Strategic Combination Will Accelerate Delivery of Comcast's
Technologically Advanced Products and Services to Time Warner Cable's
Customers
Transaction Creates Multiple Pro-Consumer and Pro-Competitive
Benefits, Including for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses
PHILADELPHIA & NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq:CMCSA)(Nasdaq:CMCSK) and Time Warner Cable
(NYSE:TWC) today announced that their Boards of Directors have approved
a definitive agreement for Time Warner Cable to merge with Comcast. The
agreement is a friendly, stock-for-stock transaction in which Comcast
will acquire 100 percent of Time Warner Cable's 284.9 million shares
outstanding for shares of CMCSA amounting to approximately $45.2 billion
in equity value. Each Time Warner Cable share will be exchanged for
2.875 shares of CMCSA, equal to Time Warner Cable shareholders owning
approximately 23 percent of Comcast's common stock, with a value to Time
Warner Cable shareholders of approximately $158.82 per share based on
the last closing price of Comcast shares. The transaction will generate
approximately $1.5 billion in operating efficiencies and will be
accretive to Comcast's free cash flow per share while preserving balance
sheet strength. The merger will also be tax free to Time Warner Cable
shareholders.
This transaction will create a leading technology and innovation
company, differentiated by its ability to deliver ground-breaking
products on a superior network while leveraging a national platform to
create operating efficiencies and economies of scale.
"The combination of Time Warner Cable and Comcast creates an exciting
opportunity for our company, for our customers, and for our
shareholders," said Brian L. Roberts, Chairman and Chief Executive
Officer, Comcast Corporation. "In addition to creating a world-class
company, this is a compelling financial and strategic transaction for
our shareholders. Also, it is our intention to expand our buyback
program by an additional $10 billion at the close of the transaction. We
believe there are meaningful operational efficiencies and
the adjusted purchase multiple is approximately 6.7x Operating Cash
Flow. This transaction will be accretive and will yield many synergies
and benefits in the years ahead. Rob Marcus and his team have created a
pure-play cable company that, combined with Comcast, has the foundation
for future growth. We are looking forward to working with his team as we
bring our companies together to deliver the most innovative products and
services and a superior customer experience within the highly
competitive and dynamic marketplace in which we operate."
"This combination creates a company that delivers maximum value for our
shareholders, enormous opportunities for our employees and a superior
experience for our customers," said Robert D. Marcus, Chairman and CEO
of Time Warner Cable. "Comcast and Time Warner Cable have been the
leaders in all of the industry's most important innovations of the last
25 years and this merger will accelerate the pace of that innovation.
Brian Roberts, Neil Smit, Michael Angelakis and the Comcast management
team have built an industry-leading platform and innovative products and
services, and we're excited to be part of delivering all of the
possibilities of cable's superior broadband networks to more American
consumers."
The new cable company, which will be led by President and CEO Neil Smit,
will generate multiple pro-consumer and pro-competitive benefits,
including an accelerated deployment of existing and new innovative
products and services for millions of customers. Comcast's subscribers
today have access to the most comprehensive video experience, including
the cloud-based X1 Entertainment Operating System, plus 50,000 video on
demand choices on television, 300,000 plus streaming choices on
XfinityTV.com, Xfinity TV mobile apps that offer 35 live streaming
channels plus the ability to download to watch offline later, and the
newly launched X1 cloud DVR. Comcast is also a technology leader in
broadband and has increased Internet speeds 12 times in the past 12
years across its entire footprint.
Time Warner Cable owns cable systems located in key geographic areas,
including New York City, Southern California, Texas, the Carolinas,
Ohio, and Wisconsin. Time Warner Cable will combine its unique products
and services with Comcast's, including StartOver, which allows customers
to restart a live program in progress to the beginning, and LookBack,
which allows customers to watch programs up to three days after they air
live, all without a DVR. Time Warner Cable also has been a leader in the
deployment of community Wi-Fi, and will combine its more than 30,000
hotspots, primarily in Los Angeles and New York City, and its in-home
management system, IntelligentHome, with Comcast's offerings.
Through this merger, more American consumers will benefit from
technological innovations, including a superior video experience, higher
broadband speeds, and the fastest in-home Wi-Fi. The transaction also
will generate significant cost savings and other efficiencies. American
businesses will benefit from a broader platform, and the Company will be
better able to offer advanced services like high-performance
point-to-point and multi-point Ethernet services and cloud-based managed
services to enterprises. Additionally, the transaction will combine
complementary advertising platforms and channels and allow Comcast to
offer broader and more valuable packages to national advertisers.
Through the merger, Comcast will acquire Time Warner Cable's
approximately 11 million managed subscribers. In order to reduce
competitive concerns, Comcast is prepared to divest systems serving
approximately 3 million managed subscribers. As such, Comcast will,
through the acquisition and management of Time Warner Cable systems, net
approximately 8 million managed subscribers in this transaction. This
will bring Comcast's managed subscriber total to approximately 30
million. Following the transaction, Comcast's share of managed
subscribers will remain below 30 percent of the total number of MVPD
subscribers in the U.S. and will be essentially equivalent to Comcast
Cable's subscriber share after its completion of both the 2002 AT&T
Broadband transaction and the 2006 Adelphia transaction.
The companies said the merger agreement between Comcast and Time Warner
Cable is subject to shareholder approval at both companies and
regulatory review and other customary conditions and is expected to
close by the end of 2014.
J.P. Morgan, Paul J. Taubman, and Barclays Plc acted as financial
advisors to Comcast and Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and Willkie Farr &
Gallagher LLP are its legal advisors. Morgan Stanley, Allen & Company,
Citigroup and Centerview Partners are financial advisors to Time Warner
Cable and its Board of Directors, and Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &
Garrison LLP and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP are legal
advisors.
Teleconference and Webcast for Financial Community
Comcast and Time Warner Cable will host a conference call with the
financial community on Thursday, February 13, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. Eastern
Time (ET) to discuss this announcement. The conference call will be
broadcast live via the companies' Investor Relations websites at www.cmcsa.com
and www.twc.com/investors.
Those interested in participating via telephone should dial (800)
263-8495 with the conference ID number 22627319. A replay of the call
will be available starting at 12:30 p.m. ET on February 13, 2014, on the
companies' Investor Relations websites or by telephone. To access the
telephone replay, dial (855) 859-2056 with the conference ID number
22627319.
Teleconference for Journalists
Comcast and Time Warner Cable will also host a conference call with
journalists on Thursday, February 13, 2014, at 9:45 a.m. Eastern Time
(ET) to discuss this announcement. Journalists interested in
participating in the call should dial (888) 290-8622 with the conference
ID number 29882449. A replay of the call will be available starting at
1:30 PM (ET) on February 13, 2014. To access the telephone replay, dial
(800) 585-8367 with the conference ID number 29882449.
About Comcast Corporation
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and
technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and
NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is the nation's largest video, high-speed
Internet and phone provider to residential customers under the XFINITY
brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal
operates 30 news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and
Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations,
television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and
Resorts. Visit www.comcastcorporation.com
for more information.
About Time Warner Cable
Time Warner Cable Inc. (NYSE:TWC) is among the largest providers of
video, high-speed data and voice services in the United States,
connecting 15 million customers to entertainment, information and each
other. Time Warner Cable Business Class offers data, video and voice
services to businesses of all sizes, cell tower backhaul services to
wireless carriers and enterprise-class, cloud-enabled hosting, managed
applications and services. Time Warner Cable Media, the advertising arm
of Time Warner Cable, offers national, regional and local companies
innovative advertising solutions. More information about the services of
Time Warner Cable is available at www.twc.com, www.twcbc.com and www.twcmedia.com.
Important Information For Investors And Shareholders
This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the
solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any
vote or approval. In connection with the proposed transaction between
Comcast Corporation ("Comcast") and Time Warner Cable Inc. ("Time Warner
Cable"), Comcast and Time Warner Cable will file relevant materials with
the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), including a Comcast
registration statement on Form S-4 that will include a joint proxy
statement of Comcast and Time Warner Cable that also constitutes a
prospectus of Comcast, and a definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus
will be mailed to shareholders of Comcast and Time Warner Cable.
INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF COMCAST AND TIME WARNER CABLE ARE
URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
THAT WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN
THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the
registration statement and the joint proxy statement/prospectus (when
available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Comcast or Time
Warner Cable through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Comcast will be available
free of charge on Comcast's website at http://cmcsa.com
or by contacting Comcast's Investor Relations Department at
866-281-2100. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Time Warner
Cable will be available free of charge on Time Warner Cable's website at http://ir.timewarnercable.com
or by contacting Time Warner Cable's Investor Relations Department at
877-446-3689.
Comcast, Time Warner Cable, their respective directors and certain of
their respective executive officers may be considered participants in
the solicitation of proxies in connection with the proposed transaction.
Information about the directors and executive officers of Time Warner
Cable is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2012, which was filed with the SEC on February 15, 2013,
its proxy statement for its 2013 annual meeting of stockholders, which
was filed with the SEC on April 4, 2013, and its Current Reports on Form
8-K filed with the SEC on April 30, 2013, July 29, 2013 and December 6,
2013. Information about the directors and executive officers of Comcast
is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on February 12, 2014,
its proxy statement for its 2013 annual meeting of stockholders, which
was filed with the SEC on April 5, 2013, and its Current Reports on Form
8-K filed with the SEC on July 24, 2013 and August 16, 2013. These
documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated
above. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy
solicitations and a description of their direct and indirect interests,
by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the joint proxy
statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the
SEC when they become available.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this communication regarding the proposed
acquisition of Time Warner Cable by Comcast, including any statements
regarding the expected timetable for completing the transaction,
benefits and synergies of the transaction, future opportunities for the
combined company and products, and any other statements regarding
Comcast's and Time Warner Cable's future expectations, beliefs, plans,
objectives, financial conditions, assumptions or future events or
performance that are not historical facts are "forward-looking"
statements made within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act
of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, as amended. These statements are often, but not always, made
through the use of words or phrases such as "may", "believe,"
"anticipate," "could", "should," "intend," "plan," "will," "expect(s),"
"estimate(s)," "project(s)," "forecast(s)", "positioned," "strategy,"
"outlook" and similar expressions. All such forward-looking statements
involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks,
uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the results expressed in the statements. Among
the key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those projected in the forward-looking statements are the
following: the timing to consummate the proposed transaction; the risk
that a condition to closing of the proposed transaction may not be
satisfied; the risk that a regulatory approval that may be required for
the proposed transaction is not obtained or is obtained subject to
conditions that are not anticipated; Comcast's ability to achieve the
synergies and value creation contemplated by the proposed transaction;
Comcast's ability to promptly, efficiently and effectively integrate
Time Warner Cable's operations into those of Comcast; and the diversion
of management time on transaction-related issues. Additional information
concerning these and other factors can be found in Comcast's and Time
Warner Cable's respective filings with the SEC, including Comcast's and
Time Warner Cable's most recent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Comcast and Time
Warner Cable assume no obligation to update any forward-looking
statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140213005619/en/
Media:
Comcast:
D'Arcy
Rudnay, 215-286-8582
John Demming, 215-286-8011
or
Time
Warner Cable:
Ellen East, 212-364-8228
Susan Leepson,
212-364-8281
Bobby Amirshahi, 212-364-8292
or
Investors
Comcast:
Jason
S. Armstrong, 215-286-7972
Jane B. Kearns, 215-286-4794
or
Time
Warner Cable:
Tom Robey, 212-364-8218
Laraine Mancini,
212-364-8202
Source: Comcast Corporation
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