Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Segment Information

v3.24.3
Segment Information
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2024
Segment Information  
Segment Information

(10) Segment Information

Liberty Broadband identifies its reportable segments as (A) those consolidated companies that represent 10% or more of its consolidated annual revenue, annual Adjusted OIBDA (as defined below) or total assets and (B) those equity method affiliates whose share of earnings or losses represent 10% or more of Liberty Broadband’s annual pre-tax earnings (losses).

Liberty Broadband evaluates performance and makes decisions about allocating resources to its operating segments based on financial measures such as revenue and Adjusted OIBDA. In addition, Liberty Broadband reviews nonfinancial measures such as subscriber growth.

For the nine months ended September 30, 2024, Liberty Broadband has identified the following consolidated company and equity method investment as its reportable segments:

GCI Holdings – a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company that provides a full range of data, wireless, video, voice, and managed services to residential, businesses, governmental entities, and educational and medical institutions primarily in Alaska.
Charter – an equity method investment that is one of the largest providers of cable services in the United States, offering a variety of entertainment, information and communications solutions to residential and commercial customers.

Liberty Broadband’s operating segments are strategic business units that offer different products and services. They are managed separately because each segment requires different technologies, distribution channels and marketing strategies. The accounting policies of the segment that is also a consolidated company are the same as those described in the Company’s summary of significant accounting policies in the Company’s annual financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023. We have included amounts attributable to Charter in the tables below. Although Liberty Broadband owns less than 100% of the outstanding shares of Charter, 100% of the Charter amounts are included in the tables below and subsequently eliminated in order to reconcile the account totals to the Liberty Broadband condensed consolidated financial statements.

Performance Measures

Revenue by segment from contracts with customers, classified by customer type and significant service offerings follows:

Three months ended

Nine months ended

September 30,

September 30,

2024

    

2023

2024

    

2023

amounts in millions

GCI Holdings

  

 

  

  

 

  

Consumer Revenue

  

 

  

  

 

  

Data

$

59

57

179

175

Wireless

35

34

104

104

Other

 

11

10

30

32

Business Revenue

 

Data

 

125

104

340

315

Wireless

 

11

11

32

33

Other

 

3

5

11

15

Lease, grant, and revenue from subsidies

 

18

19

57

57

Total GCI Holdings

262

240

753

731

Corporate and other

Total

$

262

 

240

753

 

731

Charter revenue totaled $13,795 million and $13,584 million for the three months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively, and $41,159 million and $40,896 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The Company had receivables of $183 million and $181 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, the long-term portion of which are included in Other assets, net. The Company had deferred revenue of $35 million and $43 million at September 30, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, the long-term portion of which are included in Other liabilities. The receivables and deferred revenue are only from contracts with customers. GCI Holdings’ customers generally pay for services in advance of the performance obligation and therefore these prepayments are recorded as deferred revenue. The deferred revenue is recognized as revenue in the accompanying condensed consolidated statements of operations as the services are provided. Changes in the contract liability balance for the Company during the nine months ended September 30, 2024 were not materially impacted by other factors.

The Company expects to recognize revenue in the future related to performance obligations that are unsatisfied (or partially unsatisfied) of approximately $122 million in the remainder of 2024, $371 million in 2025, $212 million in 2026, $102 million in 2027 and $32 million in 2028 and thereafter.

For segment reporting purposes, Liberty Broadband defines Adjusted OIBDA as revenue less operating expenses and selling, general and administrative expenses excluding stock-based compensation. Liberty Broadband believes this measure is an important indicator of the operational strength and performance of its businesses by identifying those items that are not directly a reflection of each business’ performance or indicative of ongoing business trends. In addition, this measure allows management to view operating results and perform analytical comparisons and benchmarking between businesses and identify strategies to improve performance. This measure of performance excludes depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, separately reported litigation settlements and restructuring and impairment charges that are included in the measurement of operating income pursuant to GAAP. Accordingly, Adjusted OIBDA should be considered in addition to, but not as a substitute for, operating income, net earnings, cash flow provided by operating activities and other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. Liberty Broadband generally accounts for intersegment sales and transfers as if the sales or transfers were to third parties, that is, at current prices.

Adjusted OIBDA is summarized as follows:

Three months ended

Nine months ended

September 30,

September 30,

2024

2023

2024

2023

amounts in millions

GCI Holdings

    

$

100

    

89

276

271

Charter

 

5,626

5,420

 

16,747

16,340

Corporate and other

 

(7)

(4)

 

(18)

(17)

 

5,719

5,505

 

17,005

16,594

Eliminate equity method affiliate

 

(5,626)

(5,420)

 

(16,747)

(16,340)

Consolidated Liberty Broadband

$

93

85

258

254

Other Information

September 30, 2024

 

Total

Investments

Capital

 

assets

in affiliate

expenditures

 

amounts in millions

 

GCI Holdings

$

3,318

183

Charter

 

149,371

 

 

8,207

Corporate and other

 

12,985

 

12,760

 

 

165,674

 

12,760

 

8,390

Eliminate equity method affiliate

 

(149,371)

 

 

(8,207)

Consolidated Liberty Broadband

$

16,303

 

12,760

 

183

The following table provides a reconciliation of Adjusted OIBDA to Operating income (loss) and Earnings (loss) before income taxes:

Three months ended

Nine months ended

 

September 30,

September 30,

 

2024

2023

2024

    

2023

 

amounts in millions

 

Adjusted OIBDA

    

$

93

    

85

    

258

    

254

Stock-based compensation

 

(8)

(9)

(22)

 

(25)

Depreciation and amortization

 

(55)

(55)

(157)

 

(169)

Operating income (loss)

30

21

79

60

Interest expense

(46)

(54)

(149)

 

(151)

Share of earnings (loss) of affiliate, net

 

346

326

923

 

892

Gain (loss) on dilution of investment in affiliate

 

(8)

(10)

(40)

 

(42)

Realized and unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments, net

 

(144)

(81)

(85)

 

(155)

Other, net

 

3

6

15

 

22

Earnings (loss) before income taxes

$

181

208

743

 

626