Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Business & Basis of Presentation

v3.20.1
Business & Basis of Presentation
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2020
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 (the successor to Pandora Media, Inc.) 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, as well as infotainment services, in the United States on a subscription fee basis. The Sirius XM service is distributed through our two proprietary satellite radio systems and through the internet 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 generated from 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, direct sales of our satellite radios and accessories, and other ancillary services.  As of March 31, 2020, our Sirius XM business had approximately 34.8 million subscribers.
In addition to our audio entertainment businesses, we provide connected vehicle services to several automakers and directly to consumers through aftermarket devices. 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.
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 an ad-supported radio service, a radio subscription service, called Pandora Plus, and an on-demand subscription service, called Pandora Premium.  As of March 31, 2020, Pandora had approximately 6.3 million subscribers. The majority of revenue from our Pandora business is generated from advertising on our Pandora ad-supported radio service. In 2018, Pandora entered in to an agreement 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. 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 the world’s largest open audio platform, with a connected community of creators, listeners, and curators. 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 11 for more information on this investment. Together, Sirius XM, Pandora and SoundCloud reach more than 140 million listeners, creating North America's largest digital audio advertising marketplace.
Impact of the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic
The extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic and the related economic impact may affect our financial condition or results of operations is uncertain. The extent of the impact on our operational and financial performance will depend on various factors, including the duration and spread of the outbreak and its impact on vehicle sales, advertising and consumer spending. To date, the pandemic has not increased our costs of or access to capital under our revolving credit facility, and we do not believe it is reasonably likely to in the future. In addition, we do not believe that the pandemic will affect our ongoing ability to meet the covenants in our debt instruments, including under our revolving credit facility. Due to the nature of our subscription business, the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic may not be fully reflected in our results of operations until future periods.
Liberty Media
As of March 31, 2020, Liberty Media Corporation (“Liberty Media”) beneficially owned, directly and indirectly, approximately 72% 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 March 31, 2020 and for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 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, 2019, which was filed with the SEC on February 4, 2020.
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 17 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 months ended March 31, 2020 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 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.
We are not presently aware of any events or circumstances arising from the COVID-19 pandemic that would require us to update our estimates, judgments or revise the carrying value of our assets or liabilities. Our estimates may change, however, as new events occur and additional information is obtained, any such changes will be recognized in the consolidated financial statements. Actual results could differ from estimates, and any such differences may be material to our financial statements.