SIRIUS XM HOLDINGS INC. (SIRI) FY 2024 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
All amounts referenced in this Item 7 are in millions, except subscriber amounts are in thousands and per subscriber and per installation amounts are in ones, unless otherwise stated.
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Executive Summary
Liberty Media Transactions
Sirius XM Holdings Inc., the reporting company under this Annual Report on Form 10-K, is the product of a series of transactions that closed on Monday, September 9, 2024.
On September 9, 2024 at 4:05 p.m., New York City time, Liberty Media Corporation (“Liberty Media” or “Former Parent”) completed its previously announced split-off (the “Split-Off”) of its former wholly owned subsidiary, Liberty Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (“SplitCo”). The Split-Off was accomplished by Liberty Media redeeming each outstanding share of Liberty Media’s Series A, Series B and Series C Liberty SiriusXM common stock, par value $0.01 per share, in exchange for 0.8375 of a share of SplitCo common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Redemption”), with cash being paid to entitled record holders of Liberty SiriusXM common stock in lieu of any fractional shares of common stock of SplitCo.
Following the Split-Off, on September 9, 2024 at 6:00 p.m., New York City time (the “Merger Effective Time”), a wholly owned subsidiary of SplitCo merged with and into Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (“Old Sirius”), with Old Sirius surviving the merger as a wholly owned subsidiary of New Sirius (the “Merger” and together with the Split-Off, the “Transactions”). Upon consummation of the Merger, each share of common stock of Old Sirius, par value $0.001 per share, issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Effective Time (other than shares owned by New Sirius and its subsidiaries) was converted into one-tenth (0.1) of a share of SplitCo common stock, with cash being paid to entitled record holders of Old Sirius common stock in lieu of any fractional shares of common stock of SplitCo.
At the Merger Effective Time, Old Sirius was renamed “Sirius XM Inc.” and SplitCo was renamed “Sirius XM Holdings Inc.” In connection with the Transactions and by operation of Rule 12g-3(a) promulgated under the Exchange Act, SplitCo became the successor issuer to Old Sirius and succeeded to the attributes of Old Sirius as the registrant, including Old Sirius's Commission File Number and CIK number.
The Transactions are intended to generally be tax-free to holders of Liberty SiriusXM common stock and Sirius XM Holdings common stock (except with respect to any cash received by such holders) and the completion of the Transactions was subject to various conditions, including the receipt of opinions of tax counsel.
Any references to the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “ours” refers to Sirius XM Holdings Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries following the Transactions.
We operate two complementary audio entertainment businesses - one of which it refers to as “SiriusXM” and the second of which it refers to as “Pandora and Off-platform”.
SiriusXM
Our SiriusXM business features a wide range of content, including, music, sports, entertainment, comedy, talk and news channels, podcasts and infotainment services, all available in the United States on a subscription fee basis. SiriusXM's content bundles include live, curated and certain exclusive and on demand programming. The SiriusXM service is distributed through our two proprietary satellite radio systems and streamed via applications for mobile devices, home devices and other consumer electronic equipment. Satellite radios are primarily distributed through automakers, retailers and SiriusXM’s website. Additionally, our user interface, “360L,” integrates satellite and streaming services into a seamless in-vehicle entertainment experience.
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The primary source of revenue from the SiriusXM business is subscription fees, with most of its customers subscribing to monthly or annual plans. Additional revenue streams include advertising on select non-music channels, direct sales of radios and accessories, and other ancillary services. As of December 31, 2024, the SiriusXM business had approximately 33.2 million subscribers.
In addition to the audio entertainment businesses, we provide connected vehicle services to several automakers. These services are designed to enhance the safety, security and driving experience of consumers. We also offers a suite of data services that includes graphical weather and fuel prices, a traffic information service, and real-time weather services in boats and airplanes.
Sirius XM holds a 70% equity interest and 33% voting interest in Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. (“Sirius XM Canada”). Sirius XM Canada's subscribers are not included in our subscriber count or subscriber-based operating metrics.
Pandora and Off-platform
Our Pandora and Off-platform business operates a music, comedy and podcast streaming platform, offering a personalized experience for each listener wherever and whenever they want to listen, whether through mobile devices, car speakers or connected devices. Pandora enables listeners to create personalized stations and playlists, discover new content, hear artist- and expert-curated playlists, podcasts as well as search and play songs and albums on-demand. Pandora is available as (1) an ad-supported radio service, (2) a radio subscription service (Pandora Plus) and (3) an on-demand subscription service (Pandora Premium). As of December 31, 2024, Pandora had approximately 43.3 million monthly active users and 5.8 million subscribers.
The majority of revenue from Pandora is generated from advertising on Pandora's ad-supported radio service. Pandora also derives subscription revenue from its Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium subscribers. Our Pandora and Off-platform business also sells advertising on other audio platforms and in widely distributed podcasts, which we consider to be off-platform services.
Sirius XM also sells advertising on other audio platforms and in widely distributed podcasts, which it considers to be off-platform services. Sirius XM has an arrangement with SoundCloud Holdings, LLC (“SoundCloud”) to be its exclusive ad sales representative in the US and certain European countries and offer advertisers the ability to execute campaigns across the Pandora and SoundCloud platforms. It also has arrangements to serve as the ad sales representative for certain podcasts. In addition, through AdsWizz Inc., Sirius XM provides a comprehensive digital audio and programmatic advertising technology platform, which connects audio publishers and advertisers with a variety of ad insertion, campaign trafficking, yield optimization, programmatic buying, marketplace and podcast monetization solutions.
The information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K represents a combination of the historical information of SplitCo (now renamed Sirius XM Holdings Inc.) prior to the Merger Effective Time and Old Sirius.
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Results of Operations - December 31, 2024 and 2023
Set forth below are our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared with the year ended December 31, 2023. Refer to Amendment No. 1 to our Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC on March 20, 2024 for our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared with the year ended December 31, 2022. The results of operations are presented for each of our reporting segments for revenue and cost of services and on a consolidated basis for all other items.
| For the Years Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions) | 2024 | 2023 | Amount | % | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sirius XM: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriber revenue | $ | 6,076 | $ | 6,342 | $ | (266) | (4) | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Advertising revenue | 167 | 169 | (2) | (1) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Equipment revenue | 182 | 193 | (11) | (6) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other revenue | 128 | 136 | (8) | (6) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total Sirius XM revenue | 6,553 | 6,840 | (287) | (4) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pandora and Off-platform: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriber revenue | 540 | 524 | 16 | 3 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Advertising revenue | 1,606 | 1,589 | 17 | 1 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total Pandora and Off-platform revenue | 2,146 | 2,113 | 33 | 2 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total revenue | 8,699 | 8,953 | (254) | (3) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of services | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sirius XM: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue share and royalties | 1,565 | 1,603 | (38) | (2) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Programming and content | 550 | 549 | 1 | — | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Customer service and billing | 369 | 393 | (24) | (6) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Transmission | 190 | 171 | 19 | 11 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of equipment | 10 | 14 | (4) | (29) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total Sirius XM cost of services | 2,684 | 2,730 | (46) | (2) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Pandora and Off-platform: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenue share and royalties | 1,270 | 1,292 | (22) | (2) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Programming and content | 61 | 69 | (8) | (12) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Customer service and billing | 79 | 83 | (4) | (5) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Transmission | 35 | 35 | — | — | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total Pandora and Off-platform cost of services | 1,445 | 1,479 | (34) | (2) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total cost of services | 4,129 | 4,209 | (80) | (2) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Subscriber acquisition costs | 369 | 359 | 10 | 3 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 894 | 931 | (37) | (4) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Product and technology | 296 | 322 | (26) | (8) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| General and administrative | 497 | 608 | (111) | (18) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 578 | 624 | (46) | (7) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Impairment, restructuring and other costs | 3,453 | 92 | 3,361 | 3653 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total operating expenses | 10,216 | 7,145 | 3,071 | 43 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| (Loss) income from operations | (1,517) | 1,808 | (3,325) | (184) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense | (496) | (534) | 38 | 7 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Gain on extinguishment of debt | 12 | — | 12 | nm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net | 136 | (64) | 200 | nm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Total other expense | (348) | (598) | 250 | 42 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| (Loss) income before income taxes | (1,865) | 1,210 | (3,075) | nm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | (210) | (222) | 12 | 5 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net (loss) income | $ | (2,075) | $ | 988 | $ | (3,063) | nm |
nm - not meaningful
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Sirius XM Revenue
Sirius XM Subscriber Revenue includes fees charged for self-pay and paid promotional subscriptions, U.S. Music Royalty Fees and other ancillary fees.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, subscriber revenue was $6,076 and $6,342, respectively, a decrease of 4%, or $266. The decrease was primarily attributed to a reduction in self-pay revenue resulting from a decline in the average number of subscribers as well as lower Average Revenue Per User ("ARPU"). The lower ARPU was driven by an increase in subscribers on self-pay promotional and streaming-only subscription plans, alongside a reduction in automaker paid promotional trials which reduced paid promotional revenue.
We anticipate a decline in subscriber revenues driven by a reduction in the average number of subscribers and a decrease in the average price of our subscriptions.
Sirius XM Advertising Revenue includes the sale of advertising on Sirius XM’s non-music channels.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, advertising revenue was $167 and $169, respectively, a decrease of 1%, or $2. This decline was primarily due to lower revenue from entertainment channels, which was partially offset by higher revenue earned on news channels.
We expect our Sirius XM advertising revenue to grow as we continue to promote our brand and leverage co-selling initiatives across our brands and platforms.
Sirius XM Equipment Revenue includes revenue and royalties from the sale of satellite radios, components and accessories.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, equipment revenue was $182 and $193, respectively, a decrease of 6%, or $11. The decrease was driven by a transition to higher cost next generation chipsets, partially offset by increased chipset production.
We expect equipment revenue to remain flat as higher costs associated with the transition to our next generation chipset are projected to offset the benefits of increased production.
Sirius XM Other Revenue includes service and advisory revenue from Sirius XM Canada, revenue from our connected vehicle services, and ancillary revenues.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, other revenue was $128 and $136, respectively, a decrease of 6%, or $8. The decrease was driven by lower royalty revenue from Sirius XM Canada.
We expect other revenue to remain relatively flat.
Pandora and Off-platform Revenue
Pandora and Off-platform Subscriber Revenue includes fees charged for Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Pandora and Off-platform subscriber revenue was $540 and $524, respectively, an increase of 3%, or $16. The growth was primarily driven by rate increases on Pandora subscription plans, partially offset by a decline in the subscriber base.
We expect Pandora and Off-platform subscriber revenues to decrease due to a decline in the subscriber base.
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Pandora and Off-platform Advertising Revenue is generated primarily from audio, display and video advertising from on-platform and off-platform advertising.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Pandora and Off-platform advertising revenue was $1,606 and $1,589, respectively, an increase of 1%, or $17. The growth was primarily driven by higher podcasting revenue and increased technology fees, partially offset by reduced streaming demand due to increased competition.
We expect Pandora and Off-platform advertising revenue to increase due to growth in off-platform monetization, including through podcasts, as well as higher technology fees.
Total Revenue
Total Revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $8,699 and $8,953, respectively, a decrease of 3%, or $254.
Sirius XM Cost of Services
Sirius XM Cost of Services includes revenue share and royalties, programming and content, customer service and billing, and transmission expenses.
Sirius XM Revenue Share and Royalties include royalties for transmitting content, including streaming royalties, as well as revenue share agreements with automaker, content provider and advertisers.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, revenue share and royalties were $1,565 and $1,603, respectively, a decrease of 2%, or $38, but increased as a percentage of total Sirius XM revenue. The decrease was driven by lower subscription revenue, partially offset by higher web streaming royalty rates.
We expect our Sirius XM revenue share and royalty costs to remain flat as a percentage of revenue but to decrease overall. We project lower eligible subscription revenue, partially offset by higher royalty rates under the statutory webcasting license due to increases in the Consumer Price Index.
Sirius XM Programming and Content includes costs to acquire, create, promote and produce content. We have entered into agreements with third parties for music and non-music programming that require us to pay license fees and other amounts.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, programming and content expenses were $550 and $549, respectively, an increase of less than 1%, or $1, and increased as a percentage of total Sirius XM revenue. The rise in costs was driven by higher personnel-related costs, which were offset by lower production costs.
We expect our Sirius XM programming and content expenses to remain relatively flat.
Sirius XM Customer Service and Billing includes costs related to the operation and management of internal and third-party customer service centers, our subscriber management systems, billing and collection processes, bad debt expense, and transaction fees.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, customer service and billing expenses were $369 and $393, respectively, a decrease of 6%, or $24, and decreased as a percentage of total Sirius XM revenue. The reduction was primarily driven by lower call center costs, transaction and payment processing fees, bad debt expense, and personnel-related costs.
We expect our Sirius XM customer service and billing expenses to increase as a result of higher subscriber management system transition costs, partially offset by a reduction in call center and personnel-related costs.
Sirius XM Transmission consists of costs associated with the operation and maintenance of our terrestrial repeater networks; satellites; satellite telemetry, tracking and control systems; satellite uplink facilities; studios; and delivery of our Internet and 360L streaming and connected vehicle services.
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For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, transmission expenses were $190 and $171, respectively, an increase of 11%, or $19, and increased as a percentage of total Sirius XM revenue. The increase was driven primarily by higher hosting costs associated with our streaming platform as well as increased consulting costs.
We expect our Sirius XM transmission expenses to decrease due to ongoing cost optimization efforts.
Sirius XM Cost of Equipment includes costs from the sale of satellite radios, components and accessories and provisions for inventory allowance attributable to products purchased for resale in our direct to consumer distribution channels.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, cost of equipment was $10 and $14, respectively, a decrease of 29%, or $4, and decreased as a percentage of total Sirius XM revenue. The decline was driven by fewer sales of satellite radios and related components as well as lower shipping costs.
We expect our Sirius XM cost of equipment to remain relatively flat.
Pandora and Off-platform Cost of Services
Pandora and Off-platform Cost of Services includes revenue share and royalties, programming and content, customer service and billing, and transmission expenses.
Pandora and Off-platform Revenue Share and Royalties includes licensing fees paid for streaming music, podcast content, and revenue share paid to third party publishers. Payments are made based on advertising impressions delivered or click-through actions, and these costs are recorded in the related period.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, revenue share and royalties were $1,270 and $1,292, respectively, a decrease of 2%, or $22, and decreased as a percentage of total Pandora and Off-platform revenue. The decrease was primarily due to lower on-platform revenue, reduced listener hours, and decreased revenue share related to podcasts.
We expect our Pandora and Off-platform revenue share and royalties to increase with the growth in our podcast revenue and higher royalty rates, including as a result of increases in the Consumer Price Index.
Pandora and Off-platform Programming and Content includes costs to produce owned and operated podcasts, live listener events and promote content.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, programming and content expenses were $61 and $69, respectively, a decrease of 12%, or $8, and decreased as a percentage of total Pandora and Off-platform revenue. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower personnel-related costs, license fees, and event costs.
We expect our Pandora and Off-platform programming and content costs to remain relatively flat as increased podcast and event production costs are offset by lower personnel-related expenses.
Pandora and Off-platform Customer Service and Billing includes transaction fees on subscription purchases through mobile app stores and bad debt expense.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, customer service and billing expenses were $79 and $83, respectively, a decrease of 5%, or $4, and decreased as a percentage of total Pandora and Off-platform revenue. The decrease was driven by lower bad debt expenses.
We expect our Pandora and Off-platform customer service and billing costs to remain relatively flat.
Pandora and Off-platform Transmission includes costs associated with content streaming, maintaining our streaming radio and on-demand subscription services and creating and serving advertisements through third-party ad servers.
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For each of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, Pandora and Off-Platform transmission expenses were $35, remaining unchanged in absolute terms but decreased as a percentage of total Pandora and Off-platform revenue. The flat expense level reflects higher bandwidth costs which were offset by lower personnel-related costs.
We expect our Pandora and Off-platform transmission costs to increase due to higher hosting costs associated with increased AdsWizz platform fee revenue, partially offset by lower personnel-related costs.
Operating Costs
Subscriber Acquisition Costs are costs associated with our satellite radio service. These include hardware subsidies paid to radio manufacturers, distributors and automakers; subsidies paid for chipsets and certain other components used in manufacturing radios; device royalties for certain radios and chipsets; product warranty obligations; and freight. The majority of subscriber acquisition costs are incurred and expensed in advance of acquiring a subscriber. Subscriber acquisition costs do not include advertising costs, marketing, loyalty payments to distributors and dealers of satellite radios or revenue share payments to automakers and retailers of satellite radios.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, subscriber acquisition costs were $369 and $359, respectively, an increase of 3%, or $10, and increased as a percentage of total revenue. The increase was driven by contractual changes with certain automakers, partially offset by lower hardware subsidies from installations and reduced commission and hardware subsidy rates.
We expect subscriber acquisition costs to rise due to increased penetration with certain automakers and higher subsidies and other incentives offered to induce automakers to include our latest technology in their vehicles.
Sales and Marketing includes costs for marketing, advertising, media and production, including promotional events and sponsorships; cooperative and artist marketing; and personnel related costs including salaries, commissions, and sales support. Marketing costs include expenses related to direct mail, outbound telemarketing, email communications, social media, television and streaming performance media, and third party promotional offers.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, sales and marketing expenses were $894 and $931, respectively, a decrease of 4%, or $37, and decreased as a percentage of total revenue. The decrease was primarily due to lower streaming and in-car marketing as well as personnel-related costs.
We expect sales and marketing expenses to continue to decline as we optimize costs across all marketing activities.
Product and Technology consists primarily of compensation and related costs to develop chipsets and new products and services, including streaming and connected vehicle services, research and development for broadcast information systems and the design and development costs to incorporate Sirius XM radios into new vehicles manufactured by automakers.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023,product and technology expenses were $296 and $322, respectively, a decrease of 8%, or $26, and decreased as a percentage of total revenue. The decrease was primarily driven by higher capitalized personnel-related costs, which were partially offset by increased cloud hosting costs.
We anticipate product and technology expenses to decline as we optimize our technology spend.
General and Administrative primarily consists of compensation and related costs for personnel and facilities, and includes costs related to our finance, legal, human resources and information technology departments.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, general and administrative expenses were $497 and $608, respectively, a decrease of 18%, or $111, and decreased as a percentage of total revenue. The decrease was primarily driven by lower legal costs resulting from litigation insurance recoveries and reduced legal reserves, including amounts associated with settlement of certain litigation matters of $24 during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, as well as lower Former Parent operating costs.
We expect our general and administrative expenses, excluding litigation insurance recoveries, to remain relatively flat. Higher technology and consulting costs are expected to be offset by lower personnel-related costs and the absence of Former Parent operating costs going forward.
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Depreciation and Amortization reflects the allocation of the costs of assets used in operations such as our satellite constellations, property, equipment and intangible assets, over their estimated service lives.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, depreciation and amortization expense was $578 and $624, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to the retirement of a satellite during the twelve months ended December 31, 2023 and certain assets that reached the end of their useful lives, partially offset by the write-down of certain property and equipment recorded in the Transactions and an increase in capitalized software and hardware.
Impairment, Restructuring and Other Costs represents impairment charges, associated with the carrying amount of an asset exceeding the asset's fair value, restructuring expenses associated with the abandonment of certain leased office spaces as well as employee severance charges and other charges associated with organizational changes, and costs associated with the Transactions.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, impairment, restructuring and other costs were $3,453 and $92, respectively. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, we recorded impairment charges of $3,355 primarily related to an impairment of Goodwill and equity method investments, costs associated with the Transactions of $71, and a charge of $27 associated with severance and other restructuring costs. During the years ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a charge of $34 primarily related to severance and other related costs, costs associated with the Transactions of $26, impairments primarily related to terminated software projects of $15, vacated office space impairments of $12, accrued expenses of $3 for which we will not recognize any future economic benefit, and a cost-method investment impairment of $2.
Other (Expense) Income
Interest Expense represents the cost of interest on outstanding debt.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, interest expense was $496 and $534, respectively. The decrease was driven by a lower average outstanding debt balance and increased capitalized interest.
Gain on Extinguishment of Debt includes gains incurred as a result of the redemption of certain debt.
The $12 gain on extinguishment of debt during the year ended December 31, 2024 was due to the repurchase or redemption of the 2.75% exchangeable senior debentures due 2049.
Other Income (Expense), Net primarily includes realized and unrealized gains and losses from our debt measured at fair value, bond hedges, Deferred Compensation Plan and other investments, intergroup interests, interest and dividend income, our share of the income or loss from equity investments, and transaction costs related to non-operating investments.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, other income (expense), net was $136 and $(64), respectively. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2024, we recorded unrealized gains on debt measured at fair value, earnings on unconsolidated entity investments, and trading gains associated with the investments held for our Deferred Compensation Plan. During the twelve months ended December 31, 2023, we recorded losses associated with bond hedges, partially offset by gains associated with the fair value of intergroup interests, earnings on unconsolidated entity investments, and trading gains from the investments held for our Deferred Compensation Plan.
Income Taxes
Income Tax Expense includes the change in our deferred tax assets, current federal and state tax expenses, and foreign withholding taxes.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, income tax expense was $210 and $222, respectively.
Our effective tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was (11.3)% and 18.3%, respectively. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2024 was primarily driven by federal and state income tax expense, offset by the nondeductible impairment of Goodwill recorded during the year. The effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2023 was primarily driven by federal and state income tax expense, partially offset by the benefits related to research and development and certain other credits, as well as a release in state valuation allowance.
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Key Financial and Operating Performance Metrics
In this section, we present certain financial performance measures, some of which are presented as Non-GAAP items, which include free cash flow and adjusted EBITDA. We also present certain operating performance measures. Our adjusted EBITDA excludes the impact of share-based payment expense. Additionally, when applicable, our adjusted EBITDA metric excludes the effect of significant items that do not relate to the on-going performance of our business. We use these Non-GAAP financial and operating performance measures to manage our business, to set operational goals and as a basis for determining performance-based compensation for our employees. See the accompanying Glossary for more details and for the reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP measure (where applicable).
We believe these Non-GAAP financial and operating performance measures provide useful information to investors regarding our financial condition and results of operations. We believe these Non-GAAP financial and operating performance measures may be useful to investors in evaluating our core trends because they provide a more direct view of our underlying costs. We believe investors may use our adjusted EBITDA to estimate our current enterprise value and to make investment decisions. We believe free cash flow provides useful supplemental information to investors regarding our cash available for future subscriber acquisitions and capital expenditures, to repurchase or retire debt, to acquire other companies and our ability to return capital to stockholders. By providing these Non-GAAP financial and operating performance measures, together with the reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measure (where applicable), we believe we are enhancing investors' understanding of our business and our results of operations.
Our Non-GAAP financial measures should be viewed in addition to, and not as an alternative for or superior to, our reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, our Non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures by other companies. Please refer to the Glossary for a further discussion of such Non-GAAP financial and operating performance measures and reconciliations to the most directly comparable GAAP measure (where applicable). Subscribers and subscription related revenues and expenses associated with our connected vehicle services and Sirius XM Canada are not included in Sirius XM's subscriber count or subscriber-based operating metrics. Subscribers to the Cloud Cover music programming service are now included in Pandora's subscriber count.
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Set forth below are our subscriber balances as of December 31, 2024 compared to December 31, 2023.
| As of December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (subscribers in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | Amount | % | |||||||||
| Sirius XM | |||||||||||||
| Self-pay subscribers | 31,646 | 31,942 | (296) | (1) | % | ||||||||
| Paid promotional subscribers | 1,580 | 1,933 | (353) | (18) | % | ||||||||
| Ending subscribers | 33,226 | 33,875 | (649) | (2) | % | ||||||||
| Sirius XM Canada subscribers | 2,516 | 2,629 | (113) | (4) | % | ||||||||
| Pandora and Off-platform | |||||||||||||
| Monthly active users - all services | 43,344 | 46,026 | (2,682) | (6) | % | ||||||||
| Self-pay subscribers (1) | 5,774 | 6,053 | (279) | (5) | % |
(1) Pandora and Off-platform self-pay subscribers include Cloud Cover subscribers of 57 and 45 as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The following table contains our Non-GAAP financial and operating performance measures which are based on our adjusted results of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. Refer to Amendment No. 1 to our Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC on March 20, 2024 for our Non-GAAP financial and operating performance measures for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared with the year ended December 31, 2022.
| For the Years Ended December 31, | 2024 vs 2023 Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (subscribers in thousands) | 2024 | 2023 | Amount | % | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sirius XM | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Self-pay subscribers | (296) | (445) | 149 | 33 | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Paid promotional subscribers | (353) | 15 | (368) | nm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net additions | (649) | (430) | (219) | (51) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average number of subscribers | 33,292 | 33,993 | (701) | (2) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Average self-pay monthly churn | 1.6 | % | 1.6 | % | — | % | — | % | ||||||||||||||||
| ARPU (1) | $ | 15.21 | $ | 15.56 | $ | (0.35) | (2) | % | ||||||||||||||||
| SAC, per installation | $ | 14.55 | $ | 13.18 | $ | 1.37 | 10 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Pandora and Off-platform | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Self-pay subscribers (2) | (279) | (199) | (80) | (40) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net additions | (279) | (199) | (80) | (40) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average number of subscribers | 5,929 | 6,169 | (240) | (4) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ad supported listener hours (in billions) | 9.94 | 10.48 | (0.54) | (5) | % | |||||||||||||||||||
| Advertising revenue per thousand listener hours (RPM) | $ | 100.59 | $ | 99.39 | $ | 1.20 | 1 | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Total Company | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 2,732 | $ | 2,790 | $ | (58) | (2) | % | ||||||||||||||||
| Free cash flow | $ | 1,015 | $ | 1,182 | $ | (167) | (14) | % |
nm - not meaningful
(1) ARPU for Sirius XM excludes subscriber revenue from our connected vehicle services of $164 and $161 for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
(2) Pandora and Off-platform self-pay subscriber net additions include Cloud Cover net additions of 12 and 8 for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
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Sirius XM
Subscribers. At December 31, 2024, Sirius XM had approximately 33,226 subscribers, a decrease of 649, from the approximately 33,875 subscribers as of December 31, 2023. Our self-pay subscriber base declined due to lower vehicle conversion rates, partially offset by higher trial volume and reductions in voluntary and non-pay churn. We also saw a decrease in paid promotional subscribers as we transitioned some automakers from paid promotional subscriptions to unpaid or to shorter term promotional plans.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, net subscriber additions were (649) and (430), respectively, a decrease of 219. Paid promotional net additions decreased compared to the prior year period as certain automakers transitioned from paid promotional subscriptions to unpaid. Self-pay net additions improved compared to the prior year primarily due to lower churn and higher trial volumes, partially offset by lower conversion rates.
Sirius XM Canada Subscribers. At December 31, 2024, Sirius XM Canada had approximately 2,516 subscribers, a decrease of 113, or 4%, from the approximately 2,629 Sirius XM Canada subscribers as of December 31, 2023.
Average Self-pay Monthly Churn is derived by dividing the monthly average of self-pay deactivations for the period by the average number of self-pay subscribers for the period. (See accompanying Glossary for more details.)
For each of the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, our average self-pay monthly churn rate was 1.6%.
ARPU is derived from total earned Sirius XM subscriber revenue (excluding revenue derived from our connected vehicle services) and net advertising revenue, divided by the number of months in the period, divided by the daily weighted average number of subscribers for the period. (See the accompanying Glossary for more details.)
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, ARPU was $15.21 and $15.56, respectively. The decrease was driven by an increase in self-pay subscribers on promotional and streaming-only self-pay subscription plans, partially offset by rate increases on certain self-pay subscription plans during 2023 which had a full-year impact in the current year.
SAC, Per Installation, is derived from subscriber acquisition costs and margins from the sale of radios, components and accessories (excluding connected vehicle services), divided by the number of satellite radio installations in new vehicles and shipments of aftermarket radios for the period. (See the accompanying Glossary for more details.)
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, SAC, per installation, was $14.55 and $13.18, respectively. The increase was driven by a transition to higher cost chipsets, partially offset by a change in the mix of automakers including satellite radios in their vehicles.
Pandora and Off-platform
Monthly Active Users. At December 31, 2024, Pandora had approximately 43,344 monthly active users, a decrease of 2,682 monthly active users, or 6%, from the 46,026 monthly active users as of December 31, 2023. The decrease in monthly active users was driven by higher churn and a decline in the number of new users.
Subscribers. At December 31, 2024, Pandora had approximately 5,774 subscribers, a decrease of 279, or 5%, from the approximately 6,053 subscribers as of December 31, 2023.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, net subscriber additions were (279) and (199), respectively. The decrease in ending subscribers was driven by decreases in trial starts and lower retention due to price increases.
Ad supported listener hours are a key indicator of our Pandora business and the engagement of our Pandora listeners. We include ad supported listener hours related to Pandora's non-music content offerings in the definition of listener hours.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, ad supported listener hours were 9,940 and 10,480, respectively, a decrease of 5%, or 540. The decrease in ad supported listener hours were primarily driven by the decline in monthly active users.
RPM is a key indicator of our ability to monetize advertising inventory created by listener hours on the Pandora services. Ad RPM is calculated by dividing advertising revenue by the number of thousands of listener hours of our Pandora advertising-based service.
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, RPM was $100.59 and $99.39, respectively. The increase was driven by growth in advertising spots sold per listener hour.
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Total Company
Adjusted EBITDA. EBITDA is defined as net (loss) income before interest expense, income tax expense and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA excludes the impact of other expense (income), loss on extinguishment of debt, impairment, restructuring and other costs, Former Parent operating costs, other non-cash charges such as share-based payment expense, and legal settlements and reserves (if applicable). (See the accompanying Glossary for a reconciliation to GAAP and for more details.)
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, adjusted EBITDA was $2,732 and $2,790, respectively, a decrease of 2%, or $58. The decrease was driven by declines in subscriber revenue, partially offset by lower costs of services, personnel-related costs, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses.
Free Cash Flow includes cash provided by operations, net of additions to property and equipment, and restricted and other investment activity. (See the accompanying Glossary for a reconciliation to GAAP and for more details.)
For the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, free cash flow was $1,015 and $1,182, respectively, a decrease of 14%, or $167. The decrease was primarily driven by costs related to the Transactions, higher capital expenditures and cash taxes paid.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following table presents a summary of our cash flow activity for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared with the year ended December 31, 2023. Refer to Amendment No. 1 to our Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed with the SEC on March 20, 2024 for our cash flows for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared with the year ended December 31, 2022.
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (in millions) | 2024 | 2023 | 2024 vs 2023 | |||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,741 | $ | 1,829 | $ | (88) | ||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (970) | (696) | (274) | |||||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (916) | (1,188) | 272 | |||||||||
| Net decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash | (145) | (55) | (90) | |||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period | 315 | 370 | (55) | |||||||||
| Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period | $ | 170 | $ | 315 | $ | (145) |
Cash Flows Provided by Operating Activities
Cash flows provided by operating activities decreased by $88 to $1,741 for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $1,829 for the year ended December 31, 2023.
Our largest source of cash provided by operating activities is cash generated by subscription and subscription-related revenues. We also generate cash from the sale of advertising through the Pandora and Off-platform business, advertising on certain non-music channels on Sirius XM and the sale of satellite radios, components and accessories. Our primary uses of cash from operating activities include revenue share and royalty payments to distributors, programming and content providers, and payments to radio manufacturers, distributors and automakers. In addition, uses of cash from operating activities include payments to vendors to service, maintain and acquire listeners and subscribers, general corporate expenditures, and compensation and related costs.
Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities
Cash flows used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2024 were primarily due to spending for capitalized software and hardware, the construction of satellites and acquisitions of tax-effective investments for total cash consideration of $244. Cash flows used in investing activities in the year ended December 31, 2023 were primarily due to spending for capitalized software and hardware, the construction of satellites and acquisitions of tax-effective equity investments for total cash consideration of $50. We spent $413 and $297 on capitalized software and hardware as well as $262 and $285 to construct satellites during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
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Cash Flows Used in Financing Activities
Cash flows used in financing activities consists of the issuance and repayment of long-term debt, purchases of our common stock, the payment of cash dividends and taxes paid in lieu of shares issued for stock-based compensation. Proceeds from long-term debt have been used to fund our operations, construct and launch new satellites, fund acquisitions, invest in other infrastructure improvements and purchase shares of our common stock.
Cash flows used in financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2024 were primarily due to the repayment of $3,914 of debt, partially offset by proceeds from debt borrowings of $3,205. The remaining cash flows used in financing activities related to taxes paid from net share settlements for stock-based compensation and dividends paid. Long-term debt proceeds and repayments are reported gross within the statement of cash flows and primarily relate to the Margin Loan and the Credit Facility.
Cash flows used in financing activities in the year ended December 31, 2023 were primarily due to the repayment of $3,782 of debt and the purchase and retirement of shares of Old Sirius’ common stock under its repurchase program of $274, partially offset by proceeds from debt borrowings of $2,681, and the settlement of intergroup interests of $273 and dividends paid. Long-term debt proceeds and repayments are reported gross within the statement of cash flows and primarily relate to Pandora’s 1.75% Convertible Senior Notes due 2023, Liberty Media’s 1.375% Cash Convertible Senior Notes due 2023, the Convertible Notes, the Exchangeable Notes, the Margin Loan, and the Credit Facility (each as defined in Note 13 to our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K).
Future Liquidity and Capital Resource Requirements
Based upon our current business plans, we expect to fund operating expenses, capital expenditures, including the construction of replacement satellites, working capital requirements, interest payments, taxes and scheduled maturities of our debt with existing cash, cash flow from operations and borrowings under the Credit Facility, including the Incremental Term Loan. As of December 31, 2024, $1,750 was available for future borrowing under the Credit Facility and zero was available under the Incremental Term Loan. We believe that we have sufficient cash and cash equivalents, as well as debt capacity, to cover our estimated short and long-term funding needs, including amounts to construct, launch and insure replacement satellites, as well as fund future stock repurchases and dividend payments and to pursue strategic opportunities.
Our ability to meet our debt and other obligations depends on our future operating performance and on economic, financial, competitive and other factors.
We regularly evaluate our business plans and strategy. These evaluations often result in changes to our business plans and strategy, some of which may be material and significantly change our cash requirements. These changes in our business plans or strategy may include: the acquisition of unique or compelling programming; the development and introduction of new features or services; significant new or enhanced distribution arrangements; investments in infrastructure, such as satellites, equipment or radio spectrum; and acquisitions and investments, including acquisitions and investments that are not directly related to our existing business.
We may from time to time purchase our outstanding debt through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise. Purchases or retirement of debt, if any, will depend on prevailing market conditions, liquidity requirements, contractual restrictions and other factors. The amounts involved may be material.
We have made, and expect to continue to make, certain tax-efficient equity investments in clean energy technologies, including industrial carbon capture and storage. These investments will produce tax credits and related tax losses. The payments on these equity investments will be classified as investing activities from a cash flow perspective, while the tax credits and losses will benefit our federal cash taxes in operating activities.
Stock Repurchase Program
Prior to the closing of the Transactions, the board of directors of Old Sirius had approved the repurchase of an aggregate of $18,000 of its common stock. As of the closing of the Transactions, Old Sirius' cumulative repurchases since December 2012 under that stock repurchase program totaled 373 shares for $16,834, and $1,166 remained available under that stock repurchase program. The stock repurchase program of Old Sirius was terminated on the closing date of the Transactions.
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Following the closing of the Transactions, on September 9, 2024, our board of directors authorized for repurchase an aggregate of $1,166 of our common stock. The board of directors did not establish an end date for this stock repurchase program. Shares of common stock may be purchased from time to time on the open market, pursuant to pre-set trading plans meeting the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, in privately negotiated transactions, including in accelerated stock repurchase transactions, or otherwise. We intend to fund any stock repurchases through a combination of cash on hand, cash generated by operations and future borrowings. The size and timing of any purchases will be based on a number of factors, including price and business and market conditions. As of December 31, 2024, our cumulative repurchases since the closing of the Transactions under our stock repurchase program totaled 301 thousand shares for $7, and $1,160 remained available for additional repurchases under our existing stock repurchase program authorization.
Dividend
On January 22, 2025, our board of directors declared a quarterly dividend on our common stock in the amount of $0.27 per share of common stock payable on February 25, 2025 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 7, 2025.
Debt Covenants
The indentures governing Sirius XM's senior notes and the agreements governing the Sirius XM Credit Facility include restrictive covenants. The indentures governing the senior notes also contain covenants that, among other things, limit Sirius XM’s ability and the ability of its subsidiaries to create certain liens; enter into sale/leaseback transactions; and merge or consolidate. As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with such covenants. For a discussion of our “Debt Covenants,” refer to Note 13 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not have any significant off-balance sheet arrangements other than those disclosed in Note 16 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.
Contractual Cash Commitments
For a discussion of our “Contractual Cash Commitments,” refer to Note 16 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Related Party Transactions
For a discussion of “Related Party Transactions,” refer to Note 12 to our audited consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our audited consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP, which requires management to make estimates and assumptions that 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. Accounting estimates require the use of significant management assumptions and judgments as to future events, and the effect of those events cannot be predicted with certainty. The accounting estimates will change as new events occur, more experience is acquired and more information is obtained. We evaluate and update our assumptions and estimates on an ongoing basis and use outside experts to assist in that evaluation when we deem necessary. We have identified all significant accounting policies in Note 2 to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Non-Financial Instrument Valuations. Our non-financial instrument valuations are primarily comprised of our determination of the estimated fair value allocation of net tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired in business combinations, our annual assessment of the recoverability of our goodwill and other nonamortizable intangibles, such as trademarks, and our evaluation of the recoverability of our other long-lived assets upon certain triggering events. If the carrying value of our long-lived assets exceeds their estimated fair value, we are required to write the carrying value down to fair value. Any such writedown is included in Impairment, restructuring and other costs in our audited consolidated statement of operations. Judgment is required to estimate the fair value of our long-lived assets. We may use quoted market prices, prices for similar assets, present value techniques and other valuation techniques to prepare these estimates. We may need to make estimates of future cash flows and discount rates as well as other assumptions in order to implement these valuation
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techniques. Due to the degree of judgment involved in our estimation techniques, any value ultimately derived from our long-lived assets may differ from our estimate of fair value. As each of our operating segments has long-lived assets, this critical accounting policy affects the financial position and results of operations of each segment. Our intangible assets include goodwill, other indefinite-lived assets (our FCC licenses and trademarks) and definite-lived assets. Our annual impairment assessment of our goodwill and our indefinite-lived assets is performed as of the fourth quarter of each year. We also review our intangible assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset is not recoverable. If an impairment exists, the impairment is measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of an intangible asset exceeds its estimated fair value.
•Goodwill: ASC 350, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other, states that an entity should perform its annual or interim goodwill impairment test by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount and recognize an impairment charge for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value. Under the updated guidance per Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, the requirements for any reporting unit with a zero or negative carrying amount to perform a qualitative assessment is eliminated. In accordance with updated guidance, we recognize goodwill impairment as the difference between the carrying amount of a reporting unit and its fair value, but not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill.
In connection with the close of the Transactions, our market capitalization sustained a decrease during the third quarter of 2024 and we concluded that, in accordance with ASC 350, a triggering event occurred indicating that potential impairment existed, which required us to conduct an interim test of the fair value of the goodwill for the Sirius XM and Pandora and Off-platform reporting units. The results of our goodwill impairment test indicated that the estimated fair value of the Pandora reporting unit exceeded its carrying amount, whereas the carrying amount of the Sirius XM reporting unit exceeded its estimated fair value. As a result, we recorded a goodwill impairment charge of $2,819 to write down the carrying amount of the Sirius XM goodwill in the Impairment, restructuring and other costs line item in our audited consolidated statements of operations. Fair value was determined using a combination of an income approach, using a discounted cash flow (“DCF”) model, and a market approach, employing a guideline public company approach. The DCF model, which estimates fair value based on the present value of future cash flows, requires us to make various assumptions regarding the timing and amount of these cash flows, including growth rates, operating margins and capital expenditures for a projection period, plus the terminal value of the business at the end of the projection period. The terminal value is estimated using a long-term growth rate, which is based on expected trends and projections. A discount rate is determined for the reporting unit based on the risks of achieving the future cash flows, including risks applicable to the industry and market as a whole, as well as the capital structure of comparable entities. Additionally, assumptions related to guideline company financial multiples used in the market approach based on current market observations.
•Indefinite-lived Assets: ASC 350-30-35, Intangibles - General Intangibles Other than Goodwill, provides for an option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that an asset is impaired. If the qualitative assessment supports that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the asset exceeds its carrying value, a company is not required to perform a quantitative impairment test. If the qualitative assessment does not support that the fair value of the asset exceeds its carrying value, then a quantitative assessment is performed. We recognize impairment as the difference between the carrying amount of an asset and its estimated fair value.
Our annual impairment assessment of our identifiable indefinite lived intangible assets is performed as of the fourth quarter of each year. An assessment is performed at other times if an event occurs or circumstances change that would more likely than not reduce the fair value of the asset below its carrying value. If the carrying value of the intangible assets exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized in an amount equal to that excess. As a result of the Sirius XM goodwill impairment discussed in Note 8, we evaluated our FCC licenses, Sirius XM trademark, and Pandora trademark for impairment using a quantitative assessment during the quarter ended December 31, 2024. The results of the assessment indicated that the estimated fair values for these indefinite-lived assets exceeded their carrying values and no impairment loss was recognized for intangible assets with indefinite lives during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. Fair value was determined using a DCF model. The DCF model included significant assumptions about revenue growth rates, long-term growth rates and enterprise specific discount rates.
•Definite-lived Assets: We carry our definite-lived assets at cost less accumulated amortization. We assess definite-lived assets for recoverability whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that its carrying amount may not be recoverable. If an event or circumstance is identified indicating the carrying value may not be recoverable, the sum of future undiscounted cash flows is compared to the carrying value. If the carrying value exceeds the future undiscounted cash flows, the carrying value of the asset is reduced to its fair value. The fair value of assets is determined as either the expected selling price less selling costs (where appropriate) or the present value of the estimated future cash flows, adjusted as necessary for market factors.
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Useful Life of Broadcast/Transmission System. Our satellite system includes the costs of our satellite construction, launch vehicles, launch insurance, capitalized interest, spare satellites, terrestrial repeater network and satellite uplink facilities. We monitor our satellites for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of the asset is not recoverable.
We operate two in-orbit Sirius satellites, FM-5 and FM-6, which launched in 2009 and 2013, respectively, and estimate they will operate effectively through the end of their depreciable lives in 2024 and 2028, respectively.
We currently operate four in-orbit XM satellites, XM-3, XM-5, SXM-8 and SXM-9. Our XM-3 satellite was launched in 2005 and is used as an in-orbit spare and reached the end of its depreciable life in 2020. Our XM-5 satellite was launched in 2010 and is expected to reach the end of its depreciable life in 2025. Our SXM-8 satellite was launched in 2021 and is expected to reach the end of its depreciable life in 2036. Our SXM-8 satellite replaced our XM-3 satellite. On December 5, 2024, our SXM-9 satellite was successfully launched and has completed in-orbit testing. Our SXM-9 satellite will replace our SXM-8 satellite in the XM constellation, with SXM-8 becoming an in-orbit spare. We expect to place this satellite into service in the first quarter of 2025. We have entered into agreements for the design, construction and launch of three additional satellites, SXM-10, SXM-11 and SXM-12.
Our satellites have been designed to last fifteen years. Our in-orbit satellites may experience component failures which could adversely affect their useful lives. We monitor the operating condition of our in-orbit satellites and if events or circumstances indicate that the depreciable lives of our in-orbit satellites have changed, we will modify the depreciable life accordingly. If we were to revise our estimates, our depreciation expense would change.
Income Taxes. Deferred income taxes are recognized for the tax consequences related to temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for tax purposes, based on enacted tax laws and statutory tax rates applicable to the periods in which the differences are expected to affect taxable income.
We assess the recoverability of deferred tax assets at each reporting date and, where applicable, a valuation allowance is recognized when, based on the weight of all available evidence, it is considered more likely than not that all, or some portion, of the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Our assessment includes an analysis of whether deferred tax assets will be realized in the ordinary course of operations based on the available positive and negative evidence, including the scheduling of deferred tax liabilities and forecasted income from operations. The underlying assumptions we use in forecasting future taxable income require significant judgment. In the event that actual income from operations differs from forecasted amounts, or if we change our estimates of forecasted income from operations, we could record additional charges or reduce allowances in order to adjust the carrying value of deferred tax assets to their realizable amount. Such adjustments could be material to our audited consolidated financial statements.
As of December 31, 2024, we had a valuation allowance of $93 relating to deferred tax assets that are not more likely than not to be realized due to the timing of certain state net operating loss limitations and acquired net operating losses that were not likely to be utilized.
ASC 740, Income Taxes, requires a company to first determine whether it is more likely than not that a tax position will be sustained based on its technical merits as of the reporting date, assuming that taxing authorities will examine the position and have full knowledge of all relevant information. A tax position that meets this more likely than not threshold is then measured and recognized at the largest amount of benefit that is greater than fifty percent likely to be realized upon effective settlement with a taxing authority. If the tax position is not more likely than not to be sustained, the gross amount of the unrecognized tax position will not be recorded in the financial statements but will be shown in tabular format within the uncertain income tax positions. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs due to the following conditions: (1) the tax position is “more likely than not” to be sustained, (2) the tax position, amount, and/or timing is ultimately settled through negotiation or litigation, or (3) the statute of limitations for the tax position has expired. A number of years may elapse before an uncertain tax position is effectively settled or until there is a lapse in the applicable statute of limitations. We record interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in Income tax expense in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income. As of December 31, 2024, the gross liability for income taxes associated with uncertain tax positions was $201.
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Glossary
Self-pay subscriber - A self-pay subscriber is a user that, as of the date of determination, was party to a customer agreement with SiriusXM or Pandora, and (i) has paid or agreed to pay a subscription fee, including at a promotional price, or (ii) the subscription fee has been paid by an automaker for a period of three years or greater. Lifetime subscribers to the SiriusXM service are counted as self-pay subscribers because they are party to a customer agreement with SiriusXM and have paid a subscription fee, although in almost all cases the revenue from such subscriptions have been fully recognized in prior periods. Certain users that are party to a customer agreement with Sirius XM or Pandora and have paid or agreed to pay a small promotional price for a trial subscription are not counted as self-pay subscribers because the promotional price is considered to be de minimis and, in management's view, the payment is not indicative of the user's intent to subscribe to the service in the near-term.
Paid promotional subscriber - A paid promotional subscriber is a user that, as of the date of determination, has their subscription fee paid for by a third party, for a fixed trial subscription period, which typically range from one to twelve months but is less than three years. We count prepaid shipped but not activated vehicles as paid promotional subscribers.
Monthly active users - the number of distinct registered users on the Pandora services, including subscribers, which have consumed content within the trailing 30 days to the end of the final calendar month of the period. The number of monthly active users on the Pandora services may overstate the number of unique individuals who actively use our Pandora service, as one individual may use multiple accounts. To become a registered user on the Pandora services, a person must sign-up using an email address or access our service using a device with a unique identifier, which we use to create an account for our service.
Average self-pay monthly churn - for in-car and retail radio subscriptions, the Sirius XM monthly average of self-pay deactivations for the period divided by the average number of self-pay subscribers for the period.
Adjusted EBITDA - EBITDA is defined as net (loss) income before interest expense, income tax expense and depreciation and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP financial measure that excludes or adjusts for the impact of other expense (income), gain on extinguishment of debt, impairment, restructuring and other costs, Former Parent operating costs, other non-cash charges such as share-based payment expense, and legal settlements and reserves (if applicable). We believe adjusted EBITDA is a useful measure of the underlying trend of our operating performance, which provides useful information about our business apart from the costs associated with our capital structure and purchase price accounting. We believe investors find this Non-GAAP financial measure useful when analyzing our past operating performance with our current performance and comparing our operating performance to the performance of other communications, entertainment and media companies. We believe investors use adjusted EBITDA to estimate our current enterprise value and to make investment decisions. As a result of large capital investments in our satellite radio system, our results of operations reflect significant charges for depreciation expense. We believe the exclusion of share-based payment expense is useful as it is not directly related to the operational conditions of our business. We also believe the exclusion of the legal settlements and reserves, impairment, restructuring and other costs, to the extent they occur during the period, is useful as they are significant expenses not incurred as part of our normal operations for the period.
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Adjusted EBITDA has certain limitations in that it does not take into account the impact to our consolidated statements of comprehensive income of certain expenses, including share-based payment expense. We endeavor to compensate for the limitations of the Non-GAAP measure presented by also providing the comparable GAAP measure with equal or greater prominence and descriptions of the reconciling items, including quantifying such items, to derive the Non-GAAP measure. Investors that wish to compare and evaluate our operating results after giving effect for these costs should refer to net income as disclosed in our consolidated statements of comprehensive income. Since adjusted EBITDA is a Non-GAAP financial performance measure, our calculation of adjusted EBITDA may be susceptible to varying calculations; may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures of other companies; and should not be considered in isolation, as a substitute for, or superior to measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. The reconciliation of net (loss) income to the adjusted EBITDA is calculated as follows:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Net (loss) income: | $ | (2,075) | $ | 988 | ||||||
| Add back items excluded from Adjusted EBITDA: | ||||||||||
| Legal settlements and reserves | 3 | 31 | ||||||||
| Former Parent operating costs | 15 | 32 | ||||||||
| Impairment, restructuring and other costs | 3,453 | 92 | ||||||||
| Share-based payment expense (1) | 200 | 203 | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 578 | 624 | ||||||||
| Interest expense | 496 | 534 | ||||||||
| Gain on extinguishment of debt | (12) | — | ||||||||
| Other (income) expense, net | (136) | 64 | ||||||||
| Income tax expense | 210 | 222 | ||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 2,732 | $ | 2,790 |
(1)Allocation of share-based payment expense:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Programming and content | $ | 36 | $ | 34 | ||||||
| Customer service and billing | 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| Transmission | 5 | 6 | ||||||||
| Sales and marketing | 45 | 45 | ||||||||
| Product and technology | 44 | 46 | ||||||||
| General and administrative | 65 | 67 | ||||||||
| Total share-based payment expense | $ | 200 | $ | 203 |
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Free cash flow - is derived from cash flow provided by operating activities, net of additions to property and equipment and purchases of other investments. Free cash flow is a metric that our management and board of directors use to evaluate the cash generated by our operations, net of capital expenditures and other investment activity. In a capital intensive business, with significant investments in satellites, we look at our operating cash flow, net of these investing cash outflows, to determine cash available for future subscriber acquisition and capital expenditures, to repurchase or retire debt, to acquire other companies and to evaluate our ability to return capital to stockholders. We exclude from free cash flow certain items that do not relate to the on-going performance of our business, such as cash flows related to acquisitions, strategic and short-term investments, including tax efficient investments in clean energy as well as net loan activity with related parties and other equity investees. We believe free cash flow is an indicator of the long-term financial stability of our business. Free cash flow, which is reconciled to “Net cash provided by operating activities,” is a Non-GAAP financial measure. This measure can be calculated by deducting amounts under the captions “Additions to property and equipment” and deducting or adding Restricted and other investment activity from “Net cash provided by operating activities” from the consolidated statements of cash flows. Free cash flow should be used in conjunction with other GAAP financial performance measures and may not be comparable to free cash flow measures presented by other companies. Free cash flow should be viewed as a supplemental measure rather than an alternative measure of cash flows from operating activities, as determined in accordance with GAAP. Free cash flow is limited and does not represent remaining cash flows available for discretionary expenditures due to the fact that the measure does not deduct the payments required for debt maturities. We believe free cash flow provides useful supplemental information to investors regarding our current cash flow, along with other GAAP measures (such as cash flows from operating and investing activities), to determine our financial condition, and to compare our operating performance to other communications, entertainment and media companies. Free cash flow is calculated as follows:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Cash Flow information | ||||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 1,741 | $ | 1,829 | ||||||
| Net cash used in investing activities | (970) | (696) | ||||||||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (916) | (1,188) | ||||||||
| Free Cash Flow | ||||||||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 1,741 | 1,829 | ||||||||
| Additions to property and equipment | (728) | (650) | ||||||||
| Sales of other investments | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Free cash flow (1) | $ | 1,015 | $ | 1,182 |
(1)Compared to Old Sirius’ free cash flow, the cash flow for Sirius XM Holdings is impacted by the additional interest payments related to Liberty Media’s debt attributed to SplitCo as well as corporate costs.
ARPU - Sirius XM ARPU is derived from total earned subscriber revenue (excluding revenue associated with our connected vehicle services) and advertising revenue, divided by the number of months in the period, divided by the daily weighted average number of subscribers for the period.
Subscriber acquisition cost, per installation - or SAC, per installation, is derived from subscriber acquisition costs less margins from the sale of radios and accessories (excluding connected vehicle services), divided by the number of satellite radio installations in new vehicles and shipments of aftermarket radios for the period. SAC, per installation, is calculated as follows:
| For the Years Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Subscriber acquisition costs, excluding connected vehicle services | $ | 369 | $ | 359 | ||||||
| Less: margin from sales of radios and accessories, excluding connected vehicle services | (172) | (179) | ||||||||
| $ | 197 | $ | 180 | |||||||
| Installations (in thousands) | 13,545 | 13,640 | ||||||||
| SAC, per installation (a) | $ | 14.55 | $ | 13.18 |
(a)Amounts may not recalculate due to rounding.
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Ad supported listener hours - is based on the total bytes served over our Pandora advertising supported platforms for each track that is requested and served from our Pandora servers, as measured by our internal analytics systems, whether or not a listener listens to the entire track. For non-music content such as podcasts, episodes are divided into approximately track-length parts, which are treated as tracks. To the extent that third-party measurements of advertising hours are not calculated using a similar server-based approach, the third-party measurements may differ from our measurements.
RPM - is calculated by dividing advertising revenue, excluding AdsWizz and other off-platform revenue, by the number of thousands of listener hours on our Pandora advertising-based service.
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