Note 1: Organization and Business
We are a Pennsylvania corporation and were incorporated in December 2001. Through our predecessors, we have developed, managed and operated cable systems since 1963. We classify our operations in two reportable segments: Cable and Programming.
Our Cable segment is principally involved in the management and operation of cable systems in the United States. As of December 31, 2006, we served approximately 23.4 million video subscribers, 11 million high-speed Internet subscribers and 2.4 million phone subscribers. Our regional sports and news networks are included in our Cable segment because they derive a substantial portion of their revenues from our cable operations.
Our Programming segment operates our consolidated national programming networks: E!, Style, The Golf Channel, VERSUS (formerly known as OLN), G4 and AZN Television.
Our other businesses consist principally of Comcast Spectacor, which owns the Philadelphia Flyers, the Philadelphia 76ers and two large multipurpose arenas in Philadelphia, and manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other special events, and our corporate activities. We also own equity method investments in other programming networks.
Stock Split
On January 31, 2007, our Board of Directors approved a three-for-two stock split in the form of a 50% stock dividend (the "Stock Split") payable on February 21, 2007, to shareholders of record on February 14, 2007. The stock dividend was in the form of an additional 0.5 share for every share held and was payable in shares of Class A common stock on the existing Class A common stock and payable in shares of Class A Special common stock on the existing Class A Special common stock and Class B common stock with cash being paid in lieu of fractional shares. Our stock began trading ex-dividend on February 22, 2007. The number of shares outstanding and related prices, per share amounts, share conversions and share-based data have been adjusted to reflect the Stock Split for all periods presented.
Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Basis of Consolidation
The accompanying consolidated financial statements include (i) all of our accounts, (ii) all entities in which we have a controlling voting interest ("subsidiaries") and (iii) variable interest entities ("VIEs") required to be consolidated in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States ("GAAP"). We have eliminated all significant intercompany accounts and transactions among consolidated entities.
Our Use of Estimates
We prepare our consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP, which requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts and disclosures. Actual results could differ from those estimates. Estimates are used when accounting for various items, such as allowances for doubtful accounts, investments, derivative financial instruments, asset impairment, nonmonetary transactions, certain acquisition-related liabilities, programming-related liabilities, pensions and other postretirement benefits, revenue recognition, depreciation and amortization, income taxes and legal contingencies.
Fair Values
We have determined the estimated fair value amounts presented in these consolidated financial statements using available market information and appropriate methodologies. However, considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. The estimates presented in these consolidated financial statements are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that we could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different market assumptions and/or estimation methodologies may have a material effect on the estimated fair value amounts. We based these fair value estimates on pertinent information available to us as of December 31, 2006 and 2005.
Cash Equivalents
The carrying amounts of our cash equivalents approximate their fair value. Our cash equivalents principally consist of commercial paper, money market funds, U.S. government obligations and certificates of deposit with maturities of less than three months when purchased.
Investments
We review our investment portfolio each reporting period to determine whether a decline in the market value is considered to be other than temporary. If an investment is deemed to have experienced an other than temporary decline below its cost basis, we reduce the carrying amount of the investment to its fair market value. We charge the impairment to earnings and establish a new cost basis for the investment.
Purchases of or proceeds from the sale of trading securities are classified as cash flows from operating activities, while cash flows from all other investment securities are classified as cash flows from investing activities.
We classify unrestricted publicly traded investments as available-for-sale ("AFS") or trading securities and record them at fair value. For AFS securities, we record unrealized gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value between measurement dates as a component of other comprehensive income (loss), except when we consider declines in value to be other than temporary. These other than temporary declines are recognized as a component of investment income (loss), net. For trading securities, we record unrealized gains or losses resulting from changes in fair value between measurement dates as a component of investment income (loss), net. We recognize realized gains and losses associated with our fair value method investments using the specific identification method.
We use the equity method to account for investments in which we have the ability to exercise significant influence over the investee's operating and financial policies. Equity method investments are recorded at original cost and adjusted to recognize our proportionate share of the investee's net income or losses after the date of investment, amortization of basis differences, additional contributions made and dividends received, and impairment charges resulting from adjustments to fair value. We generally record our share of the investee's net income or loss one quarter in arrears due to the timing of our receipt of such information.
If a consolidated subsidiary or equity method investee issues additional securities that change our proportionate share of the entity, we recognize the change as a gain or loss in our consolidated statement of operations. In cases where gain realization is not assured, we record the gain to additional capital.
Restricted publicly traded investments and investments in privately held companies are stated at cost and adjusted for any known decrease in value (see Note 6).
Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost. We capitalize improvements that extend asset lives and expense other repairs and maintenance charges as incurred. For assets that are sold or retired, we remove the applicable cost and accumulated depreciation and, unless the gain or loss on disposition is presented separately, we recognize it as a component of depreciation expense.
We capitalize the costs associated with the construction of our cable transmission and distribution facilities and new service installations. Costs include all direct labor and materials, as well as various indirect costs.
We record depreciation using the straight-line method over estimated useful lives. Our significant components of property and equipment are as follows:
| December 31 (in millions) | Useful Life | 2006 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cable transmission and distribution facilities | 2-15 years | $ 31,870 | $ 25,737 |
| Buildings and building improvements | 5-40 years | 1,366 | 1,279 |
| Land | — | 163 | 148 |
| Other | 3-10 years | 3,355 | 2,619 |
| Property and equipment, at cost | 36,754 | 29,783 | |
| Less: accumulated depreciation | (15,506) | (12,079) | |
| Property and equipment, net | $ 21,248 | $ 17,704 |
Intangible Assets
Cable franchise rights represent the value attributed to agreements with local authorities that allow access to homes in cable service areas acquired in connection with business combinations. We do not amortize cable franchise rights because we have determined that they have an indefinite life. We reassess this determination periodically for each franchise based on the factors included in Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 142, "Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets" ("SFAS No. 142"). Costs we incur in negotiating and renewing cable franchise agreements are included in other intangible assets and are principally amortized on a straightline basis over the term of the franchise renewal period.
Other intangible assets consist principally of franchise-related customer relationships acquired in business combinations, cable and satellite television distribution rights, cable franchise renewal costs, contractual operating rights, computer software, programming agreements and rights, patents and other technology rights, and noncompetition agreements. We record these costs as assets and amortize them on a straight-line basis over the term of the related agreements or estimated useful life.
Our Programming subsidiaries enter into multi-year license agreements with various cable and satellite distributors for distribution of their respective programming ("distribution rights"). We capitalize distribution rights and amortize them on a straight-line basis over the term of the related license agreements. We classify the amortization of these distribution rights as a reduction of revenue unless the Programming subsidiary receives, or will receive, an identifiable benefit from the cable or satellite system distributor separate from the fee paid for the distribution right, in which case we recognize the fair value of the identified benefit as an operating expense in the period in which it is received.
We capitalize direct development costs associated with internal-use software, including external direct costs of material and services, and payroll costs for employees devoting time to these software projects. We include these costs within other intangible assets and amortize them over a period not to exceed five years, beginning when the asset is substantially ready for use. We expense maintenance and training costs, as well as costs incurred during the preliminary project stage, as they are incurred. We capitalize initial operating system software costs and amortize them over the life of the associated hardware.
See Note 7 for the ranges of useful lives of our intangible assets.
Asset Impairments
Property and Equipment and Intangible Assets Subject to Amortization
We periodically evaluate the recoverability and estimated lives of our property and equipment and intangible assets subject to amortization in accordance with SFAS No. 144, "Accounting for the Impairment or Disposal of Long-Lived Assets" ("SFAS No. 144"). Our evaluations occur whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable or the useful life has changed, and they include analyses based on the cash flows generated by the underlying assets and profitability information, including estimated future operating results, trends or other determinants of fair value. If the total of the expected future undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying amount of the asset, we recognize a loss for the difference between the fair value and the carrying value of the asset. Unless presented separately, the loss is included as a component of either depreciation expense or amortization expense, as appropriate.
Franchise Rights
We evaluate the recoverability of our franchise rights annually, or more frequently whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the assets might be impaired. We estimate the fair value of our cable franchise rights utilizing various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis, multiples of operating income before depreciation and amortization generated by the underlying assets, analyses of current market transactions and profitability information. If the value of our cable franchise rights determined by these evaluations is less than the carrying amount, we recognize an impairment charge for the difference between the estimated fair value and the carrying value of the assets. When we perform our impairment test, we group the recorded values of our various cable franchise rights into geographic regions. We evaluate these groups periodically to ensure impairment testing is performed at an appropriate level. We have not recorded any significant impairment charges as a result of our impairment testing.
Goodwill
Goodwill is the excess of the acquisition cost of an acquired entity over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. We evaluate the recoverability of our goodwill annually, or more frequently whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the asset might be impaired. We perform the impairment assessment of our goodwill one level below the business segment level, except for our Cable business. In our Cable business, since components one level below the segment level are not separate reporting units and have similar economic characteristics, we aggregate the components into one reporting unit at the Cable segment level.
Asset Retirement Obligations
SFAS No. 143, "Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations," as interpreted by Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") Interpretation ("FIN") No. 47, "Accounting for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations — an Interpretation of FASB Statement No. 143," requires that a liability be recognized for an asset retirement obligation in the period in which it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made.
Certain of our franchise and lease agreements contain provisions requiring us to restore facilities or remove property in the event that the franchise or lease agreement is not renewed. We expect to continually renew our franchise agreements; however, a remote possibility exists that such agreements could terminate unexpectedly, which could result in us incurring significant expense in complying with the restoration or removal provisions under such agreements. No such liabilities have been recorded in our consolidated financial statements as the obligations related to the restoration and removal provisions contained in our agreements or any disposal obligations related to our properties are not material to our consolidated financial statements or cannot be reasonably estimated.
Revenue Recognition
Cable revenues are principally derived from subscriber fees received for our video, high-speed Internet and phone services ("cable services") and from advertising. We recognize revenues from cable services as the service is provided. We manage credit risk by screening applicants through the use of credit bureau data. If a subscriber's account is delinquent, various measures are used to collect outstanding amounts, including termination of the subscriber's cable service. We recognize advertising revenue at estimated realizable values when the advertising is aired. Installation revenues obtained from the connection of subscribers to our cable systems are less than related direct selling costs. Therefore, such revenues are recognized as connections are completed. Revenues earned from other sources are recognized when services are provided or events occur. Under the terms of our franchise agreements, we are generally required to pay to the local franchise authority up to 5% of our gross revenues earned from providing cable services within the local franchise area. We normally pass these fees through to our cable subscribers and classify the fees as a component of revenues.
Our Programming businesses recognize revenue from cable and satellite distributors as programming is provided, generally pursuant to multiyear distribution agreements. From time to time these agreements expire while programming continues to be provided to the operator based on interim arrangements while the parties negotiate new contractual terms. Revenue recognition is generally limited to current payments being made by the operator, typically pursuant to the prior contract terms, until a new contract is negotiated, sometimes with effective dates that affect prior periods. Differences between actual amounts determined upon resolution of negotiations and amounts recorded during these interim arrangements are recorded in the period of resolution.
Advertising revenue for our Programming businesses is recognized in the period in which commercial announcements or programs are aired. In some instances, our Programming businesses guarantee viewer ratings for their programming. Revenue is deferred to the extent of an estimated shortfall in the ratings. Such shortfalls are primarily settled by providing additional advertising time, at which point the revenue is recognized.
Cable Programming Expenses
Cable programming expenses are the fees we pay to programming networks to license the programming we package, offer and distribute to our cable subscribers. Programming is acquired for distribution to our cable subscribers, generally pursuant to multiyear distribution agreements, with rates typically based on the number of subscribers that receive the programming. From time to time these contracts expire and programming continues to be provided based on interim arrangements while the parties negotiate new contractual terms, sometimes with effective dates that affect prior periods. While payments are typically made under the prior contract terms, the amount of our programming expenses recorded during these interim arrangements is based on our estimates of the ultimate contractual terms expected to be negotiated.
Our cable subsidiaries have received or may receive incentives from programming networks for the licensing of their programming. We classify the deferred portion of these fees within noncurrent liabilities and recognize the fees as a reduction of programming expenses (included in operating expenses) over the term of the contract.
Share-Based Compensation
Prior to January 1, 2006, we accounted for our share-based compensation plans in accordance with the provisions of Accounting Principles Board ("APB") Opinion No. 25, "Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees" ("APB No. 25"), as permitted by SFAS No. 123, "Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation" ("SFAS No. 123"), and accordingly did not recognize compensation expense for stock options with an exercise price equal to or greater than the market price of the underlying stock at the date of grant.
Effective January 1, 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123R, "Share- Based Payment" ("SFAS No. 123R"), using the Modified Prospective Approach. Under the Modified Prospective Approach, the amount of compensation cost recognized includes: (i) compensation cost for all share-based payments granted prior to but not yet vested as of January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123 and (ii) compensation cost for all share-based payments granted or modified subsequent to January 1, 2006, based on the estimated fair value at the date of grant or subsequent modification date in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
SFAS No. 123R also required us to change the classification, in our consolidated statement of cash flows, of any income tax benefits realized upon the exercise of stock options or issuance of restricted share unit awards in excess of that which is associated with the expense recognized for financial reporting purposes. These amounts are presented as a financing cash inflow rather than as a reduction of income taxes paid in our consolidated statement of cash flows. See Note 10 for further details regarding the adoption of SFAS No. 123R.
Postretirement and Postemployment Benefits
We charge to operations the estimated costs of retiree benefits and benefits for former or inactive employees, after employment but before retirement, during the years the employees provide services (see Note 9).
Income Taxes
We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for temporary differences between the financial reporting basis and the tax basis of our assets and liabilities and the expected benefits of utilizing net operating loss carryforwards. The impact on deferred taxes of changes in tax rates and laws, if any, applied to the years during which temporary differences are expected to be settled, is reflected in the consolidated financial statements in the period of enactment (see Note 11).
We account for income tax uncertainties that arise in connection with business combinations and those that are associated with entities acquired in business combinations in accordance with Emerging Issues Task Force ("EITF") Issue No. 93-7, "Uncertainties Related to Income Taxes in a Purchase Business Combination." Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recorded as of the date of a business combination and are based on our estimate of the ultimate tax basis that will be accepted by the various taxing authorities. Liabilities for contingencies associated with prior tax returns filed by the acquired entity are recorded based on our estimate of the ultimate settlement that will be accepted by the various taxing authorities. Estimated interest expense on these liabilities subsequent to the acquisition is reflected in our consolidated income tax provision. We adjust these deferred tax accounts and liabilities periodically to reflect revised estimated tax bases and any estimated settlements with the various taxing authorities. The effect of these adjustments is generally applied to goodwill except for post-acquisition interest expense, which is recognized as an adjustment of income tax expense.
Derivative Financial Instruments
We use derivative financial instruments for a number of purposes. We manage our exposure to fluctuations in interest rates by entering into instruments, which may include interest rate exchange agreements ("swaps"), interest rate lock agreements ("rate locks"), interest rate cap agreements ("caps") and interest rate collar agreements ("collars"). We manage our exposure to fluctuations in the value of some of our investments by entering into equity collar agreements ("equity collars") and equity put option agreements ("equity put options"). We are also a party to equity warrant agreements ("equity warrants"). We have issued indexed debt instruments ("Exchangeable Notes" and "ZONES") and have entered into prepaid forward sale agreements ("prepaid forward sales") whose value, in part, is derived from the market value of certain publicly traded common stock. We have also sold call options on some of our investments in equity securities. We use equity hedges to manage exposure to changes in equity prices associated with stock appreciation rights of acquired companies. These equity hedges are recorded at fair value based on market quotes.
For derivative instruments designated and effective as fair value hedges, such as fixed to variable swaps, changes in the fair value of the derivative instrument are substantially offset in the consolidated statement of operations by changes in the fair value of the hedged item. For derivative instruments designated as cash flow hedges, such as variable to fixed swaps and rate locks, the effective portion of any hedge is reported in other comprehensive income (loss) until it is recognized in earnings during the same period in which the hedged item affects earnings. The ineffective portion of all hedges is recognized each period in current earnings. Changes in the fair value of derivative instruments that are not designated as a hedge are recorded each period in current earnings.
When a derivative instrument designated as a fair value hedge is terminated, sold, exercised or has expired, any gain or loss is deferred and recognized in earnings over the remaining life of the hedged item. When a hedged item is settled or sold, the adjustment in the carrying amount of the hedged item is recognized in earnings. When hedged variable-rate debt is settled, the previously deferred effective portion of the hedge is written off similar to debt extinguishment costs.
Equity warrants and equity collars are adjusted to estimated fair value on a current basis with the result included in investment income (loss), net in our consolidated statement of operations.
Derivative instruments embedded in other contracts, such as our Exchangeable Notes, ZONES and prepaid forward sales, are separated into their host and derivative financial instrument components. The derivative component is recorded at its estimated fair value in our consolidated balance sheet, and changes in estimated fair value are recorded in investment income (loss), net in our consolidated statement of operations.
All derivative transactions must comply with our Board-authorized derivatives policy. We do not hold or issue any derivative financial instruments for speculative or trading purposes and are not a party to leveraged derivative instruments (see Note 8). We manage the credit risks associated with our derivative financial instruments through the evaluation and monitoring of the creditworthiness of the counterparties. Although we may be exposed to losses in the event of nonperformance by the counterparties, we do not expect such losses, if any, to be significant.
We periodically examine the instruments we use to hedge exposure to interest rate and equity price risks to ensure that the instruments are matched with underlying assets or liabilities, reduce our risks relating to interest rates or equity prices and, through market value and sensitivity analysis, maintain a high correlation to the risk inherent in the hedged item. For those instruments that do not meet the above criteria, variations in their fair value are reflected on a current basis in our consolidated statement of operations.
Securities Lending Transactions
We may enter into securities lending transactions in which we require the borrower to provide cash collateral equal to the value of the loaned securities, as adjusted for any changes in the value of the underlying loaned securities. Loaned securities for which we maintain effective control are included in investments in our consolidated balance sheet.
Note 3: Recent Accounting Pronouncements
SFAS No. 155
In February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 155, "Accounting for Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments — an Amendment of FASB Statements No. 133 and 140" ("SFAS No. 155"). SFAS No. 155 allows financial instruments that contain an embedded derivative and that otherwise would require bifurcation to be accounted for as a whole on a fair value basis, at the holder's election. SFAS No. 155 also clarifies and amends certain other provisions of SFAS No. 133 and SFAS No. 140. This statement is effective for all financial instruments acquired or issued in fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2006. We do not expect SFAS No. 155 to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
SFAS No. 157
In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, "Fair Value Measurements" ("SFAS No. 157"). SFAS No. 157 defines fair value, establishing a framework for measuring fair value and expands disclosure about fair value measurements. SFAS No. 157 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. We do not expect SFAS No. 157 to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
SFAS No. 158
In September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 158, "Employers' Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans" ("SFAS No. 158"). SFAS No. 158 requires companies to recognize in their statement of financial position an asset for a plan's overfunded status or a liability for a plan's underfunded status and to measure a plan's assets and its obligations that determine its funded status as of the end of the company's fiscal year. Additionally, SFAS No. 158 requires companies to recognize changes in the funded status of a defined benefit postretirement plan in the year that the changes occur and to report these in other comprehensive income (loss). The application of SFAS No. 158 did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
FASB Interpretation No. 48
In July 2006, the FASB issued FIN 48, "Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes — an interpretation of FASB Statement No. 109" ("FIN 48"). FIN 48 clarifies the recognition threshold and measurement of a tax position taken on a tax return. FIN 48 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006. FIN 48 also requires expanded disclosure with respect to the uncertainty in income taxes. We do not expect FIN 48 to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
EITF Issue No. 06-1
In June 2006, the EITF reached a consensus on EITF Issue No. 06-1, "Accounting for Consideration Given by a Service Provider to Manufacturers or Resellers of Specialized Equipment Necessary for an End-Customer to Receive Service from the Service Provider" ("EITF 06-1"). EITF 06-1 provides guidance on the accounting for consideration given by a vendor to a customer. The provisions of EITF 06-1 will be effective for us as of December 31, 2007. We do not expect EITF 06-1 to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
EITF Issue No. 06-3
In June 2006, the EITF reached a consensus on EITF Issue No. 06-3, "How Taxes Collected from Customers and Remitted to Governmental Authorities Should Be Presented in the Income Statement (That Is, Gross versus Net Presentation)" ("EITF 06-3"). EITF 06-3 provides that the presentation of taxes assessed by a governmental authority that is directly imposed on a revenue-producing transaction between a seller and a customer on either a gross basis (included in revenues and costs) or on a net basis (excluded from revenues) is an accounting policy decision that should be disclosed. The provisions of EITF 06-3 will be effective for us as of January 1, 2007. We do not expect EITF 06-3 to have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
SAB No. 108
In September 2006, the Securities Exchange Commission Staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 108, "Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when Quantifying Misstatements in the Current Year Financial Statements" ("SAB No. 108"). SAB No. 108 requires the use of two alternative approaches in quantitatively evaluating materiality of misstatements. If the misstatement as quantified under either approach is material to the current year financial statements, the misstatement must be corrected. If the effect of correcting the prior year misstatements, if any, in the current year income statement is material, the prior year financial statements should be corrected. In the year of adoption (fiscal years ending after November 15, 2006, or calendar year 2006 for us), the misstatements may be corrected as an accounting change by adjusting opening retained earnings rather than including the adjustment in the current year income statement. Upon completing our evaluation of the requirements of SAB No. 108, we determined it did not affect our consolidated financial statements.
Note 4: Earnings Per Share
Basic earnings for common stockholders per common share ("Basic EPS") is computed by dividing net income for common stockholders by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period.
Our potentially dilutive securities include potential common shares related to our stock options and restricted share units. Diluted earnings for common stockholders per common share ("Diluted EPS") considers the impact of potentially dilutive securities except in periods in which there is a loss because the inclusion of the potential common shares would have an antidilutive effect. Diluted EPS excludes the impact of potential common shares related to our stock options in periods in which the option exercise price is greater than the average market price of our Class A common stock and our Class A Special common stock during the period (see Note 10).
Diluted EPS for 2006, 2005 and 2004 excludes approximately 116 million, 126 million and 154 million, respectively, of potential common shares related to our share-based compensation plans because the inclusion of the potential common shares would have an antidilutive effect.
The following table reconciles the numerator and denominator of the computations of Diluted EPS from continuing operations for the years presented (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split):
| 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year Ended December 31 (in millions, except per share data) |
Income | Shares | Per Share Amount |
Income | Shares | Per Share Amount |
Income | Shares | Per Share Amount |
| Basic EPS | $ 2,235 | 3,160 | $ 0.71 | $ 828 | 3,295 | $ 0.25 | $ 928 | 3,360 | $ 0.28 |
| Effect of Dilutive Securities | |||||||||
| Assumed exercise or issuance of shares relating to stock plan | 20 | 17 | 15 | ||||||
| Diluted EPS | $ 2,235 | 3,180 | $ 0.70 | $ 828 | 3,312 | $ 0.25 | $ 928 | 3,375 | $ 0.28 |
Note 5: Acquisitions and Other Significant Events
Adelphia and Time Warner Transactions
In April 2005, we entered into an agreement with Adelphia Communications ("Adelphia") in which we agreed to acquire certain assets and assume certain liabilities of Adelphia (the "Adelphia Acquisition"). At the same time, we and Time Warner Cable Inc. and certain of its affiliates ("TWC") entered into several agreements in which we agreed to (i) have our interest in Time Warner Entertainment Company, L.P. ("TWE") redeemed, (ii) have our interest in TWC redeemed (together with the TWE redemption, the "Redemptions"), and (iii) exchange certain cable systems acquired from Adelphia and certain Comcast cable systems with TWC (the "Exchanges"). On July 31, 2006, these transactions were completed. We collectively refer to the Adelphia Acquisition, the Redemptions and the Exchanges as the "Adelphia and Time Warner transactions." Also in April 2005, Adelphia and TWC entered into an agreement for the acquisition of substantially all of the remaining cable system assets and the assumption of certain of the liabilities of Adelphia.
The Adelphia and Time Warner transactions, which are described in more detail below, resulted in a net increase of 1.7 million video subscribers, a net cash payment by us of approximately $1.5 billion and the disposition of our ownership interests in TWE and TWC and the assets of two cable system partnerships.
The Adelphia and Time Warner transactions added cable systems located in 16 states (California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia). We expect that the larger systems will result in economies of scale.
The Adelphia Acquisition
We paid approximately $3.6 billion in cash for the acquisition of Adelphia's interest in two cable system partnerships and certain Adelphia cable systems and to satisfy certain related liabilities. Approximately $2.3 billion of the amount paid was related to the acquisition of Adelphia's interest in Century — TCI California Communications, L.P. ("Century") and Parnassos Communications, L.P. ("Parnassos" and together with Century, the "Partnerships"). We held a 25% interest in Century and a 33.33% interest in Parnassos. Our prior interests in the Partnerships were accounted for as cost method investments. After acquiring Adelphia's interests in the Partnerships, we transferred the cable systems held by the Partnerships to TWC in the Exchanges, as discussed further below.
In addition to acquiring Adelphia's interest in Century and Parnassos, we acquired cable systems from Adelphia for approximately $600 million in cash that we continue to own and operate.
The Redemptions
Our 4.7% interest in TWE was redeemed in exchange for 100% of the equity interests in a subsidiary of TWE holding cable systems with a fair value of approximately $600 million and approximately $147 million in cash. Our 17.9% interest in TWC was redeemed in exchange for 100% of the capital stock of a subsidiary of TWC holding cable systems with a fair value of approximately $2.7 billion and approximately $1.9 billion in cash. Our ownership interests in TWE and TWC were accounted for as cost method investments.
We recognized a gain of approximately $535 million, in the aggregate, on the Redemptions, which is included in investment income (loss), net.
The Exchanges
The estimated fair value of the cable systems we transferred to and received from TWC was approximately $8.6 billion and $8.5 billion, respectively. TWC made net cash payments aggregating approximately $67 million to us for certain preliminary adjustments related to the Exchanges.
The cable systems we transferred to TWC included our previously owned cable systems located in Los Angeles, Cleveland and Dallas ("Comcast Exchange Systems") and the cable systems held by Century and Parnassos. The operating results of the Comcast Exchange Systems are reported as discontinued operations for all periods and are presented in accordance with SFAS No. 144 (see "Discontinued Operations" below).
As a result of the Exchanges, we recognized a gain on the sale of discontinued operations of $195 million, net of tax of $541 million and a gain on the sale of the Century and Parnassos cable systems of approximately $111 million that is included within investment income (loss), net.
The cable systems that TWC transferred to us in the Exchanges included cable systems that TWC acquired from Adelphia in its asset purchase from Adelphia and TWC's Philadelphia cable system.
Purchase Price Allocation
The cable systems acquired in the Adelphia and Time Warner transactions were accounted for in accordance with SFAS No. 141, "Business Combinations" ("SFAS No. 141"). The results of operations for the acquired cable systems have been included in our consolidated financial statements since the acquisition date (July 31, 2006) and are reported in our Cable segment. As a result of the redemption of our investment in TWC and the exchange of the cable systems held by Century and Parnassos, we reversed deferred tax liabilities of approximately $760 million, primarily related to the excess of tax basis of the assets acquired over the tax basis of the assets exchanged and reduced the amount of goodwill and other noncurrent assets that would have otherwise been recorded in the acquisition. Substantially all of the goodwill recorded is expected to be amortizable for tax purposes. The purchase price allocation is preliminary and subject to refinement as valuations are finalized. The weighted-average amortization period of the franchise-related customer relationship intangible assets acquired was seven years.
The following represents the purchase price allocation to assets acquired and liabilities assumed, exclusive of the cable systems held by Century and Parnassos and transferred to TWC, as a result of the Adelphia and Time Warner transactions:
| (in millions) | 2006 |
|---|---|
| Property and equipment | $ 2,692 |
| Franchise-related customer relationships | 1,648 |
| Cable franchise rights | 6,842 |
| Goodwill | 271 |
| Other assets | 111 |
| Total liabilities | (397) |
| Net assets acquired | $ 11,167 |
Discontinued Operations
As discussed above, the operating results of the Comcast Exchange Systems transferred to TWC are reported as discontinued operations for all periods and are presented in accordance with SFAS No. 144. The following represents the operating results of the Comcast Exchange Systems through the closing date of the Exchanges (July 31, 2006):
| (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | $ 734 | $ 1,180 | $ 1,086 |
| Income before income taxes | 121 | 159 | 67 |
| Income tax expense | (18) | (59) | (25) |
| Net income | $ 103 | $ 100 | $ 42 |
Unaudited Pro Forma Information
The following unaudited pro forma information has been presented as if the Adelphia and Time Warner transactions occurred on January 1, 2005. This information is based on historical results of operations, adjusted for purchase price allocations and is not necessarily indicative of what the results would have been had we operated the entities since January 1, 2005.
| Year Ended December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| Revenues | $ 26,616 | $ 23,672 |
| Income from continuing operations | 2,284 | 770 |
| Income from discontinued operations, net of tax | 103 | 100 |
| Gain on discontinued operations, net of tax | 195 | — |
| Net Income | $ 2,582 | $ 870 |
| Basic earnings for common stockholders per common share | $ 0.82 | $ 0.26 |
| Diluted earnings for common stockholders per common share | $ 0.81 | $ 0.26 |
Texas and Kansas City Cable Partnership
In July 2006, we initiated the dissolution of Texas and Kansas City Cable Partners ("TKCCP"), our 50%-50% cable system partnership with TWC. Once the dissolution was triggered, the non-triggering party had the right to choose and take full ownership of one of two pools of TKCCP's cable systems together with any debt allocated to such asset pool by the triggering partner. One pool consisted of cable systems serving Houston, Texas ("Houston Asset Pool") and the other pool consisted of cable systems serving Kansas City, south and west Texas, and New Mexico ("Kansas City Asset Pool").
In July 2006, we notified TWC of our election to dissolve TKCCP and the allocation of all of its debt, which totaled approximately $2 billion as of July 1, 2006, to the Houston Asset Pool. In August 2006, TWC notified us that it selected the Kansas City Asset Pool and as a result, we were to receive the Houston Asset Pool. The $2 billion of debt allocated to the Houston Asset Pool was required to be refinanced within 60 days of the August 1, 2006, selection date. This debt included $600 million owed to each partner (for an aggregate of $1.2 billion). We refinanced this debt in October 2006 (see Note 8). To be consistent with our management reporting presentation, the results of operations of the Houston Asset Pool have been reported in our Cable segment since August 1, 2006. The operating results of the Houston Asset Pool are eliminated in our consolidated financial statements (see Note 14).
In January 2007, the distribution of assets by TKCCP was completed and we received the Houston Asset Pool. We will account for the distribution of assets by TKCCP as a sale of our 50% interest in the Kansas City Asset Pool in exchange for acquiring an additional 50% interest in the Houston Asset Pool and expect to record a gain on this transaction.
E! Entertainment Television
In November 2006, we acquired the 39.5% of E! Entertainment Television (which operates the E! and Style programming networks) that we did not already own for approximately $1.2 billion. We have historically consolidated the results of operations of E! Entertainment Television. We allocated the purchase price to intangibles and goodwill.
Susquehanna
In April 2006, we acquired the cable systems of Susquehanna Cable Co. and its subsidiaries ("Susquehanna") for a total purchase price of approximately $775 million. The Susquehanna systems acquired are located primarily in Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, and Mississippi.
Prior to the acquisition, we held an approximate 30% equity ownership interest in Susquehanna that we accounted for as an equity method investment. On May 1, 2006, Susquehanna Cable Co. redeemed the approximate 70% equity ownership interest in Susquehanna held by Susquehanna Media Co., which resulted in Susquehanna becoming 100% owned by us.
The results of operations of the Susquehanna cable systems have been included in our consolidated financial statements since the acquisition date and are reported in our Cable segment. We allocated the purchase price to property and equipment, franchise-related customer relationship intangibles, nonamortizing cable franchise rights and goodwill. The acquisition of the Susquehanna cable systems was not significant to our consolidated financial statements for 2006.
Motorola
In March 2005, we entered into two joint ventures with Motorola under which we are developing and licensing next-generation programming access security (known as "conditional access") technology for cable systems and related products. One of the ventures will license such products to equipment manufacturers and other cable companies. The other venture will provide us greater participation in the design and development of conditional access technology for our cable systems. In addition to funding approximately 50% of the annual cost requirements, we have paid $20 million to Motorola and have committed to pay up to $80 million to Motorola over a four-year period based on the achievement of certain milestones. Motorola contributed licenses to conditional access and related technology to the ventures.
These two ventures are both considered VIEs and we have consolidated both of these ventures as we are considered the primary beneficiary. Accordingly, we have recorded approximately $190 million in intangible assets, of which we recorded a charge of approximately $20 million related to in-process research and development in 2005 that has been included in amortization expense.
Liberty Media Exchange Agreement
In July 2004, we exchanged approximately 120 million shares of Liberty Media Corporation ("Liberty Media") Series A common stock that we held, valued at approximately $1.022 billion based upon the price of Liberty Media common stock on the closing date of the transaction with Liberty Media for 100% of the stock of Liberty's subsidiary, Encore ICCP, Inc. Encore's assets consisted of cash of approximately $547 million, a 10.4% interest in E! Entertainment Television and 100% of International Channel Networks (which operates AZN Television). We also received all of Liberty Media's rights, benefits and obligations under the TCI Music contribution agreement, which resulted in the resolution of all pending litigation between Liberty Media and us regarding the contribution agreement. The exchange was structured as a tax-free transaction. We allocated the value of the shares exchanged in the transaction among cash, our additional investment in E! Entertainment Television, International Channel Networks and the resolution of the litigation related to the contribution agreement. The effects of our acquisition of the additional interest in E! Entertainment Television and our acquisition of International Channel Networks have been reflected in our consolidated statement of operations from the date of the transaction.
TechTV
In May 2004, we completed the acquisition of TechTV Inc. by acquiring all outstanding common and preferred stock of TechTV from Vulcan Programming Inc. for approximately $300 million in cash. Substantially all of the purchase price has been recorded to intangible assets and is being amortized over a period of 2 to 22 years. On May 28, 2004, G4 and TechTV began operating as one network. The effects of our acquisition of TechTV have been reflected in our consolidated statement of operations from the date of the transaction. We have classified G4 as part of our Programming segment.
Gemstar
In March 2004, we entered into a long-term, non-exclusive patent license and distribution agreement with Gemstar-TV Guide International ("Gemstar") in exchange for a one-time payment of $250 million to Gemstar. If our total subscribers exceed a specified threshold, we will be required to make additional one-time payments to Gemstar for each subscriber in excess of such threshold. This agreement allows us to utilize Gemstar's intellectual property and technology and the TV Guide brand and content on our interactive program guides. We have allocated the $250 million amount paid based on the fair value of the components of the contract to various intangible and other assets, which are being amortized over a period of 3 to 12 years. In addition, we and Gemstar formed an entity to develop and enhance interactive programming guides.
Note 6: Investments
| December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| Fair value method | ||
| Cablevision Systems Corporation | $ 146 | $ 120 |
| Discovery Holding Company | 161 | 152 |
| Embarq Corporation | 69 | — |
| Liberty Capital | 490 | — |
| Liberty Global | 439 | 336 |
| Liberty Interactive | 539 | — |
| Liberty Media | — | 787 |
| Sprint Nextel | 493 | 614 |
| Time Warner | 1,052 | 994 |
| Vodafone | 61 | 54 |
| Other | 63 | 90 |
| 3,513 | 3,147 | |
| Equity method, principally cable-related | 5,394 | 2,823 |
| Cost method, principally AirTouch as of December 31, 2006, and Time Warner Cable and AirTouch as of December 31, 2005 | 1,675 | 6,853 |
| Total investments | 10,582 | 12,823 |
| Less current investments | 1,735 | 148 |
| Noncurrent investments | $ 8,847 | $ 12,675 |
Fair Value Method
We hold unrestricted equity investments in publicly traded companies that we account for as AFS or trading securities. The net unrealized pretax gains on investments accounted for as AFS securities as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, of $254 million and $56 million, respectively, have been reported in our consolidated balance sheet principally as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of related deferred income taxes of $89 million and $19 million, respectively.
The cost, fair value and unrealized gains and losses related to our AFS securities are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $ 936 | $ 1,104 |
| Unrealized gains | 254 | 62 |
| Unrealized losses | — | (6) |
| Fair value | $ 1,190 | $ 1,160 |
Proceeds from the sales of AFS securities for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 were $209 million, $490 million and $67 million, respectively. Gross realized gains on these sales for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004 were $59 million, $18 million and $10 million, respectively. Sales of AFS securities for the years ended December 31, 2006 and 2005 consisted principally of sales of Time Warner common stock.
As of December 31, 2006 and 2005, approximately $1.879 billion and $1.496 billion, respectively, of our fair value method securities support our obligations under our exchangeable notes or prepaid forward contracts.
Cablevision Systems Corporation
In June 2005, we, through a majority-owned partnership, entered into a prepaid forward sale that terminates in 2013 of approximately 5.1 million shares of Cablevision Systems Corporation ("Cablevision") Class A common stock for cash proceeds of $114 million. We have designated the derivative component of the prepaid forward as a fair value hedge of the related Cablevision shares. Accordingly, the mark to market adjustment on 2.9 million of the Cablevision shares held by us and classified as AFS securities will be recorded to investment income (loss), net over the term of the prepaid forward.
Discovery Holding Company
In July 2005, we received 10 million shares of Discovery Holding Company ("Discovery") Series A common stock in connection with the spin-off by Liberty Media of Discovery. All of these shares collateralize a portion of our Liberty Media prepaid forward sales obligation that terminates in 2014.
Embarq Corporation
In May 2006, we received approximately 1.3 million shares of Embarq Corporation ("Embarq") common stock in connection with the spin-off by Sprint Nextel of Embarq, its local communications business. In the spin-off, each share of Sprint Nextel Corporation common stock received 0.05 shares of the new Embarq common stock. Of these shares, 100,000 shares collateralize our Sprint Nextel prepaid forward sales obligation that terminates in 2011.
Liberty Capital and Liberty Interactive
In May 2006, we received 25 million shares of Liberty Media Interactive ("Liberty Interactive") Series A common stock and 5 million shares of Liberty Media Capital ("Liberty Capital") Series A common stock in connection with Liberty Media's restructuring. In the restructuring, each share of Liberty Media Series A common stock received 0.25 shares of the new Liberty Interactive Series A common stock and 0.05 shares of Liberty Capital Series A common stock in exchange for each share of Liberty Media Series A common stock. All of these shares collateralize a portion of our Liberty Media prepaid forward sales obligation that terminates in 2014.
Liberty Global
In June 2004, we received approximately 11 million shares of Liberty Global, Inc. ("Liberty Global") Series A common stock in connection with its spin-off by Liberty Media. In the spin-off, each share of Liberty Media Series A common stock received 0.05 shares of the new Liberty Global Series A common stock. Approximately 5 million of these shares collateralize a portion of our Liberty Media prepaid forward sales obligation that terminates in 2014.
In December 2004, we sold 3 million shares of Liberty Global Series A common stock to Liberty Media in a private transaction for cash proceeds of $128 million.
In February 2005, we entered into a prepaid forward sale that terminates in 2015 of approximately 2.7 million shares of Liberty Global Series A common stock for cash proceeds of $99 million.
In September 2005, we received approximately 7.7 million shares of Liberty Global Series C common stock in connection with Liberty Global's special stock dividend. All of these shares collateralize a portion of our Liberty Media prepaid forward sales obligation that terminates in 2014 and a portion of our Liberty Global prepaid forward sales obligation that terminates in 2015.
Sprint Nextel
In March 2006, we received cash proceeds of $62 million in connection with Sprint Nextel's redemption of all of its outstanding Seventh Series B Convertible Preferred Stock ("Sprint Preferred Stock"), including all 61,726 shares of Sprint Preferred Stock held by us. In connection with the redemption transaction, we recognized investment income of $8 million.
Equity Method
Our recorded investments exceed our proportionate interests in the book value of the investees' net assets by $984 million and $1.210 billion as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively (principally related to our investments in TKCCP (50% interest), Insight Midwest (50% interest), and MGM (20% interest)). A portion of this basis difference has been attributed to franchise-related customer relationships of some of the investees. This difference is amortized to equity in (loss) income of affiliates, net over a period of four years. The portion of the basis difference attributable to goodwill is tested for impairment annually, or more frequently whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the investment might be impaired.
SpectrumCo, LLC
SpectrumCo, LLC ("SpectrumCo"), a consortium of investors including us, was the successful bidder for 137 wireless spectrum licenses for approximately $2.4 billion in the Federal Communications Commission's advanced wireless spectrum auction that concluded in September 2006. Our portion of the total cost to purchase the licenses was approximately $1.3 billion. Based on its currently planned activities, we have determined that SpectrumCo is not a VIE. We account for this joint venture as an equity method investment based on its governance structure, notwithstanding our majority interest.
Dissolution of TKCCP
In October 2006, we contributed $1.362 billion to TKCCP to refinance the outstanding bank and partnership debt of the Houston Asset Pool. We have historically accounted for our interest in TKCCP as an equity method investment. However, effective July 1, 2006 (the beginning of the month when dissolution was initiated), the economic return to us on our interest in TKCCP tracked the performance of the Houston Asset Pool, and we were no longer entitled to any benefits of ownership or responsible for the obligations of the Kansas City Asset Pool. As a result, we began reporting our share of the earnings and losses of TKCCP based solely on the operating results of the Houston Asset Pool. For segment reporting purposes, we have included the operating results of the Houston Asset Pool in our Cable segment. However, the operating results of the Houston Asset Pool are eliminated in our consolidated financial statements (see Note 14). On January 1, 2007, the distribution of assets of TKCCP was completed and we received the Houston Asset Pool (see Note 5).
MGM
In April 2005, we completed a transaction with a group of investors to acquire Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. We acquired a 20% economic interest for approximately $250 million in cash.
DHC Ventures, LLC
In September 2004, we sold our 20% interest in DHC Ventures, LLC ("Discovery Health Channel") to Discovery Communications, Inc. for approximately $149 million in cash and recognized a gain on the sale of approximately $94 million to other income.
Cost Method
AirTouch Communications, Inc.
We hold two series of preferred stock of AirTouch Communications, Inc. ("AirTouch"), a subsidiary of Vodafone, that are recorded at $1.451 billion and $1.437 billion as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. The dividend and redemption activity of the AirTouch preferred stock is tied to the dividend and redemption payments associated with substantially all of the preferred shares issued by one of our consolidated subsidiaries, which is a VIE. The subsidiary has three series of preferred stock outstanding with an aggregate redemption value of $1.750 billion. Substantially all of the preferred shares are redeemable in April 2020 at a redemption value of $1.650 billion, with one of the series bearing a 9.08% dividend rate. The two redeemable series of subsidiary preferred shares are recorded at $1.451 billion and $1.437 billion, and such amounts are included in other noncurrent liabilities as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. The non-redeemable series of subsidiary preferred shares is recorded at $100 million as of both December 31, 2006 and 2005, and such amounts are included in minority interest.
Investment Income (Loss), Net
Investment income (loss), net includes the following:
| Year Ended December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest and dividend income | $ 178 | $ 112 | $ 160 |
| Gains on sales and exchanges of investments, net | 733 | 17 | 45 |
| Investment impairment losses | (4) | (3) | (16) |
| Unrealized gains (losses) on trading securities and hedged items | 339 | (259) | 378 |
| Mark to market adjustments on derivatives related to trading securities and hedged items | (238) | 206 | (120) |
| Mark to market adjustments on derivatives | (18) | 16 | 25 |
| Investment income (loss), net | $ 990 | $ 89 | $ 472 |
In connection with the Adelphia and Time Warner transactions, we recognized gains of approximately $646 million, in the aggregate, on the Redemptions and the exchange of cable systems held by Century and Parnassos (see Note 5). These gains are included within the "Gains on sales and exchanges of investments, net" caption in the table above.
Note 7: Goodwill and Intangible Assets
The December 31, 2005 and 2004 Cable segment goodwill balances exclude $720 million related to discontinued operations. The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by business segment (see Note 14) for the periods presented are as follows:
| (in millions) | Cable | Programming | Corporate and Other |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance, December 31, 2004 | $ 12,278 | $ 824 | $ 198 | $ 13,300 |
| Settlements and adjustments | (50) | 89 | — | 39 |
| Acquisitions | 45 | 53 | 61 | 159 |
| Balance, December 31, 2005 | 12,273 | 966 | 259 | 13,498 |
| Settlements and adjustments | (695) | 7 | — | (688) |
| Acquisitions | 432 | 468 | 58 | 958 |
| Balance, December 31, 2006 | $ 12,010 | $ 1,441 | $ 317 | $ 13,768 |
Settlements and adjustments are primarily related to certain pre-acquisition tax liabilities. Acquisitions in 2006 are primarily related to the Adelphia and Time Warner transactions, and the Susquehanna and E! Entertainment Television transactions.
The gross carrying amount and accumulated amortization of our intangible assets subject to amortization are as follows:
| 2006 | 2005 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31 (in millions) | Useful Life | Gross Carrying Amount |
Accumulated Amortization |
Gross Carrying Amount |
Accumulated Amortization |
| Franchise-related customer relationships | 4 - 11 years | $ 4,954 | $ (3,188) | $ 3,273 | $ (2,701) |
| Cable and satellite television distribution rights | 5 - 11 years | 1,267 | (533) | 1,333 | (685) |
| Cable franchise renewal costs and contractual operating rights | 10 years | 982 | (283) | 863 | (198) |
| Computer software | 1 - 5 years | 1,104 | (515) | 871 | (252) |
| Patents and other technology rights | 3 - 12 years | 214 | (62) | 214 | (62) |
| Programming agreements and rights | 2 - 4 years | 1,026 | (782) | 772 | (520) |
| Other agreements and rights | 2 - 22 years | 877 | (180) | 427 | (217) |
| Total | $ 10,424 | $ (5,543) | $ 7,753 | $ (4,635) | |
Estimated amortization expense for each of the next five years is as follows:
| (in millions) | Estimated Amortization |
|---|---|
| 2007 | $ 997 |
| 2008 | 751 |
| 2009 | 679 |
| 2010 | 561 |
| 2011 | 375 |
Note 8: Long-Term Debt
| December 31 (in millions) | Weighted Average Interest Rate as of December 31, 2006 |
2006 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial paper | 5.42% | $ 199 | $ 549 |
| Term loan, due 2008 | 5.85% | 185 | — |
| Senior notes, due 2006 - 2097 | 6.93% | 26,942 | 20,993 |
| Senior subordinated notes, due 2006 - 2012 | 10.63% | 202 | 349 |
| ZONES due 2029 | 2.00% | 747 | 752 |
| Debt supporting Trust Preferred Securities, due 2027 | 9.65% | 283 | 284 |
| Exchangeable notes, due 2007 | 5.77% | 49 | 46 |
| Other, including capital lease obligations | — | 368 | 398 |
| Total debt | 28,975 | 23,371 | |
| Less: current portion | 983 | 1,689 | |
| Long-term debt | $ 27,992 | $ 21,682 |
As of December 31, 2006, maturities of long-term debt outstanding were as follows:
| (in millions) | Maturities |
|---|---|
| 2007 | $ 983 |
| 2008 | 1,668 |
| 2009 | 2,249 |
| 2010 | 1,320 |
| 2011 | 1,767 |
| Thereafter | 20,988 |
Guarantee Structures
Comcast Corporation (our parent corporation) and a number of our wholly owned subsidiaries that hold substantially all of our cable assets have unconditionally guaranteed each other's debt securities and indebtedness for borrowed money, including amounts outstanding under our $5.0 billion revolving bank credit facility. As of December 31, 2006, $27.141 billion of our debt was included in this cross-guarantee structure.
Comcast Holdings Corporation ("Comcast Holdings"), our wholly owned subsidiary, is not part of the cross-guarantee structure. However, Comcast Corporation has unconditionally guaranteed Comcast Holdings' ZONES due October 2029 and its 10 5/8% Senior Subordinated Debentures due 2012, which totaled $683 million as of December 31, 2006. The Comcast Holdings guarantee is subordinate to the guarantees under the cross-guarantee structure.
Debt Borrowings
During 2006, we issued $7.485 billion aggregate principal amount of senior notes as follows:
| (in millions) | Principal |
|---|---|
| Floating-rate notes (LIBOR + 0.3%), due 2009 | $ 1,250 |
| 5.90% Senior notes, due 2016 | 1,000 |
| 6.50% Senior notes, due 2017 | 1,000 |
| 5.875% Senior notes, due 2018 | 900 |
| 6.45% Senior notes, due 2037 | 1,865 |
| 7.00% Senior notes, due 2055 | 1,470 |
| $ 7,485 |
We used the net proceeds of these offerings for working capital and general corporate purposes, including the repayment of commercial paper obligations (see below), the Adelphia and Time Warner transactions, the refinancing of debt associated with the Houston Asset Pool, and the acquisition of the remaining portion of E! Entertainment Television that we did not already own (see Note 5).
Debt Repayments
During 2006, we repaid $1.607 billion aggregate principal amount of senior notes and senior subordinated notes at their scheduled maturity dates as follows:
| (in millions) | Principal |
|---|---|
| 6.375% Senior notes | $ 500 |
| 6.875% Senior notes | 388 |
| 8.3% Senior notes | 600 |
| 10.5% Senior subordinated notes | 119 |
| $ 1,607 |
During 2006, we also repaid $350 million outstanding under our commercial paper program and $82 million of other debt.
Commercial Paper
Our commercial paper program provides a lower cost borrowing source of liquidity to fund our short-term working capital requirements. The program allows for a maximum of $2.25 billion of commercial paper to be issued at any one time. Our revolving bank credit facility supports this program. Amounts outstanding under the program are classified as long-term in our consolidated balance sheet because we have both the ability and the intent to refinance these obligations, if necessary, on a long-term basis with amounts available under our revolving bank credit facility.
Revolving Bank Credit Facility
We have a $5.0 billion revolving bank credit facility due October 2010 (the "credit facility") with a syndicate of banks. The base rate, chosen at our option, is either London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") or the greater of the prime rate or the Federal Funds rate plus 0.5%. The borrowing margin is based on our senior unsecured debt ratings. As of December 31, 2006, the interest rate for borrowings under the credit facility is LIBOR plus 0.35% based on our credit ratings.
Lines and Letters of Credit
As of December 31, 2006, we and certain of our subsidiaries had unused lines of credit totaling $4.464 billion under various credit facilities and unused irrevocable standby letters of credit totaling $377 million to cover potential fundings under various agreements.
ZONES
At maturity, holders of our 2.0% Exchangeable Subordinated Debentures due 2029 (the "ZONES") are entitled to receive in cash an amount equal to the higher of the principal amount of the outstanding ZONES of $1.807 billion or the market value of 24,124,398 shares of Sprint Nextel common stock and 1,205,049 shares of Embarq common stock. Prior to maturity, each ZONES is exchangeable at the holder's option for an amount of cash equal to 95% of the aggregate market value of one share of Sprint Nextel common stock and 0.05 shares of Embarq common stock.
We separate the accounting for the ZONES into derivative and debt components. We record the change in the fair value of the derivative component of the ZONES (see Note 6) and the change in the carrying value of the debt component of the ZONES as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, 2006 (in millions) |
Debt Component |
Derivative Component |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at beginning of year | $ 568 | $ 184 | $ 752 |
| Change in debt component to interest expense | 28 | — | 28 |
| Change in derivative component to investment income (loss), net | — | (33) | (33) |
| Balance at end of year | $ 596 | $ 151 | $ 747 |
Interest Rates
Excluding the derivative component of our Exchangeable Notes due 2007 and the ZONES whose changes in fair value are recorded to investment income (loss), net, our effective weighted-average interest rate on our total debt outstanding was 7.07% and 7.32% as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. As of December 31, 2006 and 2005, accrued interest was $501 million and $422 million, respectively.
Interest Rate Risk Management
We are exposed to the market risk of adverse changes in interest rates. To manage the volatility relating to these exposures, our policy is to maintain a mix of fixed-rate and variable-rate debt and to enter into various interest rate derivative transactions as described below.
Using swaps, we agree to exchange, at specified intervals, the difference between fixed and variable interest amounts calculated by reference to an agreed-upon notional principal amount. Rate locks are sometimes used to hedge the risk that the cash flows related to the interest payments on an anticipated issuance or assumption of fixed-rate debt may be adversely affected by interest rate fluctuations.
The following table summarizes the terms of our existing swaps:
| (in millions) | Notional Amount |
Maturities | Average Pay Rate |
Average Receive Rate |
Estimated Fair Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| As of December 31, 2006 | |||||
| Fixed to Variable Swaps | $ 3,200 | 2008 - 2014 | 7.2% | 5.9% | $ (103) |
| As of December 31, 2005 | |||||
| Fixed to Variable Swaps | $ 3,600 | 2006 - 2014 | 6.5% | 6.0% | $ (97) |
The notional amounts of interest rate instruments, as presented in the above table, are used to measure interest to be paid or received and do not represent the amount of exposure to credit loss. The estimated fair value approximates the proceeds or payments to settle the outstanding contracts. Swaps and rate locks represent an integral part of our interest rate risk management program. The effect of our interest rate derivative financial instruments was to increase our interest expense by approximately $39 million in 2006, and to decrease our interest expense by approximately $16 million and $66 million in 2005 and 2004, respectively.
We have entered into rate locks to hedge the risk that the cash flows related to the interest payments on an anticipated issuance or assumption of fixed-rate debt may be adversely affected by interest-rate fluctuations. Upon the issuance or assumption of fixed-rate debt, the value of the rate locks is being recognized as an adjustment to interest expense, similar to a deferred financing cost, over the same period in which the related interest costs on the debt are recognized in earnings (approximately 11 years remaining, unless earlier retired). The unrealized pretax losses on cash flow hedges as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, of $185 million and $203 million, respectively, have been reported in our balance sheet as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of related deferred income taxes of $65 million and $71 million, respectively.
Estimated Fair Value
Our debt had estimated fair values of $28.923 billion and $25.305 billion as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. The estimated fair value of our publicly traded debt is based on quoted market values for that debt. Interest rates that are currently available to us for issuance of debt with similar terms and remaining maturities are used to estimate fair value for debt issues for which quoted market prices are not available.
Debt Covenants
Some of our loan agreements require that we maintain financial ratios based on debt, interest and operating income before depreciation and amortization, as defined in the agreements. We were in compliance with all financial covenants for all periods presented.
Note 9: Pension, Postretirement and Other Employee Benefit Plans
We sponsor two pension plans that together provide benefits to substantially all former employees of a previously acquired company. As of December 31, 2006, future benefits for both plans have been frozen. Total pension expense recognized for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, was $8 million, $8 million and $9 million, respectively.
Our postretirement medical benefits cover substantially all of our employees who meet certain age and service requirements. The majority of eligible employees participate in the Comcast Postretirement Healthcare Stipend Program (the "Stipend Plan"), and a small number of eligible employees participate in legacy plans of acquired companies. The Stipend Plan provides an annual stipend for reimbursement of healthcare costs to each eligible employee based on years of service. Based on the benefit design of the Stipend Plan, we are not exposed to the cost of increasing healthcare, since the amounts under the Stipend Plan are fixed at a predetermined amount. Postretirement expense recognized for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, was $29 million, $25 million and $23 million, respectively.
The following table provides condensed information relating to our pension benefits and postretirement benefits for the periods presented:
| 2006 | 2005 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year Ended December 31 (in millions) | Pension Benefits |
Postretirement Benefits |
Pension Benefits |
Postretirement Benefits |
| Benefit obligation | $ 184 | $ 280 | $ 194 | $ 247 |
| Fair value of plan assets | $ 122 | $ — | $ 98 | $ — |
| Plan funded status and recorded benefit obligation | $ (62) | $ (280) | $ (96) | $ (236) |
| Portion of benefit obligation not yet recognized as a component of net periodic benefit cost | $ 12 | $ (4) | $ 18 | — |
| Discount rate | 5.75% | 6.00% | 5.50% | 5.75% |
| Expected return on plan assets | 7.00% | N/A | 7.00% | N/A |
We sponsor various retirement investment plans that allow eligible employees to contribute a portion of their compensation through payroll deductions in accordance with specified guidelines. We match a percentage of the employees' contributions up to certain limits. Expenses related to these plans amounted to $125 million, $115 million and $100 million for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively.
We also maintain unfunded, nonqualified deferred compensation plans, which were created for key executives, other members of management and nonemployee directors (each a "Participant"). The amount of compensation deferred by each Participant is based on Participant elections. Account balances of Participants are credited with income based generally on a fixed annual rate of interest. Participants will be eligible to receive distributions of the amounts credited to their account balance based on elected deferral periods that are consistent with the plans and applicable tax law. Interest expense recognized under the plans totaled $50 million, $40 million and $33 million for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The unfunded obligation of the plans total $554 million and $469 million as of December 31, 2006 and 2005, respectively. We have purchased life insurance policies to fund a portion of this unfunded obligation. As of December 31, 2006, the cash surrender value of these policies, which are included in "Other Assets," was approximately $40 million.
Note 10: Stockholders' Equity
Preferred Stock
We are authorized to issue, in one or more series, up to a maximum of 20 million shares of preferred stock. We can issue the shares with such designations, preferences, qualifications, privileges, limitations, restrictions, options, conversion rights and other special or related rights as our Board of Directors shall from time to time fix by resolution.
Common Stock
Our Class A Special common stock is generally nonvoting. Holders of our Class A common stock in the aggregate hold 66 2/3% of the aggregate voting power of our common stock. The number of votes that each share of our Class A common stock will have at any given time will depend on the number of shares of Class A common stock and Class B common stock then outstanding. Each share of our Class B common stock is entitled to 15 votes, and all shares of our Class B common stock in the aggregate have 33 1/3% of the voting power of all of our common stock. The 33 1/3% aggregate voting power of our Class B common stock will not be diluted by additional issuances of any other class of our common stock. Our Class B common stock is convertible, share for share, into Class A or Class A Special common stock, subject to certain restrictions.
Board-Authorized Share Repurchase Program
During 2006, 2005 and 2004, we repurchased approximately 113 million, 119 million and 70 million shares, respectively (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split), of our Class A Special common stock for aggregate consideration of $2.347 billion, $2.290 billion and $1.328 billion, respectively, pursuant to our Board-authorized share repurchase program.
The maximum dollar value of shares remaining that may be repurchased under the program is approximately $3 billion as of December 31, 2006. We expect repurchases to continue from time to time in the open market or in private transactions, subject to market conditions.
The following table summarizes our share activity for the periods presented (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split):
| Common Stock | Class A | Class A Special | Class B |
|---|---|---|---|
| Balance, January 1, 2004 | 2,036,280,835 | 1,331,386,738 | 9,444,375 |
| Stock compensation plans | 1,537,284 | 8,153,658 | — |
| Employee Stock Purchase Plan | 1,702,427 | — | — |
| Repurchases of common stock | — | (70,401,353) | — |
| Balance, December 31, 2004 | 2,039,520,546 | 1,269,139,043 | 9,444,375 |
| Stock compensation plans | 3,586,731 | 2,975,453 | — |
| Employee Stock Purchase Plan | 1,943,700 | — | — |
| Repurchases of common stock | — | (118,680,437) | — |
| Balance, December 31, 2005 | 2,045,050,977 | 1,153,434,059 | 9,444,375 |
| Stock compensation plans | 13,140,825 | 9,362,105 | — |
| Employee Stock Purchase Plan | 2,166,158 | — | — |
| Repurchases of common stock | — | (113,071,157) | — |
| Balance, December 31, 2006 | 2,060,357,960 | 1,049,725,007 | 9,444,375 |
Comcast Option Plans
We maintain stock option plans for certain employees under which fixed-price stock options may be granted and the option price is generally not less than the fair value of a share of the underlying stock at the date of grant. Under our stock option plans, approximately 236 million shares (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) of our Class A and Class A Special common stock are reserved for issuance upon the exercise of options, including those outstanding as of December 31, 2006. Option terms are generally 10 years, with options generally becoming exercisable between two and nine and one half years from the date of grant.
The fair value of each stock option is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model that uses the assumptions summarized in the following table. Expected volatility is based on a blend of implied and historical volatility of our Class A common stock. We use historical data on exercises of stock options and other factors to estimate the expected term of the options granted. The risk-free rate is based on the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the date of grant.
The following table summarizes the weighted-average fair values at date of grant (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) of a Class A common stock option granted under our stock option plans and the related weighted-average valuation assumptions:
| 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair value | $ 7.30 | $ 8.67 | $ 7.63 |
| Dividend yield | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected volatility | 26.9% | 27.1% | 28.6% |
| Risk-free interest rate | 4.8% | 4.3% | 3.5% |
| Expected option life (in years) | 7.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
The following table summarizes the activity of our stock option plans for the year ended December 31, 2006 (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split):
| Options (in thousands) |
Weighted-Average Exercise Price |
Weighted-Average Remaining Contractual Term (in years) |
Aggregate Intrinsic Value (in millions) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class A Common Stock | ||||
| Outstanding as of January 1, 2006 | 121,240 | $ 24.73 | ||
| Granted | 18,594 | $ 18.12 | ||
| Exercised | (12,222) | $ 19.18 | ||
| Forfeited | (4,113) | $ 19.76 | ||
| Expired | (1,722) | $ 26.10 | ||
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2006 | 121,777 | $ 24.43 | 5.5 | $ 812.3 |
| Exercisable as of December 31, 2006 | 67,297 | $ 28.33 | 3.6 | $ 343.1 |
| Class A Special Common Stock | ||||
| Outstanding as of January 1, 2006 | 76,948 | $ 20.90 | ||
| Exercised | (10,545) | $ 15.31 | ||
| Forfeited | (95) | $ 21.75 | ||
| Expired | (1,707) | $ 23.96 | ||
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2006 | 64,601 | $ 21.75 | 3.5 | $ 410.6 |
| Exercisable as of December 31, 2006 | 57,081 | $ 21.95 | 3.4 | $ 353.1 |
We also maintain a deferred stock option plan for certain employees and directors that provided the optionees with the opportunity to defer the receipt of shares of our Class A or Class A Special common stock that would otherwise be deliverable upon exercise by the optionees of their stock options. As of December 31, 2006, approximately 2.0 million shares (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) of Class A Special common stock were issuable under exercised options, the receipt of which was irrevocably deferred by the optionees pursuant to our deferred stock option plan.
Stock Option Liquidity Program
During 2004, we repurchased 16.6 million options (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) from various nonemployee holders of stock options under a stock option liquidity program, targeted primarily to employees of a previously acquired company. The former option holders received $37 million for their options under the program. A financial counterparty we engaged in connection with the stock option liquidity program funded the cost of the program through the simultaneous purchase by the counterparty of new stock options from us that had similar economic terms as the options being purchased by us from the option holders. As of December 31, 2006, 13.9 million options remain outstanding, with a weighted-average exercise price of $30.89 per share (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split), and these options will expire over the course of the next six years.
Restricted Stock Plan
We maintain a restricted stock plan under which certain employees and directors ("Participants") may be granted restricted share unit awards in our Class A or Class A Special common stock (the "Restricted Stock Plan"). Under our Restricted Stock Plan, approximately 40 million shares (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) of our Class A and Class A Special common stock are reserved for issuance pursuant to awards under the plan, including those outstanding as of December 31, 2006. Awards of restricted share units are valued by reference to shares of common stock that entitle Participants to receive, upon the settlement of the unit, one share of common stock for each unit. The awards vest annually, generally over a period not to exceed five years from the date of the award, and do not have voting rights.
The following table summarizes the weighted-average fair value at date of grant (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) and the compensation expense recognized related to restricted share unit awards:
| 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weighted-average fair value | $ 19.98 | $ 22.13 | $ 20.73 |
| Compensation expense recognized (in millions) | $ 62 | $ 57 | $ 33 |
The following table summarizes the activity of the Restricted Stock Plan for the year ended December 31, 2006 (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split):
| Number of Nonvested Share Unit Awards (in thousands) |
Weighted- Average Grant Date Fair Value |
|
|---|---|---|
| Class A Common Stock | ||
| Nonvested awards as of January 1, 2006 | 8,474 | $ 21.70 |
| Granted | 7,539 | $ 19.98 |
| Vested | (1,635) | $ 21.90 |
| Forfeited | (894) | $ 20.76 |
| Nonvested awards as of December 31, 2006 | 13,484 | $ 20.78 |
| Class A Special Common Stock | ||
| Nonvested awards as of January 1, 2006 | 104 | $ 24.46 |
| Vested | (103) | $ 24.75 |
| Nonvested awards as of December 31, 2006 | 1 | $ 18.31 |
As of December 31, 2006, approximately 605,000 and 145,000 shares (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) of Class A common stock and Class A Special common stock, respectively, were issuable under vested restricted share unit awards, the receipt of which was irrevocably deferred by Participants pursuant to the Restricted Stock Plan.
Share-Based Compensation
Effective January 1, 2006, we adopted SFAS No. 123R using the Modified Prospective Approach. SFAS No. 123R revises SFAS No. 123 and supersedes APB No. 25. SFAS No. 123R requires the cost of all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the financial statements based on their fair values at grant date, or the date of later modification, over the requisite service period. In addition, SFAS No. 123R requires unrecognized cost (based on the amounts previously disclosed in our pro forma footnote disclosure) related to options vesting after the date of initial adoption to be recognized in the financial statements over the remaining requisite service period.
Under the Modified Prospective Approach, the amount of compensation cost recognized includes: (i) compensation cost for all share-based payments granted prior to, but not yet vested as of January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123 and (ii) compensation cost for all share-based payments granted subsequent to January 1, 2006, based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R. Prior to the adoption of SFAS No. 123R, we recognized the majority of our share-based compensation costs using the accelerated recognition method. We recognize the cost of previously granted share-based awards under the accelerated recognition method and recognize the cost of new share-based awards on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. The incremental pretax share-based compensation expense recognized due to the adoption of SFAS No. 123R for the year ended December 31, 2006, was $126 million. Total share-based compensation expense recognized under SFAS No. 123R, including the incremental pretax share-based compensation expense, was $190 million, with an associated tax benefit of $66 million for the year ended December 31, 2006. Prior to the adoption of SFAS No. 123R, we recognized share-based compensation expense of $67 million and $44 million with associated tax benefits of $25 million and $16 million for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The amount of share-based compensation capitalized or related to discontinued operations was not material to our consolidated financial statements.
Cash received from option exercises under all share-based payment arrangements for the year ended December 31, 2006, was $372 million. The total intrinsic value (market value on date of exercise less exercise price) of options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, was $180 million, $59 million and $88 million, respectively. The tax benefit realized from stock options exercised for the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, was $62 million, $19 million and $30 million, respectively.
As of December 31, 2006, there was $207 million of total unrecognized, pretax compensation cost related to nonvested stock options. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately two and one half years.
The total fair value of restricted share units vested during the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, was $32 million, $28 million and $7 million, respectively. As of December 31, 2006, there was $177 million of total unrecognized pretax compensation cost related to nonvested restricted share unit awards. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of approximately two and one half years.
SFAS No. 123R also required us to change the classification, in our consolidated statement of cash flows, of any tax benefits realized upon the exercise of stock options or issuance of restricted share unit awards in excess of that which is associated with the expense recognized for financial reporting purposes. These amounts are presented as a financing cash inflow rather than as a reduction of income taxes paid in our consolidated statement of cash flows. The excess cash tax benefit classified as a financing cash inflow for the year ended December 31, 2006, was $33 million.
Prior to January 1, 2006, we accounted for our share-based compensation plans in accordance with the provisions of APB No. 25, as permitted by SFAS No. 123, and accordingly did not recognize compensation expense for stock options with an exercise price equal to or greater than the market price of the underlying stock at the date of grant. Had the fair-value-based method as prescribed by SFAS No. 123 been applied, additional pretax compensation expense of $166 million and $283 million would have been recognized for the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, respectively. The pretax compensation expense includes the expense related to discontinued operations, which for each of the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, was $4 million. Had the fair-value-based method as prescribed by SFAS No. 123 been applied, the effect on net income and earnings per share would have been as follows (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split):
| (in millions, except per share data) | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|
| Net income, as reported | $ 928 | $ 970 |
| Add: Share-based compensation expense included in net income, as reported above, net of related tax effects | 42 | 27 |
| Less: Share-based compensation expense determined under fair value-based method for all awards, net of related tax effects | (150) | (206) |
| Pro forma, net income | $ 820 | $ 791 |
| Basic earnings for common stockholders per common share: | ||
| As reported | $ 0.28 | $ 0.29 |
| Pro forma | $ 0.25 | $ 0.24 |
| Diluted earnings for common stockholders per common share: | ||
| As reported | $ 0.28 | $ 0.29 |
| Pro forma | $ 0.25 | $ 0.23 |
On December 23, 2004, the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors approved the acceleration of vesting of all unvested options granted prior to January 1, 2003, to purchase shares of our Class A Special common stock having an exercise price of $22.67 (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) or greater and held by current employees. Options with respect to approximately 23.3 million shares (adjusted to reflect the Stock Split) of our Class A Special common stock were subject to this acceleration. This acceleration was effective as of December 31, 2004, except for those holders of incentive stock options ("ISOs"), who were given the opportunity to decline the acceleration of an option if such acceleration would have the effect of changing the status of the option for federal income tax purposes from an ISO to a nonqualified stock option. Because these options had exercise prices in excess of current market values (were "underwater") and were not fully achieving their original objectives of incentive compensation and employee retention, the acceleration may have had a positive effect on employee morale, retention and perception of option value. The acceleration also took into account the fact that in December 2004, we completed the repurchase of stock options held by certain nonemployees for cash (including underwater options) under a stock option liquidity program (see above), and that no such offer (nor any other "solution" for underwater options) was made to current employees. The acceleration had no effect on reported net income, an immaterial impact on pro forma net income in 2005 and an approximate $39 million, net of tax, impact on pro forma net income in 2004. The impacts of the acceleration are reflected in the pro forma amounts above. This acceleration eliminated the future compensation expense we would have otherwise recognized in our statement of operations with respect to these options subsequent to the adoption of SFAS No. 123R.
Note 11: Income Taxes
We join with our 80% or more owned subsidiaries in filing consolidated federal income tax returns. E! Entertainment filed separate consolidated federal income tax returns for periods prior to our obtaining 100% ownership, which occurred in November 2006 (see Note 5). Income tax (expense) benefit consists of the following components:
| Year Ended December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current (expense) benefit | |||
| Federal | $ (887) | $ (590) | $ (120) |
| State | (77) | (123) | (208) |
| (964) | (713) | (328) | |
| Deferred (expense) benefit | |||
| Federal | (301) | (66) | (536) |
| State | (82) | (94) | 63 |
| (383) | (160) | (473) | |
| Income tax (expense) benefit | $ (1,347) | $ (873) | $ (801) |
Our effective income tax (expense) benefit differs from the federal statutory amount because of the effect of the following items:
| Year Ended December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal tax at statutory rate | $ (1,258) | $ (602) | $ (610) |
| State income taxes, net of federal benefit | (132) | (105) | (20) |
| Nondeductible losses from joint ventures and equity in net (losses) income of affiliates, net | 18 | (24) | (9) |
| Adjustments to prior year income tax accrual and related interest | 97 | (105) | (157) |
| Other | (72) | (37) | (5) |
| Income tax (expense) benefit | $ (1,347) | $ (873) | $ (801) |
Our net deferred tax liability consists of the following components:
| December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|
| Deferred tax assets: | ||
| Net operating loss carryforwards | $ 309 | $ 331 |
| Differences between book and tax basis of long-term debt | 177 | 191 |
| Nondeductible accruals and other | 742 | 904 |
| 1,228 | 1,426 | |
| Deferred tax liabilities: | ||
| Differences between book and tax basis of property and equipment and intangible assets | $ 25,527 | $ 23,712 |
| Differences between book and tax basis of investments | 2,633 | 4,442 |
| Differences between book and tax basis of indexed debt securities | 720 | 644 |
| 28,880 | 28,798 | |
| Net deferred tax liability | $ 27,652 | $ 27,372 |
We recorded $(27) million and $319 million of deferred income tax liabilities (assets) in 2006 through income from discontinued operations and gain on discontinued operations, respectively. We decreased net deferred income tax liabilities by $474 million in 2006, principally in connection with the Adelphia and Time Warner transactions, the acquisition of the interest in E! Entertainment Television that we did not already own and Susquehanna (see Note 5).
We recorded an increase (decrease) of $79 million, $2 million and $(12) million to net deferred income tax liabilities in 2006, 2005 and 2004, respectively, in connection with unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities, cash flow hedges and other amounts that are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).
Net deferred tax liabilities included in current liabilities are related primarily to our current investments. We have federal net operating loss carryforwards of $178 million and various state carryforwards that expire in periods through 2026. The determination of the state net operating loss carryforwards is dependent upon the subsidiaries' taxable income or loss, apportionment percentages and other respective state laws that can change from year to year and impact the amount of such carryforward.
In 2006, 2005 and 2004, income tax benefits attributable to share-based compensation of approximately $60 million, $35 million and $80 million, respectively, were allocated to stockholders' equity.
In the ordinary course of business, our tax returns, including those of acquired subsidiaries, are subject to examination by various taxing authorities.
In December 2004, the Internal Revenue Service concluded an examination of the tax returns of MediaOne Group, Inc., a subsidiary acquired in our 2002 acquisition of AT&T Corp.'s cable business, for the period of 1996 through 2000. We received a notice of adjustment disallowing certain deductions, principally a $1.5 billion breakup fee paid by MediaOne in 1999. The National Office of the IRS has issued a Technical Advice Memorandum that is adverse to us. We do not agree with the adjustment. We have received a final assessment and are in the process of preparing an appeal. In November 2005, we made a payment of $557 million to reduce the accruing of interest on the pending assessment. If we are successful in part or full, all or some of the funds would be refundable. If the IRS prevails, there would be no material effect on our consolidated results of operations for any period.
During 2005, the IRS proposed the disallowance of noncash interest deductions taken on the ZONES (see Note 8). The National Office of the IRS has issued a Technical Advice Memorandum that is adverse to us. We have recognized a cumulative federal tax benefit of $523 million through December 31, 2006, which will reverse and become payable upon the maturity or retirement of the ZONES; we have recorded this amount as a deferred tax liability. If the IRS's position is sustained, the income tax benefits previously recognized would be disallowed, and interest would be assessed on amounts disallowed. Accordingly, the amounts recorded as deferred taxes would become payable. We do not agree with the IRS's position and have appealed. The ultimate resolution of this issue is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations for any period.
Other examinations of our tax returns may result in future tax and interest assessments by the taxing authorities, and we have accrued a liability when we believe that it is probable that we will be assessed. Differences between the estimated and actual amounts determined upon ultimate resolution, individually or in the aggregate, are not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position but could possibly be material to our consolidated results of operations or cash flows of any one period.
Note 12: Statement of Cash Flows — Supplemental Information
In 2006, we began presenting our cash overdrafts resulting from checks drawn on zero balance accounts ("book overdrafts") within accounts payable and accrued expenses related to trade creditors. Previously, these book overdrafts were included within cash and cash equivalents. The financial statements reflect this revised presentation in prior periods. Accordingly, the reported amounts of our cash and cash equivalents and accounts payable and accrued expenses related to trade creditors increased as of December 31, 2005, 2004 and 2003, by $254 million, $341 million and $189 million, respectively, and net cash provided by operating activities decreased by $87 million in 2005 and increased by $152 million in 2004.
The following table summarizes our cash payments for interest and income taxes:
| Year Ended December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest | $ 1,880 | $ 1,809 | $ 1,898 |
| Income taxes | $ 1,284 | $ 1,137 | $ 205 |
During 2006, we:
- exchanged investments for cable systems in the Redemptions with a fair value of approximately $3.2 billion and cable systems for cable systems in the Exchanges with a fair value of approximately $8.5 billion (see Note 5), which are considered noncash investing activities
- acquired an additional equity interest with a fair value of $21 million and recorded a liability, for a corresponding amount in connection with our achievement of certain subscriber launch milestones, which is considered a noncash investing and operating activity
- in connection with the Susquehanna transaction (see Note 5), we assumed a $185 million principal amount variable-rate term loan due 2008, which is considered a noncash financing and investing activity
During 2005, we:
- settled through noncash financing and investing activities approximately $1.347 billion related to our Exchangeable Notes by delivering the underlying securities to the counterparties upon maturity of the instruments, and the equity collar agreements related to the underlying securities were exercised
- acquired $170 million of intangible assets and incurred a corresponding liability in connection with the formation of the ventures in the Motorola transaction, which is considered a noncash investing and financing activity
- acquired an equity method investment with a fair value of $91 million and incurred a corresponding liability, which is considered a noncash investing and financing activity
- acquired an additional equity interest with a fair value of $45 million and recorded a liability for a corresponding amount in connection with our achievement of certain subscriber launch milestones, which is considered a noncash investing and operating activity
During 2004, we:
- settled through noncash financing and investing activities approximately $1.944 billion related to our Exchangeable Notes by delivering the underlying securities to the counterparties upon maturity of the instruments, and the equity collar agreements related to the underlying securities were exercised
- received noncash consideration of approximately $475 million in connection with the Liberty Media Exchange Agreement (see Note 5), which is considered a noncash investing activity
- acquired cable systems through the assumption of $68 million of debt, which is considered a noncash investing and financing activity
- issued shares of G4 with a value of approximately $70 million in connection with the acquisition of TechTV (see Note 5), which is considered a noncash financing and investing activity
- received federal income tax refunds of approximately $591 million
Note 13: Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments
Our programming networks have entered into license agreements for programs and sporting events that are available for telecast. In addition, we, through Comcast Spectacor, have employment agreements with both players and coaches of our professional sports teams. Certain of these employment agreements, which provide for payments that are guaranteed regardless of employee injury or termination, are covered by disability insurance if certain conditions are met.
Certain of our subsidiaries support debt compliance with respect to obligations of certain cable television partnerships and investments in which we hold an ownership interest (see Note 6). The obligations expire between May 2008 and March 2011. Although there can be no assurance, we believe that we will not be required to meet our obligations under such commitments. The total notional amount of our commitments was $965 million as of December 31, 2006, at which time there were no quoted market prices for similar agreements.
The following table summarizes our minimum annual commitments under programming license agreements of our programming networks and our minimum annual rental commitments for office space, equipment and transponder service agreements under noncancelable operating leases:
| December 31, 2006 (in millions) | Program License Agreements |
Operating Leases |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | $ 381 | $ 292 |
| 2008 | 343 | 268 |
| 2009 | 273 | 223 |
| 2010 | 284 | 147 |
| 2011 | 285 | 106 |
| Thereafter | 2,338 | 578 |
The following table summarizes our rental expense charged to operations:
| Year ended December 31 (in millions) | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retail expense | $ 273 | $ 212 | $ 184 |
Contingencies
We and the minority owner group in Comcast Spectacor each have the right to initiate an exit process under which the fair market value of Comcast Spectacor would be determined by appraisal. Following such determination, we would have the option to acquire the 24.3% interest in Comcast Spectacor owned by the minority owner group based on the appraised fair market value. In the event we do not exercise this option, we and the minority owner group would then be required to use our best efforts to sell Comcast Spectacor. This exit process includes the minority owner group's interest in Comcast SportsNet.
A minority owner of G4 is entitled to trigger an exit process whereby on May 10, 2009 (the fifth anniversary of the closing date), and on each successive anniversary of the closing date or the occurrence of certain other defined events, G4 would be required to purchase the minority owner's 15% interest at fair market value (as determined by an appraisal process). The minority owners in certain of our technology development ventures also have rights to trigger an exit process after a certain period of time based on the fair value of the entities at the time the exit process is triggered.
At Home Cases
Litigation has been filed against us as a result of our alleged conduct with respect to our investment in and distribution relationship with At Home Corporation. At Home was a provider of high-speed Internet services that filed for bankruptcy protection in September 2001. Filed actions are: (i) class action lawsuits against us, AT&T (the former controlling shareholder of At Home and also a former distributor of the At Home service) and others in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging securities law violations and common law fraud in connection with disclosures made by At Home in 2001; and (ii) a lawsuit brought in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware in the name of At Home by certain At Home bondholders against us, Brian L. Roberts (our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and a director), Cox (Cox is also an investor in At Home and a former distributor of the At Home service) and others, alleging breaches of fiduciary duty relating to March 2000 agreements (which, among other things, revised the distributor relationships), and seeking recovery of alleged short-swing profits pursuant to Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (purported to have arisen in connection with certain transactions relating to At Home stock effected pursuant to the March 2000 agreements).
In the Southern District of New York actions (item (i) above), the court dismissed all claims. The plaintiffs' appealed this decision, and the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied the plaintiffs' appeal. The plaintiffs petitioned the Court of Appeals for rehearing. The Delaware case (item (ii) above) was transferred to the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. The court dismissed the Section 16(b) claims, and the breach of fiduciary duty claim, for lack of federal jurisdiction. The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit denied the plaintiffs' appeal from the decision dismissing the Section 16(b) claims, and the U.S. Supreme Court denied the plaintiffs' petition for a further appeal. The plaintiffs recommenced the breach of fiduciary duty claim in Delaware Chancery Court. The Court has set a trial date in October 2007.
Under the terms of our 2002 acquisition of AT&T Corp.'s cable business, we are contractually liable for 50% of any liabilities of AT&T in the actions described in items (i) and (ii) above (in which we are also a defendant).
We deny any wrongdoing in connection with the claims that have been made directly against us, our subsidiaries and Brian L. Roberts, and are defending all of these claims vigorously. The final disposition of these claims is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, but could possibly be material to our consolidated results of operations of any one period. Further, no assurance can be given that any adverse outcome would not be material to our consolidated financial position.
AT&T — TCI Cases
In June 1998, class action lawsuits were filed by then-shareholders of Tele-Communications, Inc. ("TCI") Series A TCI Group Common Stock ("Common A") against AT&T and the directors of TCI relating to the acquisition of TCI by AT&T, alleging that former members of the TCI board of directors breached their fiduciary duties to Common A shareholders by agreeing to transaction terms whereby holders of the Series B TCI Group Common Stock received a 10% premium over what Common A shareholders received.
In connection with the TCI acquisition (completed in early 1999), AT&T agreed under certain circumstances to indemnify TCI's former directors for certain liabilities, potentially including those incurred in connection with this action. Under the terms of our acquisition of AT&T Corp.'s cable business, (i) we agreed to indemnify AT&T for certain liabilities, potentially including those incurred by AT&T in connection with this action, and (ii) we assumed certain obligations of TCI to indemnify its former directors, potentially including those incurred in connection with this action.
In October 2006 these lawsuits were settled. We agreed to contribute approximately $44 million to the settlement. This amount was paid in November 2006 and did not have a material impact on our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2006. The settlement was approved in February 2007.
Patent Litigation
We are a defendant in several unrelated lawsuits claiming infringement of various patents relating to various aspects of our businesses. In certain of these cases other industry participants are also defendants, and also in certain of these cases we expect that any potential liability would be in part or in whole the responsibility of our equipment vendors pursuant to applicable contractual indemnification provisions. To the extent that the allegations in these lawsuits can be analyzed by us at this stage of their proceedings, we believe the claims are without merit and intend to defend the actions vigorously. The final disposition of these claims is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, but could possibly be material to our consolidated results of operations of any one period. Further, no assurance can be given that any adverse outcome would not be material to our consolidated financial position.
Antitrust Cases
We are defendants in two purported class actions originally filed in the United States District Courts for the District of Massachusetts and the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, respectively. The potential class in the Massachusetts case is our subscriber base in the "Boston Cluster" area, and the potential class in the Pennsylvania case is our subscriber base in the "Philadelphia and Chicago clusters," as those terms are defined in the complaints. In each case, the plaintiffs allege that certain subscriber exchange transactions with other cable providers resulted in unlawful "horizontal market restraints" in those areas and seek damages pursuant to antitrust statutes, including treble damages.
As a result of recent events in both cases relating to the procedural issue of whether the plaintiffs' claims could proceed in court or, alternatively, whether the plaintiffs should be compelled to arbitrate their claims pursuant to arbitration clauses in their subscriber agreements, it has become more likely that these cases will proceed in court. Our motion to dismiss the Pennsylvania case on the pleadings was denied, and the plaintiffs have moved to certify a class action. We are opposing the plaintiffs' motion and are proceeding with class discovery. We have moved to dismiss the Massachusetts case. The Massachusetts case was recently transferred to the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and plaintiffs are seeking to consolidate it with the Pennsylvania case.
We believe the claims in these actions are without merit and are defending the actions vigorously. The final disposition of these claims is not expected to have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, but could possibly be material to our consolidated results of operations of any one period. Further, no assurance can be given that any adverse outcome would not be material to our consolidated financial position.
Other
We are subject to other legal proceedings and claims that arise in the ordinary course of our business. The amount of ultimate liability with respect to such actions is not expected to materially affect our financial position, results of operations or liquidity.
Note 14: Financial Data by Business Segment
Our reportable segments consist of our Cable and Programming businesses. In evaluating the profitability of our segments, the components of net income (loss) below operating income (loss) before depreciation and amortization are not separately evaluated by our management. Assets are not allocated to segments for management reporting. Our financial data by business segment is as follows:
| (in millions) | Cable(a)(b) | Programming(c) | Corporate and Other(d)(e) |
Eliminations(e)(f) | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | |||||
| Revenues(g) | $ 24,100 | $ 1,053 | $ 355 | $ (542) | $ 24,966 |
| Operating income (loss) before depreciation and amortization(h) | 9,704 | 241 | (357) | (146) | 9,442 |
| Depreciation and amortization | 4,657 | 166 | 80 | (80) | 4,823 |
| Operating income (loss) | 5,047 | 75 | (437) | (66) | 4,619 |
| Capital Expenditures | 4,244 | 16 | 31 | 104 | 4,395 |
| 2005 | |||||
| Revenues(g) | $ 19,987 | $ 919 | $ 315 | $ (146) | $ 21,075 |
| Operating income (loss) before depreciation and amortization(h)(i) | 7,947 | 272 | (302) | 155 | 8,072 |
| Depreciation and amortization | 4,346 | 154 | 71 | (20) | 4,551 |
| Operating income (loss)(i) | 3,601 | 118 | (373) | 175 | 3,521 |
| Capital Expenditures | 3,409 | 16 | 38 | 158 | 3,621 |
| 2004 | |||||
| Revenues(g) | $ 18,230 | $ 787 | $ 332 | $ (128) | $ 19,221 |
| Operating income (loss) before depreciation and amortization(h)(i) | 6,940 | 269 | (310) | 281 | 7,180 |
| Depreciation and amortization | 4,102 | 162 | 105 | (18) | 4,351 |
| Operating income (loss)(i) | 2,838 | 107 | (415) | 299 | 2,829 |
| Capital Expenditures | 3,394 | 17 | 21 | 228 | 3,660 |
(a) For the years ended December 31, 2006, 2005 and 2004, Cable segment revenues were derived from the following services:
| 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video | 62.6% | 64.6% | 67.0% |
| High-speed Internet | 20.7 | 18.8 | 16.1 |
| Phone | 3.8 | 3.1 | 3.4 |
| Advertising | 6.4 | 6.4 | 6.6 |
| Other | 6.5 | 7.1 | 6.9 |
| Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% |
(b) Our regional sports and news networks (Comcast SportsNet, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet Chicago, Comcast SportsNet West, Cable Sports Southeast, MountainWest Sports Network and CN8 — The Comcast Network) are included in our Cable segment. To be consistent with our management reporting presentation, beginning August 1, 2006, the Cable segment also includes the operating results of the cable systems serving Houston, Texas held in the TKCCP (see Note 5). The operating results of the cable systems serving Houston, Texas are reversed in the Eliminations column to reconcile to our consolidated financial statements.
(c) Programming includes our consolidated national programming networks: E!, Style, The Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4 and AZN Television.
(d) Corporate and Other includes Comcast Spectacor, a portion of operating results of our less than wholly owned technology development ventures (see "(e)" below), corporate activities and all other businesses not presented in our Cable or Programming segments.
(e) We consolidate our less than wholly owned technology development ventures, which we control or of which we are considered the primary beneficiary. These ventures are with various corporate partners, such as Motorola and Gemstar. The ventures have been created to share the costs of development of new technologies for set-top boxes and other devices. The results of these entities are included within Corporate and Other. Cost allocations are made to the Cable segment based on our percentage ownership in each entity. The remaining net costs related to the minority corporate partners are included in Corporate and Other.
(f) Included in the Eliminations column are intersegment transactions that our segments enter into with one another. The most common types of transactions are the following:
- our Programming segment generates revenue by selling cable network programming to our Cable segment, which represents a substantial majority of the revenue elimination amount
- our Cable segment receives incentives offered by our Programming segment when negotiating programming contracts that are recorded as a reduction of programming expenses
- our Cable segment generates revenue by selling the use of satellite feeds to our Programming segment
(g) Non-U.S. revenues were not significant in any period. No single customer accounted for a significant amount of our revenue in any period.
(h) To measure the performance of our operating segments, we use operating income before depreciation and amortization, excluding impairment charges related to fixed and intangible assets, and gains or losses from the sale of assets, if any. This measure eliminates the significant level of noncash depreciation and amortization expense that results from the capital-intensive nature of our businesses and from intangible assets recognized in business combinations. It is also unaffected by our capital structure or investment activities. We use this measure to evaluate our consolidated operating performance, the operating performance of our operating segments, and to allocate resources and capital to our operating segments. It is also a significant performance measure in our annual incentive compensation programs. We believe that this measure is useful to investors because it is one of the bases for comparing our operating performance with other companies in our industries, although our measure may not be directly comparable to similar measures used by other companies. This measure should not be considered a substitute for operating income (loss), net income (loss), net cash provided by operating activities or other measures of performance or liquidity reported in accordance with GAAP.
(i) To be consistent with our management reporting presentation, the 2005 and 2004 segment amounts have been adjusted as if stock options had been expensed as of January 1, 2004 (see Note 10). The total adjustments are reversed in the Eliminations column to reconcile to our consolidated 2005 and 2004 amounts. For the years ended December 31, 2005 and 2004, the adjustments reducing operating income (loss) before depreciation and amortization by segment were as follows:
| (in millions) | 2005 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|
| Cable | $ 116 | $ 180 |
| Programming | 1 | (4) |
| Corporate and Other | 49 | 107 |
| Total | $ 166 | $ 283 |
Note 15: Quarterly Financial Information (Unaudited)
| (in millions, except per share data) | First Quarter |
Second Quarter |
Third Quarter |
Fourth Quarter |
Total Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | |||||
| Revenues | $ 5,595 | $ 5,908 | $ 6,432 | $ 7,031 | $ 24,966 |
| Operating income | 1,004 | 1,173 | 1,224 | 1,218 | 4,619 |
| Income from continuing operations | 438 | 399 | 969 | 429(a) | 2,235 |
| Income from discontinued operations | 28 | 61 | 14 | — | 103 |
| Gain on discontinued operations | — | — | 234 | (39)(a) | 195 |
| Net income | $ 466 | $ 460 | $ 1,217 | $ 390 | $ 2,533 |
| Basic earnings for common stockholders per common share(c) | |||||
| Income from continuing operations | $ 0.14 | $ 0.13 | $ 0.31 | $ 0.14 | $ 0.71 |
| Income from discontinued operations | 0.01 | 0.02 | — | — | 0.03 |
| Gain on discontinued operations | — | — | 0.07 | (.01) | 0.06 |
| Net income | $ 0.15 | $ 0.15 | $ 0.38 | $ 0.13 | $ 0.80 |
| Diluted earnings for common stockholders per common share(c) | |||||
| Income from continuing operations | $ 0.14 | $ 0.13 | $ 0.31 | $ 0.14 | $ 0.70 |
| Income from discontinued operations | 0.01 | 0.02 | — | — | 0.03 |
| Gain on discontinued operations | — | — | 0.07 | (0.01) | 0.06 |
| Net income | $ 0.15 | $ 0.15 | $ 0.38 | $ 0.13 | $ 0.79 |
| 2005 | |||||
| Revenues | $ 5,074 | $ 5,301 | $ 5,284 | $ 5,416 | $ 21,075 |
| Operating income | 829 | 1,002 | 841 | 849 | 3,521 |
| Income from continuing operations | 122 | 401 | 198 | 107 | 828 |
| Income from discontinued operations | 21 | 29 | 24 | 26 | 100 |
| Net income | $ 143 | $ 430 | $ 222 | $ 133(b) | $ 928 |
| Basic earnings for common stockholders per common share(c) | |||||
| Income from continuing operations | $ 0.04 | $ 0.12 | $ 0.06 | $ 0.03 | $ 0.25 |
| Income from discontinued operations | — | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Net income | $ 0.04 | $ 0.13 | $ 0.07 | $ 0.04 | $ 0.28 |
| Diluted earnings for common stockholders per common share(c) | |||||
| Income from continuing operations | $ 0.04 | $ 0.12 | $ 0.06 | $ 0.03 | $ 0.25 |
| Income from discontinued operations | — | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.03 |
| Net income | $ 0.04 | $ 0.13 | $ 0.07 | $ 0.04 | $ 0.28 |
(a) Includes adjustments reducing estimated gains recorded on transactions that closed in the third quarter of 2006.
(b) Includes refinement to our effective tax rate in the fourth quarter of 2005.
(c) Adjusted to reflect the Stock Split
Note 16: Condensed Consolidating Financial Information
Comcast Corporation and five of our cable holding company subsidiaries, Comcast Cable Communications, LLC ("CCCL"), Comcast Cable Communications Holdings, Inc. ("CCCH"), Comcast MO Group, Inc. ("Comcast MO Group"), Comcast Cable Holdings, LLC ("CCH"), and Comcast MO of Delaware, LLC ("Comcast MO of Delaware") fully and unconditionally guaranteed each other's debt securities. Comcast MO Group, CCH and Comcast MO of Delaware are collectively referred to as the "Combined CCHMO Parents."
In September 2005, Comcast Corporation unconditionally guaranteed Comcast Holdings' ZONES due October 2029 and its 10 5/8% Senior Subordinated Debentures due 2012, both of which were issued by Comcast Holdings; accordingly, we have added Comcast Holdings' condensed consolidated financial information for all periods presented. Our condensed consolidating financial information is as follows:
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet
As of December 31, 2006
| (in millions) | Comcast Parent |
CCCL Parent |
CCCH Parent |
Combined CCHMO Parents |
Comcast Holdings |
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries |
Elimination and Consolidation Adjustments |
Consolidated Comcast Corporation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ 77 | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 1,162 | $ — | $ 1,239 |
| Investments | — | — | — | — | — | 1,735 | — | 1,735 |
| Accounts receivable, net | — | — | — | — | — | 1,450 | — | 1,450 |
| Other current assets | 15 | 1 | — | — | — | 762 | — | 778 |
| Total current assets | 92 | 1 | — | — | — | 5,109 | — | 5,202 |
| Investments | — | — | — | — | — | 8,847 | — | 8,847 |
| Investments in and amounts due from subsidiaries eliminated upon consolidation | 62,622 | 31,152 | 37,757 | 41,151 | 23,984 | 1,895 | (198,561) | — |
| Property and equipment, net | 17 | — | 1 | — | — | 21,230 | — | 21,248 |
| Franchise rights | — | — | — | — | — | 55,927 | — | 55,927 |
| Goodwill | — | — | — | — | — | 13,768 | — | 13,768 |
| Other intangible assets, net | — | — | — | — | — | 4,881 | — | 4,881 |
| Other noncurrent assets, net | 176 | 16 | 20 | — | 31 | 289 | — | 532 |
| Total assets | $ 62,907 | $ 31,169 | $ 37,778 | $ 41,151 | $ 24,015 | $ 111,946 | $ (198,561) | $ 110,405 |
| Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses related to trade creditors | $ 11 | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 2,851 | $ — | $ 2,862 |
| Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 616 | 247 | 83 | 106 | 69 | 1,911 | — | 3,032 |
| Deferred income taxes | — | — | — | — | — | 563 | — | 563 |
| Current portion of long-term debt | — | 600 | — | 242 | — | 141 | — | 983 |
| Total current liabilities | 627 | 847 | 83 | 348 | 69 | 5,466 | — | 7,440 |
| Long-term debt, less current portion | 15,358 | 4,397 | 3,498 | 3,046 | 683 | 1,010 | — | 27,992 |
| Deferred income taxes | 4,638 | — | — | — | 887 | 21,564 | — | 27,089 |
| Other noncurrent liabilities | 1,117 | 46 | — | — | 76 | 5,237 | — | 6,476 |
| Minority interest | — | — | — | — | — | 241 | — | 241 |
| Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||
| Common stock | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 35 |
| Other stockholders' equity | 41,132 | 25,879 | 34,197 | 37,757 | 22,300 | 78,428 | (198,561) | 41,132 |
| Total stockholders' equity | 41,167 | 25,879 | 34,197 | 37,757 | 22,300 | 78,428 | (198,561) | 41,167 |
| Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ 62,907 | $ 31,169 | $ 37,778 | $ 41,151 | $ 24,015 | $ 111,946 | $ (198,561) | $ 110,405 |
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet
As of December 31, 2005
| (in millions) | Comcast Parent |
CCCL Parent |
CCCH Parent |
Combined CCHMO Parents |
Comcast Holdings |
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries |
Elimination and Consolidation Adjustments |
Consolidated Comcast Corporation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assets | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 947 | $ — | $ 947 |
| Investments | — | — | — | — | — | 148 | — | 148 |
| Accounts receivable, net | — | — | — | — | — | 1,008 | — | 1,008 |
| Other current assets | 16 | — | — | — | — | 669 | — | 685 |
| Current assets of discontinued operations | — | — | — | — | — | 60 | — | 60 |
| Total current assets | 16 | — | — | — | — | 2,832 | — | 2,848 |
| Investments | — | — | — | — | — | 12,675 | — | 12,675 |
| Investments in and amounts due from subsidiaries eliminated upon consolidation | 53,103 | 29,562 | 36,042 | 40,482 | 22,742 | 955 | (182,886) | — |
| Property and equipment, net | 11 | — | 2 | — | 3 | 17,688 | — | 17,704 |
| Franchise rights | — | — | — | — | — | 48,804 | — | 48,804 |
| Goodwill | — | — | — | — | — | 13,498 | — | 13,498 |
| Other intangible assets, net | — | — | — | — | 4 | 3,114 | — | 3,118 |
| Other noncurrent assets, net | 122 | 21 | 23 | — | 43 | 426 | — | 635 |
| Other noncurrent assets of discontinued operations, net | — | — | — | — | — | 4,118 | — | 4,118 |
| Total assets | $ 53,252 | $ 29,583 | $ 36,067 | $ 40,482 | $ 22,792 | $ 104,110 | $ (182,886) | $ 103,400 |
| Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||
| Accounts payable and accrued expenses related to trade creditors | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 2,239 | $ — | $ 2,239 |
| Accrued expenses and other current liabilities | 447 | 224 | 113 | 127 | 89 | 1,482 | — | 2,482 |
| Deferred income taxes | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | 2 |
| Current portion of long-term debt | — | 620 | — | 995 | — | 74 | — | 1,689 |
| Current liability of disontinued operations | — | — | — | — | — | 112 | — | 112 |
| Total current liabilities | 447 | 844 | 113 | 1,122 | 89 | 3,909 | — | 6,524 |
| Long-term debt, less current portion | 8,243 | 4,988 | 3,498 | 3,318 | 981 | 654 | — | 21,682 |
| Deferred income taxes | 3,470 | — | — | — | 811 | 23,089 | — | 27,370 |
| Other noncurrent liabilities | 873 | 54 | — | — | 50 | 5,943 | — | 6,920 |
| Minority interest | — | — | — | — | — | 657 | — | 657 |
| Noncurrent liabilities of discontinued operations | — | — | — | — | — | 28 | — | 28 |
| Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||
| Common stock | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 36 |
| Other stockholders' equity | 40,183 | 23,697 | 32,456 | 36,042 | 20,861 | 69,830 | (182,886) | 40,183 |
| Total stockholders' equity | 40,219 | 23,697 | 32,456 | 36,042 | 20,861 | 69,830 | (182,886) | 40,219 |
| Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ 53,252 | $ 29,583 | $ 36,067 | $ 40,482 | $ 22,792 | $ 104,110 | $ (182,886) | $ 103,400 |
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Operations
For the Year Ended December 31, 2006
| (in millions) | Comcast Parent |
CCCL Parent |
CCCH Parent |
Combined CCHMO Parents |
Comcast Holdings |
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries |
Elimination and Consolidation Adjustments |
Consolidated Comcast Corporation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | ||||||||
| Service revenues | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 24,966 | $ — | $ 24,966 |
| Management fee revenue | 526 | 193 | 298 | 298 | 8 | — | (1,323) | — |
| 526 | 193 | 298 | 298 | 8 | 24,966 | (1,323) | 24,966 | |
| Costs and Expenses | ||||||||
| Operating (excluding depreciation) | — | — | — | — | — | 9,010 | — | 9,010 |
| Selling, general and administrative | 256 | 193 | 298 | 298 | 16 | 6,776 | (1,323) | 6,514 |
| Depreciation | 8 | — | — | — | 2 | 3,818 | — | 3,828 |
| Amortization | — | — | — | — | 4 | 991 | — | 995 |
| 264 | 193 | 298 | 298 | 22 | 20,595 | (1,323) | 20,347 | |
| Operating income (loss) | 262 | — | — | — | (14) | 4,371 | — | 4,619 |
| Other Income (Expense) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (776) | (400) | (325) | (259) | (68) | (236) | — | (2,064) |
| Investment income (loss), net | — | — | — | — | 34 | 956 | — | 990 |
| Equity in net income (losses) of affiliates | 2,867 | 1,509 | 1,900 | 2,069 | 1,266 | (138) | (9,597) | (124) |
| Other income (expense) | — | — | — | — | — | 173 | — | 173 |
| 2,091 | 1,109 | 1,575 | 1,810 | 1,232 | 755 | (9,597) | (1,025) | |
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and minority interest | 2,353 | 1,109 | 1,575 | 1,810 | 1,218 | 5,126 | (9,597) | 3,594 |
| Income tax (expense) benefit | 180 | 143 | 114 | 90 | 26 | (1,900) | — | (1,347) |
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before minority interest | 2,533 | 1,252 | 1,689 | 1,900 | 1,244 | 3,226 | (9,597) | 2,247 |
| Minority interest | — | — | — | — | — | (12) | — | (12) |
| Income from continuing operations | 2,533 | 1,252 | 1,689 | 1,900 | 1,244 | 3,214 | (9,597) | 2,235 |
| Income from discontinued operations, net of tax | — | — | — | — | — | 103 | — | 103 |
| Gain on discontinued operations, net of tax | — | — | — | — | — | 195 | — | 195 |
| Net Income | $ 2,533 | $ 1,252 | $ 1,689 | $ 1,900 | $ 1,244 | $ 3,512 | $ (9,597) | $ 2,533 |
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Operations
For the Year Ended December 31, 2005
| (in millions) | Comcast Parent |
CCCL Parent |
CCCH Parent |
Combined CCHMO Parents |
Comcast Holdings |
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries |
Elimination and Consolidation Adjustments |
Consolidated Comcast Corporation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | ||||||||
| Service revenues | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 21,075 | $ — | $ 21,075 |
| Management fee revenue | 457 | 174 | 278 | 278 | 8 | — | (1,195) | — |
| 457 | 174 | 278 | 278 | 8 | 21,075 | (1,195) | 21,075 | |
| Costs and Expenses | ||||||||
| Operating (excluding depreciation) | — | — | — | — | — | 7,513 | — | 7,513 |
| Selling, general and administrative | 204 | 174 | 278 | 278 | 15 | 5,736 | (1,195) | 5,490 |
| Depreciation | 3 | — | — | — | 3 | 3,407 | — | 3,413 |
| Amortization | — | — | — | — | 10 | 1,128 | — | 1,138 |
| 207 | 174 | 278 | 278 | 28 | 17,784 | (1,195) | 17,554 | |
| Operating income (loss) | 250 | — | — | — | (20) | 3,291 | — | 3,521 |
| Other Income (Expense) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (371) | (477) | (329) | (306) | (101) | (211) | — | (1,795) |
| Investment income (loss), net | — | — | — | — | (16) | 105 | — | 89 |
| Equity in net income (losses) of affiliates | 1,007 | 1,372 | 605 | 804 | 977 | 43 | (4,850) | (42) |
| Other income (expense) | — | — | — | — | — | (53) | — | (53) |
| 636 | 895 | 276 | 498 | 860 | (116) | (4,850) | (1,801) | |
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and minority interest | 886 | 895 | 276 | 498 | 840 | 3,175 | (4,850) | 1,720 |
| Income tax (expense) benefit | 42 | 167 | 115 | 107 | 48 | (1,352) | — | (873) |
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before minority interest | 928 | 1,062 | 391 | 605 | 888 | 1,823 | (4,850) | 847 |
| Minority interest | — | — | — | — | — | (19) | — | (19) |
| Income from continuing operations | $ 928 | $ 1,062 | $ 391 | $ 605 | $ 888 | $ 1,804 | $ (4,850) | $ 828 |
| Income from discontinued operations, net of tax | — | — | — | — | — | 100 | — | 100 |
| Net Income | $ 928 | $ 1,062 | $ 391 | $ 605 | $ 888 | $ 1,904 | $ (4,850) | $ 928 |
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Operations
For the Year Ended December 31, 2004
| (in millions) | Comcast Parent |
CCCL Parent |
CCCH Parent |
Combined CCHMO Parents |
Comcast Holdings |
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries |
Elimination and Consolidation Adjustments |
Consolidated Comcast Corporation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenues | ||||||||
| Service revenues | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 19,221 | $ — | $ 19,221 |
| Management fee revenue | 416 | 161 | 253 | 253 | 8 | — | (1,091) | — |
| 416 | 161 | 253 | 253 | 8 | 19,221 | (1,091) | 19,221 | |
| Costs and Expenses | ||||||||
| Operating (excluding depreciation) | — | — | — | — | — | 7,036 | — | 7,036 |
| Selling, general and administrative | 168 | 161 | 253 | 253 | 13 | 5,248 | (1,091) | 5,005 |
| Depreciation | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | 3,192 | — | 3,197 |
| Amortization | — | — | — | — | 11 | 1,143 | — | 1,154 |
| 170 | 161 | 253 | 253 | 27 | 16,619 | (1,091) | 16,392 | |
| Operating income (loss) | 246 | — | — | — | (19) | 2,602 | — | 2,829 |
| Other Income (Expense) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (289) | (474) | (348) | (399) | (98) | (266) | — | (1,874) |
| Investment income (loss), net | — | — | — | — | 100 | 372 | — | 472 |
| Equity in net income (losses) of affiliates | 998 | 1,170 | 310 | 569 | 997 | (216) | (3,909) | (81) |
| Other income (expense) | — | — | — | — | — | 397 | — | 397 |
| 709 | 696 | (38) | 170 | 999 | 287 | (3,909) | (1,086) | |
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and minority interest | 955 | 696 | (38) | 170 | 980 | 2,889 | (3,909) | 1,743 |
| Income tax (expense) benefit | 15 | 166 | 122 | 140 | 6 | (1,250) | — | (801) |
| Income (loss) from continuing operations before minority interest | 970 | 862 | 84 | 310 | 986 | 1,639 | (3,909) | 942 |
| Minority interest | — | — | — | — | — | (14) | — | (14) |
| Income from continuing operations | 970 | 862 | 84 | 310 | 986 | 1,625 | (3,909) | 928 |
| Income from discontinued operations, net of tax | — | — | — | — | — | 42 | — | 42 |
| Net Income | $ 970 | $ 862 | $ 84 | $ 310 | $ 986 | $ 1,667 | $ (3,909) | $ 970 |
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows
For the Year Ended December 31, 2006
| (in millions) | Comcast Parent |
CCCL Parent |
CCCH Parent |
Combined CCHMO Parents |
Comcast Holdings |
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries |
Elimination and Consolidation Adjustments |
Consolidated Comcast Corporation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Activities | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ 90 | $ (240) | $ (226) | $ (224) | $ 20 | $ 7,198 | $ — | $ 6,618 |
| Financing Activities | ||||||||
| Proceeds from borrowings | 7,474 | — | — | — | — | 23 | — | 7,497 |
| Retirements and repayments of debt | (350) | (619) | — | (988) | (27) | (55) | — | (2,039) |
| Repurchases of common stock | (2,347) | — | — | — | — | — | — | (2,347) |
| Issuances of common stock | 410 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 410 |
| Other | 33 | — | — | — | — | (8) | — | 25 |
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 5,220 | (619) | — | (988) | (27) | (40) | — | 3,546 |
| Investing Activities | ||||||||
| Net transactions with affiliates | (5,272) | 859 | 226 | 1,212 | (3) | 2,978 | — | — |
| Capital expenditures | (8) | — | — | — | — | (4,387) | — | (4,395) |
| Cash paid for intangible assets | — | — | — | — | — | (306) | — | (306) |
| Acquisitions, net of cash acquired | — | — | — | — | — | (5,110) | — | (5,110) |
| Proceeds from sales and restructuring of investments | 47 | — | — | — | 10 | 2,663 | — | 2,720 |
| Purchases of investments | — | — | — | — | — | (2,812) | — | (2,812) |
| Proceeds from sales (purchases) of short-term investments, net | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | 33 |
| Other | — | — | — | — | — | (2) | — | (2) |
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | (5,233) | 859 | 226 | 1,212 | 7 | (6,943) | — | (9,872) |
| Increase in cash and cash equivalents | 77 | — | — | — | — | 215 | — | 292 |
| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year | — | — | — | — | — | 947 | — | 947 |
| Cash and cash equivalents, end of year | $ 77 | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 1,162 | $ — | $ 1,239 |
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows
For the Year Ended December 31, 2005
| (in millions) | Comcast Parent |
CCCL Parent |
CCCH Parent |
Combined CCHMO Parents |
Comcast Holdings |
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries |
Elimination and Consolidation Adjustments |
Consolidated Comcast Corporation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Activities | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ 61 | $ (256) | $ (204) | $ (387) | $ (110) | $ 5,731 | $ — | $ 4,835 |
| Financing Activities | ||||||||
| Proceeds from borrowings | 3,972 | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 3,978 |
| Retirements and repayments of debt | — | (700) | — | (1,628) | (13) | (365) | — | (2,706) |
| Repurchases of common stock | (2,313) | — | — | — | — | — | — | (2,313) |
| Issuances of common stock | 93 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 93 |
| Other | — | — | — | — | — | 15 | — | 15 |
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 1,752 | (700) | — | (1,628) | (13) | (344) | — | (933) |
| Investing Activities | ||||||||
| Net transactions with affiliates | (1,813) | 956 | 204 | 2,015 | 123 | (1,485) | — | — |
| Capital expenditures | — | — | — | — | — | (3,621) | — | (3,621) |
| Cash paid for intangible assets | — | — | — | — | — | (281) | — | (281) |
| Acquisitions, net of cash acquired | — | — | — | — | — | (199) | — | (199) |
| Proceeds from sales and restructuring of investments | — | — | — | — | — | 861 | — | 861 |
| Purchases of investments | — | — | — | — | — | (306) | — | (306) |
| Proceeds from sales (purchases) of short-term investments, net | — | — | — | — | — | (86) | — | (86) |
| Other | — | — | — | — | — | (116) | — | (116) |
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | (1,813) | 956 | 204 | 2,015 | 123 | (5,233) | — | (3,748) |
| Increase in cash and cash equivalents | — | — | — | — | — | 154 | — | 154 |
| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year | — | — | — | — | — | 793 | — | 793 |
| Cash and cash equivalents, end of year | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 947 | $ — | $ 947 |
Condensed Consolidating Statement of Cash Flows
For the Year Ended December 31, 2004
| (in millions) | Comcast Parent |
CCCL Parent |
CCCH Parent |
Combined CCHMO Parents |
Comcast Holdings |
Non- Guarantor Subsidiaries |
Elimination and Consolidation Adjustments |
Consolidated Comcast Corporation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating Activities | ||||||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | $ 482 | $ (143) | $ (155) | $ (478) | $ 8 | $ 6,368 | $ — | $ 6,082 |
| Financing Activities | ||||||||
| Proceeds from borrowings | 620 | — | 400 | — | — | 10 | — | 1,030 |
| Retirements and repayments of debt | (300) | (561) | (400) | (306) | — | (756) | — | (2,323) |
| Repurchases of common stock | (1,361) | — | — | — | — | — | — | (1,361) |
| Issuances of common stock | 113 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 113 |
| Other | 8 | — | — | — | — | 17 | — | 25 |
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | (920) | (561) | — | (306) | — | (729) | — | (2,516) |
| Investing Activities | ||||||||
| Net transactions with affiliates | 438 | 704 | 155 | 784 | (8) | (2,073) | — | — |
| Capital expenditures | — | — | — | — | — | (3,660) | — | (3,660) |
| Cash paid for intangible assets | — | — | — | — | — | (615) | — | (615) |
| Acquisitions, net of cash acquired | — | — | — | — | — | (296) | — | (296) |
| Proceeds from sales and restructuring of investments | — | — | — | — | — | 228 | — | 228 |
| Purchases of investments | — | — | — | — | — | (156) | — | (156) |
| Proceeds from sales (purchases) of short-term investments, net | — | — | — | — | — | (13) | — | (13) |
| Proceeds from settlement of contract of acquired company | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | — | 26 |
| Other | — | — | — | — | — | (26) | — | (26) |
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | 438 | 704 | 155 | 784 | (8) | (6,585) | — | (4,512) |
| Decrease in cash and cash equivalents | — | — | — | — | — | (946) | — | (946) |
| Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of year | — | — | — | — | — | 1,739 | — | 1,739 |
| Cash and cash equivalents, end of year | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ — | $ 793 | $ — | $ 793 |