Comcast Reports Third Quarter 2010 Results

Third Consecutive Quarter of Accelerating Growth in Revenue and Operating Cash Flow

Revenue Increased 7%, Operating Cash Flow Increased 8% and Operating Income Increased 14%
Generated $1 Billion of Free Cash Flow
Dividends and Share Repurchases Totaled $565 Million

PHILADELPHIA, Oct 27, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA, CMCSK) today reported results for the quarter ended September 30, 2010.

Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Comcast Corporation, said, "Our results mark the third consecutive quarter of accelerating growth in revenue and operating cash flow, driven by overall customer growth, a robust advertising market and continued strength in Business Services. As we near completion of our All-Digital and DOCSIS 3.0 deployments, we are increasing the pace of innovation and new product introductions to our customers. We believe this focus on consistently improving the customer experience and on driving profitable growth will further strengthen our competitive position and build long-term value for our shareholders."

Consolidated Financial Results

Revenue increased 7.3% in the third quarter of 2010 to $9.5 billion, while Operating Cash Flow increased 7.6% to $3.6 billion and Operating Income increased 14.2% to $2.0 billion. This growth was due to solid operating results in the Cable and Programming segments. Excluding $21 million of NBC Universal-related transaction costs, Operating Cash Flow increased 8.2%.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, revenue increased 5.7% to $28.2 billion, Operating Cash Flow increased 5.6% to $10.9 billion, and Operating Income increased 10.6% to $6.0 billion. Excluding $57 million of NBC Universal-related transaction costs, Operating Cash Flow increased 6.1%.

For additional detail on revenue and operating expenses, customer metrics, and capital expenditures, please refer to the trending schedules on Comcast's Investor Relations website at www.cmcsa.com or www.cmcsk.com.

Earnings per Share¹ (EPS) for the quarter ended September 30, 2010 was $0.31, a 6.1% decrease from the $0.33 reported in the third quarter of 2009. Excluding NBC Universal transaction-related costs, income tax benefits and one-time financing expenses, third quarter 2010 EPS increased 14.3% over the comparable period in 2009 (see Table 4).

• Third quarter 2010 EPS: Includes $21 million of operating expenses plus $45 million of financing and other costs related to the NBC Universal transaction, resulting in total third quarter transaction costs of $66 million, or $39 million net of tax ($0.01 per share).
• Third quarter 2009 EPS: Includes the recognition of income tax benefits of $251 million ($0.09 per share), partially offset by one-time financing expenses of $180 million, or $113 million net of tax ($0.04 per share).

EPS for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was $0.93, stable compared to the prior year. Excluding NBC Universal transaction-related costs, income tax benefits and one-time financing expenses, EPS for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 increased 17.1% over the comparable period in 2009 (see Table 4).

• Year-to-date 2010 EPS: Includes $57 million of operating expenses plus $97 million of financing and other costs related to the NBC Universal transaction, resulting in total year-to-date transaction costs of $154 million, or $92 million net of tax ($0.03 per share).
• Year-to-date 2009 EPS: Includes the recognition of income tax benefits of $436 million ($0.15 per share) partially offset by one-time financing expenses of $180 million, or $113 million net of tax ($0.04 per share).

Capital Expenditures for the third quarter of 2010 increased $139 million, or 11.4%, to $1.4 billion, or 14.4% of total revenue, reflecting purchases of advanced (HD and/or DVR) boxes, digital transport adapters (DTAs) and increased investment in Comcast Business Services to support growth in these areas. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, capital expenditures decreased 2.2% to $3.4 billion, representing 12.2% of total revenue.

Free Cash Flow (excluding any impact from the Economic Stimulus packages) was $1.0 billion in the third quarter of 2010, a 7.8% decline from $1.1 billion in the third quarter of 2009. The decrease in Free Cash Flow reflects higher cash income taxes and a modest increase in capital expenditures. Free Cash Flow for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 totaled $4.3 billion, a 17.0% increase as compared to $3.6 billion in 2009.

Note: The definition of Free Cash Flow remains unchanged and specifically excludes any impact from the 2008-2010 Economic Stimulus packages.

Cable Segment Results

For the quarter ended September 30, 2010, Cable segment revenue increased 6.9% to $9.0 billion compared to $8.4 billion in the third quarter of 2009. This increase reflects growth across our Video, High-Speed Internet and Voice residential services, a 55% increase in Business Services and a 27% increase in advertising revenue. Reflecting rate adjustments and a growing number of residential customers taking multiple products, the monthly average total revenue per video customer increased 10.4% to $129.75.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, revenue from the Cable segment increased 5.2% to $26.6 billion compared to $25.3 billion in 2009.

Operating Cash Flow for the third quarter of 2010 increased 7.1% to $3.5 billion compared to $3.3 billion in the third quarter of 2009. Operating Cash Flow margin was 39.5% in the third quarter of 2010, a slight increase compared to 39.4% reported in the third quarter of 2009. These results primarily reflect increases in video programming and marketing costs, partially offset by reduced customer service and high-speed Internet expenses.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, Operating Cash Flow from the Cable segment increased 5.6% to $10.8 billion compared to $10.2 billion in 2009. Year-to-date Operating Cash Flow margin was 40.5% compared to 40.4% in the first nine months of 2009.

Customers. As of September 30, 2010, Comcast's Video, High-Speed Internet and Voice customers totaled 48 million, an increase of 1.2 million or 2.5% over the prior year.

Programming Segment Results

The Programming segment reported third quarter 2010 revenue of $416 million, an 8.7% increase, while Operating Cash Flow increased 26.3% to $150 million. These results reflect the impact of a strong advertising market across all networks and ratings strength at E!.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, Programming segment revenue increased 11.3% to $1.3 billion compared to the same time period in 2009. Operating Cash Flow increased 23.2% to $423 million compared to the same period last year.

Corporate and Other

Corporate and Other includes corporate overhead, Comcast Interactive Media (CIM), Comcast-Spectacor, and other operations and eliminations between Comcast's businesses. For the quarter ended September 30, 2010, Corporate and Other reported revenue of $92 million, a 49.8% increase over the $60 million reported in the third quarter of 2009, reflecting revenue growth and the acquisition of Paciolan at Comcast-Spectacor and strong advertising revenue growth at CIM. The Operating Cash Flow loss for the third quarter of 2010 was $118 million compared to a loss of $104 million for the same time period in 2009. Excluding approximately $21 million of expenses related to the NBC Universal transaction, this quarter's Operating Cash Flow loss would have been $97 million.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2010, Corporate and Other revenue increased 36.8% to $354 million from the $258 million reported in the first nine months of 2009. The Operating Cash Flow loss was $329 million compared to a loss of $253 million for the same time period in 2009. Excluding approximately $57 million of expenses related to the NBC Universal transaction, the year-to-date Operating Cash Flow loss would have been $272 million.

Share Repurchase and Dividend

During the third quarter of 2010, Comcast repurchased 17.5 million of its common shares for $300 million. Year-to-date, Comcast has repurchased 54.0 million of its common shares for $900 million. As of September 30, 2010, Comcast had approximately $2.4 billion of availability remaining under its share repurchase authorization.

During the third quarter of 2010, Comcast paid cash dividends totaling $265 million.

Notes:

Conference Call Information

Comcast Corporation will host a conference call with the financial community today, October 27, 2010 at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time (ET). The conference call will be broadcast live on Comcast's Investor Relations website at www.cmcsa.com or www.cmcsk.com. Those parties interested in participating via telephone should dial (800) 263-8495 with the conference ID number 10950140. A replay of the call will be available starting at 12:30 p.m. ET on October 27, 2010, on the Investor Relations website or by telephone. To access the telephone replay, which will be available until Monday, November 1^st, 2010 at midnight ET, please dial (800) 642-1687 and enter passcode number 10950140. To automatically receive Comcast financial news by email, please visit www.cmcsa.com or www.cmcsk.com and subscribe to email alerts.

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned that such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward-looking statements. Readers are directed to Comcast's periodic and other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a description of such risks and uncertainties. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In this discussion, we sometimes refer to financial measures that are not presented according to generally accepted accounting principles in the U.S. (GAAP). Certain of these measures are considered "non-GAAP financial measures" under the SEC regulations; those rules require the supplemental explanations and reconciliations that are in Comcast's Form 8-K (Quarterly Earnings Release) furnished to the SEC.

About Comcast Corporation

Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) (www.comcast.com) is one of the nation's leading providers of entertainment, information and communication products and services. With 22.9 million cable customers, 16.7 million high-speed Internet customers, and 8.4 million Comcast Digital Voice customers, Comcast is principally involved in the development, management and operation of cable systems and in the delivery of programming content.

Comcast's content networks and investments include E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, Golf Channel, VERSUS, G4, PBS KIDS Sprout, TV One, 11 regional sports networks operated by Comcast Sports Group and Comcast Interactive Media, which develops and operates Comcast's Internet businesses, including Comcast.net (www.comcast.net). Comcast also has a majority ownership in Comcast-Spectacor, which owns two professional sports teams, the Philadelphia 76ers NBA basketball team and the Philadelphia Flyers NHL hockey team, and a large, multipurpose arena in Philadelphia, the Wells Fargo Center, and, through Global Spectrum, manages other facilities for sporting events, concerts and other events.

SOURCE: Comcast Corporation