Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Business & Basis of Presentation

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Business & Basis of Presentation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2014
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Business & Basis of Presentation
Business & Basis of Presentation

Business
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q presents information for Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (“Holdings”) and also contains the financial results of Sirius XM Radio Inc. (“Sirius XM”) on a combined basis. The terms “we,” “us,” “our,” and “our company” as used herein and unless otherwise stated or indicated by context, refers to Sirius XM Radio Inc. and its subsidiaries prior to the corporate reorganization described below and to Sirius XM Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries after such corporate reorganization.
Sirius XM Holdings Inc.
Effective November 15, 2013, we completed a corporate reorganization. As part of the reorganization, Holdings replaced Sirius XM as our publicly held corporation and Sirius XM became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Holdings. Holdings was incorporated in the State of Delaware on May 21, 2013. Holdings has no operations independent of its subsidiary Sirius XM.

Liberty Media Corporation beneficially owns, directly and indirectly, over 50% of the outstanding shares of our common stock. Liberty Media owns interests in a broad range of media, communications and entertainment businesses, including its subsidiaries, Atlanta National League Baseball Club, Inc. and TruePosition, Inc., its interests in Charter Communications, Live Nation Entertainment and minority equity investments in Time Warner Inc., Time Warner Cable and Viacom.
Sirius XM Radio Inc.
We broadcast music, sports, entertainment, comedy, talk, news, traffic and weather channels, as well as infotainment services, in the United States on a subscription fee basis through our two proprietary satellite radio systems. Subscribers can also receive music and other channels, plus features such as SiriusXM On Demand and MySXM, over the Internet, including through applications for mobile devices. We are also a leader in providing connected vehicle applications and services. Our connected vehicle services are designed to enhance the safety, security and driving experience for vehicle owners while providing marketing and operational benefits to automakers and their dealers. Subscribers to our connected vehicle services are not included in our subscriber count.

We have agreements with every major automaker (“OEMs”) to offer satellite radios in their vehicles from which we acquire a majority of our subscribers. We also acquire subscribers through marketing campaigns to owners of factory-installed satellite radios that are not currently subscribing to our services. Additionally, we distribute our satellite radios through retail locations nationwide and through our website. Satellite radio services are also offered to customers of certain daily rental car companies.

Our primary source of revenue is subscription fees, with most of our customers subscribing on an annual, semi-annual, quarterly or monthly basis. We offer discounts for prepaid and longer term subscription plans as well as discounts for multiple subscriptions. We also derive revenue from activation and other fees, the sale of advertising on select non-music channels, the direct sale of satellite radios and accessories, and other ancillary services, such as our weather, traffic, data and Backseat TV services.

In certain cases, automakers and dealers include a subscription to our radio services in the sale or lease price of new or previously owned vehicles. The length of these trial subscriptions varies but is typically three to twelve months. We receive subscription payments for these trials from certain automakers. We also reimburse various automakers for certain costs associated with satellite radios installed in new vehicles.

Basis of Presentation
The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") for interim financial reporting. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the financial statements presented in accordance with GAAP have been condensed or omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.

Our financial statements include the consolidated accounts for Holdings and subsidiaries and the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Sirius XM and subsidiaries, whose operating results and financial position are consolidated into Holdings. The unaudited consolidated balance sheets and unaudited consolidated statements of comprehensive income for Holdings, and combined footnotes, are essentially identical to the unaudited consolidated balance sheets and unaudited consolidated statements of comprehensive income for Sirius XM, with the following exceptions:

The fair value of the remaining obligations under the share repurchase agreement with Liberty Media is recorded in Holdings' unaudited consolidated balance sheets, with changes in fair value recorded in Holdings' unaudited statements of comprehensive income. Refer to Note 14 for additional information related to the share repurchase agreement.
The fair value in excess of the carrying amount associated with the conversion feature for the 7% Exchangeable Senior Subordinated Notes due 2014 is recorded in Sirius XM's unaudited consolidated balance sheets, with changes in fair value recorded in Sirius XM's unaudited statements of comprehensive income. This is eliminated in Holdings' unaudited consolidated balance sheets and unaudited statements of comprehensive income.
As a result of our corporate reorganization effective November 15, 2013, all of the outstanding shares of Sirius XM's common stock were converted, on a share for share basis, into identical shares of common stock of Holdings.
    
With the exception of the items noted above, all significant intercompany transactions and balances between Holdings and Sirius XM and their respective consolidated subsidiaries are eliminated in both sets of unaudited consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all normal recurring adjustments necessary for a fair presentation of our unaudited consolidated financial statements as of March 31, 2014 and for the three months ended March 31, 2014 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, 2013, which was filed with the SEC on February 4, 2014.

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 months ended March 31, 2014 and have determined that no events have occurred that would require adjustment to our unaudited consolidated financial statements. For a discussion of subsequent events refer to Note 18.
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.