425
Filed by Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
Pursuant to Rule 425 under the
Securities Act of 1933 and deemed filed
pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.
Commission File No.: 0-27441
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to,
statements about the benefits of the business combination transaction involving Sirius Satellite
Radio Inc. and XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., including potential synergies and cost savings and
the timing thereof, future financial and operating results, the combined companys plans,
objectives, expectations and intentions with respect to future operations, products and services;
and other statements identified by words such as anticipate, believe, plan, estimate,
expect, intend, will, should, may, or words of similar meaning. Such forward-looking
statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of SIRIUS and XMs management and
are inherently subject to significant business, economic and competitive uncertainties and
contingencies, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of SIRIUS
and XM. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking
statements.
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from the
anticipated results or other expectations expressed in the forward-looking statement: general
business and economic conditions; the performance of financial markets and interest rates; the
ability to obtain governmental approvals of the transaction on a timely basis; the failure of
SIRIUS and XM stockholders to approve the transaction; the failure to realize synergies and
cost-savings from the transaction or delay in realization thereof; the businesses of SIRIUS and XM
may not be combined successfully, or such combination may take longer, be more difficult,
time-consuming or costly to accomplish than expected; and operating costs and business disruption
following the merger, including adverse effects on employee retention and on our business
relationships with third parties, including manufacturers of radios, retailers, automakers and
programming providers. Additional factors that could cause SIRIUS and XMs results to differ
materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in SIRIUS and XMs
Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, and Quarterly Reports on Form
10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2006, June 30, 2006 and September 30, 2006 which are filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and available at the SECs Internet site
(http://www.sec.gov). The information set forth herein speaks only as of the date hereof, and
SIRIUS and XM disclaim any intention or obligation to update any forward looking statements as a
result of developments occurring after the date of this communication.
Important Additional Information Will be Filed with the SEC
This communication is being made in respect of the proposed business combination involving
SIRIUS and XM. In connection with the proposed transaction, SIRIUS plans to file with the SEC a
Registration Statement on Form S-4 containing a Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and each of SIRIUS
and XM plans to file with the SEC other documents regarding the proposed transaction. The
definitive Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus will be mailed to stockholders of SIRIUS and XM.
INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF SIRIUS AND XM ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY
STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN
THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED
TRANSACTION.
Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the Registration
Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with
the SEC by SIRIUS and XM through the web site maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. Free copies of
the Registration Statement and the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (when available) and other
documents filed with the SEC can also be obtained by directing a request to Sirius Satellite Radio
Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, 36th Floor, New York, NY 10020, Attention: Investor
Relations or by directing a request to XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., 1500 Eckington Place, N.E.
Washington, DC 20002, Attention: Investor Relations.
SIRIUS, XM and their respective directors and executive officers and other persons may be
deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction.
Information regarding SIRIUS directors and executive officers is available in its Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, which was filed with the SEC on March 13, 2006, and
its proxy statement for its 2006 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on
April 21, 2006, and information regarding XMs directors and executive officers is available in
XMs Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the year ended December 31, 2005, which was filed with the SEC
on March 3, 2006 and its proxy statement for its 2006 annual meeting of stockholders, which was
filed with the SEC on April 25, 2006. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy
solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or
otherwise, will be contained in the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other relevant materials
to be filed with the SEC when they become available.
***
The following is a transcript of a conference call held on February 27, 2007 to discuss
SIRIUS financial and operating results for the three months and year ended December 31, 2006.
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
Event Date/Time: Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM ET
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication ma
y be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
CORPORATE PARTICIPANTS
Paul Blalock
Sirius Satellite Radio SVP, IR
Mel Karmazin
Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Jim Meyer
Sirius Satellite Radio President, Sales & Operations
Scott Greenstein
Sirius Satellite Radio President, Entertainment & Sports
David Frear
Sirius Satellite Radio CFO
CONFERENCE CALL PARTICIPANTS
Ben Swinburne
Morgan Stanley Analyst
Robert Peck
Bear, Stearns Analyst
Laraine Mancini
Merrill Lynch Analyst
Eileen Furukawa
Citigroup Analyst
Bryan Kraft
Credit Suisse Analyst
James Dix
Deutsche Bank Analyst
Barton Crockett
JPMorgan Analyst
David Bank
RBC Capital Markets Analyst
PRESENTATION
Operator
Good day, everyone, and welcome to the SIRIUS Satellite Radio fourth quarter and year end 2006
earnings conference call.
Todays conference is being recorded.
At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Paul Blalock, Senior Vice President of
Investor Relations. Mr. Blalock,
please go ahead.
Paul Blalock - Sirius Satellite Radio SVP, IR
Thank you, Peter. Good morning, everyone, and thank you for your participation today. This morning
Mel Karmazin, our CEO,
joined by Jim Meyer, President of Operations and Sales, and Scott Greenstein, President of
Entertainment and Sports, will review
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
our 2006 achievements and current outlook. David Frear, our Chief Financial Officer, will
discuss our 2006 financial results and provide guidance for 2007. At the conclusion of our prepared
remarks, management will take your questions.
I would like to remind everyone that certain statements made during this call might be
forward-looking, as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These, and all forward-looking statements are based on managements current beliefs and
expectations, and necessarily dependent upon assumptions, data or methods that may be incorrect or
imprecise. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause
actual results to differ materially. More information about those risks and uncertainties is
contained in SIRIUSs SEC filings. We caution listeners not to rely unduly on forward-looking
statements and disclaim any intent or obligation to update them. I will now hand the call over to
Mel for his opening remarks.
Mel Karmazin Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Good morning, and thank you for joining us. 2006 was a banner year for SIRIUS. For the full year,
we added a record 2.7 million new subscribers, or 62% of the total radio satellite radio growth.
In the fourth quarter, SIRIUS added 67% of total satellite radio net additions, and in the retail
segment, SIRIUS also represented 67% share. This is the strongest performance in the Companys
history, and even stronger that in the fourth quarter of 2005 and the first quarter of 2006, which is
when Howard Stern first joined SIRIUS. It is interesting to note that in the fourth quarter of
2006, SIRIUS also captured the majority, 54%, of gross subscriber additions for the first time in
our history. Clearly, our differentiated approach to programming has led to a differentiated brand
and differentiated financial and operating results. If you look back two years ago, to the fourth
quarter of 2004, our progress is even more apparent. SIRIUS added 481,000 subscribers in fourth
quarter of 04, for a 40% share of net add growth. In fourth quarter of 06, SIRIUS added 905,000
subscribers for a 67% share of net add growth. This one-third/two-third split is a reversal of the
trend just 24 months ago, and a clear indication of a sustainable consumer preference for SIRIUS.
More importantly, SIRIUS achieved $30 million of positive free cash flow in the fourth quarter of
2006, achieving our stated goal of potentially reaching free cash flow positive as early as the
fourth quarter. Although true GAAP earnings are years away, it is important to note that this is real cash flow,
and that includes the effect of capital expenditures. For 2007, we expect total revenue to approach
$1 billion. If we accomplish that goal, it will be the fastest to $1 billion in revenue in the
history of radio. Reviewing 2006, we expected $615 million in revenue, and we delivered $637
million. Our average monthly revenue per user, or ARPU, was $11.01 in 2006, up from $10.34 in 2005.
Our 2006 ARPU included a $0.56 contribution from net advertising revenue, an increase of 100% from
the $0.28 net advertising revenue in 2005. At the beginning of 2006, we expected to have more than
6 million subscribers at year end, and we delivered on that original goal. Although strong growth
in the first half of the year caused us to revise upward our mid year guidance, which was later
reduced back to our original goal. It is also interesting to note that in Canada SIRIUSs fourth
quarter NPD share was in excess of 70%.
Last year, we also said that we expected to double our installed base of automotive customers
during 2006. We started 2006 with 824,000 OEM subscribers, and ended the year with more than 1.9
million, a 138% increase. For the full year of 2006, SIRIUS achieved a 55% share of OEM net
subscriber growth. We expected a 2006 customer churn rate of 1.8%. We delivered a churn rate which
was 1.89%. And Im also pleased to report that our self-pay churn remained flat at 1.6% for the
year, an industry-leading metric. We expected 2006 SAC per gross add to approach $110, and we
delivered $114 for the full year, and $103 for the fourth quarter. This is down from $139 SAC per
gross add in 2005. We expected the adjusted loss from operations EBITDA to be $565 million for the
full year, and we delivered $513.1 million, a 9% improvement, and a clear indication of our
cost-based focus. Looking forward into 2006, we expect revenue to approach $1 billion, subscribers
to top $8 million, churn to average between 2.2% and 2.4%, and SAC per gross add to drop to
approximately $95. I believe that SIRIUS clearly delivered in 2006 and we are being very realistic
about 2007.
I will let Jim, Scott and David take you through some more highlights in a moment. But I first want
to make a few observations. First, high levels of customer satisfaction coupled with the low levels
of customer churn and increasing automotive penetration rates are great indicators of a positive
long-term future for satellite radio and a solid place for our branded content in the new
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication m
ay be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
media world. Second, SIRIUS is the premier destination to discover and experience audio
entertainment. Whether you are in your car or in your home, office, dorm room or on the Internet or
in a Wi-Fi-enabled hot spot, SIRIUSs leadership in commercial-free music, premier sports and talk
remains paramount to our success. Third, as CEO and a large shareholder myself, I do not need to
tell you that our stock performance has not matched our financial and operational success. I will
remain steadfast in running this Company to maximize our financial and market position. And I am
confident in our ability to deliver the best radio on radio. Thank you for listening, and we will
be glad to handle your questions after we hear from the rest of the management team. Jim Meyer will
now take you through some of the operational details.
Jim Meyer - Sirius Satellite Radio President, Sales & Operations
Thanks, Mel. 2006 was a very successful year for SIRIUS. Our initial 2006 goal of reaching parity
in the marketplace was exceeded in each and every quarter of the year. Our goal for 2007 quite
simply is to maintain our clear market leadership. And as Mel mentioned, this is a dramatic
reversal over the last two years. In 2006, our product and distribution strategies were very
successful. On the product side, we refurbished the product line-up with several new products,
while reaching our cost reduction objectives, and introducing some innovative firsts into the
marketplace. We believe that the new products we have introduced make SIRIUS a product line-up
leader with the strongest offering in the industry, and you can expect more in 2007. SIRIUS added
2.7 million net additions in 2006. That was comprised of approximately 1.1 million net additions
from our auto partners and approximately 1.6 million retail net additions. Self-pay churn remained
flat at 1.6% and total churn was 1.9% for the year. In 2006, we made several investments aimed at
our customer retention initiatives, and we will continue to make additional investments in 2007,
focused on retention initiatives.
Turning to the retail sector, the approximate 1.6 million retail net additions for 2006 represented
a slight increase in retail net additions over 2005, and accounted for 55% of the 2006 satellite
radio retail net addition share. In the fourth quarter 2006, our retail net add share rose to 65%,
its highest level ever. In addition, in the fourth quarter, SIRIUS also captured 54% of gross
subscriber additions. Overall, Im very pleased with where we are in the aftermarket side of the
business. Obviously, our retail partners are aware
of the strong consumer preference for SIRIUS. One particular success story for SIRIUS in 2006 was
at Wal-Mart, where as promised, we accomplished our goal of reaching parity in market share for the
important fourth quarter. In addition, SIRIUS received the coveted Best Supplier of the Quarter
award for audio electronics from Wal-Mart for the fourth quarter of 2006. In 2007 in the
aftermarket segment, we expect to maintain our market share position, including our market share
leadership at Wal-Mart for the full year.
Another key objective for 2007 is to continue to reduce our after-market SAC. This will be
accomplished as we integrate our new generation 4 chips into our product line-up later this year.
Not only will this effort significantly reduce the cost of our radios, but the benefits will
include a continued reduction in size and heat, leading to better, more innovative form factors, as
well as improvements in battery life. The generation 4 chips are currently in production at
STMicroelectronics, and we will begin to phase them in radios later this year. On the technology
front, Im also pleased to report that we are operating our hierarchical overlay modulation, now
for almost four months, and you should expect to us launch new services in the first half of this
year. Stay tuned.
Now lets turn to the OEM world. In 2006, SIRIUS added 1.1 million OEM net additions, capturing 55%
of the total OEM net addition share. In the fourth quarter of 2006, SIRIUS added a record 349,000
OEM subscribers, which represents 65% of fourth quarter OEM net addition share, the highest results
in our history. The 349,000 fourth quarter net OEM additions represent an improvement of 44% over
our fourth quarter 2005 performance. As Mel mentioned, our goal for 2006 was to double our OEM
subscriber base, and we more than accomplished that goal. SIRIUS started 2006 with 823,000 OEM
subscribers and ended the year with over 1.9 million subscribers in this important channel.
Factory programs continue to gain momentum. SIRIUS ended 2006 with 132 individual vehicle model
factory programs and 149 total vehicle model programs. OEM economics will continue to improve and
our penetration rates continue to increase. The Companys exclusive U.S. automotive OEM partners
now number 21 individual automotive brands. Its important to note
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© 2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication
may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
the Chrysler group is targeting a 40% overall penetration rate for the 2007 model year with
SIRIUS factory programs. This is up from approximately 30% in the 2006 model year. Effective this
month, the first Chrysler group vehicles with SIRIUS realtime traffic are now hitting the dealer
show rooms. This exciting new feature can be found in select vehicles that includes the new MyGIG
radios. During the fourth quarter, the Chrysler group launched a significant national media
campaign which prominently featured SIRIUS in TV spots for Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep vehicles. This
national exposure was not only great for our brand, but also had a very positive impact at the
dealer level. Awareness of the SIRIUS option at the consumer and dealer levels has never been
higher.
Ford is also coming on strong with SIRIUS, now with a factory-installed option in 22 vehicle lines,
up from four models at the beginning of 2006. The Ford, Lincoln and Mercury penetration rates for
SIRIUS are all exceeding initial projections. Strong customer and dealer demand for the SIRIUS
option is driving these increased penetration rates. During the third quarter of 2006, Volkswagen
and Audi began their 2007 model year launch of their previously announced exclusive partnership
with SIRIUS. As previously mentioned, Volkswagen and Audi are targeting an 80% installation rate in
their 2007 model year. This program is now fully operational, and we are completely engaged with
this important partner and their dealers. Finally, Mercedes Benz continues to install SIRIUS radios
in now over two-thirds of all model year 2007 vehicles. Both dealer and customer demand for SIRIUS
in the Mercedes Benz line-up is strong and improving.
In conclusion, I would like to make a few comments regarding consumer demand for SIRIUS Satellite
Radio. As everyone knows, Howards show debuted on SIRIUS in last years first quarter, and our
subscriber growth benefited in a large way. As you see the NPD data come out for this years first
quarter, you should expect to see declines from last years pace. January will be the steepest
decline. From February forward, you should expect, and we are seeing in February, continuous
improvements as we work through last years Howard bulge. Another area for discussion is any
consumer confusion caused by the pending merger. We must not confuse consumers, as we take the time
necessary to work through the regulatory approvals required. To combat this issue, quite simply, we
will guarantee customers that any radio they buy from SIRIUS will not become obsolete. Its a
simple, but effective message to our customers, and a very safe thing to do, given our long-term
commitments to our OEM partners. I would now like to turn it over to Scott.
Scott Greenstein - Sirius Satellite Radio President, Entertainment & Sports
Thanks, Jim. In 2006, SIRIUS delivered on and solidified our position as the best radio on radio.
To highlight the depth and diversity of our content on any given day and every day, I give you one
example. Leading Associated Press writer Larry McShanes story describing SIRIUS by paraphrasing
renowned DJ Cousin Brucie as a new [inaudible] sums it up. McShane covered a day in the life of
SIRIUS, a typical Tuesday, an article that was featured in print and online news outlets across the
country with total circulation and viewership of over 38 million, detailing a day that featured
Jamie Foxx announcing his exclusive urban comedy channel, Tiki Barber on NFL radio, Howard Stern on
the air, Martha Stewart doing her program on her channel, Senator Bill Bradley, along with
highlights from the Catholic Channel, Candace Bushnells radio show, OutQ, and of course, other
elements of Sterns programming. If McShane had been here a couple of weeks later, he would have
seen the Sinatra family announce their exclusive new channel on SIRIUS, and last week, Barbara
Walters talking to listeners on her live call-in Oscar show. I wont spend much more time on the
highlights of that day that McShane visited SIRIUS, except to say that what made that day for him,
and what makes SIRIUS so special every day, is that our priority, our mission and our promise to
our talent, and most importantly to our listeners, is to have the best content go on the air. The
old phrase, content is king, is still true in this technologically changing world today. And
content is what makes SIRIUS the leader. Its what makes us the premier audio entertainment
Company.
Now lets talk about the biggest launch in radio since Howard Stern came to SIRIUS; SIRIUS NASCAR
radio. As everyone knows, NASCAR is the biggest spectator sport in America. If Daytona is any
indication, NASCAR is every bit as huge as we thought it would be. Calls have jammed the lines
every hour of the day since SIRIUS NASCAR radio launched its 24-hour service. A retail store close
to Daytona sold out their entire SIRIUS stock by Saturday, and race fans were approaching SIRIUS
staff on site all weekend, telling them what a difference SIRIUS NASCAR radio has made to their
race and fan experience. Every one of the 37
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© 2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part
of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
racers in the NASCAR season will be an incredible promotional tool for us, locally activating
each market on a grassroots level, with the sheer power of what NASCAR describes as a virtual Super
Bowl in 37 cities, and selling SIRIUS NASCAR radio from Daytona and Talladega to Las Vegas and
Phoenix.
We have also seen a tremendous response to the programming on SIRIUS NASCAR radio from the sports
media. Much like our unrivaled football coverage on SIRIUS NFL radio, we are confident that SIRIUS
NASCAR radio will continue to win over fans, pros and press alike, with unprecedented 24/7 coverage
of every race and everything in between. To sum up, USA Today in their Daytona coverage said, for
total immersion, the true diehard should also listen to SIRIUS Satellite Radio, which will premier
its NASCAR coverage with 10 channels that will devoted solely to specific drivers, offering their
in-car chatter nonstop throughout the race. Like it has for us before, this kind of focus on
premium programming results in remarkable positive press coverage. And as youve heard me say over
and over again, press coverage serves SIRIUS both as publicity and cost effective and organic
marketing.
To illustrate the power of the point and the marketing dollars saved, in the whole of 2006, more
than 13,000 print stories appeared with audience impressions of more than 25 billion in media
outlets, including Forbes, Time Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, USA
Today, and on and on and on, as well as being featured in broadcast segments on numerous networking
cable programming, including The Today Show and Good Morning America. Supported by our ongoing
partner marketing with the likes of the NFL, Martha Stewart, Playboy, Cosmo and the NBA, and the
continued success of our best radio on radio campaign, we are confident that that press, coupled
with our brand marketing and our partner marketing, we will remain not only the programming leader,
but the marketing leader as well. This is in addition to the DaimlerChrysler Mercury marketing
campaigns that Jim referred to, as well as Radio Shack campaigns, where SIRIUS and its programming
were featured as the center of the marketing campaign in those particular instances, not just an
add-on.
Advertisers continued to show they want to be where the best programming on radio is. That is no
more apparent than on the new SIRIUS NASCAR radio channel, which just launched in January and alone
saw advertising from the likes of Castrol and Home Depot. In the coming months, look for the debut
of new shows from publishing icon Jane Pratt, renowned pet expert Sonia Fitzpatrick, and the launch
of exclusive channels, Siriusly Sinatra and Jamie Foxxs Fox Hole, will all be on the air before
the summer. And of course, more on NASCAR as the year progresses with the races. We at SIRIUS
remain committed to our
listeners. We are confident that SIRIUS will continue to be the best radio on radio, and we look
forward to another year of doing just that. Thank you, and I turn it over to David.
David Frear - Sirius Satellite Radio CFO
Thanks, Scott. As in prior calls, my comments will follow the condensed operating statement in our
press release, which excludes the effect of stock-based compensation expenses in the individual
line items. SIRIUS delivered a great fourth quarter and a great year, with a record 2.7 million net
additions for the year in the Companys first ever quarter of positive free cash flow. The 905,000
net subscribers SIRIUS added in the fourth quarter represents our fifth consecutive quarter of
segment leadership in the metric that directly translates into our leading revenue growth. Total
fourth quarter revenue increased by 142%, or $113 million year-over-year to $193 million, as our
subscriber base nearly doubled to over 6 million subs from just under 3.3 million a year ago. The
nearly 3 million subs added in the last year have driven our annualized revenue run rate to nearly
$800 million today. This rapid growth has been accomplished with a high degree of efficiency, as
our focus on free cash flow has pushed us to drive and improve every key metric.
As Mel mentioned, SAC per gross add for the year improved 18% to $114 per gross add, and would have
been lower but for costs associated with our FM modulator rework. The reduced fourth quarter SAC
per gross add brought net cash invested per sub essentially to break-even levels. Our low and
leading total churn, which includes self-pay churn, as well as non-conversions of bundled subs, was
2% in the quarter and 1.9% for the year. This uptick is attributable to the increase in our OEM
subscriber base in our mix and the roll-off of non-converting bundled subscriptions. Importantly,
the self-pay component of our churn has remained very consistent with prior quarters, averaging
1.6% for the year, and we do not see this changing in 2007. We do
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
expect total churn to increase to a range of 2.2% to 2.4% in 2007, as we see the impact of a
growing number of OEM bundled subscriptions coming up for renewal.
Our results for 2006 also clearly showcase the scale inherent in our business model. Customer
service and billing expenses per average subscriber declined 44% for the quarter to $1.49 per
month, and for the full year declined 41% to $1.24. For 2006, total cost of service dropped from
76% of revenues to 59%, fully absorbing and then some the effect of adding Howard Stern to our
line-up in 2006. The balance of our operating expenses, engineering design and development, G&A and
sales and marketing, were collectively cut in half as a percent of revenue in 2006, and we expect
substantial continuing improvement in 2007. Our adjusted loss from operations, or adjusted EBITDA
for the quarter, improved by $59 million year-over-year to a loss of $167 million, better than
Street expectations. For the full year, adjusted loss from operations improved by $54 million to a
loss of $513 million, beating our guidance for a loss of $565 million. The fourth quarter adjusted
loss from operations represented a 26% improvement year-over-year, despite the additional fixed
costs associated with our expanded and exclusive content. In 2007 we will continue to build on our
already extraordinary content package with the addition of NASCAR, Jamie Foxxs Fox Hole, Siriusly
Sinatra, and other exciting new content, while maintaining tight spending discipline.
Adjusted EBITDA before SAC and marketing costs, which the analyst community refers to as
premarketing EBITDA, was positive $39 million for the quarter, or a 20% margin compared to a
negative $18 million in Q4 05, or a negative 23% margin. Similarly for the full year, we saw a
$176 million improvement in premarketing EBITDA, to positive $129 million. For the fourth quarter,
SIRIUS achieved its first ever quarter of positive free cash flow after capital expenditures, with
free cash flow of $30 million compared to negative free cash flow of $63 million in the prior year
period. SIRIUS ended the quarter with approximately $409 million in cash, cash equivalents and
marketable securities, up from approximately $352 million at the end of Q3.
In sum, 2006 was a milestone year for SIRIUS, as we delivered on our business plan of achieving
positive free cash flow, adding a record number of net new subscribers in a cost effective manner,
and continuing to provide and enhance the best radio on radio. As disclosed in our press release,
we are guiding to revenue approaching $1 billion on a year end on year end subscribers of over 8
million, and clarifying our expectation for SAC improvement and for churn. Please note, although
our adjusted EBITDA loss and free cash flow will continue to improve substantially in 2007, we are
not currently providing guidance on these
measures in light our pending merger with XM. With that, let me turn it back to Mel.
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Thanks, David. Just before we take your questions, I would like to mention a few things that Im
really excited about for 2007. First, exciting new products and services, such as traffic, video
and smaller radios with longer battery life and new features will continue to keep SIRIUS at the
forefront of consumer interest and demand. Second, as Scott mentioned, excellence in execution for
both new and existing programming is paramount to our success. Getting the programming right is a
constant activity, so that everything from our music, talk and sports is continuously challenged,
and we are never finished. Every show, program and channel need to be the best that it can possibly
be within the financial goals that we have established.
In particular, I am particularly excited about the new relationship with NASCAR and the impact that
will have across our business. The introduction of the driver channels that Scott has mentioned
could be very significant. In addition, the Catholic Channel, the Metropolitan Opera Channel, and
the upcoming launch of Siriusly Sinatra Channel are all very exciting. SIRIUS is particularly
excited about the fact that it is successfully gaining penetration with the 90% of the customers
who currently do not purchase satellite radio, but instead rely on terrestrial radio and other
technologies, many of which are available for free.
Finally, last week renounced the merger of equals with XM. We held a conference call and a replay
of that call is available on our website for you to listen to. On Wednesday, we filed the merger
agreement with the SEC as an 8-K, and that is available on our website. Additionally, we posted a
Q&A on our website for answers for your frequently asked questions related to the merger, and I
would encourage you to read it. Tomorrow, I will be in Washington to testify on the benefits of the
merger and the greater consumer choice we believe the merger will generate. We believe that the
combination of SIRIUS and XM is a win-win
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
for consumers, partners, employees and shareholders. Over the coming months and years, we look
forward to working with our counterparts at XM to achieve the significant benefits of this
combination, and execute on the many exciting opportunities this merger will create. I look forward
to working with Gary Parsons and the entire team at XM and believe that together, we can offer
consumers the very best radio on radio. Let me end by saying that we are confident once regulators
and government officials have a chance to understand our business, our combined marketplace, and
what the combined Company will offer consumers, especially in terms of choice, that they will see
the benefits of this combination. Im sure some of you may have some questions, and well be glad
to address them if we can. So, operator, please open up for questions.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Operator
[OPERATOR INSTRUCTIONS] Ben Swinburne, Morgan Stanley.
Ben Swinburne - Morgan Stanley Analyst
Thanks for taking the question. If I could ask a retail question and an OEM question. On retail,
Mel, does the guidance have a bake in the some number for consumer confusion around the
merger? I know you mentioned that in your prepared remarks. And Im wondering if the $8 million
plus number was adjusted downward to bake in some expectation that youll get less people walking
into the store to buy radios because of the confusion over who is the surviving company. And then
on the OEM side, I know you guys have less experience on this than XM, but any lessons learned you
can share with us about how you at SIRIUS can either drive the conversion ratio higher or lower
based on things you control? And how much of that is really just dictated by how the dealer
performs and the OEM partner?
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Okay. So Im going to ask I know you directed the question to me. But I think that Jim is better
equipped to answer your specific questions, so let Jim handle it.
Jim Meyer - Sirius Satellite Radio President, Sales & Operations
On the guidance for what we expect to do in 2007, I think its fair to say that weve tempered the
first half of the year for what we believe are realistic expectations for retail demand in the
after-market. And then we would expect both by getting by the Howard bubble, as well as
effectively communicating that there will not be an obsolescence issue with the pending merger,
that we will see modest improvement in the second half of the year. And so thats whats in our
guidance and consistent with what we believe. On the OEM side, weve learned a lot. Im afraid we
havent learned as much as our counterparts have, but were working very hard at it. Very clearly
to me, I think you hit on a key point. And that is it is very important to be were learning more
and more to be both integrated with, lets call it the factory, or a part of how the mother company
goes to market with their merchandising and their campaign. I think weve made great progress there
with both Chrysler and Ford. But as importantly, the dealer does play a very important role in
retention rate and our understanding. First and foremost, just making sure the consumer knows hes
got the service, and so were very focused now. Weve added a group in Detroit that is fully
focused on working with the dealers and working with how we communicate with the dealers to improve
our retention rates.
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Yes, I think the idea of the merger has certainly caused gotten satellite radio more front and
center. So, that part of it has been a positive. And, again, I think that our experience this past
weekend was that we were not adversely affected from where we
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
thought we would be because of the merger. But, its understandable that there could be, during
this process, some confusion. Well do our best to minimize that confusion, but that is possible. I
still think that the idea of us adding about 2 million net subscribers this year is a pretty good
growth rate for our Company from where were standing today.
Ben Swinburne - Morgan Stanley Analyst
Thanks, guys.
Operator
Robert Peck, Bear, Stearns.
Robert Peck - Bear, Stearns Analyst
Just a couple quick questions here. First of all, Mel, in 2010, you had previously given revenue
and free cash flow guidance. Im wondering if you could reiterate that or update us. And David, I
was wondering if you could maybe I know you said you
wont give 07 EBITDA or free cash flow
guidance. But could you maybe talk about it directionally, particularly ex-merger costs, where you
think that should be narrowing, and free cash flow, do you think youll be free cash flow positive,
et cetera? And lastly, Im wondering if either of you can comment on the retail market share.
Yesterday your competitor was out there saying that they think they could narrow your current
market share. Maybe you could talk about whats driving that, how you think maybe [inaudible].
Thanks.
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Okay. So on the first point about our long-term guidance that we had given, or comments that we
have made, nothing has changed but for the merger. So you should assume that the only thing that
has made us not be giving you any guidance, has to do with the merger, not the fundamentals of our
business. On your last point, I have been hearing we had originally said when we were on the short end of the
market share, that you should expect parity. And from the time we exceeded parity, I have been
hearing that they are going to gain market share. And I get information every single week, and the
information that I get every single week still indicates SIRIUS has got the leading share at
retail. I certainly understand that we have a good competitor in that area, and that they are going
to work on trying to increase their share. But were going to work on [inaudible] as Jim pointed
out, on maintaining our lead at retail.
David Frear - Sirius Satellite Radio CFO
I think, Bob, as I said in my remarks, you should expect the adjusted EBITDA, as well as free cash
flow, again, but for the merger, to improve substantially from what
you have seen in 06. That the
leverage in the business model now, I think, is very clear to everybody. The contribution margin, I
know that we dont provide a variable pace P&L, but the contribution margin remains right at about
70%. And so were enjoying the benefits of the leverage. As Mel said, that the changes to our
guidance are driven not by changes in our view of operations, but simply by the considerations of
the merger.
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Yes, and
just so you know, that when we were thinking about 07, if we didnt announce the merger,
we would have given you the same subscriber guidance.
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
Robert Peck - Bear, Stearns Analyst
Thank you, Mel.
Operator
Laraine Mancini, Merrill Lynch.
Laraine Mancini - Merrill Lynch Analyst
When your competitor reported yesterday, they suggested that they thought retail would slow in 07
again. Can you comment on your view of the overall retail industry in 07? And then second, theres
a lot of rumors that GM and Chrysler might merge. How do you think that affects the space and the
install rate for SIRIUS?
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Well, Ill give you the second one. I dont know what is going to happen out there. We have a
contract with DaimlerChrysler. We have they are a very important partner. Were an important
partner to them. Certainly we touch base with them since our merger, and they were very
enthusiastic for us. And we will just wait and see what happens with them. But you should rest
assured that we have a long-term contract with them, and there are some very attractive economics
for that contract to go on forever, because of the fact that they receive, as we pointed out in the
past, a revenue share for the life of the vehicle, that if in fact we werent involved with them,
they would have significant shortfalls from what they would expect to have received from us. But
were working closely with them. And as Jim pointed out, were excited about their commitment to
satellite radio.
Jim Meyer - Sirius Satellite Radio President, Sales & Operations
On the retail side, I think a couple of things. One is this is not going help much, but I will tell
you, the year is starting out through eight weeks exactly like we expected it to. And its a little
scary how close its tracked to exactly what we laid out. We knew we had to get by the Howard
bubble. We learned that lesson in the fourth quarter of last year. I fully expect, as I said in my
comments, to see that variance versus last year improve on a monthly basis. I think in the middle
of the year it gets back to flat, with maybe a tiny bit of growth. I dont know. And unfortunately,
were going to have to wait again until the November and December timeframe
because of the size of how much contribution that is, to see what the overall year is going to look
like in retail. Personally, I believe were going to end up with growth in the overall industry.
And I also believe that with effective merchandising, we can get to that bigger bubble. Theres
still a tremendous amount of customers out there who dont have satellite radio, and a big
opportunity for us to get there. And thats how were going to merchandise and market for the
remainder of the year.
Laraine Mancini - Merrill Lynch Analyst
Thank you.
Operator
[OPERATOR INSTRUCTIONS] Eileen Furukawa, Citigroup.
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© 2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission.
No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
Eileen Furukawa - Citigroup Analyst
Thanks for taking the question. I have a couple. Just an update, in your meetings with regulators
over the last week, can you just give us an initial summary of the feedback and what their key
concerns have been? And Mel, also, what portion of your time do you expect will be spent in the
coming months working on getting approval for the planned deal? And then separately, can you give
us a better idea of what the marketing spend you expect for next year, and do you expect an
increase on a per gross add basis given increased spend you talk about for minimizing merger
confusion? And also, just in general what you think merger costs could be in 2007?
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Okay. So were certainly not prepared to speculate or to estimate what the merger costs are going
to be, mainly because were going to have to wait to hear from the Justice Department, as well as
the FCC, on what kind of information and what process were going to be going through. Regarding
our conversations with regulators, they will be ongoing. They will we have met with each member
of the FCC already. Weve met in person with them. Ive met in person with them along with Gary
Parsons, so that we continue to give them information. The information is why this is in the public
interest. We have made some, I believe, good arguments as to why it is in the public interest.
I believe that when we file our application with Hart-Scott-Rodino, we will lay out the
competitiveness of the market and how this transaction is not anticompetitive. When we file our
application with the FCC, we will outline why this is very much in the public interest. And if you
take a look at if the merger doesnt happen, whats it in for the consumers versus if in fact it
does happen whats in it for the consumers. Its overwhelmingly a benefit of this merger for
consumers, and we think that is the public interest standard. What amount of time Im going to
spend on it, I think the day expands based on how much you have to do. So I think that David, Scott
and Jim are going to be pleased that Ill be distracted with some other things to do, so I will not
be bugging them quite as much as I have. They are well equipped to handle their areas of
responsibility. And I could spend more time working with the regulators going forward. And
hopefully, this process will take somewhere in the six to nine months. And we believe at the end of
the day, and again, were optimistic that we can get this merger approved.
Eileen Furukawa - Citigroup Analyst
And then also on what kind of marketing spend you expect?
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Yes, I think that our marketing spend has not been adjusted for the merger. We believe that we have
a good amount of money budgeted for advertising and marketing. If you take a look at our brand
awareness, Scott had talked about it during his remarks, we have great brand awareness. So American
consumers know about the service. And we have a lot of work to do because, as I mentioned in my opening remarks,
90% of the consumers out there are not subscribing to satellite radio. So if you were to take the
number of subscribers we have and adjust it for multiple receivers and adjust it for people who own
both, you get to about 10 million subscribers. And we know that theres 250 million cars on the
road today. We know there are 109 million homes. We know that there are about 300 million people.
And we have 10 million subscribers. So weve done a really good job over the last five years, but
theres a very long way to go. And we think that weve budgeted in the guidance weve given you,
the correct amount of money for advertising. Though, Scott will tell you that you never have enough
money in advertising.
Eileen Furukawa - Citigroup Analyst
Thanks a lot.
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication
may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
Operator
Bryan Kraft, Credit Suisse.
Bryan Kraft - Credit Suisse Analyst
Just had two quick ones. What percentage of your base is now family plan subscriptions, and how are
you thinking about that segment going forward? And then also, can you just talk about what your
expectations are for self-pay SAC per gross add thats embedded in your SAC guidance?
David Frear - Sirius Satellite Radio CFO
Okay. The multisubscription plans there in the 13% to 14% range, and we do expect them to increase
as we continue to market into our subscriber base. Self-pay churn rates, I think as we said before,
we expect to remain largely consistent. What weve seen over the last couple of years hasnt been a
whole lot of variation to them. They do show some seasonality. That they tend to be a little bit
higher coming off the back of the Christmas season. They tend to be a little bit higher in July
coming off the back of Fathers Day selling. But over the course of the year, they have been very
consistent in this 1.6% range.
Bryan Kraft - Credit Suisse Analyst
Great, thanks.
Operator
James Dix, Deutsche Bank.
James Dix - Deutsche Bank Analyst
Just a couple questions. I wanted to know whether you had any estimate as to what proportion of the
adult population has actually heard satellite radio, whether you have any survey data on that? And
then have you done any work to try to break down why people churn, other than simple nonpayment?
And then I guess my last question would be, do you have any assessment as to what you think the
longer-term impact might be on the OEM channel from the efforts of the auto makers to facilitate
the use of nomadic devices in cars, like iPODs, MP3 players, SmartPhones? Im thinking for example,
Fords program to install the Sync system starting with the next model year. Thanks.
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
So on your first question, no, we really dont have any data that will tell us what percentage of
the people have listened to satellite radio. We know the number of listeners that we have to our
servers. We know that
we did a free sampling on the Internet, where you can listen to our content for a weekend. And that
got some great reaction, but I dont have any hard data. Regarding all of the other items that the
car companies have had in their cars, we certainly look at all of these audio options as
competitive to satellite radio. And certainly, the idea of an iPOD ability to be in your car and
someone is going to potentially listen to that as compared to satellite radio is a competitor.
Having said that, I believe that there has always been a competitor, and lots of competitors for
the car for radio. And in addition for us competing with terrestrial and [inaudible] radio, all of
the radio industry faces competition from CD players and when cell phones first came into the car.
So, yes, I mean from one point of view, theres a great deal of competition and it sort of clearly
explains our viewpoint on the merger, that there is so much competition. On the other hand, weve
been focused on content. And Scott goes through each
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication
may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
quarter painstakingly the investment that weve made in content, and we believe that our
content is superior to any other choice that you would have in this competitive area. So, from our
point of view, we think that SIRIUS will be the big winner when it comes time for having the best
radio on radio. There was a middle question that Im not sure I got.
James Dix - Deutsche Bank Analyst
Yes, just any data you had on why people churn other than simple nonpayment, [inaudible] for that.
Jim Meyer - Sirius Satellite Radio President, Sales & Operations
Yes, nonpayment is far and away the biggest source of churn. And then it drops dramatically from
there to some general categories that go with some kind of dissatisfaction that, whether its with
equipment or reception or programming, that we generally find that if youre going to churn for a
dissatisfied reason, that it tends to its almost like an infant mortality thing. It happens in
the first 60, 90 days of service. And then you get to receiver-related and vehicle-related things,
which are kind of like the turnover of homes in the cable industry, where somebodys receiver is
lost, stolen or destroyed, or they sell their car or their car is stolen or gets in a wreck. So
those are the principal components.
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
And I think that 1.65, or thereabouts, in self-pay churn is pretty good. And particularly when you
look across other subscription businesses, and that is really what we measure for the satisfaction
of our service, as compared to something that we have, which most other subscription businesses
dont have, which is the OEM conversion aspect of the business. So that 1.65 we think is a pretty
good churn that we continue to work on to try to improve even more.
James Dix - Deutsche Bank Analyst
Okay. Thanks very much.
Operator
Barton Crockett, JPMorgan.
Barton Crockett - JPMorgan Analyst
Thank you for taking the question. Really wanted to ask about two things. One, if you could just
tell us, give us a clearer, kind of more precise update on your expectations for OEM conversion
from the promotional periods. I know in the past youve said generally over time it should trend
like XM. I think youve also had some verbiage that you maybe are a little bit greener at working
on the promotional conversions than XM. And Im just wondering if that suggests maybe if you think it might start out a little bit below
where XM is right now, and then trend up over time as you get better. That would be the get more
experience at this. The second question then would be turning to the merger side. Can you tell us
specifically if your program if your contracts with Howard Stern, with NFL, your two kind of
most high profile content deals I guess I would also throw Martha in there and NASCAR, if those
give you the right to put that content on XM if you were to complete a merger as the contracts are
currently stipulated, or whether you would have to go back in and adjust those contracts. And then
give us some sense of how significant you think that adjustment process might be. Thank you.
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication
may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
|
FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
So no, were not yes, on the second point, we are not going to comment on any of the details in
any of our specific contracts. We have said that we believe that the synergies that are available
to shareholders as a result of this merger are very significant. We have affirmed the range that
generally Wall Street has estimated for the benefits of the merger. And you should work with that
number, and assume that if in fact, if in fact there are any that would require any adjustment,
that it would be reflected in that overall synergy. And, again, let me turn it over to David on the
first part of the question.
David Frear - Sirius Satellite Radio CFO
On the conversion rates, Barton, I think were going to stick with talking to our business
talking about our business in the way that we have been for the last couple of years. That weve
been providing you guys guidance on the aggregation of our different distribution channels. And as
weve looked at this and considered it over the course of the past year, we think its the best way
to continue to do it. So obviously the OEM conversion rate is embedded within the total churn that
we have consistently reported for the last couple of years. We get there for a couple of reasons.
That our go-to-market model with our OEM partners is significantly different than our competitors.
That weve got a big distribution partner who bundles in 12-month subscriptions. We have another
big distribution partner who uses six months. Weve got guys coming online in the course of the
next year or so that will be at three months. And so as we look at a conversion rate, we dont know
what we would ask you to apply it to. That we dont have a bundled sub category that rolls up for
renewal at a sort of predictable and consistent pace, the way that our competitor has. Who has a
very the dominant portion of their volume goes out with this three-month promotional period. So
I just think that theres a lot less utility in it for guidance purposes. So were going to stick
with total churn.
Barton Crockett - JPMorgan Analyst
Okay. All right. Thank you very much.
Operator
David Bank, RBC Capital Markets.
David Bank - RBC Capital Markets Analyst
Just a quick one. Actually two quick ones. The first one was, appreciate the increasing depth of
information that you guys are giving. And was wondering if I could go one step further and get
gross adds by channel? And the second question is, Mel, how does the in terms of the regulatory
process here, have you ever encountered you have done a lot of transactions. Have you ever
encountered something close to this? In terms of what you feel like you have to surmount to get the
deal done?
David Frear - Sirius Satellite Radio CFO
David, on the gross adds by channel, again, I think were going to stick with the [inaudible] that
weve been using for guidance going forward. That the gross adds by channel, if were not going
pair it with SAC by channel, if were not going to pair it with churn by channel, then its kind of
like an island of information. So I think well just continue to report gross adds in total.
Mel Karmazin - Sirius Satellite Radio CEO
Yes, and on the regulatory side, Ive done a few of these deals. And it seems that all of them have
sort of gotten the attention of regulators and Congress. So I remember when we did a transaction in
that involved the Philadelphia radio stations, and somebody said, well, gee, youll have two
country music stations and youre going to have own the country market. If you
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication
may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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FINAL TRANSCRIPT
Feb. 27. 2007 / 8:00AM, SIRI Q4 2006 Sirius Satellite Radio Earnings Conference Call
think back to the Westinghouse, CBS merger, when there was two all-news radio stations, WINS
was Westinghouse and WCBS radio was on CBS, and there were questions that were raised about the
combination and owning the all-news radio market in New York City. The deal involving infinity and
CBS, obviously prompted some congressional hearings. And we went through the process, both with
Hart-Scott-Rodino and the Justice Department and the FCC. And at the end of the day, they concluded
that it was correct. We did an $80 billion merger between CBS and Viacom that caused a great deal
of attention. And we had a number of hearings. We went through the FCC and the Justice Department
and felt that that was in the publics best interest. And then if you think about this one, you
have, as I mentioned, theres 10% of the population that have satellite radio, that even the people
who have satellite radio have an AM/FM radio alongside it.
We also, in every one of these situations, the idea of having all of these choices available to the
consumer are obviously plentiful. And though I dont like to highlight this and youve seen our
losses this year and you saw what XMs losses this year are. So youre really dealing with
companies that are losing $1.5 billion on an EBITDA basis, and even on a real free cash flow basis,
losing hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars. And, again, were going to have to make the
arguments to the regulators that this merger is not anticompetitive, which it is not. And were
going to make the argument that its in the consumers best interest, which it is. And were going
to hopefully prevail. Or if not, were going to do our best to try to prevail.
David Bank - RBC Capital Markets Analyst
Thank you.
Operator
This does conclude todays question-and-answer session. At this time I would like to turn the call
back over to Mel for any additional or closing remarks.
Paul Blalock - Sirius Satellite Radio SVP, IR
Thank you for joining us today, and have a good quarter.
Operator
This does conclude todays conference. Thank you for your participation.
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©2007, Thomson Financial. All Rights Reserved. 1478858-2007-02-27T11:59:38.770
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©
2007 Thomson Financial. Republished with permission. No part of this publication
may be
reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of Thomson
Financial. |
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