of which are incorporated by reference in this news release. The financial information presented herein has been prepared on the basis of International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") for interim financial statements and is expressed in Canadian dollars.

"Our performance in the first quarter was highlighted by strong postpaid wireless smartphone sales and customer retention metrics, as well as continued solid margins in both our wireless and cable businesses," said Nadir Mohamed, President and Chief Executive Officer of Rogers Communications Inc.  "Despite highly competitive markets, particularly impacting both the wireless and cable portions of our business, we continued to leverage our technology leadership to deliver new and innovative products and services while at the same time taking decisive action during the quarter to drive operational efficiencies."

Highlights of the first quarter of 2012 include the following:

• Consolidated quarterly revenue declined by 1%, with Wireless network revenue unchanged, Cable Operations revenue growth of 1%, and Media revenue growth of 4%, offset by declines in RBS, Video and Wireless equipment sales, versus the same quarter last year. Consolidated adjusted operating profit decreased by 6% with a 7% decline at Wireless, a 1% decline at Cable Operations and a 40% decline at Media, with the decline at Wireless primarily reflecting the upfront costs associated with the second highest number of smartphone activations and iPhone sales in the quarter and a decline in voice average monthly revenue per user ("ARPU").
  
  
• Wireless data revenue grew by 16% and net postpaid subscriber additions totalled 47,000, helping drive wireless data revenue to now comprise 39% of Wireless network revenue compared to 34% in the same quarter last year. During the first quarter, Wireless activated 642,000 smartphones, of which approximately 34% were for subscribers new to Wireless. This resulted in subscribers with smartphones, who typically generate ARPU nearly twice that of voice only subscribers, representing 60% of the overall postpaid subscriber base as at March 31, 2012, up from 45% as at March 31, 2011.
  
  
• Further expanded Canada's first and largest Long Term Evolution ("LTE") 4G broadband wireless network service to include availability in even more Canadian cities including Calgary, Halifax and St John's.   Rogers' LTE network now reaches 12 million people, or approximately 35% of the Canadian population, and will increase to nearly 60% of all Canadians by the end of the year.  Rogers currently offers the largest selection of LTE devices of any carrier in Canada.  LTE is a next generation technology that enables unparalleled connectivity, capable of speeds that are between three and four times faster than HSPA+ with peak theoretical download rates of up to 150 Megabits per second ("Mbps") and upload speeds of up to 70 Mbps.
  
  
• Announced the launch of another industry first, Rogers One Number, a service that allows Canadians to extend their Rogers wireless phone number to their computer.  Available exclusively to Rogers wireless customers, Rogers One Number lets customers text, talk and video chat with other Rogers One Number users on their computer, all using their wireless number.  This is a seamless and easy-to-use solution that is transforming and simplifying how Canadians connect with family and friends.
  
  
• Unveiled NextBox 2.0, a suite of new features for the Rogers' home television entertainment experience that gives customers control over where, when and how they view their favourite live and recorded programming.  NextBox 2.0 provides customers with a significantly enhanced interactive program guide and search functionality, access to whole home PVR capabilities allowing people to access live and recorded TV programs from any room in the home, as well as the ability to experience live TV streamed to a tablet anywhere in the home.
  
  
• Announced the exclusive availability of Outrank, a new, best in class online marketing solution that helps small businesses generate inbound phone calls and emails by marketing them online where consumers are searching for their services.  Millions of Canadians are searching online every day for local services and less than 45% of Canadian small businesses have a website.  This is a simple and affordable service that enables business owners to attract new customers and achieve a positive return on their marketing investment.  Outrank offers local businesses a website, paid search marketing, search engine optimization and a performance dashboard.
  
  
• Rogers launched another industry first with Sportsnews, a channel available to Rogers digital cable customers at no additional cost that promotes sports services and content available on Rogers Cable helping customers get more from their sports channels and packages while providing breaking sports related scores, stats and news.
  
  
• Media announced the acquisition of Saskatchewan Communications Network ("SCN"), which is subject to CRTC approval. The acquisition expands Citytv's reach into six key markets across Canada, allowing us to compete more effectively with other national broadcasters.
  
  
• Media premiered the reality TV competition series "Canada's Got Talent" in March and drew nation-wide attention with an average of 1.5 million viewers for its debut, making it the most watched premier in Citytv network history.
  
  
• As announced in the fourth quarter of 2011, Bill Linton will retire as the Chief Financial Officer of Rogers Communications in the second quarter of 2012.  He will be succeeded by Anthony Staffieri, a highly regarded, senior financial executive with in-depth knowledge of the communications sector.  Most recently Senior Vice President of Finance at BCE Inc. where he led the finance function for the company's wireless and wireline businesses, Mr. Staffieri has also served as Chief Financial Officer of the Americas for Celestica Inc. and prior to that was a Senior Partner at Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
  
  
• Generated $485 million of consolidated pre-tax free cash flow in the quarter, defined as adjusted operating profit less PP&E expenditures and interest on long-term debt (net of capitalization), reflecting steady levels of adjusted operating profit being offset by an increased level of PP&E expenditures.
  
  
• We increased our annualized dividend rate by 11% to $1.58 per share in February 2012, and immediately declared a quarterly dividend of $0.395 a share on each of our outstanding shares at the new, higher rate.  In addition, Rogers announced a share buyback authorization of up to $1.0 billion of Rogers' Class B Non-Voting shares on the open market over the coming year.

This earnings release, which is current as of April 24, 2012, is a summary of our first quarter 2012 results, and should be read in conjunction with our First Quarter 2012 MD&A and our First Quarter 2012 Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto, our 2011 Annual MD&A and our 2011 Audited Annual Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto, and our other recent filings with securities regulatory authorities available on SEDAR at sedar.com.

The financial information presented herein has been prepared on the basis of IFRS for interim financial statements and is expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated.

As this earnings release includes forward-looking statements and assumptions, readers should carefully review the section of this earnings release entitled "Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements, Risks and Assumptions".

In this earnings release, the terms "we", "us", "our", "Rogers" and "the Company" refer to Rogers Communications Inc. and our subsidiaries, "Wireless", "Cable" and "Media".

SUMMARIZED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL RESULTS

					Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars, except per share amounts)						2012							2011					% Chg
Operating revenue
Wireless					$				1,706			$				1,721								(1)
Cable
Cable Operations									825							813								1
RBS									87							116								(25)
Video									11							24								(54)
									923							953								(3)
Media									354							339								4
Corporate items and eliminations									(29)							(26)								(12)
Total operating revenue									2,954							2,987								(1)
Adjusted operating profit (loss)
Wireless									737							790								(7)
Cable
Cable Operations									378							382								(1)
RBS									18							26								(31)
Video									(3)							(7)								57
									393							401								(2)
Media									(14)							(10)								(40)
Corporate items and eliminations									(25)							(21)								(19)
Adjusted operating profit									1,091							1,160								(6)
Stock-based compensation expense									(6)							(8)								(25)
Integration, restructuring and acquisition expenses									(64)							(11)								n/m
Operating profit									1,021							1,141								(11)
Other income and expense, net									(716)							(806)								(11)
Net income					$				305			$				335								(9)
Basic earnings per share					$				0.58			$				0.60								(3)
Diluted earnings per share					$				0.57			$				0.60								(5)
As adjusted:
Net income					$				356			$				423								(16)
Basic earnings per share					$				0.68			$				0.76								(11)
Diluted earnings per share					$				0.67			$				0.76								(12)
Additions to property, plant and equipment ("PP&E")
Wireless					$				223			$				218								2
Cable
Cable Operations									188							150								25
RBS									15							11								36
Video									-							-								n/m
									203							161								26
Media									10							8								25
Corporate									13							8								63
Total additions to PP&E					$				449			$				395								14

SEGMENT REVIEW

WIRELESS

Summarized Wireless Financial Results

						Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars, except margin)							2012							2011				% Chg
Operating revenue
Network revenue						$				1,612			$				1,615	-
Equipment sales										94							106	(11)
Total operating revenue										1,706							1,721	(1)
Operating expenses before the undernoted
Cost of equipment sales										324							302	7
Other operating expenses										645							629	3
										969							931	4
Adjusted operating profit										737							790	(7)
Stock-based compensation expense										(2)							(1)	100
Integration, restructuring and acquisition expenses										(18)							-	n/m
Operating profit						$				717			$				789	(9)
Adjusted operating profit margin as
% of network revenue										45.7%							48.9%
Additions to PP&E						$				223			$				218	2
Data revenue included in network revenue						$				627			$				542	16

Summarized Wireless Subscriber Results

(Subscriber statistics in thousands,						Three months ended March 31,
except ARPU, churn and usage)							2012							2011							Chg
Postpaid
Gross additions										334							316							18
Net additions										47							45							2
Total postpaid retail subscribers										7,621							7,370							251
Monthly churn										1.26%							1.23%							0.03%
Average monthly revenue per user ("ARPU")						$				67.39			$				70.18			$				(2.79)
Prepaid
Gross additions										154							181							(27)
Net losses										(72)							(10)							(62)
Total prepaid retail subscribers										1,689							1,642							47
Monthly churn										4.31%							3.85%							0.46%
ARPU						$				14.99			$				14.32			$				0.67
Blended ARPU						$				57.65			$				59.91			$				(2.26)
Blended average monthly minutes of usage										438							450							(12)

Wireless Subscribers and Network Revenue

For the three months ended March 31, 2012, Wireless activated and upgraded approximately 642,000 smartphones, compared to approximately 534,000 in the first quarter of 2011. This is the second highest number of smartphone activations in any quarter in Rogers' history. The smartphones activated were predominantly iPhone, BlackBerry and Android devices, of which approximately 34% were for subscribers new to Wireless during the quarter. There were approximately 35% more iPhone subscribers activated and upgraded in the first quarter, versus in the same quarter of 2011, reflecting residual demand post the fourth quarter launch by Apple of the iPhone 4S for which Wireless experienced inventory shortages during the fourth quarter of 2011. The overall addition of smartphones increased the percentage of subscribers with smartphones to 60% of Wireless' total postpaid subscriber base at March 31, 2012, compared to 45% as at March 31, 2011. These subscribers generally commit to new multi-year term contracts, typically generate ARPU nearly twice that of voice only subscribers, and churn at lower rates than voice only subscribers.

The year-over-year decrease in prepaid subscriber net additions for the quarter primarily reflects a combination of seasonal prepaid deactivation trends and an increase in the level of churn associated with heightened competitive intensity, particularly at the lower end of the wireless market where the prepaid product is most penetrated.

The relatively unchanged Wireless network revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2012 predominantly reflects the continued growth of Wireless' postpaid subscriber base and the increased adoption and usage of wireless data services, offset by a decrease in voice ARPU in large part driven by the heightened competitive intensity.

For the three months ended March 31, 2012, wireless data revenue increased by approximately 16% from the corresponding period of 2011 to $627 million. This growth in wireless data revenue reflects the continued penetration and growing usage of smartphones, wireless laptops and tablet devices, which drive increased usage of e-mail, wireless Internet access, text messaging and other wireless data services. The slowing of the wireless data revenue growth rate from previous quarters primarily reflects a growing portion of new subscribers choosing new entry level data pricing plans, reductions in data roaming revenue related to outbound wireless data roaming value packages that were recently introduced, combined with the heightened level of competitive intensity. For the three months ended March 31, 2012, wireless data revenue represented approximately 39% of total network revenue, compared to approximately 34% in the corresponding period of 2011.

The year-over-year blended ARPU decreased by 3.8%, which reflects the decline in wireless voice revenues, partially offset by the growth in wireless data revenue. Driving this decline was a 11.5% decrease in the wireless voice component of blended ARPU, which was primarily due to the heightened level of competitive intensity in the wireless voice services market, and was partially offset by a 11.5% increase in wireless data ARPU.

Wireless Equipment Sales

The decrease in revenue from equipment sales for the three months ended March 31, 2012, including activation fees and net of equipment subsidies, versus the corresponding period of 2011, primarily reflects increased wireless device subsidies driven by heightened competitive intensity.

Wireless Operating Expenses

						Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars)							2012								2011					% Chg
Operating expenses
Cost of equipment sales						$					324			$					302	7
Other operating expenses											645								629	3
Operating expenses before the undernoted											969								931	4
Stock-based compensation expense											2								1	100
Integration, restructuring and acquisition expenses											18								-	n/m
Total operating expenses						$					989			$					932	6

The increase in cost of equipment sales for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the corresponding period of 2011, was the result of an increased number of iPhone and other smartphones sales to new customers and upgrades for existing customers. During the first quarter of 2012, we activated and upgraded 35% more iPhones and 20% more smartphones overall than in the same period last year.

Total retention spending, including subsidies on handset upgrades, was $208 million in the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to $186 million in the corresponding period of 2011. The increase for the three month period primarily reflects a higher volume of smartphone upgrade activity by existing subscribers than during the prior year period.

The modest year-over-year increase in other operating expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2012 excluding retention spending discussed above, was driven by higher customer care and network costs associated with a larger postpaid subscriber base.  These increases were partially offset by reductions in cost of service and efficiency gains resulting from cost reduction initiatives across various functions. Wireless continues to focus on implementing a program of permanent cost reduction and efficiency improvement initiatives to control the overall growth in operating expenses.

Wireless Adjusted Operating Profit

The 7% year-over-year decrease in adjusted operating profit and the 45.7% adjusted operating profit margin on network revenue (which excludes equipment sales revenue) for the three months ended March 31, 2012 primarily reflects the increase in equipment costs associated with the high volume of smartphone upgrades and activations as discussed above combined with the slowing of network revenue growth.

Wireless Additions to PP&E

Wireless additions to PP&E are classified into the following categories:

						Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars)							2012								2011					% Chg
Additions to PP&E
Capacity						$					145			$					128	13
Quality											36								34	6
Network - other											2								11	(82)
Information technology and other											40								45	(11)
Total additions to PP&E						$					223			$					218	2

Wireless PP&E additions can be categorized as spending on network capacity, such as radio channel additions, network core improvements and network enhancing features, including the continued deployment of our LTE and HSPA+ networks. Quality-related additions to PP&E are associated with upgrades to the network to enable higher throughput speeds in addition to improved network access associated activities, such as site build programs and network sectorization work. Quality also includes test and monitoring equipment and operating support system activities. Investments in Network - other are associated with network reliability and renewal initiatives, infrastructure upgrades and new product platforms. Information technology and other wireless specific system initiatives include billing and back-office system upgrades, and other facilities and equipment spending.

Wireless PP&E additions increased for the three months ending March 31, 2012 due to our LTE investments in the quarter, which were offset by lower investments due to timing of spend on HSPA capacity initiatives. LTE services were launched in Calgary, Halifax and St. John's in the quarter with plans to bring LTE services to the top 25 markets by the end of the year. The launch of the Rogers One Number service in the quarter contributed to the lower spend in the Network - other category with the development work on this new service occurring in the prior year. Information technology investments in the quarter were lower compared to the previous year due to timing of spend on our customer billing systems and platforms for new services.

CABLE

Summarized Cable Financial Results

						Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars, except margin)							2012						2011			% Chg
Operating revenue
Cable Operations						$			825			$			813	1
RBS									87						116	(25)
Video									11						24	(54)
Total operating revenue									923						953	(3)
Adjusted operating profit (loss) before the undernoted
Cable Operations									378						382	(1)
RBS									18						26	(31)
Video									(3)						(7)	57
Adjusted operating profit									393						401	(2)
Stock-based compensation expense									(1)						(1)	-
Integration, restructuring and acquisition expenses									(38)						(8)	n/m
Operating profit						$			354			$			392	(10)
Adjusted operating profit (loss) margin
Cable Operations									45.8%						47.0%
RBS									20.7%						22.4%
Video									(27.3%)						(29.2%)
Additions to PP&E
Cable Operations						$			188			$			150	25
RBS									15						11	36
Video									-						-	n/m
Total additions to PP&E						$			203			$			161	26

The following segment discussions provide a detailed discussion of the Cable operating results.

CABLE OPERATIONS

Summarized Financial Results

						Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars, except margin)							2012							2011				% Chg
Operating revenue
Cable Television						$				468			$				468	-
Internet										241							224	8
Home Phone										116							121	(4)
Total Cable Operations operating revenue										825							813	1
Operating expenses before the undernoted
Cost of equipment sales										3							6	(50)
Other operating expenses										444							425	4
										447							431	4
Adjusted operating profit										378							382	(1)
Stock-based compensation expense										(1)							(1)	-
Integration, restructuring and acquisition expenses										(14)							-	n/m
Operating profit						$				363			$				381	(5)
Adjusted operating profit margin										45.8%							47.0%

Summarized Subscriber Results

						Three months ended March 31,
(Subscriber statistics in thousands)						2012	2011	Chg
Cable homes passed						3,764	3,734	30
Television
Net losses						(21)	(8)	(13)
Total television subscribers						2,276	2,303	(27)
Digital cable
Households, net additions (losses)						(1)	5	(6)
Total digital cable households						1,776	1,743	33
Cable high-speed Internet
Net additions						13	8	5
Total cable high-speed Internet subscribers						1,806	1,698	108
Cable telephony lines
Net additions and migrations						1	7	(6)
Total cable telephony lines						1,053	1,014	39
Total cable service units
Net additions (losses)						(7)	7	(14)
Total cable service units						5,135	5,015	120
Circuit-switched lines
Net losses and migrations to cable telephony platform						-	(6)	6
Total circuit-switched lines						-	28	(28)

Cable Television Revenue

Cable Television revenue was flat for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the corresponding period of 2011, reflecting pricing changes made in March 2012, together with a continued increase in penetration of our digital cable product offerings and greater usage of on-demand and pay-per-view services. These increases were offset by the impact of promotional and retention pricing activity associated with heightened competitive activity principally related to the widened availability of aggressively priced IPTV offerings and basic cable subscriber losses.

Our digital cable subscriber base grew by 2% and represented 78% of our total television subscriber base as at March 31, 2012, compared to 76% as at March 31, 2011. Increased demand from subscribers for the larger selection of digital content, video on-demand, HDTV and personal video recorder ("PVR") equipment continues to contribute to the growth in the digital subscriber base and Cable Television revenue.

In the first quarter of 2012, Cable began an initiative to convert many of the remaining analog cable customer outlets onto its digital cable platform during 2012 and 2013.  This migration will enable the reclamation of significant amounts of network capacity as well as reduce network operating and maintenance costs going forward. The migration will entail incremental PP&E and operating costs as each of the remaining analog homes are fitted with digital converters and various analog filtering equipment is removed.

Cable Internet Revenue

The year-over-year increase in Internet revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2012 reflects the increase in the Internet subscriber base, combined with Internet service pricing changes made over the previous twelve months. Also impacting the increase is a general movement by subscribers towards higher end tiers and the timing of promotional programs, partially offset by the impact of promotional and retention pricing activity associated with heightened competitive activity.

With the high-speed Internet customer-base at approximately 1.8 million subscribers, Internet penetration is approximately 48% of the homes passed by our cable networks and 79% of our television subscriber base, as at March 31, 2012.

Home Phone Revenue

The year-over-year decrease in Home Phone revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2012, reflects the declines in revenue associated with exiting the legacy circuit-switched telephony base that Cable divested last year, partially offset by the increase in the cable telephony Home Phone customer base.

Excluding the impact of exiting the circuit-switched telephony business that Cable divested in the fourth quarter of 2011, the year-over-year revenue growth for Home Phone for the three months ended March 31, 2012 would have been 2%. The revenue associated with the divested residential circuit-switched telephony business totalled approximately $7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2011.

Cable telephony Home Phone lines in service grew 4% from March 31, 2011 to March 31, 2012. At March 31, 2012, cable telephony lines represented 28% of the homes passed by our cable networks and 46% of television subscribers.

Cable Operations Operating Expenses

Cable Operations' operating expenses increased for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the corresponding period of 2011, due to incremental sales and retention costs, higher distribution costs related to higher allocations from Rogers-owned retail points of presence, increased activity-driven costs as a result of modestly increased customer churn, and costs associated with the analog to digital subscriber conversion, partially offset by cost reductions and efficiency initiatives across various functions. Cable Operations continues to focus on implementing a program of permanent cost reduction and efficiency improvement initiatives to control the overall growth in operating expenses.

Cable Operations Adjusted Operating Profit

The modest year-over-year decline in adjusted operating profit was primarily the result of the revenue and cost changes described above, with the associated adjusted operating profit margin of 45.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2012 declining from 47.0% in the corresponding period of 2011.

ROGERS BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

Summarized Financial Results

						Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars, except margin)							2012							2011				% Chg
Operating revenue						$				87			$				116	(25)
Operating expenses before the undernoted										69							90	(23)
Adjusted operating profit										18							26	(31)
Integration, restructuring and acquisition expenses										(2)							(1)	100
Operating profit						$				16			$				25	(36)
Adjusted operating profit margin										20.7%							22.4%

RBS Revenue

The decrease in RBS revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2012 primarily reflects the planned decline in certain categories of the lower margin legacy business, partially offset by the growth in next generation IP and other on-net services. RBS' focus is primarily on IP-based services and increasingly on leveraging higher margin on-net and near-net revenue opportunities, utilizing both the acquired Atria and Blink networks and Cable's existing network facilities to expand offerings to the medium-sized enterprise, public sector and carrier markets. Revenue from the lower margin off-net legacy business, which includes long-distance, local and certain legacy data services, continues to decline and was down 38% for the quarter compared to the first quarter of 2011. In comparison, revenue from the higher margin next generation business was up 8% for the quarter, or 19% excluding high margin non-recurring revenue from a certain customer contract during the first quarter of 2011.

RBS Operating Expenses

The decrease in operating expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the corresponding period of 2011, reflects the planned decrease in legacy services related costs due to lower volumes and subscriber levels and permanent cost reductions resulting from a 2011 restructuring of the employee base, partially offset by increases in sales and marketing expenses related to next generation IP and other on-net services.

RBS Adjusted Operating Profit

The year-over-year decline in adjusted operating profit reflects declines in revenue due to RBS' planned exit of the lower margin legacy business to focus on growing its on-net next generation data revenue. Excluding high margin non-recurring revenue from a certain customer contract during the first quarter of 2011, RBS' adjusted operating profit margin increased to 20.7% from 20.1%.

VIDEO

Summarized Financial Results

						Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars, except margin)							2012						2011			% Chg
Operating revenue						$			11			$			24	(54)
Operating expenses before the undernoted									14						31	(55)
Adjusted operating loss									(3)						(7)	57
Integration, restructuring and acquisition expenses									(22)						(7)	n/m
Operating loss						$			(25)			$			(14)	(79)
Adjusted operating loss margin									(27.3%)						(29.2%)

The results of the Video segment include our video and game sale and rental business. Coinciding with changing market conditions and customer behaviours, the Company expects there will be no video sales and rentals in our retail stores by the end of the second quarter of 2012. These Rogers stores will continue to serve all of our customers' wireless and cable needs.

Cable Additions to PP&E

Cable additions to PP&E are classified into the following categories:

									Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars)										2012								2011					% Chg
Additions to PP&E
Customer premise equipment									$					77			$					46	67
Scalable infrastructure														54								60	(10)
Line extensions														12								9	33
Upgrades and rebuild														-								1	n/m
Support capital														45								34	32
Total Cable Operations														188								150	25
RBS														15								11	36
Video														-								-	n/m
Total additions to PP&E									$					203			$					161	26

The Cable Operations segment categorizes its PP&E expenditures according to a standardized set of reporting categories that were developed and agreed to by the U.S. cable television industry and that facilitate comparisons of additions to PP&E between different cable companies. Under these industry definitions, Cable Operations additions to PP&E are classified into the following five categories:

• Customer premise equipment ("CPE"), which includes the equipment for digital set-top terminals, Internet modems and associated installation costs;
• Scalable infrastructure, which includes non-CPE costs to meet business growth and to provide service enhancements;
• Line extensions, which includes network costs to enter new service areas;
• Upgrades and rebuild, which includes the costs to modify or replace existing coaxial cable, fibre-optic equipment and network electronics; and
• Support capital, which includes the costs associated with the purchase, replacement or enhancement of non-network assets.

Additions to Cable Operations PP&E include continued investments in the cable network to enhance the customer experience through increased speed and performance of our Internet service and capacity enhancements to our digital network to allow for incremental HD and on-demand services to be added.

The increase in Cable Operations PP&E additions for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the corresponding period of 2011, was largely driven by increased CPE attributable to higher volumes and associated rate for DOCSIS 3 gateways, higher volumes of set top boxes related to Nextbox 2.0 and our analog to digital subscriber migration activities. Network investments in scalable infrastructure and line extensions combined have decreased compared to the comparative quarter of 2011 due to higher capacity investments on the Video platform in the prior year. Support capital investments that contributed to the increase relate to timing of spend on projects related to platforms for new services and customer billing systems.

The increase in RBS PP&E additions for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the corresponding period of 2011, resulted from the timing of expenditures on customer specific network expansions and support capital.

MEDIA

Summarized Media Financial Results

						Three months ended March 31,
(In millions of dollars, except margin)							2012							2011				% Chg
Operating revenue						$				354			$				339	4
Operating expenses before the undernoted										368							349	5
Adjusted operating loss										(14)							(10)	(40)
Stock-based compensation expense										(1)							(2)	(50)
Integration, restructuring and acquisition expenses										(6)							(3)	100
Operating loss						$				(21)			$				(15)	(40)
Adjusted operating loss margin										(4.0%)							(2.9%)
Additions to PP&E						$				10			$				8	25

Media Revenue

The increase in Media's revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2012 compared to the corresponding period of 2011 was mainly the result of an increase in subscriber fees generated from Sportsnet and advertising sales across the portfolio. For the three months ended March 31, 2012, Sports Entertainment, Sportsnet, The Shopping Channel, Television, Radio and Publishing (adjusting for the disposition of a portion of the business publishing portfolio), all contributed to the growth in revenue. While the first quarter is seasonally one of the slowest of each year for Media, the first quarter ended March 31, 2012 experienced a weaker than expected ad market which suppressed growth.

Media Operating Expenses

Media's operating expenses increased for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the corresponding period of 2011, primarily due to an increase in planned program related spending in the Television division.  Such spending is related to the launch of new channels including CityNews and FX Canada, as well as investments in new programming and initiatives for Citytv. Media was able to offset a portion of the impact of the softer than expected ad market during the quarter with cost controls.

Media Adjusted Operating Loss

The increase in Media's adjusted operating loss for the three months ended March 31, 2012, compared to the corresponding period of 2011, primarily reflects the revenue and expense changes discussed above.

Media Additions to PP&E

Media's PP&E additions during the three months ended March 31, 2012 increased from the corresponding period in 2011 primarily due to capital expenditures relating to infrastructure upgrades for Sportsnet and Sports Entertainment.

2012 FINANCIAL AND OPERATING GUIDANCE

We have no specific revisions to the 2012 annual consolidated guidance ranges which we provided on February 22, 2012. See the section entitled "Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements, Risks and Assumptions" below.

Rogers Communications Inc.
Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
(In millions of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts)

											Three months ended
											March 31,
											2012							2011
Operating revenue							$				2,954			$				2,987
Operating expenses:
	Operating costs										1,869							1,835
	Integration, restructuring and acquisition costs										64							11
	Depreciation and amortization										463							418
Operating income											558							723
Finance costs											(160)							(268)
Other income, net											5							2
Share of the income of associates and joint ventures
	accounted for using the equity method, net of tax										3							3
Income before income taxes											406							460
Income tax expense (recovery):
	Current										98							145
	Deferred										3							(20)
											101							125
Net income for the period							$				305			$				335
Earnings per share:
	Basic						$				0.58			$				0.60
	Diluted										0.57							0.60

Rogers Communications Inc.
Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
(In millions of Canadian dollars)

											March 31,				December 31,
											2012				2011
Assets
Current assets:
	Accounts receivable						$				1,351			$	1,574
	Other current assets										471				322
	Current portion of derivative instruments										10				16
											1,832				1,912
Property, plant and equipment											9,130				9,114
Goodwill											3,280				3,280
Intangible assets											2,685				2,721
Investments											1,165				1,107
Derivative instruments											39				64
Other long-term assets											130				134
Deferred tax assets											39				30
							$				18,300			$	18,362
Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity
Current liabilities:
	Bank advances						$				44			$	57
	Accounts payable and accrued liabilities										1,651				2,085
	Income tax payable										24				-
	Current portion of provisions										27				35
	Current portion of derivative instruments										49				37
	Unearned revenue										348				335
											2,143				2,549
Provisions											37				38
Long-term debt											10,194				10,034
Derivative instruments											516				503
Other long-term liabilities											261				276
Deferred tax liabilities											1,410				1,390
											14,561				14,790
Shareholders' equity											3,739				3,572
							$				18,300			$	18,362

Rogers Communications Inc.
Unaudited Interim Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(In millions of Canadian dollars)

										Three months ended
										March 31,
										2012							2011
Cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities:
	Net income for the period					$				305			$				335
	Adjustments to reconcile net income
	to net cash flows from operating activities:
		Depreciation and amortization								463							418
		Program rights and Video rental amortization								22							23
		Finance costs								160							268
		Income tax expense								101							125
		Pension contributions, net of expense								(4)							(2)
		Stock-based compensation expense								6							8
		Amortization of fair value decrement
		on long-term debt								1							-
		Share of the income of associates and joint ventures
		accounted for using the equity method, net of tax								(3)							(3)
		Other								(6)							4
										1,045							1,176
	Change in non-cash operating working capital items									(200)							(233)
										845							943
	Interest paid									(245)							(222)
	Income taxes paid									(72)							(3)
										528							718
Investing activities:
	Additions to property, plant and equipment ("PP&E")									(449)							(395)
	Change in non-cash working capital items related to PP&E									(95)							(128)
	Acquisitions, net of cash and cash equivalents acquired									-							(504)
	Additions to program rights									(18)							(10)
	Other									(6)							(3)
										(568)							(1,040)
Financing activities:
	Issuance of long-term debt									590							3,015
	Repayment of long-term debt									(350)							(1,817)
	Premium on repayment of long-term debt									-							(76)
	Payment on settlement of cross-currency interest rate
	exchange agreement and forward contracts									-							(1,208)
	Proceeds on settlement of cross-currency interest rate
	exchange agreement and forward contracts									-							878
	Transaction costs incurred									-							(10)
	Repurchase of Class B Non-Voting shares									-							(285)
	Dividends paid									(187)							(179)
										53							318
Change in cash and cash equivalents (bank advances)										13							(4)
Cash and cash equivalents (bank advances), beginning of period										(57)							(45)
Cash and cash equivalents (bank advances), end of period						$				(44)			$				(49)
The change in non-cash operating working capital items is as follows:
	Decrease in accounts receivable					$				250			$				102
	Increase in other assets									(152)							(109)
	Decrease in accounts payable and accrued liabilities									(310)							(249)
	Increase in unearned revenue									12							23
						$				(200)			$				(233)

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Statements, Risks and Assumptions

This earnings release includes "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws and assumptions concerning, among other things our business, its operations and its financial performance and condition approved by management on the date of this earnings release. This forward-looking information and these assumptions include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to our objectives and strategies to achieve those objectives, as well as statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates or intentions. This forward-looking information also includes, but is not limited to, guidance and forecasts relating to revenue, adjusted operating profit, property plant and equipment expenditures, 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 the deployment of new services, and all other statements that are not historical facts. The words "could", "expect", "may", "anticipate", "assume", "believe", "intend", "estimate", "plan", "project", "guidance", and similar expressions are intended to identify statements containing forward-looking information, although not all forward-looking statements include such words. Conclusions, forecasts and projections set out in forward-looking information are based on our current objectives and strategies and on estimates and other factors and expectations and assumptions, most of which are confidential and proprietary, that we believe to be reasonable at the time applied, but may prove to be incorrect, including, but not limited to: general economic and industry growth rates, currency exchange rates, product pricing levels and competitive intensity, subscriber growth, usage and churn rates, changes in government regulation, technology deployment, device availability, the 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 statements 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 or announced or may occur after the date the statement containing the forward-looking information is made.

We caution that all forward-looking information, including any statement regarding our current objectives strategies and intentions and any factor, assumptions, estimate or expectation underlying the forward-looking information, is inherently subject to change and uncertainty and that actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. A number of risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking information or could cause our current objectives, strategies and intentions to change, including but not limited to: new interpretations and new accounting standards from accounting standards bodies, economic conditions, technological change, the integration of acquisitions, unanticipated changes in content or equipment costs, changing conditions in the entertainment, information and communications industries, regulatory changes, litigation and tax matters, the level of competitive intensity and the emergence of new opportunities.

Many of these factors are beyond our control and current expectation 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 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 or assumptions, 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 any investment decisions and for a detailed discussion of the risks, uncertainties and environment associated with our business, fully review the sections of our first quarter MD&A entitled "Updates to Risks and Uncertainties" and "Government Regulation and Regulatory Developments", and also sections entitled "Risks and Uncertainties Affecting our Businesses" and "Government Regulation and Regulatory Developments" in our 2011 Annual MD&A. Our annual and quarterly reports can be found online at rogers.com, sedar.com and sec.gov or are available directly from Rogers.

About Rogers Communications Inc.

Rogers Communications is a diversified Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless voice and data communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet and telephony services. Through Rogers Media we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. We are 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.

Quarterly Investment Community Conference Call

As previously announced by press release, a live webcast of our quarterly results conference call with the investment community will be broadcast via the Internet at rogers.com/webcast beginning at 5:00 p.m. ET today, April 24, 2012. A rebroadcast of this teleconference will be available on the Events and Presentations page of Rogers' Investor Relations website rogers.com/investors for a period of at least two weeks following the conference call. 

 

 

 

 

Investment Community Contacts

Bruce M. Mann, 416.935.3532, [email protected]
Dan Coombes, 416.935.3550, [email protected]

Media Contact

Terrie Tweddle, 416.935.4727, [email protected]