# Optimum Communications, Inc. (OPTU) FY 2023 MD&A

Verbatim Item 7 Management's Discussion and Analysis from Optimum Communications, Inc.'s 10-K for fiscal year 2023.

SEC filing source: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1702780/000162828024004863/atus-20231231.htm
Accession: 0001628280-24-004863
Filing date: 2024-02-15
Report date: 2023-12-31
Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Published MD&A gate trimmed front/tail over-capture.
Confidence: high

Company profile: /company/OPTU/
All MD&A years: /company/OPTU/mda/
Previous year: /company/OPTU/mda/fy2022/ (FY 2022)
Next year: /company/OPTU/mda/fy2024/ (FY 2024)

Item 7.    Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

All dollar amounts, except per customer and per share data, included in the following discussion, are presented in thousands.

This Annual Report contains statements that constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Act of 1934, as amended.  In this Form 10-K there are statements concerning our future operating results and future financial performance.  Words such as "expects", "anticipates", "believes", "estimates", "may", "will", "should", "could", "potential", "continue", "intends", "plans" and similar words and terms used in the discussion of future operating results, future financial performance and future events identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, results or events and involve risks and uncertainties and that actual results or developments may differ materially from the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors.

We operate in a highly competitive, consumer and technology driven and rapidly changing business that is affected by government regulation and economic, strategic, technological, political and social conditions. Various factors could adversely affect our operations, business or financial results in the future and cause our actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements include:

•competition for broadband, video and telephony customers from existing competitors (such as broadband communications companies, DBS providers, wireless data and telephony providers, and Internet-based providers) and new fiber-based competitors entering our footprint;

•changes in consumer preferences, laws and regulations or technology that may cause us to change our operational strategies;

•increased difficulty negotiating programming agreements on favorable terms, if at all, resulting in increased costs to us and/or the loss of popular programming;

•increasing programming costs and delivery expenses related to our products and services;

•our ability to achieve anticipated customer and revenue growth, to successfully introduce new products and services and to implement our growth strategy;

•our ability to complete our capital investment plans on time and on budget, including our plan to build a parallel FTTH network;

•our ability to develop mobile voice and data services and our ability to attract customers to these services;

•the effects of economic conditions or other factors which may negatively affect our customers’ demand for our current and future products and services;

•the effects of industry conditions;

•demand for digital and linear advertising products and services;

•our substantial indebtedness and debt service obligations;

•adverse changes in the credit market;

•changes as a result of any tax reforms that may affect our business;

•financial community and rating agency perceptions of our business, operations, financial condition and the industries in which we operate;

•the restrictions contained in our financing agreements;

•our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to meet our debt service obligations;

•fluctuations in interest rates which may cause our interest expense to vary from quarter to quarter;

•technical failures, equipment defects, physical or electronic break-ins to our services, computer viruses and similar problems;

•cybersecurity incidents as a result of hacking, phishing, denial of service attacks, dissemination of computer viruses, ransomware and other malicious software, misappropriation of data, and other malicious attempts;

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•disruptions to our networks, infrastructure and facilities as a result of natural disasters, power outages, accidents, maintenance failures, telecommunications failures, degradation of plant assets, terrorist attacks and similar events;

•labor shortages and supply chain disruptions;

•our ability to obtain necessary hardware, software, communications equipment and services and other items from our vendors at reasonable costs;

•our ability to effectively integrate acquisitions and to maximize expected operating efficiencies from our acquisitions, if any;

•significant unanticipated increases in the use of bandwidth-intensive Internet-based services;

•the outcome of litigation, government investigations and other proceedings; and

•other risks and uncertainties inherent in our cable and broadband communications businesses and our other businesses, including those listed under the caption "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" contained herein.

These factors are not necessarily all of the important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any of our forward-looking statements. Other unknown or unpredictable factors could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any of our forward-looking statements.

Given these uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this Annual Report. Except to the extent required by law, we do not undertake, and specifically decline any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of such statements to reflect future events or developments. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

You should read this Annual Report with the understanding that our actual future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

Certain numerical figures included in this Annual Report have been subject to rounding adjustments. Accordingly, such numerical figures shown as totals in various tables may not be arithmetic aggregations of the figures that precede them.

Organization of Information

Management’s Discussion and Analysis provides a narrative on our financial performance and condition that should be read in conjunction with the accompanying financial statements and accompanying notes thereto. It includes the following sections:

•Our Business

•Key Factors Impacting Operating Results and Financial Condition

•Consolidated Results of Operations

•Non-GAAP Financial Measures

•Reconciliation of CSC Holdings Results of Operations to Altice USA's Results of Operations

•Liquidity and Capital Resources

•Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

In this Item 7, we discuss the results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 and comparisons of the 2023 results to the 2022 results. Discussions of the results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2021 and comparisons of the 2022 results to the 2021 results can be found in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 as filed on February 22, 2023.

Our Business

We principally provide broadband communications and video services in the United States and market our services primarily under the Optimum brand. We deliver broadband, video, telephony, and mobile services to approximately

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4.7 million residential and business customers across our footprint. Our footprint extends across 21 states (primarily in the New York metropolitan area and various markets in the south-central United States) through a fiber-rich HFC broadband network and a FTTH network with approximately 9.6 million total passings as of December 31, 2023. Additionally, we offer news programming and advertising services.

Key Factors Impacting Operating Results and Financial Condition

Our future performance is dependent, to a large extent, on the impact of direct competition, general economic conditions (including capital and credit market conditions), our ability to manage our businesses effectively, and our relative strength and leverage in the marketplace, both with suppliers and customers. For more information, see "Risk Factors" and "Business-Competition" included herein.

We derive revenue principally through monthly charges to residential customers of our broadband, video, telephony and mobile services. We also derive revenue from DVR, VOD, pay-per-view, installation and home shopping commissions. Our residential broadband, video, telephony and mobile services accounted for approximately 41%, 33%, 3%, and 1% respectively, of our consolidated revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. We also derive revenue from the sale of a wide and growing variety of products and services to both large enterprise and SMB customers, including broadband, telephony, networking, video and mobile services. For the year ended December 31, 2023, 16% of our consolidated revenue was derived from these business services. In addition, we derive revenue from the sale of advertising inventory available on the programming carried on our cable television systems, as well as other systems (linear revenue), digital advertising, data analytics and affiliation fees for news programming, which accounted for approximately 5% of our consolidated revenue for the year ended December 31, 2023. Our other revenue, which includes mobile equipment revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2023 accounted for approximately 1% of our consolidated revenue.

Revenue is impacted by rate increases, changes in promotional offerings, changes in the number of customers that subscribe to our services, including additional services sold to our existing customers, programming package changes by our video customers, speed tier changes by our broadband customers, additional services sold to our existing customers, changes in programming packages for our video customer, acquisitions/dispositions, and construction of cable systems that result in the addition of new customers. Additionally, the allocation of revenue between the residential offerings is impacted by changes in the standalone selling price of each performance obligation within our promotional bundled offers.

We operate in a highly competitive consumer-driven industry and we compete against a variety of broadband, video, mobile, fixed wireless broadband and fixed-line telephony providers and delivery systems, including broadband communications companies, wireless data and telephony providers, fiber-based service providers, satellite delivered video signals, Internet-delivered video content and broadcast television signals available to residential and business customers in our service areas. Our competitors include AT&T, DirecTV, DISH, Frontier, Lumen Technologies, Inc., T-Mobile US, and Verizon. Consumers' selection of an alternate source of service, whether due to economic constraints, technological advances, or preference, negatively impacts the demand for our services. For more information on our competitive landscape, see "Risk Factors" and "Business-Competition" included herein.

Our programming costs, which are the most significant component of our operating expenses, are impacted by increases in contractual rates, changes in the number of customers receiving certain programming services, and new channel launches. We expect contractual rates to increase in the future. See "Results of Operations" below for more information regarding the key factors impacting our revenues and operating expenses.

Historically, we have made substantial investments in our network and the development of new and innovative products and other service offerings for our customers as a way of differentiating ourselves from our competitors and we expect to do so in the future. Our ongoing FTTH network build has enabled us to deliver multi-gig broadband speeds to FTTH customers in order to meet the growing data needs of residential and business customers. In addition, we launched a full service mobile offering to consumers across our footprint. We may incur greater than anticipated capital expenditures in connection with these initiatives, fail to realize anticipated benefits, experience delays and business disruptions or encounter other challenges to executing them as planned. See "Liquidity and Capital Resources-Capital Expenditures" for additional information regarding our capital expenditures.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We define Adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure, as net income (loss) excluding income taxes, non-operating income or expenses, gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs, gain (loss) on interest rate swap contracts, gain (loss) on derivative contracts, gain (loss) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, interest expense, net, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, restructuring,

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impairments and other operating items (such as significant legal settlements and contractual payments for terminated employees). See reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA below.

Adjusted EBITDA eliminates the significant non-cash depreciation and amortization expense that results from the capital-intensive nature of our business and from intangible assets recognized from acquisitions, as well as certain non-cash and other operating items that affect the period-to-period comparability of our operating performance. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA is unaffected by our capital and tax structures and by our investment activities.

We believe Adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate measure for evaluating our operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA and similar measures with similar titles are common performance measures used by investors, analysts and peers to compare performance in our industry. Internally, we use revenue and Adjusted EBITDA measures as important indicators of our business performance and evaluate management’s effectiveness with specific reference to these indicators. We believe Adjusted EBITDA provides management and investors a useful measure for period-to-period comparisons of our core business and operating results by excluding items that are not comparable across reporting periods or that do not otherwise relate to our ongoing operating results. Adjusted EBITDA should be viewed as a supplement to and not a substitute for operating income (loss), net income (loss), and other measures of performance presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). Since Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of performance calculated in accordance with GAAP, this measure may not be comparable to similar measures with similar titles used by other companies.

We also use Operating Free Cash Flow (defined as Adjusted EBITDA less cash capital expenditures) and Free Cash Flow (defined as net cash flows from operating activities less cash capital expenditures) as indicators of our financial performance. We believe these measures are two of several benchmarks used by investors, analysts and peers for comparison of performance in our industry, although they may not be directly comparable to similar measures reported by other companies.

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Results of Operations - Altice USA

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","Years Ended December 31,","","Favorable (Unfavorable)"],["","2023","","2022"],["Revenue:"],["Broadband","$","3,824,472","","","$","3,930,667","","","$","(106,195)"],["Video","3,072,011","","","3,281,306","","","(209,295)"],["Telephony","300,198","","","332,406","","","(32,208)"],["Mobile (a)","77,012","","","61,832","","","15,180"],["Residential revenue (a)","7,273,693","","","7,606,211","","","(332,518)"],["Business services and wholesale (a)","1,467,149","","","1,474,269","","","(7,120)"],["News and advertising","447,742","","","520,293","","","(72,551)"],["Other (a)","48,480","","","46,886","","","1,594"],["Total revenue","9,237,064","","","9,647,659","","","(410,595)"],["Operating expenses:"],["Programming and other direct costs","3,029,842","","","3,205,638","","","175,796"],["Other operating expenses","2,646,258","","","2,735,469","","","89,211"],["Restructuring, impairments and other operating items","214,727","","","130,285","","","(84,442)"],["Depreciation and amortization (including impairments)","1,644,297","","","1,773,673","","","129,376"],["Operating income","1,701,940","","","1,802,594","","","(100,654)"],["Other income (expense):"],["Interest expense, net","(1,639,120)","","","(1,331,636)","","","(307,484)"],["Gain (loss) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net","180,237","","","(659,792)","","","840,029"],["Gain (loss) on derivative contracts, net","(166,489)","","","425,815","","","(592,304)"],["Gain on interest rate swap contracts, net","32,664","","","271,788","","","(239,124)"],["Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs","4,393","","","(575)","","","4,968"],["Other income, net","4,940","","","8,535","","","(3,595)"],["Income before income taxes","118,565","","","516,729","","","(398,164)"],["Income tax expense","(39,528)","","","(295,840)","","","256,312"],["Net income","79,037","","","220,889","","","(141,852)"],["Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests","(25,839)","","","(26,326)","","","487"],["Net income attributable to Altice USA, Inc. stockholders","$","53,198","","","$","194,563","","","$","(141,365)"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(a)Beginning in the second quarter of 2023, mobile service revenue previously included in mobile revenue is now separately reported in residential revenue and business services revenue. In addition, mobile equipment revenue previously included in mobile revenue is now included in other revenue. Prior period amounts have been revised to conform with this presentation.

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The following is a reconciliation of net income to Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Free Cash Flow:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","Years Ended December 31,"],["","2023","","2022"],["Net income","$","79,037","","","$","220,889"],["Income tax expense","39,528","","","295,840"],["Other income, net","(4,940)","","","(8,535)"],["Gain on interest rate swap contracts, net","(32,664)","","","(271,788)"],["Loss (gain) on derivative contracts, net","166,489","","","(425,815)"],["Loss (gain) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net","(180,237)","","","659,792"],["Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs","(4,393)","","","575"],["Interest expense, net","1,639,120","","","1,331,636"],["Depreciation and amortization","1,644,297","","","1,773,673"],["Restructuring, impairments and other operating items","214,727","","","130,285"],["Share-based compensation","47,926","","","159,985"],["Adjusted EBITDA","3,608,890","","","3,866,537"],["Capital expenditures (cash)","1,704,811","","","1,914,282"],["Operating Free Cash Flow","$","1,904,079","","","$","1,952,255"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

The following is a reconciliation of net cash flow from operating activities to Free Cash Flow:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","Years Ended December 31,"],["","2023","","2022"],["Net cash flows from operating activities","$","1,826,398","","","$","2,366,901"],["Less: Capital expenditures (cash)","1,704,811","","","1,914,282"],["Free Cash Flow","$","121,587","","","$","452,619"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

The following table sets forth certain customer metrics (unaudited):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","December 31,","","Increase (Decrease)"],["","2023","","2022"],["Total passings (a)","9,628.7","","","9,463.8","","","164.9"],["Total customer relationships (b)","4,743.5","","","4,879.7","","","(136.2)"],["Residential","4,363.1","","","4,498.5","","","(135.4)"],["SMB","380.3","","","381.2","","","(0.9)"],["Residential customers:"],["Broadband","4,169.0","","","4,282.9","","","(113.9)"],["Video","2,172.4","","","2,439.0","","","(266.6)"],["Telephony","1,515.3","","","1,764.1","","","(248.8)"],["Penetration of total passings (c)","49.3","%","","51.6","%","","(2.3)","%"],["Average revenue per user (\"ARPU\") (d)","$","136.01","","","$","135.86","","","$","0.15"],["Total mobile lines (e)","322.2","","","240.3","","","81.9"],["FTTH total passings (f)","2,735.2","","","2,158.7","","","576.4"],["FTTH customer relationships (g)","341.4","","","171.7","","","169.7"],["FTTH Residential","333.8","","","170.0","","","163.8"],["FTTH SMB","7.6","","","1.7","","","5.9"],["Penetration of FTTH total passings (h)","12.5","%","","8.0","%","","4.5","%"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(a)Represents the estimated number of single residence homes, apartments and condominium units passed by our HFC and FTTH network in areas serviceable without further extending the transmission lines. In addition, it includes commercial

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establishments that have connected to our HFC and FTTH network. Broadband services were not available to approximately 30 thousand passings and telephony services were not available to approximately 500 thousand passings.

(b)Represents number of households/businesses that receive at least one of our fixed-line services. Customers represent each customer account (set up and segregated by customer name and address), weighted equally and counted as one customer, regardless of size, revenue generated, or number of boxes, units, or outlets on our HFC and FTTH network.  Free accounts are included in the customer counts along with all active accounts, but they are limited to a prescribed group.  Most of these accounts are also not entirely free, as they typically generate revenue through pay-per-view or other pay services and certain equipment fees.  Free status is not granted to regular customers as a promotion.  In counting bulk residential customers, such as an apartment building, we count each subscribing family unit within the building as one customer, but do not count the master account for the entire building as a customer. We count a bulk commercial customer, such as a hotel, as one customer, and do not count individual rooms at that hotel. Total customer relationships exclude mobile-only customer relationships.

(c)Represents the number of total customer relationships divided by total passings.

(d)Calculated by dividing the average monthly revenue for the respective quarter (fourth quarter for annual periods) derived from the sale of broadband, video, telephony and mobile services to residential customers by the average number of total residential customers for the same period (excluding mobile-only customer relationships). ARPU amounts for prior periods have been adjusted to include mobile service revenue.

(e)Total mobile lines as of December 31, 2022 include approximately 32 thousand customers receiving free service. As of December 31, 2023, the number of customers receiving free service was nominal.

(f)Represents the estimated number of single residence homes, apartments and condominium units passed by the FTTH network in areas serviceable without further extending the transmission lines. In addition, it includes commercial establishments that have connected to our FTTH network.

(g)Represents number of households/businesses that receive at least one of our fixed-line services on our FTTH network. FTTH customers represent each customer account (set up and segregated by customer name and address), weighted equally and counted as one customer, regardless of size, revenue generated, or number of boxes, units, or outlets on our FTTH network. Free accounts are included in the customer counts along with all active accounts, but they are limited to a prescribed group.  Most of these accounts are also not entirely free, as they typically generate revenue through pay-per view or other pay services and certain equipment fees.  Free status is not granted to regular customers as a promotion.  In counting bulk residential customers, such as an apartment building, we count each subscribing family unit within the building as one customer, but do not count the master account for the entire building as a customer. We count a bulk commercial customer, such as a hotel, as one customer, and do not count individual rooms at that hotel.

(h)Represents the number of total FTTH customer relationships divided by FTTH total passings.

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Comparison of Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2023 to Results for the Year Ended December 31, 2022

Broadband Revenue

Broadband revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $3,824,472 and $3,930,667, respectively. Broadband revenue is derived principally through monthly charges to residential subscribers of our broadband services. Broadband revenue decreased $106,195 (3%) for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease for the year ended December 31, 2023 was due primarily to a decrease in broadband customers and lower average recurring broadband revenue per broadband customer.

Video Revenue

Video revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $3,072,011 and $3,281,306, respectively. Video revenue is derived principally through monthly charges to residential customers of our video services. Video revenue decreased $209,295 (6%) for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was due primarily to a decline in video customers, partially offset by higher average recurring video revenue per video customer, primarily driven by certain rate increases.

Telephony Revenue

Telephony revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $300,198 and $332,406, respectively. Telephony revenue is derived principally through monthly charges to residential customers of our telephony services. Telephony revenue decreased $32,208 (10%) for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was due to a decline in telephony customers, partially offset by higher average recurring revenue per telephony customer.

Mobile Service Revenue

Mobile service revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $77,012 and $61,832, respectively. The increase of $15,180 (25%) was due primarily to an increase in mobile customers, as well as a decline in customers receiving free service as compared to the prior year.

Business Services and Wholesale Revenue

Business services and wholesale revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $1,467,149 and $1,474,269, respectively. Business services and wholesale revenue is derived primarily from the sale of fiber-based telecommunications services to the business market, and the sale of broadband, video, telephony, and mobile services to SMB customers.

Business services and wholesale revenue decreased $7,120 for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was due to lower SMB revenue and lower backhaul revenue attributable to wholesale customers, partially offset by a net increase in revenue of our Lightpath business primarily due to increases in Ethernet and indefeasible right of use contract fee revenue, partially offset by contract termination fee revenue.

News and Advertising Revenue

News and advertising revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $447,742 and $520,293, respectively. News and advertising revenue is primarily derived from the sale of (i) advertising inventory available on the programming carried on our cable television systems, as well as other systems (linear revenue), (ii) digital advertising, (iii) data analytics, and (iv) affiliation fees for news programming.

News and advertising revenue decreased $72,551 (14%) for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to the year ended December 31, 2022. The decrease was primarily due to a decrease in linear advertising revenue from political customers.

Other Revenue

Other revenue for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $48,480 and $46,886, respectively. Other revenue includes revenue from sales of mobile equipment and other miscellaneous revenue streams.

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Programming and Other Direct Costs

Programming and other direct costs for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 amounted to $3,029,842 and $3,205,638, respectively. Programming and other direct costs include cable programming costs, which are costs paid to programmers (net of amortization of any incentives received from programmers for carriage) for cable content (including costs of VOD and pay-per-view) and are generally paid on a per-customer basis. These costs are impacted by increases in contractual rates, changes in the number of customers receiving certain programming services, and new channel launches. These costs also include interconnection, call completion, circuit and transport fees paid to other telecommunication companies for the transport and termination of voice and data services, which typically vary based on rate changes and the level of usage by our customers. These costs also include franchise fees which are payable to the state governments and local municipalities where we operate and are primarily based on a percentage of certain categories of revenue derived from the provision of video service over our cable systems, which vary by state and municipality. These costs change in relation to changes in such categories of revenues or rate changes. Additionally, these costs include the cost of media for advertising spots sold, the cost of mobile devices sold to our customers and direct costs of providing mobile services.

The decrease of $175,796 (5%) for the year ended December 31, 2023, as compared to the prior year was primarily attributable to the following:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Decrease in programming costs primarily due to lower video customers, partially offset by net contractual rate increases","$","(171,258)"],["Decrease in software license fees related to customer premise equipment","(14,997)"],["Decrease in taxes and surcharges primarily due to refunds","(10,339)"],["Increase in costs of media advertising spots for resale, primarily linear spots resulting from an acquisition in the third quarter of 2022","21,014"],["Other net decreases","(216)"],["","$","(175,796)"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]
Programming costs

Programming costs aggregated $2,456,158 and $2,627,416 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. Our programming costs in 2024 will continue to be impacted by changes in programming rates, which we expect to increase, and by changes in the number of video customers.

Other Operating Expenses

Other operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 amounted to $2,646,258 and $2,735,469, respectively. Other operating expenses include staff costs and employee benefits including salaries of company employees and related taxes, benefits and other employee related expenses, as well as third-party labor costs. Other operating expenses also include network management and field service costs, which represent costs associated with the maintenance of our broadband network, including costs of certain customer connections and other costs associated with providing and maintaining services to our customers.

Customer installation and network repair and maintenance costs may fluctuate as a result of changes in the level of capitalizable activities, maintenance activities and the utilization of contractors as compared to employees. Costs associated with the initial deployment of new customer premise equipment necessary to provide services are capitalized. The costs of redeployment of customer premise equipment is expensed as incurred.

Other operating expenses also include costs related to our call center operations that handle customer inquiries and billing and collection activities, and sales and marketing costs, which include advertising production and placement costs associated with acquiring and retaining customers. These costs vary period to period and certain of these costs, such as sales and marketing, may increase with intense competition. Additionally, other operating expenses include various other administrative costs.

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The decrease in other operating expenses of $89,211 (3%) for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the prior year was attributable to the following:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Decrease in share-based compensation costs","$","(112,059)"],["Decrease in marketing costs due to costs incurred in 2022 from the rebranding of our services from Suddenlink to Optimum","(46,003)"],["Net increase in labor costs and benefits, partially offset by an increase in capitalizable activity","53,503"],["Increase in repairs and maintenance costs","12,887"],["Increase in utility costs","6,316"],["Other net decreases","(3,855)"],["","$","(89,211)"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Restructuring, Impairments and Other Operating Items

Restructuring, impairments and other operating items for the year ended December 31, 2023 amounted to $214,727, as compared to $130,285 for the year ended December 31, 2022 and comprised the following:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","Years Ended December 31,"],["","2023","","2022"],["Contractual payments for terminated employees","$","39,915","","","$","4,002"],["Impairment of right-of-use operating lease assets","10,554","","","3,821"],["Transaction costs related to certain transactions not related to our operations","5,180","","","4,310"],["Facility realignment costs","2,368","","","5,652"],["Remeasurement of contingent consideration related to an acquisition","(6,345)","","","\u2014"],["Litigation settlement (a)","\u2014","","","112,500"],["Goodwill impairment (b)","163,055","","","\u2014"],["","$","214,727","","","$","130,285"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(a)Represents the settlement of litigation in the fourth quarter of 2022, of which $65,000 was paid in 2022 and the balance of $47,500 is payable on or before June 30, 2024.

(b)In connection with our annual recoverability assessment of goodwill, we recorded an impairment charge relating to our News and Advertising reporting unit for the year ended December 31, 2023. See Note 10 for additional information.

We may incur additional contractual payments for terminated employee related costs and facility realignment costs in the future as we continue to analyze our organizational structure.

Depreciation and Amortization (including impairments)

Depreciation and amortization (including impairments) for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 amounted to $1,644,297 and $1,773,673, respectively.

The decrease in depreciation and amortization of $129,376 (7%) for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to 2022 was due to lower amortization expense resulting from certain assets becoming fully amortized, partially offset by higher depreciation expense resulting from increased asset additions in 2023.

Adjusted EBITDA

Adjusted EBITDA amounted to $3,608,890 and $3,866,537 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP measure that is defined as net income (loss) excluding income taxes, non-operating income or expenses, loss on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs, gain (loss) on interest rate swap contracts, gain (loss) on derivative contracts, gain (loss) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, interest expense, net, depreciation and amortization (including impairments), share-based compensation, restructuring, impairments and other operating items (such as significant legal settlements and contractual payments for terminated employees). See reconciliation of net income (loss) to adjusted EBITDA above.

The decrease in adjusted EBITDA for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the prior year was due to the decrease in revenue, partially offset by a decrease in operating expenses during 2023 (excluding depreciation and

57

amortization, restructuring, impairments and other operating items and share-based compensation), as discussed above.

Operating Free Cash Flow

Operating free cash flow was $1,904,079 and $1,952,255 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in operating free cash flow for 2023 as compared to 2022 is due to a decrease in adjusted EBITDA, partially offset by a decrease in cash capital expenditures.

Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow was $121,587 and $452,619 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in free cash flow in 2023 as compared to 2022 is primarily due to a decrease in cash from operating activities, partially offset by a decrease in cash capital expenditures.

Interest expense, net

Interest expense, net was $1,639,120 and $1,331,636 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase of $307,484 (23%) for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022 was attributable to the following:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["Increase primarily due to an increase in interest rates, partially offset by a decrease in average debt balances","$","355,762"],["Other net decreases, primarily lower amortization of deferred financing costs and original issue discounts","(43,315)"],["Higher interest income","(4,963)"],["","$","307,484"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]
Gain (Loss) on Investments and sale of affiliate interests, net

Gain (loss) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 of $180,237 and $(659,792) consisted primarily of the increase (decrease) in the fair value of the Comcast common stock owned by us through January 24, 2023. In 2023, the gain was partially offset by a loss on the sale of our Cheddar News business. The effects of these gains (losses) were partially offset by the gains on the related equity derivative contracts, net described below.

Gain (Loss) on Derivative Contracts, net

Gain (loss) on derivative contracts, net of $(166,489) and $425,815 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, includes realized and unrealized gains or losses due to the change in fair value of equity derivative contracts relating to the Comcast common stock owned by us through January 24, 2023. The effects of these gains (losses) were offset by losses (gains) on investment securities pledged as collateral, which are included in gain (loss) on investments, net discussed above.

Gain on Interest Rate Swap Contracts

Gain on interest rate swap contracts amounted to $32,664 and $271,788 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These amounts represent the change in the fair value of interest rate swap contracts. These swap contracts are not designated as hedges for accounting purposes.

Gain (Loss) on Extinguishment of Debt and Write-off of Deferred Financing Costs

Gain (loss) on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs amounted to $4,393 and $(575) for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

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The following table provides a summary of the loss on extinguishment of debt and the write-off of deferred financing costs recorded by us:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","Years ended December 31,"],["","2023","","2022"],["Settlement of collateralized debt","$","4,393","","","$","\u2014"],["Refinancing of CSC Holdings Term Loan B and Incremental Term Loan B-3","\u2014","","","(575)"],["","$","4,393","","","$","(575)"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]
Other Income, Net

Other income, net amounted to $4,940 and $8,535 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. These amounts include the non-service cost components of our pension plans and dividends received on Comcast common stock owned by us through January 24, 2023.

Income Tax Expense

We recorded income tax expense of $39,528 for the year ended December 31, 2023, resulting in an effective tax rate of 33% and $295,840 for the year ended December 31, 2022, resulting in an effective tax rate of 57% (See Note 14).

Our effective tax rate in 2023 includes the impact of the capital loss recognized from the sale of our Cheddar News business in December 2023 and the impact of the impairment of goodwill related to our News and Advertising business that was not deductible for tax purposes.

During the fourth quarter of 2022, the New York State Division of Tax Appeals published a decision for Charter Communications, Inc. versus New York State whereby it concluded that each corporation in a combined reporting group would have to separately qualify as a qualified emerging technology company ("QETC") to use the preferential QETC tax rate. As we had been historically using the QETC rate at the combined reporting group level, we recorded a cumulative income tax expense of $157,300 that included both a revaluation of state deferred taxes and an increase to our uncertain tax positions reserve for tax years 2017 through 2022 based on this published decision.

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CSC HOLDINGS, LLC

The consolidated statements of operations of CSC Holdings are essentially identical to the consolidated statements of operations of Altice USA, except for the following:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","CSC Holdings"],["","Years ended December 31,"],["","2023","","2022"],["","(in thousands)"],["Net income attributable to Altice USA stockholders","$","53,198","","","$","194,563"],["Less: items included in Altice USA's consolidated statements of operations:"],["Income tax expense (benefit)","(3,049)","","","3,688"],["Net income attributable to CSC Holdings' sole member","$","50,149","","","$","198,251"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

The following is a reconciliation of CSC Holdings' net income to Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Free Cash Flow:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","CSC Holdings"],["","Years ended December 31,"],["","2023","","2022"],["Net income","$","75,988","","","$","224,577"],["Income tax expense","42,577","","","292,152"],["Other income, net","(4,940)","","","(8,535)"],["Gain on interest rate swap contracts, net","(32,664)","","","(271,788)"],["Gain (loss) on derivative contracts, net","166,489","","","(425,815)"],["Loss (gain) on investments and sale of affiliate interests, net","(180,237)","","","659,792"],["Loss (gain) on extinguishment of debt and write-off of deferred financing costs","(4,393)","","","575"],["Interest expense, net","1,639,120","","","1,331,636"],["Depreciation and amortization","1,644,297","","","1,773,673"],["Restructuring, impairments and other operating items","214,727","","","130,285"],["Share-based compensation","47,926","","","159,985"],["Adjusted EBITDA","$","3,608,890","","","3,866,537"],["Capital expenditures (cash)","1,704,811","","","1,914,282"],["Operating Free Cash Flow","$","1,904,079","","","$","1,952,255"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Refer to Altice USA's Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations herein.

The following is a reconciliation of net cash flow from operating activities to Free Cash Flow:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","CSC Holdings"],["","Years ended December 31,"],["","2023","","2022"],["Net cash flows from operating activities","$","1,826,398","","","$","2,366,901"],["Capital expenditures (cash)","1,704,811","","","1,914,282"],["Free Cash Flow","$","121,587","","","$","452,619"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

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LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Altice USA has no operations independent of its subsidiaries. Funding for our subsidiaries has generally been provided by cash flow from their respective operations, cash on hand and borrowings under the CSC Holdings revolving credit facility and the proceeds from the issuance of securities and borrowings under syndicated term loans in the capital markets. Our decision as to the use of cash generated from operating activities, cash on hand, borrowings under the revolving credit facility or accessing the capital markets has been based upon an ongoing review of the funding needs of the business, the optimal allocation of cash resources, the timing of cash flow generation and the cost of borrowing under the revolving credit facility, debt securities and syndicated term loans. We calculate net leverage ratios for our CSC Holdings Restricted Group and Lightpath debt silos as net debt to L2QA EBITDA (Adjusted EBITDA for the two most recent consecutive fiscal quarters multiplied by 2.0).

We expect to utilize free cash flow and availability under the CSC Holdings Restricted Group and Lightpath revolving credit facilities, as well as future refinancing transactions, to further extend the maturities of, or reduce the principal on, our debt obligations. The timing and terms of any refinancing transactions will be subject to, among other factors, market conditions. Additionally, we may, from time to time, depending on market conditions and other factors, use cash on hand and the proceeds from other borrowings to repay the outstanding debt securities through open market purchases, privately negotiated purchases, tender offers, or redemptions.

We believe existing cash balances, operating cash flows and availability under the CSC Holdings Restricted Group and Lightpath revolving credit facilities will provide adequate funds to support our current operating plan, make planned capital expenditures and fulfill our debt service requirements for the next twelve months. However, our ability to fund our operations, make planned capital expenditures, make scheduled payments on our indebtedness and repay our indebtedness depends on our future operating performance and cash flows and our ability to access the capital markets, which, in turn, are subject to prevailing economic conditions and to financial, business and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Competition, market disruptions or a deterioration in economic conditions could lead to lower demand for our products, as well as lower levels of advertising, and increased incidence of customers' inability to pay for the services we provide. These events would adversely impact our results of operations, cash flows and financial position. Although we currently believe amounts available under the CSC Holdings Restricted Group and Lightpath revolving credit facilities will be available when, and if, needed, we can provide no assurance that access to such funds will not be impacted by adverse conditions in the financial markets or other conditions. The obligations of the financial institutions under the revolving credit facilities are several and not joint and, as a result, a funding default by one or more institutions does not need to be made up by the others. See discussion below regarding the issuance of senior guaranteed notes in January 2024.

In the longer term, we may not be able to generate sufficient cash from operations to fund anticipated capital expenditures, meet all existing future contractual payment obligations and repay our debt at maturity. As a result, we could be dependent upon our continued access to the capital and credit markets to issue additional debt or equity or refinance existing debt obligations. We intend to raise significant amounts of funding over the next several years to fund capital expenditures, repay existing obligations and meet other obligations, and the failure to do so successfully could adversely affect our business. If we are unable to do so, we will need to take other actions including deferring capital expenditures, selling assets, seeking strategic investments from third parties or reducing or eliminating stock repurchases and discretionary uses of cash.

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Debt Outstanding

The following tables summarize the carrying value of our outstanding debt, net of unamortized deferred financing costs, discounts and premiums (excluding accrued interest) as of December 31, 2023, as well as interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2023.

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","CSC Holdings Restricted Group","","Lightpath","","Other Unrestricted Entities","","Altice USA/CSC Holdings"],["Debt outstanding:"],["Credit facility debt","$","7,685,784","","","$","571,898","","","$","\u2014","","","$","8,257,682"],["Senior guaranteed notes","8,635,472","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","8,635,472"],["Senior secured notes","\u2014","","","444,410","","","\u2014","","","444,410"],["Senior notes","6,925,311","","","409,136","","","\u2014","","","7,334,447"],["Subtotal","23,246,567","","","1,425,444","","","\u2014","","","24,672,011"],["Finance lease obligations","228,356","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","228,356"],["Notes payable and supply chain financing","174,594","","","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","174,594"],["Total debt","$","23,649,517","","","$","1,425,444","","","$","\u2014","","","$","25,074,961"],["Interest expense:"],["Credit facility debt, senior notes, finance leases, notes payable and supply chain financing","$","1,544,451","","","$","95,824","","","$","\u2014","","","$","1,640,275"],["Collateralized indebtedness relating to stock monetizations (a)","\u2014","","","\u2014","","","7,227","","","7,227"],["Total interest expense","$","1,544,451","","","$","95,824","","","$","7,227","","","$","1,647,502"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(a)This indebtedness was collateralized by shares of Comcast common stock. In January 2023 we settled this debt by delivering the Comcast shares we held and the related equity derivative contracts, resulting in the receipt of cash of approximately $50,500 (including dividends of $11,598).

See Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for further information regarding our outstanding debt.

Payment Obligations Related to Debt

As of December 31, 2023, total amounts payable in connection with our outstanding debt obligations, including related interest, but excluding finance lease obligations and the impact of our interest swap agreements, are as follows (see Note 9 to our consolidated financial statements for information regarding our finance leases):

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","CSC Holdings Restricted Group","","Lightpath","","","","Altice USA/ CSC Holdings"],["2024","$","2,522,086","","","$","98,215","","","","","$","2,620,301"],["2025 (a)","3,809,232","","","97,544","","","","","3,906,776"],["2026","1,818,660","","","92,741","","","","","1,911,401"],["2027","5,213,519","","","1,110,720","","","","","6,324,239"],["2028 (b)","5,647,608","","","438,344","","","","","6,085,952"],["Thereafter","11,343,625","","","\u2014","","","","","11,343,625"],["Total","$","30,354,730","","","$","1,837,564","","","","","$","32,192,294"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

(a)Includes $825,000 principal amount related to the CSC Holdings' revolving credit facility. As a result of the debt transaction in January 2024 discussed in Note 18, the revolving credit facility will mature on July 13, 2027.

(b)Includes $1,906,850 principal amount related to the CSC Holdings' Incremental Term Loan B-6 that is due on the earlier of (i) January 15, 2028 and (ii) April 15, 2027 if, as of such date, any Incremental Term Loan B-5 borrowings are still outstanding, unless the Incremental Term Loan B-5 maturity date has been extended to a date falling after January 15, 2028.

The amounts in the table above do not include the effects of the debt transactions discussed in Note 18.

For financing purposes, we have two debt silos: CSC Holdings and Lightpath. The CSC Holdings silo is structured as a restricted group (the "Restricted Group") and an unrestricted group, which includes certain designated subsidiaries and investments (the "Unrestricted Group"). The Restricted Group is comprised of CSC Holdings and substantially

62

all of its wholly-owned operating subsidiaries excluding Lightpath. These Restricted Group subsidiaries are subject to the covenants and restrictions of the credit facility and indentures governing the notes issued by CSC Holdings. The Lightpath silo includes all of its operating subsidiaries which are subject to the covenants and restrictions of the credit facility and indentures governing the notes issued by Lightpath.

CSC Holdings Restricted Group

Sources of cash for the Restricted Group include primarily cash flow from the operations of the businesses in the Restricted Group, borrowings under its credit facility and issuance of securities in the capital markets, contributions from its parent, and, from time to time, distributions or loans from its subsidiaries. The Restricted Group's principal uses of cash include: capital spending, in particular, the capital requirements associated with the upgrade of its digital broadband, video and telephony services, including costs to build our FTTH network; debt service; other corporate expenses and changes in working capital; and investments that it may fund from time to time.

CSC Holdings Credit Facilities

In October 2015, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Altice USA, which merged with and into CSC Holdings on June 21, 2016, entered into a senior secured credit facility, which currently provides U.S. dollar term loans currently in an aggregate principal amount of $3,000,000 ($1,520,483 outstanding at December 31, 2023) (the "Term Loan B"), and U.S. dollar revolving loan commitments in an aggregate principal amount of $2,475,000 ($825,000 outstanding at December 31, 2023) (the "CSC Revolving Credit Facility" and, together with the Term Loan B, the "CSC Credit Facilities"), which are governed by a credit facilities agreement entered into by, inter alios, CSC Holdings, certain lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as administrative agent and security agent (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the "CSC Credit Facilities Agreement").

In October 2018, CSC Holdings entered into a $1,275,000 ($521,744 outstanding at December 31, 2023) incremental term loan facility (the "Incremental Term Loan B-3"), in October 2019, CSC Holdings entered into a $3,000,000 ($2,887,500 outstanding at December 31, 2023) incremental term loan facility ("Incremental Term Loan B-5") and in December 2022, CSC Holdings entered into a $2,001,942 ($1,986,928 outstanding at December 31, 2023) incremental term loan facility (the "Incremental Term Loan B-6") under its existing credit facilities agreement.

During the year ended December 31, 2023, CSC Holdings borrowed $1,700,000 under its revolving credit facility and repaid $2,450,000 of amounts outstanding under the revolving credit facility.

At December 31, 2023, $133,512 of the revolving credit facility was restricted for certain letters of credit issued on our behalf and $1,516,488 was undrawn and available, subject to covenant limitations.

As of December 31, 2023, CSC Holdings was in compliance with applicable financial covenants under its credit facility.

See Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for further information regarding the CSC Credit Facilities Agreement.

Senior Guaranteed Notes and Senior Notes

In April 2023, CSC Holdings issued $1,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior guaranteed notes that bear interest at a rate of 11.250% and mature on May 15, 2028. We used the proceeds to repay outstanding borrowings drawn under the CSC Revolving Credit Facility.

In January 2024, CSC Holdings issued $2,050,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior guaranteed notes due 2029. These notes bear interest at a rate of 11.750% and will mature on January 31, 2029. The proceeds from the sale of these notes were used to repay certain indebtedness including (i) the outstanding principal balance on the Term Loan B, (ii) the outstanding principal balance on the Incremental Term Loan B-3, and (iii) pay the fees, costs and expenses associated with these transactions.

Also in January 2024, we notified our 5.250% Senior Notes due 2024 and 5.250% Series B Senior Notes due 2024 bondholders that we will be redeeming these notes in full (in accordance with the terms of the indenture). We expect to draw $750,000 under our Revolving Credit Facility to repay these notes on February 28, 2024.

See Note 11 and Note 18 of our consolidated financial statements for further details of our outstanding senior guaranteed notes and senior notes.

As of December 31, 2023, CSC Holdings was in compliance with applicable financial covenants under each respective indenture by which the senior guaranteed notes and senior notes were issued.

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Lightpath

Sources of cash for Lightpath include existing cash balances, operating cash flows from its operating subsidiaries and availability under the revolving credit facility.

Lightpath Credit Facility

Lightpath is party to a credit agreement which provides a term loan in an aggregate principal amount of $600,000 ($582,000 outstanding at December 31, 2023) and revolving loan commitments in an aggregate principal amount of $100,000. As of December 31, 2023, there were no borrowings outstanding under the Lightpath revolving credit facility. See Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements for further information regarding the Lightpath credit agreement.

As of December 31, 2023, Lightpath was in compliance with applicable financial covenants under its credit agreement and with applicable financial covenants under each respective indenture by which its senior secured notes and senior notes were issued.

Lightpath Senior Secured Notes and Senior Notes

In 2020, Lightpath issued $450,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes that bear interest at a rate of 3.875% and mature on September 15, 2027 and $415,000 in aggregate principal amount of senior notes that bear interest at a rate of 5.625% and mature on September 15, 2028.

As of December 31, 2023, Lightpath was in compliance with applicable financial covenants under each respective indenture by which the senior secured notes and senior notes were issued.

Lightpath Interest Rate Swap Contract

In April 2023, Lightpath entered into an interest rate swap contract, effective June 2023 on a notional amount of $180,000, whereby Lightpath pays interest of 3.523% through December 2026 and receives interest based on one-month SOFR.

See Note 12 of our consolidated financial statements for further details of our outstanding interest rate swap contracts.

Capital Expenditures

The following table presents our capital expenditures:

[[GREPCENT_TABLE]]
[["","Years Ended December 31,"],["","2023","","2022"],["Customer premise equipment","$","277,194","","","$","316,175"],["Network infrastructure","924,476","","","1,153,860"],["Support and other","242,235","","","270,149"],["Business services","260,906","","","174,098"],["Capital expenditures (cash basis)","1,704,811","","","1,914,282"],["Right-of-use assets acquired in exchange for finance lease obligations","133,056","","","160,542"],["Notes payable for the purchase of equipment and other assets","213,325","","","132,452"],["Change in accrued and unpaid purchases and other","(169,953)","","","169,227"],["Capital expenditures (accrual basis)","$","1,881,239","","","$","2,376,503"]]
[[/GREPCENT_TABLE]]

Customer premise equipment includes expenditures for drop cable, fiber gateways, modems, routers, and other equipment installed at customer locations. Network infrastructure includes (i) scalable infrastructure, such as headend and related equipment, (ii) line extensions, such as fiber and coaxial cable, amplifiers, electronic equipment, and design and engineering costs to expand the network, and (iii) upgrade and rebuild, including costs to modify or replace existing segments of the network. Support and other capital expenditures include costs associated with the replacement or enhancement of non-network assets, such as software systems, vehicles, facilities, and office equipment. Business services capital expenditures include primarily equipment, support and other costs related to our fiber-based telecommunications business serving enterprise customers.

64

Cash Flow Discussion

Altice USA

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to $1,826,398 and $2,366,901 for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022, respectively. 

The decrease in cash provided by operating activities of $540,503 in 2023 as compared to 2022 resulted from a decrease in net income before depreciation and amortization and other non-cash items of $773,364, partially offset by an increase of $232,861 due to changes in working capital (including an increase in interest payments of $334,899 and a decrease in tax payments of $53,667), as well as the timing of payments and collections of accounts receivable, among other items.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $1,706,523 and $1,921,510, respectively, and consisted primarily of capital expenditures of $1,704,811 and $1,914,282, respectively, primarily relating to network infrastructure and customer premise equipment.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities amounted to $122,591 and $335,906 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

In 2023, our financing activities consisted primarily of the repayment of debt of $2,688,009, and principal payments on finance lease obligations of $149,297, partially offset by net proceeds from long-term debt of $2,700,000.

In 2022, our financing activities consisted primarily of the repayment of debt of $4,469,727, and principal payments on finance lease obligations of $134,682, partially offset by net proceeds from long-term debt of $4,276,903.

CSC Holdings

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to $1,826,398 and $2,366,901 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The decrease in cash provided by operating activities of $540,503 in 2023 as compared to 2022 resulted from a decrease in income from continuing operations before depreciation and amortization and other non-cash items of $774,554, partially offset by an increase of $234,051 due to changes in working capital (including an increase in interest payments of $334,899 and a decrease in tax payments of $53,667, as well as the timing of payments and collections of accounts receivable, among other items).

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $1,706,523 and $1,921,510, respectively, and consisted primarily of capital expenditures of $1,704,811 and $1,914,282, respectively, primarily relating to network infrastructure and customer premise equipment.

Financing Activities

Net cash used in financing activities amounted to $122,591 and $333,356 for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

In 2023, our financing activities consisted primarily of the repayment of long-term debt of $2,688,009, and principal payments on finance lease obligations of $149,297, partially offset by net proceeds from long-term debt of $2,700,000.

In 2022, our financing activities consisted primarily of the repayment of long-term debt of $4,469,727, and principal payments on finance lease obligations of $134,682, partially offset by net proceeds from long-term debt of $4,276,903.

65

Contractual Obligations and Off Balance Sheet Commitments

Our contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023 consist primarily of our debt obligations, purchase obligations which primarily include contractual commitments with various programming vendors to provide video services to our customers and minimum purchase obligations to purchase goods or services, operating and finance lease obligations, outstanding letters of credit, and guarantees. Note 11 to our consolidated financial statements contains further information regarding our debt obligations, Note 17 contains information regarding our off-balance sheet obligations and Note 9 contains information regarding our leases.

Managing our Interest Rate and Equity Price Risk

See "Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk" for a discussion regarding interest rate risk and equity price risk.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

In preparing our financial statements, we are required to make certain estimates, judgments and assumptions that we believe are reasonable based upon the information available. These estimates and assumptions affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the periods presented.

Goodwill and Indefinite-Lived Assets

Goodwill and indefinite-lived cable franchise rights are not amortized. Rather, such assets are tested for impairment annually or whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the assets may be impaired. We assess the recoverability of our goodwill and indefinite-lived cable franchise rights annually as of October 1 ("annual impairment test date"). As of the annual impairment test date, goodwill amounted to $8,207,771 ($8,044,716 related to our Telecommunications reporting unit and $163,055 related to our News and Advertising reporting unit) and indefinite-lived cable franchise rights amounted to $13,216,355.

The assessment of recoverability may first consider qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or our indefinite-lived cable franchise rights is less than its carrying amount. These qualitative factors include macroeconomic conditions such as changes in interest rates, industry and market considerations, recent and projected financial performance of the reporting units, as well as other factors. A quantitative test is performed if we conclude that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or an indefinite-lived cable franchise right is less than its carrying amount or if a qualitative assessment is not performed. In 2023, we performed a quantitative assessment for our goodwill recoverability test and a qualitative assessment for our indefinite-lived cable franchise rights recoverability test.

Goodwill

Goodwill resulted from business combinations and represents the excess amount of the consideration paid over the identifiable assets and liabilities recorded in acquisitions. We test goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level: (i) Telecommunications and (ii) News and Advertising. The goodwill related to our Telecommunications reporting unit was recorded primarily in connection with the Cequel Acquisition in 2015 and the Cablevision Acquisition in 2016 and the goodwill related to our News and Advertising reporting unit was recorded primarily in connection with the acquisition of Cheddar Inc. in 2019.

The quantitative test for goodwill identifies potential impairment by comparing the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount. If the carrying amount of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

We estimate the fair value of our reporting units by considering both (i) a discounted cash flow method, which is based on the present value of projected cash flows over a discrete projection period and a terminal value, which is based on the expected normalized cash flows of the reporting units following the discrete projection period, and (ii) a market approach, which includes the use of market multiples of publicly-traded companies whose services are comparable to ours. Significant judgments in estimating the fair value of our reporting units include cash flow projections and the selection of the discount rate.

The estimates and assumptions utilized in estimating the fair value of our reporting units could have a significant impact on whether and to what extent an impairment charge is recognized. Fair value estimates are made at a specific

66

point in time, based on relevant information. These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgments. Changes in assumptions could significantly affect the estimates.

In 2023, we elected to perform a quantitative impairment test for our reporting units. Based on this assessment, the estimated fair value of our Telecommunications reporting unit exceeded its carrying value and no impairment was recorded. However, the carrying value of our News and Advertising reporting unit exceeded its fair value resulting in an impairment charge of $163,055 primarily due to a decrease in projected cash flows resulting from an overall decline in the advertising market and an increase in the discount rate.

Indefinite-lived Cable Franchise Rights

Our indefinite-lived cable franchise rights represent agreements we have with state and local governments that allow us to construct and operate a cable business within a specified geographic area and allow us to solicit and service potential customers in the service areas defined by the agreements. We have concluded that our cable franchise rights have an indefinite useful life since there are no legal, regulatory, contractual, competitive, economic or other factors that limit the period over which these rights will contribute to our cash flows. For impairment testing purposes, we have concluded that our cable franchise rights are a single unit of account.

When the qualitative assessment is not used, or if the qualitative assessment is not conclusive, the impairment test for identifiable indefinite-lived intangible assets requires a comparison of the estimated fair value of the intangible asset with its carrying value. If the carrying value of the intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess.

Estimates and assumptions utilized in estimating the fair value of our identifiable indefinite-lived intangible assets could have a significant impact on whether and to what extent an impairment charge is recognized. Fair value estimates are made at a specific point in time, based on relevant information. These estimates are subjective in nature and involve uncertainties and matters of significant judgments. Changes in assumptions could significantly affect the estimates.

Based on our qualitative assessment in the fourth quarter of 2023, we concluded that it was not more likely than not that the carrying amount of these assets exceeds its fair value.

Capitalization of Costs

Costs incurred in the construction of our cable systems, including line extensions to, and upgrade of, our HFC infrastructure and construction of the parallel FTTH infrastructure, are capitalized. This includes headend facilities and initial placement of the feeder cable to connect a customer that had not been previously connected. These costs consist of materials, subcontractor labor, direct consulting fees, and internal labor and related costs associated with the construction activities (including interest related to FTTH construction). Internal costs that are capitalized consist of salaries and benefits of our employees and a portion of facility costs, that supports the construction activities. Such costs are depreciated over the estimated life of our infrastructure and our headend facilities and related equipment (5 to 25 years). Costs of operating the plant and the technical facilities, including repairs and maintenance, are expensed as incurred.

Costs associated with the initial deployment of new customer premise equipment ("CPE") necessary to provide services are also capitalized. These costs include materials, subcontractor labor, internal labor, and other related costs associated with the connection activities. Departmental activities supporting the connection process are capitalized based on time-weighted activity allocations of costs. These installation costs are amortized over the estimated useful lives of the CPE. The portion of departmental costs related to disconnecting services and removing CPE from a customer, costs related to connecting CPE that has been previously connected to the network, and repair and maintenance are expensed as incurred.

Recently Issued Accounting Standards

See Note 3 to the accompanying consolidated financial statements contained in "Part II. Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data" for a discussion of recently issued accounting standards.