Sep 30, 2023

Liberty Global Q3 2023 Earnings Report

Liberty Global's Q3 2023 results were reported, showcasing improved fixed revenue performance and strategic milestones achieved.

Key Takeaways

Liberty Global reported improved fixed revenue performance and a return to positive U.K. broadband net adds. The company successfully completed the acquisition of Telenet and increased its buyback plan by $300 million. Full-year revenue guidance at VMO2 was updated to 'stable' vs 'growth'.

Improved fixed revenue performance driven by price rises and positive U.K. broadband net adds.

Successfully completed the acquisition of 100% of Telenet, with shares fully delisted.

Buyback plan increased by $300 million to a target of 18-19% by the end of January.

VMO2 revenue guidance updated to 'stable' from 'growth'.

Total Revenue
$1.85B
Previous year: $1.75B
+6.2%
EPS
$1.57
Previous year: $4.87
-67.8%
Cash Liquidity
$5B
Previous year: $4B
+25.0%
Gross Profit
$1.3B
Previous year: $1.26B
+3.4%
Cash and Equivalents
$3.3B
Previous year: $1.6B
+106.2%
Free Cash Flow
$411M
Total Assets
$42.7B
Previous year: $5.3B
+705.6%

Liberty Global

Liberty Global

Liberty Global Revenue by Segment

Forward Guidance

Liberty Global confirms all 2023 OpCo guidance metrics except for VMO2 revenue, which is now 'stable'. The company also confirms $1.6 billion of Distributable Cash Flow.

Positive Outlook

  • Continued postpaid mobile momentum with positive or broadly stable net adds across the group.
  • Confirmation of $1.6 billion Distributable Cash Flow at Liberty Global.
  • Strong shareholder support for redomiciliation to Bermuda, on track for completion in late November.
  • Balance sheet remains robust with over $5.0 billion of total liquidity, including $3.5 billion in cash.
  • Proactively completed over $1.2 billion of refinancing at VMO2, extending the tenor of its long-term debt.

Challenges Ahead

  • VMO2 revenue guidance moves from 'growth' to 'stable'.
  • Sunrise faces continued headwinds in fixed as a result of the competitive landscape and UPC migration.
  • Telenet's base contracted due to the implementation of the June price increase and IT platform migration issues.
  • VodafoneZiggo's broadband base contracted due to a decline in Consumer, only partially offset by an increase in B2B.
  • Adjusted EBITDA decreased due to higher energy and wage costs related to inflation.

Revenue & Expenses

Visualization of income flow from segment revenue to net income