Business & Basis of Presentation |
9 Months Ended |
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Sep. 30, 2021 | |
| Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract] | |
| Business & Basis of Presentation | Business & Basis of Presentation This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q presents information for Sirius XM Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively “Holdings”). The terms “Holdings,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our company” as used herein, and unless otherwise stated or indicated by context, refer to Sirius XM Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries. “Sirius XM” refers to our wholly owned subsidiary Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its subsidiaries. “Pandora” refers to Sirius XM's wholly owned subsidiary Pandora Media, LLC and its subsidiaries. Holdings has no operations independent of Sirius XM and Pandora.
Business
We operate two complementary audio entertainment businesses - our Sirius XM business and our Pandora business.
Sirius XM
Our Sirius XM business features music, sports, entertainment, comedy, talk, news, traffic and weather channels and other content, as well as podcasts and infotainment services, in the United States on a subscription fee basis. Sirius XM bundles include live, curated and certain exclusive and on demand programming. The Sirius XM service is distributed through our two proprietary satellite radio systems and streamed via applications for mobile devices, home devices and other consumer electronic equipment. Satellite radios are primarily distributed through automakers, retailers and our website. Our Sirius XM service is also available through our user interface, which we call “360L,” that combines our satellite and streaming services into a single, cohesive in-vehicle entertainment experience.
The primary source of revenue from our Sirius XM business is subscription fees, with most of our customers subscribing to monthly, quarterly, semi-annual or annual plans. We also derive revenue from advertising on select non-music channels, which is sold under the SXM Media brand, direct sales of our satellite radios and accessories, and other ancillary services. As of September 30, 2021, our Sirius XM business had approximately 34.3 million subscribers.
In addition to our audio entertainment businesses, we provide connected vehicle services to several automakers. These services are designed to enhance the safety, security and driving experience of consumers. We also offer a suite of data services that includes graphical weather, fuel prices, sports schedules and scores and movie listings, a traffic information service that includes information as to road closings, traffic flow and incident data to consumers with compatible in-vehicle navigation systems, and real-time weather services in vehicles, boats and planes.
In May 2020, we terminated the Automatic Labs Inc. (“Automatic”) service, which was part of our connected vehicle services business. Automatic operated a service for consumers and auto dealers and offered an install-it-yourself adapter and mobile application, which transformed older vehicles into connected vehicles. During the nine months ended September 30, 2020, we recorded $24 of restructuring expenses in our unaudited consolidated statements of comprehensive income related to this termination of the service. Refer to Note 4 for more information.
Sirius XM also holds a 70% equity interest and 33% voting interest in Sirius XM Canada Holdings Inc. (“Sirius XM Canada”). Sirius XM Canada's subscribers are not included in our subscriber count or subscriber-based operating metrics.
Pandora
Our Pandora business operates a music, comedy and podcast streaming discovery platform, offering a personalized experience for each listener wherever and whenever they want to listen, whether through mobile devices, car speakers or connected devices. Pandora enables listeners to create personalized stations and playlists, discover new content, hear artist- and expert-curated playlists, podcasts and select Sirius XM content as well as search and play songs and albums on-demand. Pandora is available as (1) an ad-supported radio service, (2) a radio subscription service (Pandora Plus) and (3) an on-demand subscription service (Pandora Premium). As of September 30, 2021, Pandora had approximately 6.5 million subscribers.
The majority of revenue from our Pandora business is generated from advertising on our Pandora ad-supported radio service which is sold under the SXM Media brand. We also derive subscription revenue from our Pandora Plus and Pandora Premium subscribers.
Our Pandora business also sells advertising on audio platforms and in podcasts unaffiliated with us. Pandora has an arrangement with SoundCloud Holdings, LLC ("SoundCloud") to be its exclusive US ad sales representative. Through this arrangement, Pandora is able to offer advertisers the ability to execute campaigns in the US across the Pandora and SoundCloud listening platforms. We also have arrangements to serve as the ad sales representative for certain podcasts. In addition, through AdsWizz Inc., Pandora provides a comprehensive digital audio and programmatic advertising technology platform, which connects audio publishers and advertisers with a variety of ad insertion, campaign trafficking, yield optimization, programmatic buying, marketplace and podcast monetization solutions.
On February 10, 2020, Sirius XM invested $75 in SoundCloud. SoundCloud is a next-generation music entertainment company, powered by an ecosystem of artists, listeners, and curators on the pulse of what's new, now and next in culture. SoundCloud’s platform enables its users to upload, promote, share and create audio entertainment. The minority investment complements the existing ad sales relationship between SoundCloud and Pandora. Refer to Note 12 for more information on this investment.
On June 16, 2020, Sirius XM acquired Simplecast for $28 in cash. Simplecast is a podcast management and analytics platform. Refer to Note 3 for more information on this acquisition.
On October 16, 2020, Sirius XM acquired certain assets and liabilities of Stitcher from The E.W. Scripps Company and certain of its subsidiaries (“Scripps”) for total consideration of $302, which included $266 in cash and $36 related to the acquisition date fair value of contingent consideration. As of September 30, 2021, we will potentially make up to $30 in additional payments to Scripps related to the contingent consideration based on Stitcher's achievement of certain financial metrics in 2021. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021, we recognized a $17 benefit related to the change in fair value of the 2021 portion of the contingent consideration. The acquisition of Stitcher, in conjunction with Simplecast, created a full-service platform for podcast creators, publishers and advertisers. Refer to Note 3 for more information on this acquisition.
Liberty Media
As of September 30, 2021, Liberty Media Corporation (“Liberty Media”) beneficially owned, directly and indirectly, approximately 79% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. As a result, we are a “controlled company” for the purposes of the NASDAQ corporate governance requirements.
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements of Holdings have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). All significant intercompany transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. Certain numbers in our prior period consolidated financial statements and footnotes have been reclassified or consolidated to conform to our current period presentation.
In the opinion of our management, all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of our unaudited consolidated financial statements as of September 30, 2021 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and 2020 have been made.
Interim results are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for a full year. This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read together with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on February 2, 2021.
Public companies are required to disclose certain information about their reportable operating segments. Operating segments are defined as significant components of an enterprise for which separate financial information is available and is evaluated on a regular basis by the chief operating decision maker in deciding how to allocate resources to an individual segment and in assessing performance of the segment. We have determined that we have two reportable segments as our chief
operating decision maker, our Chief Executive Officer, assesses performance and allocates resources based on the financial results of these segments. Refer to Note 18 for information related to our segments.
We have evaluated events subsequent to the balance sheet date and prior to the filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 and have determined that no events have occurred that would require adjustment to our unaudited consolidated financial statements. For a discussion of subsequent events that do not require adjustment to our unaudited consolidated financial statements refer to Note 19.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and footnotes. Estimates, by their nature, are based on judgment and available information. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. Significant estimates inherent in the preparation of the accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include asset impairment, depreciable lives of our satellites, share-based payment expense and income taxes.
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