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Sinclair Reports Fourth Quarter 2020 Financial Results

February 24, 2021 7:30 AM

BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: SBGI), the "Company" or "Sinclair," today reported financial results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2020.

Fourth Quarter Highlights:

CEO Comment:

“Certainly 2020 will be a year not soon forgotten,” said Chris Ripley, Sinclair’s President & Chief Executive Officer. “The year was remarkable for its hardships, such as the pandemic that had a significant impact on people’s lives, the economy, and professional sports, and also its bright spots, such as the record political ad spending which helped offset weakness in core advertising caused by the pandemic. In addition, the year was meaningful from a company perspective, as the initiatives we undertook during the year, including our enterprise-wide agreement with Bally’s around legalized sports betting, and the progress made in launching NEXTGEN TV in our broadcast markets, laid the groundwork for Sinclair’s growth in the years to come.” Ripley continued, “While subscriber churn continues to be elevated, it was encouraging to see improvement in the core ad environment in the fourth quarter.

Ripley concluded, “2021 is shaping up to be another important year for Sinclair with the upcoming launch of a new, enhanced streaming app for our regional sports networks (RSNs), ushering in a new paradigm for how viewers can watch and interact with major local sporting events. The planned gamification of the viewing experience will make for a much more engaging and exciting way for fans to cheer on their local sports teams. Our RSNs will soon be rebranded with the Bally Sports name, and we will work with Bally’s on exciting new programming and other initiatives to help drive growth. Along with other actions planned for the year, including the broader deployment of NEXTGEN TV and the recent launch of our national news initiative, The National Desk, we are optimistic about the future of Sinclair.”

Recent Company Developments:

Transactions:

Content and Distribution:

Community:

NEXTGEN TV (Formerly Known as ATSC 3.0):

Three Months Ended December 31, 2020 Consolidated Financial Results:

Twelve Months Ended December 31, 2020 Consolidated Financial Results:

Consolidated and Segment Highlights

The highlights below include the acquisition of RSNs and Fox College Sports (August 23, 2019), the 20% ownership investment in the YES Network (August 29, 2019), an increased investment in Stadium which is consolidated effective December 2, 2019, the launch of the Marquee RSN (February 22, 2020), the divestiture of the non-license assets in Harlingen, TX (January 27, 2020), and the divestiture of WDKY in Lexington, KY (September 17, 2020).

Segment financial information is included in the following tables for the periods presented. The Broadcast segment, previously referred to as the Local News and Marketing Services segment, consists primarily of broadcast television stations, which the Company owns, operates or to which the Company provides services. The Local Sports segment, previously referred to as the Sports segment, consists primarily of the RSNs, Marquee, and a 20% equity interest in the YES Network. The Other segment includes corporate, original networks and content, including Tennis Channel, non-broadcast digital and internet solutions, technical services, and other non-media investments.

For the three months ended December 31, 2020
($ in millions)

Broadcast

Local Sports

Corporate and
Other and
Elimination

Consolidated

Revenue Highlights:

Distribution revenue

$

355

$

513

$

49

$

917

Advertising revenue

503

14

37

554

Other media revenue

38

(a)

4

(23)

(a)

19

Media revenues

$

896

$

531

$

63

$

1,490

Non-media revenue

22

22

Total revenues

$

896

$

531

$

85

$

1,512

Expense Highlights:

Media programming & production expenses and media selling, general and administrative expenses

474

163

(a)

34

(a)

671

Sports rights amortization included in media production expenses

50

50

Non-media expenses

22

22

Corporate general and administrative expenses

24

3

10

37

Other Highlights:

Sports rights payments

221

221

Program contract payments

21

5

26

Capital expenditures(b)

8

7

5

20

Interest expense (net) (c)

1

102

42

145

Adjusted EBITDA (d)

617

(a)

For the quarter ended December 31, 2020 Broadcast includes $25 million of revenue for services provided by the Broadcast segment to the Local Sports and Other segments; the Local Sports segment includes $25 million of selling, general, and administrative expenses for services provided by the Broadcast segment to the Local Sports segment, and the Other segment includes less than $1 million of selling, general, and administrative expenses for services provided by the Broadcast segment to the Other segment. Such amounts are eliminated in consolidation.

(b)

Capital expenditures exclude $7 million of repack capital expenditures expected to be reimbursed in the future from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund administered by the FCC.

(c)

Interest expense excludes deferred financing costs, original issue discount amortization, and other non-cash interest expense, and is net of interest income.

(d)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, plus impairment loss and non-recurring transaction, COVID, legal, litigation and regulatory costs, as well as certain non-cash items such as stock-based compensation expense and sports rights amortization; less sports rights payments and program contract payments. Refer to the reconciliation at the end of this press release and the Company's website.

For the three months ended December 31, 2019
($ in millions)

Broadcast

Local Sports

Corporate and
Other and
Elimination

Consolidated

Revenue Highlights:

Distribution revenue

$

347

$

724

$

33

$

1,104

Advertising revenue

364

60

32

456

Other media revenue

40

(a)

4

(23)

(a)

21

Media revenues

$

751

$

788

$

42

$

1,581

Non-media revenue

41

41

Total revenues

$

751

$

788

$

83

$

1,622

Expense Highlights:

Media programming & production expenses and media selling, general and administrative expenses

453

597

(a)

30

(a)

1,080

Sports rights amortization included in media production expenses

443

443

Non-media expenses

36

36

Corporate general and administrative expenses

62

2

6

70

Other Highlights:

Sports rights payments

460

460

Program contract payments

22

22

Capital expenditures(b)

26

7

1

34

Interest expense (net) (c)

1

111

53

165

Adjusted EBITDA (d)

450

(a)

For the quarter ended December 31, 2019, Broadcast and Local Sports include $27 million of revenue and selling, general, and administrative expenses, respectively, for services provided by the Broadcast segment to the Local Sports segment. Such amounts are eliminated in consolidation.

(b)

Capital expenditures exclude $26 million of repack capital expenditures expected to be reimbursed in the future from the TV Broadcaster Relocation Fund administered by the FCC.

(c)

Interest expense excludes deferred financing costs, original issue discount amortization, and other non-cash interest expense, and is net of interest income.

(d)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, plus impairment loss and non-recurring transaction, legal, litigation and regulatory costs, as well as certain non-cash items such as stock-based compensation expense and sports rights amortization; less sports rights payments and programming payments. Refer to the reconciliation at the end of this press release and the Company's website.

Consolidated Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Highlights:

Notes:

Certain reclassifications have been made to prior years' financial information to conform to the presentation in the current year.

Outlook:

The Company is closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on all aspects of its business, including how it has and will continue to impact its advertisers, distributors, and professional sports leagues. The Company is currently unable to predict the extent of the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows in future periods due to numerous uncertainties. For additional discussion of how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the Company’s business, please see the section titled The Impact of COVID-19 on our Results of Operations in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, which will be updated in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020.

In addition, the Company is closely monitoring the impact of technological changes and the proliferation of over-the-top direct to consumer (OTT) platforms, along with the impact from COVID-19, all of which have accelerated cord cutting and subscriber churn. The Company is currently not seeing signs that would reflect subscriber churn to materially change.

The Company currently expects to achieve the following selected results for the three months ending March 31, 2021 and twelve months ending December 31, 2021. The outlook includes the divestiture of the non-license assets in Harlingen, TX (January 27, 2020), the divestiture of WDKY in Lexington, KY (September 17, 2020), the divestiture of WDKA and KBSI in Paducah, KY (February 1, 2021), and the acquisition of ZypMedia (February 5, 2021).

For the three months ending March 31, 2021 ($ in millions)

Broadcast

Local Sports

Corporate and
Other and
Elimination

Consolidated

Revenue Highlights:

Core advertising revenue

$347 to 362

Political revenue

4

Advertising revenue

$244 to 255

$68 to 72

$38

$351 to 366

Distribution revenue

355 to 359

674 to 678

50

1,079 to 1,087

Other media revenue

40

(a)

4

(26)

(a)

19

Media revenues

640 to 655

746 to 754

63

1,448 to 1,471

Non-media revenue

13

13

Total revenues

$640 to 655

$746 to 754

$76

$1,462 to 1,485

Expense Highlights:

Media programming & production expenses and media selling, general and administrative expenses

$493 to 495

$707

(a)(b)

$38

(a)

$1,238 to 1,241

Sports rights amortization included in media production expenses

525

(b)

525

Non-media expenses

19

19

Corporate overhead

1

55

Stock-based compensation and non-recurring costs for transaction, legal, litigation and regulatory fees included in corporate and media expenses above

5

41

Depreciation, intangible & programming amortization

81

173

Other Highlights:

Sports rights payments

$630

(b)

$630

Program contract payments

26

Interest expense (net)(c)

101

143

Income tax benefit

Approximately 18% effective tax rate

Net cash tax refunds

Approximately $36 million

Payments to noncontrolling interest holders, including preferred dividend

38 to 39

39 to 40

Total capital expenditures, including repack

10

37 to 40

Repack capital expenditures

7

Adjusted EBITDA(d)

$(55) to (63)

$59 to 80

Note: Certain amounts may not summarize to totals due to rounding differences.
(a)

The Broadcast segment includes $27 million of revenue for services provided by the Broadcast segment to the Local Sports and Other segments and the Local Sports segment includes $27 million of selling, general, and administrative expenses for services provided by the Broadcast segment to the Local Sports segment. Such amounts are eliminated in the Consolidated column.

(b)

Includes approximately $31 million of lower payments to and rebates from teams for sports rights overpayments tied to minimum game guarantees carried over from fourth quarter 2020.

(c)

Interest expense excludes deferred financing costs, original issue discount amortization, and other non-cash interest expense, and is net of interest income

(d)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, plus impairment loss and non-recurring transaction, COVID, legal, litigation and regulatory costs, as well as certain non-cash items such as stock-based compensation expense and sports rights amortization; less sports rights payments and programming payments. Refer to the reconciliation at the end of this release and the Company's website.

For the twelve months ending December 31, 2021 ($ in millions)

Broadcast

Local Sports

Corporate and
Other and
Elimination

Consolidated

Revenue Highlights:

Media revenues

$3,054 to 3,326

Non-media revenue

$70

$70

Expense Highlights:

Media programming & production expenses and media selling, general and administrative expenses

1,942 to 1,944

3,100 to 3,105

(a)(b)

214 to 210

(a)

5,256 to 5,259

Sports rights amortization included in media production expenses

2,332

(b)

2,332

Non-media expenses

81

81

Corporate overhead

6

149

Stock-based compensation and non-recurring costs for transaction, legal, litigation and regulatory fees included in corporate and media expenses above

19

98

Depreciation, intangible & programming amortization

320

685

Other Highlights:

Sports rights payments

1,857

(b)

1,857

Program contract payments

103

Interest expense (net)(c)

406

572

Income tax benefit

Approximately 18% effective tax rate

Net cash tax refunds

Approximately $206 million

Payments to noncontrolling interest holders, including preferred dividend

91 to 121

96 to 126

Total capital expenditures, including repack

35

136 to 146

Repack capital expenditures

21

Adjusted EBITDA(d)

$441 to 709

Note: Certain amounts may not summarize to totals due to rounding differences.
(a)

The Local Sports segment includes approximately $113 million of selling, general, and administrative expenses for services provided by the Broadcast segment to the Local Sports segment, and the Other segment includes $2 million of selling, general, and administrative expenses for services provided by the Broadcast segment to the Other segment. Such amounts are eliminated in the Consolidated column.

(b)

Reflects approximately $155 million of lower payments to and rebates from teams of sports rights payments tied to minimum game guarantees.

(c)

Interest expense excludes deferred financing costs, original issue discount amortization, and other non-cash interest expense, and is net of interest income.

(d)

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization, plus impairment loss and non-recurring transaction, COVID, legal, litigation and regulatory costs, as well as certain non-cash items such as stock-based compensation expense and sports rights amortization; less sports rights payments and programming payments. Refer to the reconciliation at the end of this release and the Company's website.

Sinclair Conference Call:

The senior management of Sinclair will hold a conference call to discuss its fourth quarter 2020 results on Wednesday, February 24, 2021, at 9:00 a.m. ET. The call will be webcast live and can be accessed at www.sbgi.net under "Investors/ Webcasts." After the call, an audio replay will remain available at www.sbgi.net. The press and the public will be welcome on the call in a listen-only mode. The dial-in number is (877) 407-8033.

About Sinclair:

Sinclair is a diversified media company and leading provider of local sports and news. The Company owns and/or operates 21 regional sports network brands; owns, operates and/or provides services to 186 television stations in 87 markets; is a leading local news provider in the country; owns multiple national networks; and has TV stations affiliated with all the major broadcast networks. Sinclair’s content is delivered via multiple platforms, including over-the-air, multi-channel video program distributors, and digital platforms. The Company regularly uses its website as a key source of Company information which can be accessed at www.sbgi.net.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Preliminary Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations

(In millions, except share and per share data)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2020

2019

2020

2019

REVENUES:

Media revenues

$

1,490

$

1,581

$

5,843

$

4,046

Non-media revenues

22

41

100

194

Total revenues

1,512

1,622

5,943

4,240

OPERATING EXPENSES:

Media programming and production expenses

447

858

2,735

2,073

Media selling, general and administrative expenses

224

222

832

732

Amortization of program contract costs

23

23

86

90

Non-media expenses

22

36

91

156

Depreciation of property and equipment

27

28

102

97

Corporate general and administrative expenses

37

70

148

387

Amortization of definite-lived intangible and other assets

123

143

572

327

Impairment of goodwill and definite-lived intangible assets

4,264

Gain on asset dispositions and other, net of impairment

(16)

(35)

(115)

(92)

Total operating expenses

887

1,345

8,715

3,770

Operating income (loss)

625

277

(2,772)

470

OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE):

Interest expense including amortization of debt discount and deferred financing costs

(154)

(185)

(656)

(422)

Loss from extinguishment of debt

(15)

(8)

(10)

(10)

(Loss) income from equity method investments

(13)

3

(36)

(35)

Other income, net

156

(8)

325

6

Total other expense, net

(26)

(198)

(377)

(461)

Income (loss) before income taxes

599

79

(3,149)

9

INCOME TAX (PROVISION) BENEFIT

(85)

9

720

96

NET INCOME (LOSS)

514

88

(2,429)

105

Net income attributable to the redeemable noncontrolling interests

(5)

(36)

(56)

(48)

Net (income) loss attributable to the noncontrolling interests

(42)

(8)

71

(10)

NET INCOME (LOSS) ATTRIBUTABLE TO SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP

$

467

$

44

$

(2,414)

$

47

EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO SINCLAIR BROADCAST GROUP:

Basic earnings per share

$

6.32

$

0.47

$

(30.20)

$

0.52

Diluted earnings per share

$

6.27

$

0.47

$

(30.20)

$

0.51

Basic weighted average common shares outstanding (in thousands)

73,974

91,911

79,924

92,015

Diluted weighted average common and common equivalent shares outstanding (in thousands)

74,529

92,928

79,924

93,185

The Company considers Adjusted EBITDA to be an indicator of the operating performance of its assets. The Company also believes that Adjusted EBITDA is frequently used by industry analysts, investors and lenders as a measure of valuation.

Non-GAAP measures are not formulated in accordance with GAAP, are not meant to replace GAAP financial measures and may differ from other companies’ uses or formulations. The Company does not provide reconciliations on a forward-looking basis. Further discussions and reconciliations of the Company's non-GAAP financial measures to comparable GAAP financial measures can be found on its website www.SBGI.net.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Reconciliation of Non-GAAP Measurements - Unaudited

All periods reclassified to conform with current year GAAP presentation

(in millions)

Three Months Ended
December 31,

Twelve Months Ended
December 31,

2020

2019

2020

2019

Adjusted EBITDA

Net income (loss) attributable to Sinclair Broadcast Group

$

467

$

44

$

(2,414)

$

47

Add: Income (loss) from the redeemable noncontrolling interests

5

36

56

48

Add: Income (loss) from the noncontrolling interests

42

8

(71)

10

Add: Provision (benefit) for income taxes

85

(9)

(720)

(96)

Add: Other (income) expense

5

8

(164)

15

Add: Loss (income) from equity method investments

13

(3)

36

35

Add: Loss (income) from other investments and impairments

(159)

5

(156)

5

Add: Loss (gain) from extinguishment of debt/insurance proceeds

14

8

8

10

Add: Interest expense

154

185

656

422

Less: Interest income

(1)

(4)

(3)

(26)

Less: Gain (loss) on asset dispositions and other, net of impairment

(16)

(35)

(115)

(92)

Add: Amortization of intangible assets & other assets

123

143

572

327

Add: Impairment of goodwill and definite-lived intangible assets

4,264

Add: Depreciation of property & equipment

27

28

102

97

Add: Stock-based compensation

16

8

56

38

Add: Amortization of program contract costs

23

22

86

90

Less: Cash film payments

(26)

(22)

(96)

(94)

Add: Amortization of sports programming rights

50

443

1,078

637

Less: Cash sports programming rights payments

(221)

(460)

(1,345)

(578)

Adjustment for transaction, COVID, legal and other non-recurring expense

16

45

58

289

Adjusted EBITDA

$

617

$

450

$

1,888

$

1,184

Forward-Looking Statements:

The matters discussed in this news release, particularly those in the section labeled "Outlook," include forward-looking statements regarding, among other things, future operating results. When used in this news release, the words "outlook," "intends to," "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "achieves," "estimates," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results in the future could differ materially and adversely from those described in the forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including and in addition to the assumptions set forth therein, but not limited to; the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business operations, financial results and financial position and on the world economy, including the significant disruption to the operations of the professional sports leagues, need to provide rebates to our distributors related to canceled professional sporting events, and loss of advertising revenue due to postponement or cancellation of professional sporting events, and reduced consumer spending as a result of shelter in place and stay at home orders; our ability to generate cash to service our substantial indebtedness; successful execution of outsourcing agreements; the successful execution of retransmission consent agreements; the successful execution of network and MVPD affiliation agreements; the successful execution of media rights agreements with professional sports teams; the impact of OTT and other emerging technologies and their potential impact on cord-cutting; the impact of distributors offering "skinny" programming bundles that may not include all programming of our networks; pricing and demand fluctuations in local and national advertising; volatility in programming costs; the market acceptance of new programming; our ability to identify and consummate acquisitions and investments, to manage increased leverage resulting from acquisitions and investments, and to achieve anticipated returns on those investments once consummated; the impact of pending and future litigation claims against the Company; the impact of FCC and other regulatory proceedings against the Company, uncertainties associated with potential changes in the regulatory environment affecting our business and growth strategy; and any risk factors set forth in the Company's recent reports on Form 10-Q and/or Form 10-K, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. There can be no assurances that the assumptions and other factors referred to in this release will occur. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the result of any revisions to these forward-looking statements except as required by law.

Investors:

Steve Zenker, VP, Investor Relations

Billie-Jo McIntire, Director, Investor Relations

(410) 568-1500



Media:

Michael Padovano, 5W, [email protected]

Source: Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc.

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