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Rogers Communications Reports Second Quarter 2016 Results
[July 21, 2016]

Rogers Communications Reports Second Quarter 2016 Results


  • Rogers 3.0 plan delivers solid financial and operating metrics
    • Continued revenue growth of 2% primarily driven by Wireless service revenue growth of 5%
    • Wireless postpaid net additions of 65,000, an improvement of 41,000 year on year
    • Wireless postpaid churn improved 5 basis points; third consecutive quarter of year on year improvement
    • Internet revenue growth of 15% with net additions of 12,000, an improvement of 8,000 year on year
    • Media revenue growth of 6% and improved adjusted operating profit year on year driven by the higher revenue from Sportsnet and success of the Toronto Blue Jays
  • 1 Gigabit Internet service now available to ~2 million homes; on track to offer to our entire Cable footprint by the end of 2016, well ahead of our competitors

TORONTO, July 21, 2016 /CNW/ - Rogers Communications Inc., a leading diversified Canadian communications and media company, today announced its unaudited financial and operating results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016.

Consolidated Financial Highlights






Three months ended June 30

(In millions of Canadian dollars, except per share amounts, unaudited)

2016

2015




Total revenue

3,455

3,403

As adjusted 1:




Operating profit

1,347

1,337


Net income

427

412


Basic earnings per share

$ 0.83

$ 0.80




Net income

394

363

Basic earnings per share

$ 0.77

$ 0.70




Free cash flow 1

495

476

Cash provided by operating activities

1,121

1,114




1  

Adjusted amounts and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures and should not be considered

substitutes or alternatives for GAAP measures. These are not defined terms under IFRS and do not

have standard meanings, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies.

See "Non-GAAP Measures" for information about these measures, including how we calculate them.



"We posted strong results in the second quarter, delivering solid revenue growth whilst attracting more customers across our Wireless and Internet businesses," said Guy Laurence, President and Chief Executive Officer. "We continued to make meaningful improvements to the customer experience, delivering our third straight quarter of Wireless postpaid churn improvement. We expanded our roaming leadership with the launch of Fido Roam, continued the rollout of our Gigabit Internet service to almost half our cable footprint, and introduced two innovative leapfrog solutions to Canadian businesses. Overall, we're making good headway on our Rogers 3.0 strategy."

Key Financial Highlights

Higher revenue
Consolidated revenue increased 2% this quarter, reflecting revenue growth of 1% in Wireless, 6% in Media, and 3% in Business Solutions, with stable revenue in Cable. Wireless service revenue increased by 5% primarily as a result of a larger subscriber base and the continued adoption of higher-postpaid-ARPA-generating Rogers Share Everything plans. Cable revenue was stable as continued double-digit Internet revenue growth of 15% fully offset the ongoing decline in Television and Phone revenue. We continue to see an ongoing shift in product mix to higher-margin Internet services. Media revenue increased primarily due to the continued success of our sports-related assets, mainly from the Toronto Blue Jays and the strength of Sportsnet, partially offset by lower advertising revenue in conventional broadcast television, publishing, and radio.

Higher adjusted operating profit
Higher consolidated adjusted operating profit this quarter largely reflects an increase in Wireless adjusted operating profit as a result of higher service revenue.

Higher net income and adjusted net income
Net income and adjusted net income increased this quarter primarily as a result of higher adjusted operating profit and lower other expense, partially offset by higher depreciation and amortization. Net income also benefitted from lower restructuring costs.

Substantial free cash flow affords financial flexibility
This quarter, we continued to generate substantial cash flow from operating activities and free cash flow of $1,121 million and $495 million, respectively. Higher free cash flow reflects an increase in adjusted operating profit and lower cash tax payments, partially offset by higher additions to property, plant and equipment.

Our solid financial results enabled us to reduce outstanding debt, continue to make investments in our network, and still return substantial capital to shareholders. We paid $247 million in dividends this quarter.

Rogers 3.0

Our Rogers 3.0 plan is a multi-year plan intended to:

  • re-accelerate revenue growth in a sustainable way; and
  • continue our track record of translating revenue into strong margins and free cash flow, a solid return on assets, and ultimately increasing returns to shareholders.

There are a number of opportunities we expect will help drive improved performance going forward, including:

  • further improving the customer experience;
  • maintaining leadership and momentum in Wireless;
  • strengthening our Cable offerings; and
  • driving growth in the business market.

Improving the Customer Experience

Our improvements to the customer experience are a key driver in lowering our Wireless postpaid churn. This quarter, we improved postpaid churn by 5 basis points to 1.14%, which represents our lowest churn in the past two years and the third quarter in a row in which we posted an improvement to this metric.

We are committed to enhancing our self-serve options, which we expect will further decrease the need for customers to contact us. During the quarter, self-serve transactions on the Rogers brand increased by 56% year on year. We also reduced the number of times our customers contacted us by 8% from the same quarter last year. The latest example of Rogers' commitment to self-serve technology is Data Top-Ups, which allow Wireless customers to manage their data consumption on a month-by-month basis and purchase extra data if needed.

We continue to introduce innovative services. This quarter, we extended our Roam Like Home model to our Fido customers as Fido Roam. Due to the success of Roam Like Home, roaming-related complaints from Rogers customers to the Commissioner for Complaints for Telecommunications Services are on track to decrease by 90% this year from the 2012-13 results. We expect Fido Roam to be successful as well.

Maintaining Leadership and Momentum in Wireless
Our compelling value propositions, improving customer experience, and best-in-class network continue to drive momentum in our Wireless segment. We reported strong service revenue growth this quarter and improved adjusted operating profit year on year. For the fourth quarter in a row, we significantly increased postpaid net additions year on year. This quarter, we saw an increase of over 170 percent, or 41,000, to 65,000 net additions.

Strengthening Our Cable Offerings
Subscriber trends are improving in our Cable segment and we are well positioned to improve further based on:

  • the strong popularity of IGNITE Internet, including our recent launch of one gigabit speeds; and
  • enhanced TV offerings, including an improved legacy user interface, 4K TV, and the launch of Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), which is expected at the end of this year.

IGNITE Internet

Our Cable product mix continues to shift to higher-margin Internet services. We continued to generate double-digit Internet revenue growth in the quarter at 15% and tripled Internet net additions to 12,000 from the same quarter last year.

We have made gigabit Internet speeds available to approximately two million homes and are well on track with our plan to deliver gigabit Internet speeds to our entire cable footprint of over four million homes by the end of 2016 at an incremental in-year capital cost of less than $50 per home. We will increase capacity as the demand for speed grows with further annual success-based capital investments, positioning us well to earn attractive returns on investment for our shareholders.

TV offerings
Consumer interest in 4K TV continues to grow. By the end of 2016, we expect to have delivered over 100 live sporting events in 4K. To achieve the high quality 4K resolution, as well as to support our anticipated IPTV introduction, high levels of bandwidth are required. Our hybrid fibre-coaxial cable network already has the capability to deliver the required bandwidth. With more 4K television sets and video streaming devices in the home, the high bit rate requirement further emphasizes the speed and capacity advantages of Rogers' hybrid fibre-coaxial cable network over the legacy networks of our telecommunication competitors.

Driving Growth in the Business Market
Rogers is currently under-indexed in this growing market. Recently, we launched two more leapfrog solutions for Canadian enterprises. Rogers Unison is a business collaboration solution that enables small businesses to forego landlines by offering the features of a traditional desk phone on a smartphone. We also introduced the first of a new portfolio of cloud-based solutions. The Rogers Public Cloud enables businesses to manage their IT infrastructure in the cloud securely and cost effectively. These are the latest in our ongoing rollout of services for business customers. It will take time to educate and penetrate the market on these new offerings, but we look forward to the contribution from these longer-term growth opportunities.

About non-GAAP measures
This earnings release contains non-GAAP measures such as adjusted operating profit, adjusted operating profit margin, adjusted net income, free cash flow, adjusted net debt, adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit, and adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered substitutes or alternatives for GAAP measures. These are not defined terms under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS), and do not have standard meanings, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies. See "Non-GAAP Measures" in this earnings release for information about these measures, including how we calculate them.

About Rogers

Rogers Communications is a leading diversified public Canadian communications and media company. We are Canada's largest provider of wireless communications services and one of Canada's leading providers of cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephony services to consumers and businesses. Through Rogers Media, we are engaged in radio and television broadcasting, televised shopping, magazines and trade publications, sports entertainment, and digital media. Our stock is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI). For further information about the Rogers group of companies, please visit rogers.com.

Information on or connected to our website is not part of or incorporated into this earnings release.

Quarterly Investment Community Teleconference

Our second quarter 2016 results teleconference with the investment community will be held on:

  • July 21, 2016
  • 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time
  • webcast available at rogers.com/webcast
  • media are welcome to participate on a listen-only basis

A rebroadcast will be available at rogers.com/investors on the Events and Presentations page for at least two weeks following the teleconference. Additionally, investors should note that from time to time, Rogers' management presents at brokerage-sponsored investor conferences. Most often, but not always, these conferences are webcast by the hosting brokerage firm, and when they are webcast, links are made available on Rogers' website at rogers.com/events and are generally placed there at least two days before the conference.

For More Information

You can find more information relating to us on our website (rogers.com/investors), on SEDAR (sedar.com), and on EDGAR (sec.gov), or you can e-mail us at [email protected]. Information on or connected to these and any other websites referenced in this earnings release is not part of, or incorporated into, this earnings release.

You can also go to rogers.com/investors for information about our governance practices, corporate social responsibility reporting, a glossary of communications and media industry terms, and additional information about our business.

This earnings release contains important information about our business and our performance for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016, as well as forward-looking information about future periods.

This earnings release should be read in conjunction with our Second Quarter 2016 MD&A; our Second Quarter 2016 Interim Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto, which have been prepared in accordance with International Accounting Standard 34, Interim Financial Reporting, as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB); our 2015 Annual MD&A; our 2015 Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto, which have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) as issued by the IASB; and our other recent filings with Canadian and US securities regulatory authorities, which are available on SEDAR at sedar.com or EDGAR at sec.gov, respectively.

For more information about Rogers, including product and service offerings, competitive market and industry trends, and our overarching strategy, see "Understanding Our Business", "Our Strategy", and "Capability to Deliver Results" in our 2015 Annual MD&A. For our key performance drivers and objectives, see "Key Performance Drivers and Strategic Highlights" in our 2015 Annual MD&A and "Key Financial Highlights" and "Rogers 3.0" on pages 2 to 4 of our Second Quarter 2016 earnings release.

All dollar amounts are in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated. All percentage changes are calculated using the rounded numbers as they appear in the tables. This earnings release is current as at July 20, 2016 and was approved by the Audit and Risk Committee of our Board of Directors (the Board) on that date. This earnings release includes forward-looking statements and assumptions. See "About Forward-Looking Information" for more information.

We, us, our, Rogers, Rogers Communications, and the Company refer to Rogers Communications Inc. and its subsidiaries. RCI refers to the legal entity Rogers Communications Inc., not including its subsidiaries. RCI also holds interests in various investments and ventures.

We are publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RCI.A and RCI.B) and on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: RCI).

In this earnings release, this quarter refers to the three months ended June 30, 2016 and year to date refers to the six months ended June 30, 2016. All results commentary is compared to the equivalent periods in 2015 or as at December 31, 2015, as applicable, unless otherwise indicated.

Summary of Consolidated Financial Results





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars, except margins and per share amounts)

2016

2015

% Chg

2016

2015

% Chg








Revenue








Wireless

1,931

1,903

1

3,821

3,697

3


Cable

870

869

-

1,726

1,739

(1)


Business Solutions

97

94

3

193

188

3


Media

615

582

6

1,063

1,046

2


Corporate items and intercompany eliminations

(58)

(45)

29

(103)

(92)

12

Revenue

3,455

3,403

2

6,700

6,578

2








Adjusted operating profit








Wireless

846

841

1

1,609

1,606

-


Cable

415

414

-

808

816

(1)


Business Solutions

31

27

15

62

55

13


Media

90

90

-

41

58

(29)


Corporate items and intercompany eliminations

(35)

(35)

-

(72)

(74)

(3)

Adjusted operating profit 1

1,347

1,337

1

2,448

2,461

(1)








Adjusted operating profit margin 1

39.0%

39.3%

(0.3 pts)

36.5%

37.4%

(0.9 pts)








Net income

394

363

9

642

618

4

Basic earnings per share

$ 0.77

$ 0.70

10

$ 1.25

$ 1.20

4

Diluted earnings per share

$ 0.76

$ 0.70

9

$ 1.24

$ 1.19

4








Adjusted net income 1

427

412

4

690

687

-

Adjusted basic earnings per share 1

$ 0.83

$ 0.80

4

$ 1.34

$ 1.33

1

Adjusted diluted earnings per share 1

$ 0.83

$ 0.80

4

$ 1.33

$ 1.33

-








Additions to property, plant and equipment

647

621

4

1,199

1,096

9

Free cash flow 1

495

476

4

715

742

(4)

Cash provided by operating activities

1,121

1,114

1

1,719

1,341

28








Adjusted operating profit, adjusted operating profit margin, adjusted net income, adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share,

and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures and should not be considered substitutes or alternatives for GAAP measures.

These are not defined terms under IFRS and do not have standard meanings, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to

other companies. See "Non-GAAP Measures" for information about these measures, including how we calculate them.



Key Changes in Financial Results Compared to 2015

Revenue
Wireless service revenue increased 5% this quarter and 4% year to date as a result of a larger subscriber base and the continued adoption of higher-postpaid-ARPA-generating Rogers Share Everything plans.

Cable revenue was stable this quarter due to Internet subscriber growth, movement of Internet subscribers to higher speed and usage tiers, and the impact of pricing changes across most product types, offset by TV and Phone subscriber losses over the past year. Year to date, Cable revenue decreased 1% due to lower TV and Phone subscriber bases.

Business Solutions revenue increased this quarter and year to date as the growth in on-net next generation services, including our data centre businesses, more than offset the continued planned reduction in lower-margin, off-net legacy revenue.

Media revenue increased this quarter and year to date primarily as a result of the continued growth of sports-related revenue, partially offset by lower advertising revenue in conventional broadcast television, publishing, and radio.

Adjusted operating profit
Wireless adjusted operating profit increased this quarter and year to date from service revenue growth as described above, partially offset by higher costs associated with increased volumes and subsidy rates of devices.

Cable adjusted operating profit was stable this quarter as a result of stable revenue and operating expenses. Year to date, Cable adjusted operating profit decreased marginally as a result of the decrease in revenue discussed above.

Business Solutions adjusted operating profit increased this quarter and year to date as a result of higher revenue and lower service costs.

Media adjusted operating profit was stable this quarter as a result of increased revenue as described above, offset by increased operating expenses. Year to date, adjusted operating profit decreased 29% primarily as a result of lower conventional advertising revenue in the first quarter of 2016.

Results of our Reporting Segments

WIRELESS

Wireless Financial Results





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars, except margins)

2016 1

2015

% Chg

2016 1

2015

% Chg

Revenue








Service revenue

1,788

1,707

5

3,522

3,379

4


Equipment revenue

143

196

(27)

299

318

(6)

Revenue

1,931

1,903

1

3,821

3,697

3








Operating expenses








Cost of equipment

434

423

3

894

816

10


Other operating expenses

651

639

2

1,318

1,275

3

Operating expenses

1,085

1,062

2

2,212

2,091

6








Adjusted operating profit

846

841

1

1,609

1,606

-








Adjusted operating profit margin as a % of service revenue

47.3%

49.3%

(2 pts)

45.7%

47.5%

(1.8 pts)

Additions to property, plant and equipment

207

256

(19)

388

436

(11)








The operating results of Mobilicity are included in the Wireless results of operations from the date of acquisition on July 2, 2015.



Wireless Subscriber Results 1





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In thousands, except churn, postpaid ARPA, and blended ARPU)

2016

2015

Chg

2016

2015

Chg

Postpaid








Gross additions

349

313

36

653

590

63


Net additions (losses)

65

24

41

79

(2)

81


Total postpaid subscribers 2

8,350

8,163

187

8,350

8,163

187


Churn (monthly)

1.14%

1.19%

(0.05 pts)

1.16%

1.22%

(0.06 pts)


ARPA (monthly)

$ 116.06

$ 110.14

$ 5.92

$ 114.13

$ 108.79

$ 5.34

Prepaid








Gross additions

194

154

40

351

280

71


Net additions (losses)

25

8

17

6

(29)

35


Total prepaid subscribers 2,3

1,612

1,348

264

1,612

1,348

264


Churn (monthly)

3.57%

3.63%

(0.06 pts)

3.61%

3.81%

(0.20 pts)

Blended ARPU (monthly)

$ 60.18

$ 60.01

$ 0.17

$ 59.35

$ 59.38

($ 0.03)

1

Subscriber counts, subscriber churn, postpaid ARPA, and blended ARPU are key performance indicators. See "Key Performance Indicators".

2  

As at end of period.

3

On July 2, 2015, we acquired approximately 154,000 Wireless prepaid subscribers as a result of our acquisition of Mobilicity.



Service revenue
The 5% increase in service revenue this quarter and 4% increase year to date were a result of:

  • a larger postpaid and prepaid subscriber base; and
  • the continued adoption of customer-friendly Rogers Share Everything plans. These plans generate higher postpaid ARPA, bundle in various calling features and long distance, provide the ability to pool data usage across multiple devices, and grant access to our other offerings, such as Roam Like Home, Rogers NHL GameCentre LIVE, Spotify, shomi, and Texture by Next Issue.

The 5% increases in postpaid ARPA this quarter and year to date were the result of the continued adoption of Rogers Share Everything plans relative to the number of subscriber accounts as customers have increasingly utilized the advantages of premium offerings and access their shareable plans with multiple devices on the same account.

The stable blended ARPU this quarter and year to date was a result of:

  • increased service revenue as discussed above; offset by
  • the impact of expanding our lower-blended-ARPU-generating prepaid subscriber base relative to our total subscriber base as a result of our acquisition of Mobilicity; and
  • the general increase in prepaid net additions over the past year.

Excluding the impact of the addition of Mobilicity, blended ARPU would have increased by 1% this quarter and year to date.

We believe the increases in gross and net additions to our subscriber base this quarter and year to date, as well as the lower churn, were results of our strategic focus on enhancing the customer experience by providing higher-value offerings, such as our Share Everything plans, improving our customer service, and continually increasing the quality of our network.

Equipment revenue
The 27% decrease in equipment revenue this quarter and 6% decrease year to date were a result of:

  • larger average subsidies given to customers who purchased devices; partially offset by
  • higher gross additions; and
  • a greater number of device upgrades by existing subscribers. The increase in device upgrades this quarter was 3%.

Operating expenses

Cost of equipment

The 3% increase in the cost of equipment this quarter and 10% increase year to date were a result of:

  • increased equipment sales volumes primarily from our higher gross additions; and
  • the increase in device upgrades by existing subscribers, as discussed above.

The year to date increase was also affected by a shift in the product mix of device sales towards higher-cost smartphones.

Other operating expenses
The 2% increase in other operating expenses this quarter and 3% increase year to date were a result of:

  • higher service costs, partially as a result of our value-add offerings;
  • incremental costs as a result of our acquisition of Mobilicity; and
  • higher advertising costs; partially offset by
  • lower commissions resulting from improvements in our sales channels; and
  • various cost efficiency and productivity initiatives.

Adjusted operating profit

The increases in adjusted operating profit this quarter and year to date were a result of the revenue and expense changes discussed above.

CABLE

Cable Financial Results





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars, except margins)

2016

2015

% Chg

2016

2015

% Chg








Revenue








Internet

376

327

15

736

651

13


Television

394

425

(7)

789

851

(7)


Phone

99

115

(14)

198

233

(15)


Service revenue

869

867

-

1,723

1,735

(1)


Equipment revenue

1

2

(50)

3

4

(25)

Revenue

870

869

-

1,726

1,739

(1)








Operating expenses








Cost of equipment

1

1

-

2

2

-


Other operating expenses

454

454

-

916

921

(1)

 Operating expenses

455

455

-

918

923

(1)








Adjusted operating profit

415

414

-

808

816

(1)








Adjusted operating profit margin

47.7%

47.6%

0.1 pts

46.8%

46.9%

(0.1 pts)

Additions to property, plant and equipment

300

254

18

546

478

14















Cable Subscriber Results 1





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In thousands)

2016

2015

Chg

2016

2015

Chg








Internet








Net additions (losses)

12

4

8

28

(3)

31


Total Internet subscribers 2

2,076

2,008

68

2,076

2,008

68

Television








Net losses

(23)

(32)

9

(49)

(73)

24


Total television subscribers 2

1,847

1,951

(104)

1,847

1,951

(104)

Phone








Net additions (losses)

5

(11)

16

(5)

(31)

26


Total phone subscribers 2

1,085

1,119

(34)

1,085

1,119

(34)








Cable homes passed 2

4,173

4,106

67

4,173

4,106

67

Total service units 3








Net losses

(6)

(39)

33

(26)

(107)

81


Total service units 2

5,008

5,078

(70)

5,008

5,078

(70)








1

Subscriber counts are key performance indicators. See "Key Performance Indicators".

2

As at end of period.

3

Includes Internet, Television, and Phone subscribers.



Revenue
The stable revenue this quarter and 1% decrease year to date were primarily a result of:

  • a higher subscriber base for our Internet products; and
  • the impact of pricing changes implemented over the past year; offset by
  • Television and Phone subscriber losses over the past year.

Internet revenue

The 15% increase in Internet revenue this quarter and 13% increase year to date were a result of:

  • general movement of customers to higher speed and usage tiers of our IGNITE broadband Internet offerings;
  • a larger Internet subscriber base; and
  • the impact of changes in Internet service pricing; partially offset by
  • a decline in additional usage-based revenue as portions of the subscriber base move to the higher-value, unlimited usage plans.

Television revenue

The 7% decreases in Television revenue this quarter and year to date were a result of:

  • the decline in Television subscribers over the past year; and
  • more promotional pricing provided to subscribers; partially offset by
  • the impact of Television service pricing changes implemented over the past year.

Phone revenue

The 14% decrease in Phone revenue this quarter and 15% decrease year to date were a result of:

  • the impact of pricing packages, primarily related to IGNITE multi-product bundles; and
  • a smaller subscriber base.

Operating expenses

The stable operating expenses this quarter and 1% decrease year to date were a result of:

  • lower service costs;
  • relative shifts in product mix to higher-margin Internet from conventional Television broadcasting; and
  • various cost efficiency and productivity initiatives; offset by
  • increased advertising, partially related to our launch of 4K TV.

Adjusted operating profit

The stable adjusted operating profit this quarter and the marginal decrease year to date were a result of the revenue and expense changes discussed above.

BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

Business Solutions Financial Results





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars, except margins)

2016 1

2015

% Chg

2016 1

2015

% Chg








Revenue








Next generation

78

73

7

153

143

7


Legacy

17

20

(15)

37

43

(14)


Service revenue

95

93

2

190

186

2


Equipment revenue

2

1

100

3

2

50

Revenue

97

94

3

193

188

3








Operating expenses

66

67

(1)

131

133

(2)








Adjusted operating profit

31

27

15

62

55

13








Adjusted operating profit margin

32.0%

28.7%

3.3 pts

32.1%

29.3%

2.8 pts

Additions to property, plant and equipment

38

48

(21)

76

81

(6)








1

The operating results of Internetworking Atlantic Inc. are included in the Business Solutions results of
operations from the date of acquisition on November 30, 2015.



Revenue
The 2% increases in service revenue this quarter and year to date were a result of:

  • the continued execution of our plan to grow higher-margin, next generation on-net and near-net IP-based services revenue; partially offset by
  • the continued decline in our legacy and off-net voice business, a trend we expect to continue as we focus the business on next generation on-net and near-net opportunities and customers move to more advanced and cost-effective IP-based services and solutions.

Next generation services, which include our data centre operations, represented 82% of total service revenue in the quarter (2015 - 78%) and 81% year to date (2015 - 77%).

Operating expenses
The 1% decrease in operating expenses this quarter and 2% decrease year to date were a result of lower service costs, primarily due to the shift in costs as customers move from lower-margin legacy products to higher-margin next generation products.

Adjusted operating profit
The 15% increase in adjusted operating profit this quarter and 13% increase year to date were a result of the revenue and expense changes discussed above.

MEDIA

Media Financial Results





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars, except margins)

2016

2015

% Chg

2016

2015

% Chg








Revenue

615

582

6

1,063

1,046

2

Operating expenses

525

492

7

1,022

988

3








Adjusted operating profit

90

90

-

41

58

(29)








Adjusted operating profit margin

14.6%

15.5%

(0.9 pts)

3.9%

5.5%

(1.6 pts)

Additions to property, plant and equipment

13

11

18

31

20

55








Revenue
The 6% increase in revenue this quarter and 2% increase year to date were a result of:

  • higher sports-related revenue, driven by the strength of Sportsnet and success of the Toronto Blue Jays; partially offset by
  • lower advertising revenues across radio, publishing, and broadcast TV.

Operating expenses

The 7% increase in operating expenses this quarter and 3% increase year to date were a result of:

  • higher sports-related costs; partially offset by
  • lower conventional broadcast TV and radio costs, partly due to cost savings from previously announced job cuts.

Adjusted operating profit

The stable adjusted operating profit this quarter was a result of the increase in sports-related revenue, offset by higher related expenses. Year to date, the 29% decrease was primarily a result of lower conventional advertising revenue in the first quarter of 2016.

ADDITIONS TO PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars, except capital intensity)

2016

2015

% Chg

2016

2015

% Chg








Additions to property, plant and equipment








Wireless

207

256

(19)

388

436

(11)


Cable

300

254

18

546

478

14


Business Solutions

38

48

(21)

76

81

(6)


Media

13

11

18

31

20

55


Corporate

89

52

71

158

81

95








Total additions to property, plant and equipment 1

647

621

4

1,199

1,096

9








Capital intensity 2

18.7%

18.2%

0.5 pts

17.9%

16.7%

1.2 pts








1

Additions to property, plant and equipment do not include expenditures for spectrum licences.

2

Capital intensity is a key performance indicator. See "Key Performance Indicators".



Wireless
The decreases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Wireless this quarter and year to date were primarily a result of higher LTE network investments incurred last year relative to this year to enhance network coverage and the quality of our network. Deployment of our 700 MHz LTE network has reached 89% of Canada's population as at June 30, 2016 (December 31, 2015 - 78%). The 700 MHz LTE network offers improved signal quality in basements, elevators, and buildings with thick concrete walls. Deployment of our overall LTE network has reached approximately 94% of Canada's population as at June 30, 2016 (December 31, 2015 - 93%).

Cable
The increases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Cable this quarter and year to date were a result of greater investment in network infrastructure to further improve the reliability and quality of our network. We believe this allows us to keep ahead of customer data demands, to increase the capacity of our Internet platform to deliver gigabit Internet speeds across our Cable footprint by the end of the year, and to support our anticipated introduction of IPTV later this year. Year to date, this increase was partially offset by lower information technology infrastructure and customer premise equipment-related expenditures.

Business Solutions
The decreases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Business Solutions this quarter and year to date were the result of investments in our data centres last year.

Media
The increases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Media this quarter and year to date reflect greater current year investments made to our digital platforms and broadcast facilities.

Corporate
The increases in additions to property, plant and equipment in Corporate this quarter and year to date were a result of higher spending on premise improvements at our various offices as well as higher information technology investments.

Capital intensity
Capital intensity increased this quarter and year to date as a result of higher additions to property, plant and equipment due to the timing of investments in our network as described above relative to the increase in revenue described previously. Consistent with our guidance, which we announced on January 27, 2016, we continue to expect lower additions to property, plant and equipment this year.

Financial Guidance

There are no changes at this time to the consolidated guidance ranges for revenue, adjusted operating profit, free cash flow, or additions to property, plant and equipment, which were provided on January 27, 2016. See "About Forward-Looking Information" in this earnings release and in our 2015 Annual MD&A. Adjusted operating profit and free cash flow are non-GAAP measures and should not be considered substitutes or alternatives for GAAP measures. They are not defined terms under IFRS and do not have standard meanings, so may not be a reliable way to compare us to other companies. See "Non-GAAP Measures" for information about these measures, including how we calculate them.

Key Performance Indicators

We measure the success of our strategy using a number of key performance indicators that are defined and discussed in our 2015 Annual MD&A and this earnings release. We believe these key performance indicators allow us to appropriately measure our performance against our operating strategy as well as against the results of our peers and competitors. The following key performance indicators are not measurements in accordance with IFRS and should not be considered an alternative to net income or any other measure of performance under IFRS. They include:

  • Subscriber counts;
  • Subscriber churn;
  • Postpaid average revenue per account (ARPA);
  • Blended average revenue per user (ARPU); and
  • Capital intensity.

Non-GAAP Measures

We use the following non-GAAP measures. These are reviewed regularly by management and our Board in assessing our performance and making decisions regarding the ongoing operations of our business and its ability to generate cash flows. Some or all of these measures may also be used by investors, lending institutions, and credit rating agencies as indicators of our operating performance, of our ability to incur and service debt, and as measurements to value companies in the telecommunications sector. These are not recognized measures under GAAP and do not have standard meanings under IFRS, so may not be reliable ways to compare us to other companies.

Non-GAAP measure

Why we use it

How we calculate it

Most comparable

IFRS financial

measure

Adjusted operating profit

Adjusted operating profit margin

  • To evaluate the performance of our businesses, and when making decisions about the ongoing operations of the business and our ability to generate cash flows.
  • We believe that certain investors and analysts use adjusted operating profit to measure our ability to service debt and to meet other payment obligations.
  • We also use it as one component in determining short-term incentive compensation for all management employees.

Adjusted operating profit:

Net income

add (deduct)

income taxes, other expense (income), finance costs, restructuring, acquisition and other, depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, and impairment of assets.

Adjusted operating profit margin:

Adjusted operating profit

divided by

Revenue (service revenue for Wireless).

Net income

Adjusted net income

Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share

  • To assess the performance of our businesses before the effects of the noted items, because they affect the comparability of our financial results and could potentially distort the analysis of trends in business performance. Excluding these items does not imply that they are non-recurring.

Adjusted net income:

Net income

add (deduct)

stock-based compensation, restructuring, acquisition and other, impairment of assets, (gain) on sale of investments, (gain) on acquisitions, loss on non-controlling interest purchase obligations, loss on repayment of long-term debt, and income tax adjustments on these items, including adjustments as a result of legislative changes.

Adjusted basic and diluted earnings per share:

Adjusted net income

divided by

basic and diluted weighted average shares outstanding.

Net income

Basic and diluted earnings per share

Free cash flow

  • To show how much cash we have available to repay debt and reinvest in our company, which is an important indicator of our financial strength and performance.
  • We believe that some investors and analysts use free cash flow to value a business and its underlying assets.

Adjusted operating profit

deduct

additions to property, plant and equipment, interest on borrowings net of capitalized interest, and cash income taxes.

Cash provided by operating activities

Adjusted net debt

  • To conduct valuation-related analysis and make decisions about capital structure.
  • We believe this helps investors and analysts analyze our enterprise and equity value and assess our leverage.

Total long-term debt

add (deduct)

current portion of long-term debt, deferred transaction costs and discounts, net debt derivative (assets) liabilities, credit risk adjustment related to net debt derivatives, bank advances (cash and cash equivalents), and short-term borrowings.

Long-term debt

Adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit

  • To conduct valuation-related analysis and make decisions about capital structure.
  • We believe this helps investors and analysts analyze our enterprise and equity value and assess our leverage.

Adjusted net debt (defined above)

divided by

12-month trailing adjusted operating profit (defined above).

Long-term debt divided by net income






Reconciliation of adjusted operating profit



Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars)

2016

2015

2016

2015






Net income

394

363

642

618

Add (deduct):






Income taxes

141

148

202

230


Other expense (income)

9

26

(25)

23


Finance costs

189

182

385

392


Restructuring, acquisition and other

27

42

71

51


Depreciation and amortization

572

562

1,146

1,121


Stock-based compensation

15

14

27

26






Adjusted operating profit

1,347

1,337

2,448

2,461





Reconciliation of adjusted operating profit margin



Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars, except percentages)

2016

2015

2016

2015






Adjusted operating profit margin:






Adjusted operating profit

1,347

1,337

2,448

2,461


Divided by: total revenue

3,455

3,403

6,700

6,578






Adjusted operating profit margin

39.0%

39.3%

36.5%

37.4%





Reconciliation of adjusted net income



Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars)

2016

2015

2016

2015






Net income

394

363

642

618

Add (deduct):






Stock-based compensation

15

14

27

26


Restructuring, acquisition and other

27

42

71

51


Loss on repayment of long-term debt

-

-

-

7


Gain on sale of investment

-

-

(39)

-


Income tax impact of above items

(9)

(13)

(14)

(21)


Income tax adjustment, legislative tax change

-

6

3

6






Adjusted net income

427

412

690

687





Reconciliation of adjusted earnings per share


(In millions of dollars, except per share amounts;

Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

number of shares outstanding in millions)

2016

2015

2016

2015






Adjusted basic earnings per share:






Adjusted net income

427

412

690

687


Divided by: Weighted average number of shares outstanding

515

515

515

515






Adjusted basic earnings per share

$ 0.83

$ 0.80

$ 1.34

$ 1.33






Adjusted diluted earnings per share:






Adjusted net income

427

412

690

687


Divided by: Diluted weighted average number of shares outstanding

517

516

517

517






Adjusted diluted earnings per share

$ 0.83

$ 0.80

$ 1.33

$ 1.33







Reconciliation of free cash flow




Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30

(In millions of dollars)

2016

2015

2016

2015






Cash provided by operating activities

1,121

1,114

1,719

1,341

Add (deduct):






Additions to property, plant and equipment

(647)

(621)

(1,199)

(1,096)


Interest on borrowings, net of capitalized interest

(187)

(179)

(379)

(367)


Restructuring, acquisition and other

27

42

71

51


Interest paid

154

141

392

404


Change in non-cash working capital

(35)

44

85

394


Other adjustments

62

(65)

26

15






Free cash flow

495

476

715

742






Reconciliation of adjusted net debt and adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit




As at
June 30

As at
December 31

(In millions of dollars)

2016

2015




Current portion of long-term debt

750

1,000

Long-term debt

15,239

15,870

Deferred transaction costs and discounts

106

111


16,095

16,981

Add (deduct):




Net debt derivative assets

(1,651)

(2,028)


Credit risk adjustment related to net debt derivative assets

(73)

(152)


Short-term borrowings

1,050

800


Bank advances (cash and cash equivalents)

143

(11)




Adjusted net debt

15,564

15,590





As at
June 30

As at
December 31

(In millions of dollars, except ratios)

2016

2015




Adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit




Adjusted net debt

15,564

15,590


Divided by: trailing 12-month adjusted operating profit

5,019

5,032




Adjusted net debt / adjusted operating profit

3.1

3.1





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





Three months ended June 30

Six months ended June 30


2016

2015

2016

2015






Revenue

3,455

3,403

6,700

6,578






Operating expenses:






Operating costs

2,123

2,080

4,279

4,143


Depreciation and amortization

572

562

1,146

1,121


Restructuring, acquisition and other

27

42

71

51

Finance costs

189

182

385

392

Other expense (income)

9

26

(25)

23






Income before income taxes

535

511

844

848

Income taxes

141

148

202

230






Net income for the period

394

363

642

618






Earnings per share:






Basic

$ 0.77

$0.70

$ 1.25

$1.20


Diluted

$ 0.76

$0.70

$ 1.24

$1.19






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














As at
June 30


As at
December 31






2016


2015









Assets
















Current assets:









Cash and cash equivalents





-


11


Accounts receivable





1,811


1,792


Inventories





239


318


Other current assets





373


303


Current portion of derivative instruments





92


198

Total current assets





2,515


2,622









Property, plant and equipment





11,097


10,997

Intangible assets





7,173


7,243

Investments





2,346


2,271

Derivative instruments





1,681


1,992

Other long-term assets





136


150

Deferred tax assets





8


9

Goodwill





3,891


3,891









Total assets





28,847


29,175









Liabilities and shareholders' equity
















Current liabilities:









Bank advances





143


-


Short-term borrowings





1,050


800


Accounts payable and accrued liabilities





2,584


2,708


Income tax payable





234


96


Current portion of provisions





27


10


Unearned revenue





371


388


Current portion of long-term debt





750


1,000


Current portion of derivative instruments





90


15

Total current liabilities





5,249


5,017









Provisions





30


50

Long-term debt





15,239


15,870

Derivative instruments





226


95

Other long-term liabilities





383


455

Deferred tax liabilities





1,795


1,943

Total liabilities





22,922


23,430









Shareholders' equity





5,925


5,745









Total liabilities and shareholders' equity





28,847


29,175

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







Three months ended June 30


Six months ended June 30


2016

2015


2016

2015

Operating activities:







Net income for the period

394

363


642

618


Adjustments to reconcile net income to cash provided by operating activities:








Depreciation and amortization

572

562


1,146

1,121



Program rights amortization

18

21


39

43



Finance costs

189

182


385

392



Income taxes

141

148


202

230



Stock-based compensation

15

14


27

26



Post-employment benefits contributions, net of expense

(71)

24


(61)

(71)



Gain on sale of investment

-

-


(39)

-



Other

-

46


10

36


Cash provided by operating activities before changes in non-cash
working capital items, income taxes paid, and interest paid

1,258

1,360


2,351

2,395


Change in non-cash operating working capital items

35

(44)


(85)

(394)


Cash provided by operating activities before income taxes paid
and interest paid

1,293

1,316


2,266

2,001


Income taxes paid

(18)

(61)


(155)

(256)


Interest paid

(154)

(141)


(392)

(404)







Cash provided by operating activities

1,121

1,114


1,719

1,341







Investing activities:







Additions to property, plant and equipment

(647)

(621)


(1,199)

(1,096)


Additions to program rights

(14)

(6)


(24)

(18)


Changes in non-cash working capital related to property, plant and
equipment and intangible assets

32

(46)


(105)

(138)


Acquisitions and other strategic transactions, net of cash acquired

-

(601)


-

(601)


Other

47

(22)


7

(34)







Cash used in investing activities

(582)

(1,296)


(1,321)

(1,887)







Financing activities:







Proceeds received on short-term borrowings

45

38


295

246


Repayment of short-term borrowings

-

(56)


(45)

(71)


Issuance of long-term debt

1,364

1,792


2,052

3,450


Repayment of long-term debt

(1,749)

(1,310)


(2,318)

(2,919)


Proceeds on settlement of debt derivatives and forward contracts

3,302

-


3,757

1,059


Payments on settlement of debt derivatives and forward contracts

(3,325)

-


(3,799)

(905)


Dividends paid

(247)

(248)


(494)

(483)







Cash (used in) provided by financing activities

(610)

216


(552)

377







Change in cash and cash equivalents

(71)

34


(154)

(169)

(Bank advances) cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

(72)

(27)


11

176







(Bank advances) cash and cash equivalents, end of period

(143)

7


(143)

7

About Forward-Looking Information

This earnings release includes "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable securities laws (collectively, "forward-looking information"), and assumptions about, among other things, our business, operations, and financial performance and condition approved by our management on the date of this earnings release. This forward-looking information and these assumptions include, but are not limited to, statements about our objectives and strategies to achieve those objectives, and about our beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates, or intentions.

Forward-looking information

  • typically includes words like could, expect, may, anticipate, assume, believe, intend, estimate, plan, project, guidance, outlook, and similar expressions, although not all forward-looking information includes them;
  • includes conclusions, forecasts, and projections that are based on our current objectives and strategies and on estimates, expectations, assumptions, and other factors, most of which are confidential and proprietary and that we believe to have been reasonable at the time they were applied but may prove to be incorrect; and
  • was approved by our management on the date of this earnings release.

Our forward-looking information includes forecasts and projections related to the following items, among others:

  • revenue;
  • adjusted operating profit;
  • additions to property, plant and equipment;
  • cash income tax payments;
  • free cash flow;
  • dividend payments;
  • the growth of new products and services;
  • expected growth in subscribers and the services to which they subscribe;
  • the cost of acquiring subscribers and deployment of new services;
  • continued cost reductions and efficiency improvements; and
  • all other statements that are not historical facts.

We base our conclusions, forecasts, and projections on the following factors, among others:

  • general economic and industry growth rates;
  • currency exchange rates and interest rates;
  • product pricing levels and competitive intensity;
  • subscriber growth;
  • pricing, usage, and churn rates;
  • changes in government regulation;
  • technology deployment;
  • availability of devices;
  • timing of new product launches;
  • content and equipment costs;
  • the integration of acquisitions; and
  • industry structure and stability.

Except as otherwise indicated, this earnings release and our forward-looking information do not reflect the potential impact of any non-recurring or other special items or of any dispositions, monetizations, mergers, acquisitions, other business combinations, or other transactions that may be considered or announced or may occur after the date on which the statement containing the forward-looking information is made.

Risks and uncertainties
Actual events and results can be substantially different from what is expressed or implied by forward-looking information as a result of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond our control, including but not limited to:

  • regulatory changes;
  • technological changes;
  • economic conditions;
  • unanticipated changes in content or equipment costs;
  • changing conditions in the entertainment, information, and communications industries;
  • the integration of acquisitions;
  • litigation and tax matters;
  • the level of competitive intensity;
  • the emergence of new opportunities; and
  • new interpretations and new accounting standards from accounting standards bodies.

These factors can also affect our objectives, strategies, and intentions. Many of these factors are beyond our control or our current expectations or knowledge. Should one or more of these risks, uncertainties, or other factors materialize, our objectives, strategies, or intentions change, or any other factors or assumptions underlying the forward-looking information prove incorrect, our actual results and our plans could vary significantly from what we currently foresee.

Accordingly, we warn investors to exercise caution when considering statements containing forward-looking information and caution them that it would be unreasonable to rely on such statements as creating legal rights regarding our future results or plans. We are under no obligation (and we expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter any statements containing forward-looking information or the factors or assumptions underlying them, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law. All of the forward-looking information in this earnings release is qualified by the cautionary statements herein.

Before making an investment decision
Before making any investment decisions and for a detailed discussion of the risks, uncertainties and environment associated with our business, fully review the sections of our Second Quarter 2016 MD&A entitled "Updates to Risks and Uncertainties" and "Regulatory Developments" and fully review the sections in our 2015 Annual MD&A entitled "Regulation in Our Industry" and "Governance and Risk Management", as well as our various other filings with Canadian and US securities regulators, which can be found at sedar.com and sec.gov, respectively.

SOURCE Rogers Communications Canada Inc. - English


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