Telesat Holdings Inc. (“Telesat”) today announced its consolidated financial results for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2016. All amounts are in Canadian dollars and are reported under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) unless otherwise noted.
Telesat confirms that these consolidated financial results are unchanged from the preliminary three and nine month results released on October 26, 2016.
Three Months Ended September 30, 2016
For the quarter ended September 30, 2016, Telesat reported revenues of $224 million, a decrease of approximately 7% ($18 million) compared to the same period in 2015. During the quarter, the U.S. dollar was approximately 1% stronger than it was during the third quarter of 2015 and, as a result, there was a favorable impact on the conversion of U.S. dollar denominated revenues. When adjusted for foreign exchange rate changes, revenue declined by 8% (a decrease of $19 million) compared to the same period in 2015. The largest contributor to the reduction in revenue relative to the same period last year was short-term services provided to another satellite operator in the third quarter of 2015 that did not recur in the third quarter of 2016.
Operating expenses of $40 million for the quarter were 10% ($4 million) lower than the same period in 2015, with no impact from changes in foreign exchange rates. The reduction in operating expenses was principally attributable to lower costs of third party satellite capacity, lower Canadian spectrum license fees and lower equipment sales.
Adjusted EBITDA1 for the quarter was $186 million, a decrease of 6% ($12 million) compared to the same period in 2015 and a decrease of 7% ($13 million) when adjusted for foreign exchange rate changes. The Adjusted EBITDA margin1 improved to 83.0% in the third quarter of 2016 from 81.9% during the same period in 2015.
Telesat’s net income for the quarter was $15 million compared to a net loss of $139 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2015. The $154 million difference was principally the result of a reduction in the mainly non-cash loss on foreign exchange partially offset by higher depreciation expense.
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016
For the nine month period ended September 30, 2016, revenue was $691 million, a decrease of 1% ($7 million) compared to the same period in 2015. During the first three quarters of 2016, the U.S. dollar was 6% stronger than it was during the first three quarters of 2015. When adjusted for changes in foreign exchange rates, revenues declined 3% ($22 million) compared to the same period in 2015. The largest contributor to the reduction in revenue relative to the same period last year was lower revenue from the energy and resource sector.
Operating expenses were $129 million, or 3% ($4 million) lower than the first nine months of 2015 or 5% ($7 million) lower when adjusted for foreign exchange rate changes. The reduction in operating expenses was principally attributable to lower costs of third party satellite capacity and lower Canadian spectrum license fees.
Adjusted EBITDA1 for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 was $568 million, virtually unchanged compared to the same period in 2015 and 2% ($13 million) lower when adjusted for foreign exchange rate changes. The Adjusted EBITDA margin1 for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 was 82.3%, compared to 81.6% in the same period in 2015.
For the nine month period ended September 30, 2016, net income was $314 million, compared to a net loss of $237 million for the same period in 2015. The variation for the nine month period ended September 30, 2016 was principally the result of a mainly non-cash gain on foreign exchange in 2016 compared to a mainly non-cash loss on foreign exchange in 2015 arising from the translation of Telesat’s U.S. dollar denominated debt into Canadian dollars.
“I am pleased with our third quarter performance and our results for the first nine months of the year,” commented Dan Goldberg, Telesat’s President and CEO. “Although results for the quarter are down relative to last year, with the largest contributor being certain short-term satellite services we provided to another satellite operator in Q3 2015, year to date results are broadly stable compared to last year and we continued to improve our operating efficiency, with an 83% Adjusted EBITDA margin1 for the quarter. This solid performance highlights the strength and stability of our overall business, which is underpinned by our industry leading contractual backlog to revenue ratio. Looking ahead, we remain focused on the sale of our available in-orbit capacity as well as the construction of Telstar 19 VANTAGE and Telstar 18 VANTAGE, both of which we anticipate to launch in the first half of 2018.”
Business Highlights
At September 30, 2016:
- Telesat had contracted backlog for future services of approximately $4.4 billion.
- Fleet utilization was 94% for Telesat’s North American fleet and 66% for Telesat’s international fleet.
Conference Call
Telesat has scheduled a conference call on Wednesday, November 2, 2016, at 10:30 a.m. ET to discuss its financial results for the three and nine month periods ended September 30, 2016, and other recent developments. The call will be hosted by Daniel S. Goldberg, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Michel Cayouette, Chief Financial Officer, of Telesat.
Prior to the commencement of the call, Telesat will post a news release containing its financial results on its website (www.telesat.com) under the tab “News & Events” and the heading “News”.
Dial-in Instructions:
The toll-free dial-in number for the teleconference is +1 (866) 225-0198. Callers outside of North America should dial +1 (416) 340-2216. The conference reference number is 4227927. Please allow at least 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time to connect to the teleconference.
Dial-in Audio Replay:
A replay of the teleconference will be available one hour after the end of the call on November 2, 2016, until 11:59 p.m. ET on November 17, 2016. To access the replay, please call +1 (800) 408-3053. Callers outside of North America should dial +1 (905) 694-9451. The access code is 2632487 followed by the number sign (#).
All Adjusted EBITDA1 and Adjusted EBITDA1 margins included in this release are non-IFRS financial measures, as described in the End Notes section of this release. For information reconciling non-IFRS financial measures to the most comparable IFRS financial measures, please see the consolidated financial information below.
Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor
This news release contains statements that are not based on historical fact and are ‘‘forward-looking statements’’ within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used in this news release, the words “looking ahead”, and “anticipate”, or other variations of these words or other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements and information. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Detailed information about some of the known risks and uncertainties is included in the “Risk Factors” section of Telesat Holdings Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 which can be obtained on the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov. Known risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: risks associated with operating satellites and providing satellite services, including satellite construction or launch delays, launch failures, in-orbit failures or impaired satellite performance, volatility in exchange rates and risks associated with domestic and foreign govern
ment regulation. The foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. The information contained in this news release reflects Telesat’s beliefs, assumptions, intentions, plans and expectations as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, Telesat disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise the information herein.
About Telesat (www.telesat.com)
Telesat is a leading global satellite operator, providing reliable and secure satellite-delivered communications solutions worldwide to broadcast, telecom, corporate and government customers. Headquartered in Ottawa, Canada, with offices and facilities around the world, the company’s state-of-the-art fleet consists of 15 satellites plus the Canadian payload on ViaSat-1 with two new satellites under construction. An additional two prototype satellites are under construction and will be deployed in low earth orbit. Telesat also manages the operations of additional satellites for third parties. Privately held, Telesat’s principal shareholders are Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space & Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LORL).
For further information:
Michael Bolitho, Telesat, +1 (613) 748-8700 ext. 2336 (ir@telesat.com)
