Intelsat Posts 4Q Net Loss of $111 Million, Full Year Loss Widens to $600 Million

Tysons Corner, Va., Feb. 20, 2019 — Intelsat S.A. (NYSE: I) reported today total revenue of US$ 542.8 million and net loss of US$ 111.3 million for the three months ended December 31, 2018. For the year ended December 31, 2018, Intelsat reported total revenue of US$ 2,161.2 million and net loss attributable to Intelsat S.A. of US$ 599.6 million.

Intelsat reported EBITDA, or earnings before net interest, gain on early extinguishment of debt, taxes and depreciation and amortization, of $408.6 million and adjusted EBITDA of $417.9 million, or 77 percent of revenue, for the three months ended December 31, 2018. For the year-ended December 31, 2018 Intelsat reported EBITDA of $1,634.0 million and Adjusted EBITDA of $1,668.5 million, or 77 percent of revenue.

In the first quarter of 2018, Intelsat explained, that it adopted the provisions of the Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (ASC 606). As a result of the adoption of ASC 606, Intelsat said its total revenue reflected $28.0 million and $103.2 million in the three months and year ended December 31, 2018, respectively, primarily related to the significant financing component identified in our customer contracts.

Total revenue excluding the effects of ASC 606 was $514.8 million for the three months ended December 31, 2018, Intelsat said, and $2,058.0 million for the year-ended December 31, 2018.

“Our fourth quarter financial performance contributes to an in-line result with our 2018 annual guidance,” said Stephen Spengler, Intelsat CEO. “Each of our businesses demonstrated achievements in 2018 that will support our plans for 2019 and beyond. Network services is taking share in mobility applications, government maintains its outstanding renewal rates, and our media business continues to obtain long-term renewals well into the next decade. In delivering a 2018 Adjusted EBITDA margin of 76%, we demonstrated our commitment to disciplined cost controls and cash flow. This, combined with our achievement of our capital structure goals, allows us to enter 2019 with our focus on new and existing commercial opportunities."

Spengler continued, “Our operating priorities for 2019 effectuate the next phase of our high-throughput satellite Intelsat EpicNG strategy. With our global HTS footprint in place, and our managed services platforms fully operational, we are bringing new capabilities to existing and new markets. Further, in 2019 our support of market innovations and use of more flexible software and standards-based technologies will progress our goals of lowering the capital intensity of our business and enabling a seamless interface with the telecom sector. This will broaden our market opportunity over time.

“Finally, we continue to promote our FCC proposal to clear a portion of our U.S. spectrum to accelerate the deployment of 5G in the U.S. The C-Band Alliance proposal is the only path that protects the services essential to our customers’ businesses, while at the same time enabling the U.S. to win the race for 5G. We expect 2019 will be an important year for Intelsat and we are energized by the opportunities presented in the year ahead."

Full-Year 2018 Business Highlights

Network Services

Network services revenue was $202.0 million (or 37 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the three months ended December 31, 2018. Excluding the effects of ASC 606, network services revenue was $199.0 million, (or 39 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the three months ended December 31, 2018, a decrease of 6 percent compared to the three months ended December 31, 2017.

Network Services revenue for the year-ended December 31, 2018 was $798.1 million (or 37 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue). Excluding the effects of ASC 606, network services revenue was $794.9 million (or 39 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the year ended 2018, a decrease of 7 percent compared to the year ended December 31, 2017.

Media

Media revenue was $231.1 million (or 43 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the three months ended December 31, 2018. Excluding the effects of ASC 606, media revenue was $214.4 million (or 42 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the three months ended December 31, 2018, a decrease of 5 percent compared to the three months ended December 31, 2017.

Media revenue was $937.4 million (or 43 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the year ended December 31, 2018. Excluding the effects of ASC 606, media revenue for the full-year 2018 was $870.8 million (or 42 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue), a decrease of 4 percent compared to the year ended December 31, 2017.

Government

Government revenue was $97.7 million (or 18 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the three months ended December 31, 2018. Excluding the effects of ASC 606, government revenue was $89.5 million (or 17 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the three months ended December 31, 2018, a decrease of 1 percent compared to the three months ended December 31, 2017.

Government revenue was $392.0 million (or 18 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue) for the year ended December 31, 2018. Excluding the effects of ASC 606, government revenue for the full-year 2018 was $359.0 million (or 17 percent of Intelsat’s total revenue), an increase of 2 percent compared to the year ended December 31, 2017.

Average Fill Rate

Intelsat’s average fill rate at December 31, 2018 on its approximately 1,775 36 MHz station-kept wide- beam transponders was 78 percent, as compared to an average fill rate at September 30, 2018 of 79 percent on 1,825 transponders. High-throughput satellite Intelsat EpicNG capacity was unchanged from the third quarter of 2018 at approximately 1,150 units.

Satellite Launches

Intelsat conducted no satellite launches in the fourth quarter of 2018. The Intelsat 38 and Horizons 3e satellites launched in September of 2018 entered service in January 2019.

Contracted Backlog

At December 31, 2018, Intelsat’s contracted backlog, representing expected future revenue under existing contracts with customers, was $8.1 billion, including approximately $1.1 billion attributable to ASC 606. Excluding the effects of ASC 606, contracted backlog was $7.1 billion, as compared to $7.3 billion at September 30, 2018. On a program-to-date basis, the Intelsat EpicNG satellites have booked $1.4 billion in backlog.

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