Liberty Global Reports Q4 and Full-Year 2017 Results | ![]() | ||||
Best quarterly revenue growth in two years driven by U.K. Q4 operating income down $187 million & $535 million in FY '17 Full-year rebased OCF growth of 4.5%, Adj. FCF to $1.6 billion Announced sale of UPC Austria & completed LatAm split-off Announced new $2 billion share repurchase plan for 2018 Denver, Colorado: February 14, 2018 Liberty Global plc today announced its Q4 and full-year 2017 financial results1. Please note that as a result of the completion of the LatAm split-off, the information included in this release represents our continuing operations, unless otherwise noted. CEO Mike Fries stated, "We ended 2017 on a high note, as we delivered our best rebased revenue growth of the year in Q4, along with 4.5% rebased2 OCF3 growth for the full year and $1.6 billion of Adjusted Free Cash Flow4. These results were driven by solid performances in Germany and the U.K., together with continued cost efficiencies from our Liberty GO program." | Q4 2017 REVENUE & YOY GROWTH2 $4.0bn I +2.9% | ||||
Q4 2017 OCF & YOY GROWTH2 $1.9bn I +4.3% | |||||
2017 REVENUE & YOY GROWTH2 $15.0bn I +2.3% | |||||
2017 OCF & YOY GROWTH2 $7.1bn I +4.5% | |||||
NASDAQ:LBTYA | NASDAQ:LBTYB | NASDAQ:LBTYK | |||||
Full-Year 2017 Highlights | 2018 Guidance Targets | ||
![]() | NEW PREMISES BUILT OVER 1.1 MM | ![]() | REBASED OCF GROWTH ~5%7 |
![]() | B2B5 REVENUE GROWTH2 +12% | ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW $1.6BN8 | |
![]() | ORGANIC RGU6 ADDITIONS 760,000 | ![]() | P&E ADDITIONS OF $5.1 BN8 |
"Virgin Media, our largest operation, steadily improved throughout 2017 and posted 5% rebased OCF growth in Q4, its best performance of the year. We successfully executed the price increase last November and continued rolling out cutting-edge products like our WiFi Connect and V6 set-top boxes, which we will continue to aggressively deploy in 2018. Early last year, we overhauled Project Lightning and subsequently reported progressively improved new build totals, including the delivery of nearly 160,000 premises in Q4 2017, a quarterly record. In Switzerland, Q4 and full-year OCF results were impacted by costs associated with the launch of MySports, our new sports channel that is available exclusively to cable customers. This investment has transformed UPC Switzerland into the premier provider of televised athletic events, featuring access to Swiss ice hockey and Bundesliga matches. We expect that our OCF results in this market will continue to be under pressure in the coming quarters, as we continue to invest in MySports." | "Our balance sheet remains in great shape with an average long-term debt tenor9 of nearly eight years, a fully-swapped borrowing cost of 4.2% and substantial liquidity10 of $5 billion. We recently announced a stock repurchase plan of $2 billion for 2018 which, when completed, will push our total buybacks since 2005 above $20 billion. On the M&A front, a couple transactions have highlighted our continued focus on shareholder value creation. At the end of the year we completed the split-off of our Latin American business, which created two attractive, asset-backed securities. In December, we announced the sale of UPC Austria to T-Mobile Austria at an ~11x EV/OCF exit multiple, highlighting the strategic value of our networks in a rapidly converging world. Looking ahead, in 2018 we expect to deliver around 5% rebased OCF growth, Adjusted Free Cash Flow of $1.6 billion and P&E additions of $5.1 billion, including $1.2 billion8 of spend for new build and upgrade for the full year. These investments, which underpin our customer-centric focus, leave us well placed to deliver long-term sustainable growth.” | |
Contacts Investor Relations Matt Coates +44 20 8483 6333 John Rea +1 303 220 4238 Stefan Halters +1 303 784 4528 Corporate Communications Matt Beake +44 20 8483 6428 Julia Hart +31 6 1121 2871 Corporate Website www.libertyglobal.com | About Liberty Global Liberty Global (NASDAQ: LBTYA, LBTYB and LBTYK) is the world’s largest international TV and broadband company, with operations in 12 European countries under the consumer brands Virgin Media, Unitymedia, Telenet and UPC. We invest in the infrastructure and digital platforms that empower our customers to make the most of the video, internet and communications revolution. Our substantial scale and commitment to innovation enable us to develop market-leading products delivered through next-generation networks that connect over 22 million customers subscribing to 46 million TV, broadband internet and telephony services. We also serve over 6 million mobile subscribers and offer WiFi service through 10 million access points across our footprint. In addition, Liberty Global owns 50% of VodafoneZiggo, a joint venture in the Netherlands with 4 million customers subscribing to 10 million fixed-line and 5 million mobile services, as well as significant content investments in ITV, All3Media, LionsGate, the Formula E racing series and several regional sports networks. | |
Liberty Global | Q4 2017 | YoY Growth/(Decline)* | FY 2017 | YoY Growth/(Decline)* | ||||||||||
Subscribers | ||||||||||||||
Organic RGU Net Additions | 149,200 | (45.3 | %) | 759,800 | (22.0 | %) | ||||||||
Financial (in USD millions) | ||||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 3,988 | 2.9 | % | $ | 15,049 | 2.3 | % | ||||||
OCF | $ | 1,912 | 4.3 | % | $ | 7,086 | 4.5 | % | ||||||
Operating income | $ | 496 | (27.4 | %) | $ | 1,947 | (21.6 | %) | ||||||
Adjusted FCF | $ | 844 | (16.4 | %) | $ | 1,551 | (21.6 | %) | ||||||
Cash provided by operating activities^ | $ | 1,495 | $ | 5,135 | ||||||||||
Cash provided (used) by investing activities^ | $ | (428 | ) | $ | 79 | |||||||||
Cash used by financing activities^ | $ | (927 | ) | $ | (4,721 | ) | ||||||||

Three months ended | Year ended | |||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||
Organic RGU net additions (losses) by product | (excluding NL13) | (excluding NL13) | ||||||||||
Video | (54,500 | ) | (7,500 | ) | (116,500 | ) | (164,000 | ) | ||||
Data | 116,000 | 174,800 | 503,400 | 634,500 | ||||||||
Voice | 87,700 | 105,300 | 372,900 | 503,400 | ||||||||
Total | 149,200 | 272,600 | 759,800 | 973,900 | ||||||||
Organic RGU net additions (losses) by market | ||||||||||||
U.K./Ireland | 7,700 | 28,200 | 336,200 | 251,600 | ||||||||
Belgium | (11,800 | ) | 700 | (53,700 | ) | 28,300 | ||||||
Germany | 55,100 | 98,000 | 229,400 | 320,300 | ||||||||
Switzerland/Austria | (19,100 | ) | 25,000 | (18,200 | ) | (400 | ) | |||||
Central and Eastern Europe | 117,300 | 120,700 | 266,100 | 374,100 | ||||||||
Total | 149,200 | 272,600 | 759,800 | 973,900 | ||||||||
Organic Mobile SIM additions (losses) by product | ||||||||||||
Postpaid | 118,700 | 57,700 | 384,000 | 343,200 | ||||||||
Prepaid | (23,400 | ) | (69,200 | ) | (216,900 | ) | (245,200 | ) | ||||
Total | 95,300 | (11,500 | ) | 167,100 | 98,000 | |||||||
Organic Mobile SIM additions (losses) by market | ||||||||||||
U.K./Ireland | 32,800 | (1,800 | ) | 12,500 | 16,200 | |||||||
Belgium | 50,800 | (28,100 | ) | 94,600 | (6,900 | ) | ||||||
Other | 11,700 | 18,400 | 60,000 | 88,700 | ||||||||
Total | 95,300 | (11,500 | ) | 167,100 | 98,000 | |||||||
• | Cable Product Performance: During Q4 we added 149,000 RGUs, a 45% decline over the prior-year period due to lower gross additions across all European operations. On the fixed product side, all three products showed year-over-year declines |
• | U.K./Ireland: Q4 RGU additions of 8,000 were lower than the prior year, as improved performance in new build areas was offset by reduced growth in our existing footprint, reflecting our structured approach to promotions. As a result, broadband net additions of 25,000, were down year-over-year, while our RGU performance improved across video and fixed-telephony |
• | Belgium: RGU attrition of 12,000 in Q4, consistent with prior 2017 quarters, was primarily due to intensified competition. However, our converged quad-play package additions continued to grow, as we gained nearly 39,000 new "WIGO" subscribers during Q4 |
• | Germany: Reported 55,000 RGU additions in Q4, which was below our Q4 2016 result. The prior-year period was boosted by a successful "high-speed weeks" promotion, which offered higher discounts on our core double and triple-play bundles. Additionally, video attrition of 37,000 RGUs was driven by a large MDU contract disconnect |

• | Switzerland/Austria: Lost 19,000 RGUs in Q4, compared to a Q4 2016 gain of 25,000, which was largely due to the launch of Connect&Play. The performance was largely due to losses of 29,000 video and 2,000 broadband subscribers, partially offset by 12,000 telephony RGU additions |
• | CEE: Delivered 117,000 RGU additions in Q4, largely in-line with the prior-year period |
• | Next-Generation Video Penetration (including Horizon TV, Horizon-Lite, TiVo, Virgin TV V6 and Yelo TV): Added 210,000 subscribers to our advanced platforms in Q4 and reached 7.7 million or 43% of our total cable video base (excluding DTH) by the end of the year |
• | WiFi Connect Box: Deployments of our latest WiFi Connect box increased by more than 1 million in Q4, ending the quarter with an installed base of over 6.4 million or 43% of broadband subscribers across Europe |
• | Mobile: Added 95,000 mobile subscribers in Q4, as 119,000 postpaid additions were partially offset by continued attrition in our low-ARPU prepaid base |
◦ | Belgium added 51,000 new mobile subscribers during Q4, a strong year-over-year improvement. This was driven by the continued success of our converged "WIGO" offers and a competitive BASE14 postpaid proposition |
◦ | UK/Ireland added 63,000 postpaid mobile subscribers in Q4, 10x higher than the prior-year result, driven by exceptionally strong take-up of innovative 36-month Freestyle contracts. Total mobile net additions increased by 33,000 in the quarter as postpaid growth was partially offset by low-ARPU prepaid losses. The penetration of 4G at Virgin Media increased to 55% at the end of Q4 |
◦ | Switzerland/Austria gained 18,000 mobile subscribers in Q4, as our Swiss offerings (including free EU roaming since June) continue to gain traction. Also announced a new MVNO contract with Swisscom with subscriber transition by early 2019 |

Three months ended | Increase/(decrease) | Year ended | Increase/(decrease) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue | 2017 | 2016 | % | Rebased % | 2017 | 2016 | % | Rebased % | |||||||||||||||||||
in millions, except % amounts | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
U.K./Ireland | $ | 1,711.1 | $ | 1,523.2 | 12.3 | 4.4 | $ | 6,398.7 | $ | 6,508.8 | (1.7 | ) | 2.1 | ||||||||||||||
Belgium | 758.8 | 680.2 | 11.6 | 0.9 | 2,865.3 | 2,691.1 | 6.5 | 1.2 | |||||||||||||||||||
Germany | 716.8 | 639.7 | 12.1 | 2.5 | 2,705.4 | 2,539.7 | 6.5 | 4.3 | |||||||||||||||||||
Switzerland/Austria | 451.2 | 435.9 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 1,766.0 | 1,755.6 | 0.6 | (0.3 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Central and Eastern Europe | 317.1 | 273.8 | 15.8 | 4.6 | 1,183.6 | 1,088.4 | 8.7 | 5.2 | |||||||||||||||||||
The Netherlands | — | 660.4 | (100.0 | ) | N.M. | — | 2,690.8 | (100.0 | ) | N.M. | |||||||||||||||||
Central and Corporate | 38.7 | 20.7 | 87.0 | 0.5 | 144.8 | 73.2 | 97.8 | 2.1 | |||||||||||||||||||
Intersegment eliminations | (6.0 | ) | (17.3 | ) | N.M. | N.M. | (14.9 | ) | (62.6 | ) | N.M. | N.M. | |||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 3,987.7 | $ | 4,216.6 | (5.4 | ) | 2.9 | $ | 15,048.9 | $ | 17,285.0 | (12.9 | ) | 2.3 | |||||||||||||
• | Reported revenue for the three months and full-year ended December 31, 2017, declined 5% and 13% year-over-year in each period, respectively |
◦ | These Q4 results were primarily driven by the net impact of (i) the deconsolidation of our operations in the Netherlands in connection with the completion of our joint venture with Vodafone Group plc (the "VodafoneZiggo JV"), (ii) positive foreign exchange ("FX") movements, mainly related to the strengthening of the Euro and British Pound against the U.S. dollar, and (iii) organic revenue growth |
◦ | These full-year 2017 results were primarily driven by the net impact of (i) the deconsolidation of our operations in the Netherlands in connection with the VodafoneZiggo JV transaction, (ii) negative foreign exchange ("FX") movements, mainly related to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the British Pound, and (iii) organic revenue growth |
• | Rebased revenue grew 3% in Q4 and 2% for the full-year 2017 period. These results included: |
◦ | A reduction in cable subscription revenue of $12 million for the full-year 2017 period resulting from a change in U.K. regulations governing payment handling fees that we charge our customers |
◦ | The favorable $7 million YTD impact due to the release of unclaimed customer credits in Switzerland |
◦ | A reduction in channel carriage fee revenue primarily related to the June 2017 discontinuation of our analog video service in Germany, which resulted in revenue decreases of $7 million in Q4 and $18 million in the full-year 2017 period |

◦ | The favorable $6 million impact in the full-year 2017 period for the expected recovery of VAT paid in prior periods with respect to copyright fees in Belgium, which benefited revenue in H1 2017 |
• | Our B2B business (including SOHO and non-subscription revenue) reported rebased revenue growth of 13% and 12% in the Q4 and full-year 2017 periods, respectively |
• | Our residential mobile business (including interconnect and handset sales) posted a 6% rebased revenue gain and 2% rebased contraction in the Q4 and full-year 2017 periods, respectively |
• | U.K./Ireland: Rebased revenue growth of 4% in Q4 reflects (i)17% rebased growth in residential mobile revenue (including interconnect and mobile handset revenue), reflecting higher revenue from mobile handset sales that was partially offset by lower mobile subscription revenue (ii) 2% rebased growth in our residential cable business, and (iii) 6% rebased revenue growth in our B2B business, largely driven by continued growth in the SOHO segment |
• | Belgium: Rebased revenue growth of 1% in Q4 was mainly driven by the net effect of (i) growth in our B2B segment, driven by increased MVNO revenue on Telenet's mobile network and (ii) lower mobile and cable revenue |
• | Germany: Q4 rebased revenue growth of 2.5% reflects the net effect of (i) higher residential cable subscription revenue as a result of increases in subscribers and higher ARPU per RGU, (ii) B2B revenue growth, largely driven by an increase in B2B non-subscription revenue, (iii) lower analog video channel carriage revenue of $7 million and (iv) lower fixed-line telephony interconnect revenue. |
• | Switzerland/Austria: Rebased revenue growth in Q4 was relatively flat, primarily related to the net effect of (i) lower ARPU per RGU, mainly due to competitive pressures, (ii) higher revenue from the distribution of MySports channels and (iii) increased mobile revenue |
• | CEE: Rebased revenue growth of 5% in Q4, driven by the net effect of (i) growth in our B2B business, (ii) higher cable revenue supported by solid RGU additions throughout 2017, and (iii) a small decline in ARPU per RGU |
• | Operating income was $496 million and $683 million in Q4 2017 and Q4 2016, respectively, representing a decrease of 27% year over year. For the year ended December 31, 2017, operating income was $1,948 million, reflecting a decline of 22% as compared to $2,482 million in YTD 2016 |
• | The decreases in operating income for both periods primarily resulted from the net effect of lower OCF, as further described below, and for the twelve-month comparison, a decline in depreciation and amortization. The declines in OCF and depreciation and amortization were primarily attributable to the fact that our Netherlands segment is not included in our 2017 consolidated results |

Three months ended | Increase/(decrease) | Year ended | Increase/(decrease) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
OCF | 2017 | 2016 | % | Rebased % | 2017 | 2016 | % | Rebased % | ||||||||||||||||||||
in millions, except % amounts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
U.K./Ireland | $ | 815.0 | $ | 724.8 | 12.4 | 5.2 | $ | 2,894.5 | $ | 2,930.9 | (1.2 | ) | 3.6 | |||||||||||||||
Belgium | 327.3 | 281.2 | 16.4 | 4.9 | 1,299.7 | 1,173.4 | 10.8 | 6.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Germany | 460.1 | 398.7 | 15.4 | 5.6 | 1,700.3 | 1,586.4 | 7.2 | 4.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Switzerland/Austria | 260.0 | 274.2 | (5.2 | ) | (8.0 | ) | 1,054.3 | 1,069.3 | (1.4 | ) | (2.3 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
Central and Eastern Europe | 144.7 | 125.6 | 15.2 | 3.4 | 516.2 | 471.5 | 9.5 | 5.4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
The Netherlands | — | 365.2 | (100.0 | ) | N.M. | — | 1,472.7 | (100.0 | ) | N.M. | ||||||||||||||||||
Central and Corporate | (95.2 | ) | (134.2 | ) | (29.1 | ) | 12.3 | (379.4 | ) | (540.5 | ) | (29.8 | ) | 11.4 | ||||||||||||||
Total | $ | 1,911.9 | $ | 2,035.5 | (6.1 | ) | 4.3 | $ | 7,085.6 | $ | 8,163.7 | (13.2 | ) | 4.5 | ||||||||||||||
OCF Margin | 47.9 | % | 48.3 | % | 47.1 | % | 47.2 | % | ||||||||||||||||||||
• | Reported OCF for the three months and year ended December 31, 2017, declined 6% and 13% year-over-year, respectively |
◦ | These results were primarily driven by the net impact of (i) the deconsolidation of our operations in the Netherlands, (ii) organic OCF growth and (iii) the aforementioned impact of FX movements |
• | Rebased OCF growth of 4% and 4.5% in Q4 and full-year 2017, respectively, included: |
◦ | The net unfavorable impact on our revenue of certain items, as discussed in the "Revenue Highlights" section above |
◦ | An unfavorable $11 million (Q4) and $34 million (full year) network tax increase following an April 1, 2017 increase in the rateable value of our existing U.K. and Irish networks |
◦ | A favorable $10 million (Q4) and $42 million (full year) benefit associated with a telecom operator's agreement to compensate Virgin Media for prior-period contractual breaches related to network charges |
◦ | A favorable $13 million benefit in both the Q4 and full-year period due to our decision to issue Liberty Global shares to satisfy a portion of our 2017 annual incentive compensation |
◦ | A $6 million headwind from the settlement of an operational contingency in the U.K. during Q1 2016 |
• | As compared to the prior-year periods, our Q4 and full-year 2017 OCF margins were down 30 and 10 basis points to 47.9% and 47.1%, respectively. Our OCF margins during the 2017 periods were negatively impacted by the deconsolidation of the Netherlands |

• | U.K./Ireland: Rebased OCF growth of 5% reflects the net effect of (i) revenue growth, (ii) higher handset and programming costs, (iii) increased network taxes, (iv) the aforementioned compensation for prior-period contractual breaches related to network charges and (v) lower marketing spend |
• | Belgium: Rebased OCF growth of 5% in Q4, largely driven by the net effect of (i) lower MVNO costs (migrating subscribers to our own mobile network), (ii) higher network related costs and (iii) lower integration costs associated with the BASE acquisition |
• | Germany: Increased OCF by 6% in Q4 on a rebased basis, primarily due to the net effect of (i) an increase in revenue, (ii) lower SG&A costs, primarily due to lower spend for marketing and advertising, (iii) higher direct costs, due to higher programming and copyright cost and interconnect and access cost and (iv) lower indirect costs, due to the net effect of higher outsourced call center costs, lower bad debt expense and lower staff-related costs. Growth was adversely impacted by the aforementioned loss of analog carriage fees, which reduced OCF by approximately $7 million in Q4 |
• | Switzerland/Austria: Rebased OCF declined 8% in Q4, primarily due to continuing competition and an increase in the net expenses associated with the MySports Platform. These net expenses are more heavily weighted to the first and fourth quarters of the year |
• | CEE: Rebased OCF grew by 3% in Q4, largely driven by the aforementioned revenue growth, partially offset by higher direct and staff-related costs |
• | Net earnings (loss) attributable to Liberty Global shareholders (including discontinued operations) were ($992 million) and $2,223 million for the three months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and ($2,778 million) and $1,705 million for the twelve months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively |
• | Total capital leases and principal amount of third-party debt: $42.4 billion |
• | Leverage ratios: Our adjusted gross and net leverage ratios at December 31, 2017 were 5.1x and 4.9x, respectively |
• | Average debt tenor : Nearly 8 years, with ~88% not due until 2021 or beyond |

• | Borrowing costs: Blended fully-swapped borrowing cost of our third-party debt was 4.2% |
• | Liquidity: $4.9 billion, including (i) $1.7 billion of cash at December 31, 2017 and (ii) aggregate unused borrowing capacity15 under our credit facilities of $3.2 billion |


Revenue | OCF | |||||||||||||||
Three months ended December 31, | Full year ended December 31, | Three months ended December 31, | Full year ended December 31, | |||||||||||||
2016 | 2016 | 2016 | 2016 | |||||||||||||
in millions | ||||||||||||||||
Acquisitions | $ | 57.6 | $ | 291.2 | $ | 35.2 | $ | 137.9 | ||||||||
Contribution of Ziggo Group Holding to the VodafoneZiggo JV and other dispositions (i) | (674.4 | ) | (2,741.6 | ) | (362.7 | ) | (1,478.4 | ) | ||||||||
Foreign Currency | 275.0 | (127.5 | ) | 125.9 | (45.6 | ) | ||||||||||
Total decrease | $ | (341.8 | ) | $ | (2,577.9 | ) | $ | (201.6 | ) | $ | (1,386.1 | ) | ||||

Capital | Debt & Capital | Cash | ||||||||||||||
Lease | Lease | and Cash | ||||||||||||||
Debt(ii) | Obligations | Obligations | Equivalents | |||||||||||||
in millions | ||||||||||||||||
Liberty Global and unrestricted subsidiaries | $ | 2,404.1 | $ | 67.2 | $ | 2,471.3 | $ | 1,557.6 | ||||||||
Virgin Media(iii) | 17,218.7 | 79.1 | 17,297.8 | 32.0 | ||||||||||||
Unitymedia | 8,776.4 | 722.4 | 9,498.8 | 2.8 | ||||||||||||
UPC Holding | 7,304.3 | 95.7 | 7,400.0 | 33.1 | ||||||||||||
Telenet | 5,314.1 | 456.1 | 5,770.2 | 46.9 | ||||||||||||
Total | $ | 41,017.6 | $ | 1,420.5 | $ | 42,438.1 | $ | 1,672.4 | ||||||||
(i) | Except as otherwise indicated, the amounts reported in the table include the named entity and its subsidiaries. |
(ii) | Debt amounts for UPC Holding and Telenet include notes issued by special purpose entities that are consolidated by the respective subsidiary. |
(iii) | The Virgin Media borrowing group includes certain subsidiaries of Virgin Media, but excludes the parent entity, Virgin Media Inc. The cash and cash equivalents amount includes cash and cash equivalents held by the Virgin Media borrowing group, but excludes cash and cash equivalents held by Virgin Media Inc. This amount is included in the amount shown for Liberty Global and unrestricted subsidiaries. |
Three months ended | Year ended | |||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||||||
in millions, except % amounts | ||||||||||||||||
Customer premises equipment | $ | 258.3 | $ | 247.0 | $ | 1,161.4 | $ | 920.4 | ||||||||
New Build & Upgrade | 339.0 | 356.7 | 1,158.0 | 930.1 | ||||||||||||
Capacity | 190.9 | 233.2 | 625.9 | 637.0 | ||||||||||||
Product & Enablers | 305.4 | 238.5 | 875.8 | 674.2 | ||||||||||||
Baseline | 294.8 | 284.9 | 943.7 | 887.0 | ||||||||||||
Property and equipment additions (excluding the Netherlands) | 1,388.4 | 1,360.3 | 4,764.8 | 4,048.7 | ||||||||||||
The Netherlands | — | 168.7 | — | 589.9 | ||||||||||||
Total property and equipment additions | 1,388.4 | 1,529.0 | 4,764.8 | 4,638.6 | ||||||||||||
Reconciliation of property and equipment additions to capital expenditures: | ||||||||||||||||
Excluding the Netherlands: | ||||||||||||||||
Assets acquired under capital-related vendor financing arrangements(i) | (701.7 | ) | (571.8 | ) | (2,635.8 | ) | (1,818.9 | ) | ||||||||
Assets acquired under capital leases | (34.0 | ) | (31.2 | ) | (169.8 | ) | (104.2 | ) | ||||||||
Changes in current liabilities related to capital expenditures | (77.0 | ) | (310.2 | ) | (6.1 | ) | (341.3 | ) | ||||||||
The Netherlands | — | (64.4 | ) | — | (220.3 | ) | ||||||||||
Total capital expenditures(ii) | $ | 575.7 | $ | 551.4 | $ | 1,953.1 | $ | 2,153.9 | ||||||||
Property and equipment additions as % of revenue (excluding the Netherlands) | 34.8 | % | 38.3 | % | 31.7 | % | 27.7 | % | ||||||||

(i) | Amounts exclude related VAT of $112 million and $84 million during the three months ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, and $420 million and $278 million during the year ended December 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, that were also financed by our vendors under these arrangements. |
(ii) | The capital expenditures that we report in our consolidated statements of cash flows do not include amounts that are financed under vendor financing or capital lease arrangements. Instead, these expenditures are reflected as non-cash additions to our property and equipment when the underlying assets are delivered, and as repayments of debt when the related principal is repaid. |
Three months ended December 31, | % | Rebased | ||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||
Liberty Global (excluding the Netherlands) | $ | 43.41 | $ | 39.97 | 8.6 | % | 0.9 | % | ||||||
U.K. & Ireland (Virgin Media) | £ | 50.29 | £ | 50.37 | (0.2 | %) | (0.5 | %) | ||||||
Germany (Unitymedia) | € | 25.35 | € | 24.64 | 2.9 | % | 2.9 | % | ||||||
Belgium (Telenet) | € | 55.01 | € | 53.96 | 1.9 | % | 3.2 | % | ||||||
Other Europe (UPC Holding) | € | 25.94 | € | 26.98 | (3.9 | %) | (1.2 | %) | ||||||
ARPU per Mobile Subscriber | ||||||||||||||
Three months ended December 31, | % | Rebased | ||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | Change | % Change | |||||||||||
Liberty Global (excluding the Netherlands): | ||||||||||||||
Including interconnect revenue | $ | 19.03 | $ | 18.04 | 5.5 | % | (4.7 | %) | ||||||
Excluding interconnect revenue | $ | 15.25 | $ | 14.77 | 3.2 | % | (5.1 | %) | ||||||

Consolidated Operating Data — December 31, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Video | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Homes Passed | Two-way Homes Passed | Cable Customer Relationships | Basic Video Subscribers(i) | Enhanced Video Subscribers | DTH Subscribers | Total Video | Internet Subscribers(ii) | Telephony Subscribers(iii) | Total RGUs | Total Mobile Subscribers(iv) | |||||||||||||||
U.K. | 13,979,000 | 13,967,200 | 5,432,600 | — | 3,827,200 | — | 3,827,200 | 5,104,300 | 4,440,100 | 13,371,600 | 3,002,800 | ||||||||||||||
Germany | 12,981,300 | 12,900,400 | 7,160,200 | 4,687,200 | 1,653,600 | — | 6,340,800 | 3,476,600 | 3,251,000 | 13,068,400 | 320,400 | ||||||||||||||
Belgium | 3,317,100 | 3,317,100 | 2,190,400 | 244,700 | 1,786,600 | — | 2,031,300 | 1,674,100 | 1,302,600 | 5,008,000 | 2,803,800 | ||||||||||||||
Switzerland(v) | 2,281,600 | 2,281,600 | 1,236,800 | 520,600 | 679,900 | — | 1,200,500 | 749,300 | 537,700 | 2,487,500 | 114,800 | ||||||||||||||
Austria | 1,410,800 | 1,410,800 | 654,100 | 93,200 | 367,500 | — | 460,700 | 515,600 | 457,600 | 1,433,900 | 64,100 | ||||||||||||||
Ireland | 893,900 | 855,300 | 454,300 | 24,600 | 268,100 | — | 292,700 | 372,200 | 356,300 | 1,021,200 | 49,900 | ||||||||||||||
Poland | 3,354,100 | 3,296,900 | 1,434,900 | 188,800 | 1,023,800 | — | 1,212,600 | 1,139,700 | 629,900 | 2,982,200 | 4,000 | ||||||||||||||
Romania | 3,077,100 | 3,034,200 | 1,345,600 | 260,700 | 673,200 | 365,900 | 1,299,800 | 581,700 | 535,400 | 2,416,900 | — | ||||||||||||||
Hungary | 1,789,400 | 1,772,000 | 1,110,900 | 92,200 | 590,900 | 265,900 | 949,000 | 675,300 | 638,700 | 2,263,000 | 88,400 | ||||||||||||||
Czech Republic | 1,533,900 | 1,509,400 | 717,000 | 171,600 | 356,000 | 100,600 | 628,200 | 497,500 | 163,100 | 1,288,800 | — | ||||||||||||||
Slovakia | 604,100 | 589,400 | 270,500 | 25,400 | 140,600 | 76,400 | 242,400 | 131,100 | 78,700 | 452,200 | — | ||||||||||||||
Total | 45,222,300 | 44,934,300 | 22,007,300 | 6,309,000 | 11,367,400 | 808,800 | 18,485,200 | 14,917,400 | 12,391,100 | 45,793,700 | 6,448,200 | ||||||||||||||

Subscriber Variance Table - December 31, 2017 vs September 30, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Video | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Homes Passed | Two-way Homes Passed | Cable Customer Relationships | Basic Video Subscribers(i) | Enhanced Video Subscribers | DTH Subscribers | Total Video | Internet Subscribers(ii) | Telephony Subscribers(iii) | Total RGUs | Total Mobile Subscribers(iv) | |||||||||||||||
U.K. | 180,400 | 180,400 | 14,400 | — | 4,900 | — | 4,900 | 24,200 | (15,700 | ) | 13,400 | 27,300 | |||||||||||||
Germany | 24,500 | 44,000 | (16,100 | ) | (36,600 | ) | (300 | ) | — | (36,900 | ) | 45,800 | 46,200 | 55,100 | (13,200 | ) | |||||||||
Belgium | 10,000 | 10,000 | (11,400 | ) | (11,000 | ) | (4,600 | ) | — | (15,600 | ) | 3,700 | 100 | (11,800 | ) | (78,300 | ) | ||||||||
Switzerland(v) | 13,000 | 13,000 | (23,400 | ) | (21,900 | ) | 100 | — | (21,800 | ) | (5,500 | ) | 4,800 | (22,500 | ) | 9,800 | |||||||||
Austria | 6,500 | 6,500 | 100 | (2,000 | ) | (5,100 | ) | — | (7,100 | ) | 3,100 | 7,400 | 3,400 | 8,400 | |||||||||||
Ireland | 13,500 | 16,600 | (1,300 | ) | (1,800 | ) | (2,800 | ) | — | (4,600 | ) | 800 | (1,900 | ) | (5,700 | ) | 5,500 | ||||||||
Poland | 91,400 | 93,000 | 8,500 | (3,500 | ) | 7,300 | — | 3,800 | 16,700 | 3,400 | 23,900 | (300 | ) | ||||||||||||
Romania | 25,600 | 26,100 | 23,700 | (3,100 | ) | 9,800 | 10,800 | 17,500 | 13,000 | 15,800 | 46,300 | — | |||||||||||||
Hungary | 25,000 | 25,100 | 1,700 | (8,400 | ) | 13,900 | (4,000 | ) | 1,500 | 10,400 | 17,000 | 28,900 | 7,000 | ||||||||||||
Czech Republic | 18,000 | 26,700 | 1,100 | 6,000 | 300 | (1,600 | ) | 4,700 | 5,400 | 10,400 | 20,500 | — | |||||||||||||
Slovakia | 3,300 | 8,200 | 1,300 | (300 | ) | 2,000 | 600 | 2,300 | 2,800 | 1,900 | 7,000 | — | |||||||||||||
Total | 411,200 | 449,600 | (1,400 | ) | (82,600 | ) | 25,500 | 5,800 | (51,300 | ) | 120,400 | 89,400 | 158,500 | (33,800 | ) | ||||||||||
Subscriber Variance Table - December 31, 2017 vs September 30, 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Video | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Homes Passed | Two-way Homes Passed | Cable Customer Relationships | Basic Video Subscribers(i) | Enhanced Video Subscribers | DTH Subscribers | Total Video | Internet Subscribers(ii) | Telephony Subscribers(iii) | Total RGUs | Total Mobile Subscribers(iv) | |||||||||||||||
Organic Change Summary: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
U.K. | 180,400 | 180,400 | 14,400 | — | 4,900 | — | 4,900 | 24,200 | (15,700 | ) | 13,400 | 27,300 | |||||||||||||
Germany | 24,500 | 44,000 | (16,100 | ) | (36,600 | ) | (300 | ) | — | (36,900 | ) | 45,800 | 46,200 | 55,100 | (13,200 | ) | |||||||||
Belgium | 10,000 | 10,000 | (11,400 | ) | (11,000 | ) | (4,600 | ) | — | (15,600 | ) | 3,700 | 100 | (11,800 | ) | 50,800 | |||||||||
Other Europe | 192,500 | 202,700 | 6,400 | (36,300 | ) | 23,600 | 5,800 | (6,900 | ) | 42,300 | 57,100 | 92,500 | 30,400 | ||||||||||||
Total Organic Change | 407,400 | 437,100 | (6,700 | ) | (83,900 | ) | 23,600 | 5,800 | (54,500 | ) | 116,000 | 87,700 | 149,200 | 95,300 | |||||||||||
Q4 2017 Adjustments: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Q4 2017 Acquisitions - Romania | 7,600 | 7,600 | 3,300 | 1,200 | — | — | 1,200 | 2,800 | — | 4,000 | — | ||||||||||||||
Q4 2017 Acquisition - Hungary | 4,900 | 4,900 | 2,000 | 100 | 1,900 | — | 2,000 | 1,600 | 1,700 | 5,300 | — | ||||||||||||||
Q4 2017 Czech Republic Adjustments | (8,700 | ) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||
Q4 2017 Acquisition - Belgium | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | (129,100 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net Adjustments | 3,800 | 12,500 | 5,300 | 1,300 | 1,900 | — | 3,200 | 4,400 | 1,700 | 9,300 | (129,100 | ) | |||||||||||||
Net Adds (Reductions) | 411,200 | 449,600 | (1,400 | ) | (82,600 | ) | 25,500 | 5,800 | (51,300 | ) | 120,400 | 89,400 | 158,500 | (33,800 | ) | ||||||||||

(i) | We have approximately 192,700 “lifeline” customers that are counted on a per connection basis, representing the least expensive regulated tier of video cable service, with only a few channels. |
(ii) | Our Internet Subscribers exclude 39,100 digital subscriber line (“DSL”) subscribers within Austria that are not serviced over our networks. Our Internet Subscribers do not include customers that receive services from dial-up connections. In Switzerland, we offer a 2 Mbps internet service to our Basic and Enhanced Video Subscribers without an incremental recurring fee. Our Internet Subscribers in Switzerland include 83,900 subscribers who have requested and received this service. |
(iii) | Our Telephony Subscribers exclude 30,000 subscribers within Austria that are not serviced over our networks. In Switzerland, we offer a basic phone service to our Basic and Enhanced Video Subscribers without an incremental recurring fee. Our Telephony Subscribers in Switzerland include 131,000 subscribers who have requested and received this service. |
(iv) | In a number of countries, our mobile subscribers receive mobile services pursuant to prepaid contracts. As of December 31, 2017, our mobile subscriber count included 515,200 and 514,300 prepaid mobile subscribers in Belgium and the U.K., respectively. |
(v) | Pursuant to service agreements, Switzerland offers enhanced video, broadband internet and telephony services over networks owned by third-party cable operators (“partner networks”). A partner network RGU is only recognized if there is a direct billing relationship with the customer. At December 31, 2017, Switzerland’s partner networks account for 138,100 Cable Customer Relationships, 315,800 RGUs, 113,700 Enhanced Video Subscribers, 116,000 Internet Subscribers, and 86,100 Telephony Subscribers. Subscribers to enhanced video services provided by partner networks receive basic video services from the partner networks as opposed to our operations. Due to the fact that we do not own these partner networks, we do not report homes passed for Switzerland’s partner networks. |

1 | The former LiLAC Group has been treated as a discontinued operation and accordingly, the information in this release focuses only on our continuing operations unless otherwise noted. For additional information, see note 5 to the consolidated financial statements included in our 10-K. |
2 | The indicated growth rates are rebased for acquisitions, dispositions and FX. Please see Rebase Information for information on rebased growth. |
3 | Please see Glossary for our Operating Cash Flow ("OCF") definition and the required reconciliations. |
4 | Please see Glossary for information on Adjusted Free Cash Flow (“FCF”) and the required reconciliations. For more detailed information concerning our operating, investing and financing cash flows, see the consolidated statements of cash flows included in our 10-K. |
5 | Total B2B includes subscription (SOHO) and non-subscription revenue. B2B and SOHO growth rates include upsell from our residential businesses. |
6 | Please see Glossary for the definition of RGUs. Organic figures exclude RGUs of acquired entities at the date of acquisition and other nonorganic adjustments, but include the impact of changes in RGUs from the date of acquisition. All subscriber/RGU additions or losses refer to net organic changes, unless otherwise noted. |
7 | For purposes of measuring our rebased OCF growth in 2018, our 2017 OCF will be rebased to reflect the adoption of the new revenue recognition guidance that we will begin applying on January 1, 2018. For additional information, see note 2 to the consolidated financial statements included in our 10-K. |
8 | Based on FX rates as of February 13, 2018. New build and upgrade spend excludes related CPE. |
9 | For purposes of calculating our average tenor, total third-party debt excludes vendor financing. |
10 | Liquidity refers to cash and cash equivalents plus the maximum undrawn commitments under subsidiary borrowing facilities, without regard to covenant compliance calculations. |
11 | Includes subscription and non-subscription revenue. For additional information regarding how we define our revenue categories, see note 18 to the consolidated financial statements included in our 10-K. |
12 | Our gross and net debt ratios are defined as total debt and net debt to annualized OCF of the latest quarter. Net debt is defined as total debt less cash and cash equivalents. For purposes of these calculations, debt is measured using swapped foreign currency rates, consistent with the covenant calculation requirements of our subsidiary debt agreements, and excludes the loans backed or secured by the shares we hold in ITV plc, Sumitomo Corporation and Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. |
13 | As we no longer consolidate the Netherlands effective December 31, 2016, we have removed the Netherlands from certain information presented for periods ended on or prior to December 31, 2016 to enhance comparability. |
14 | On February 11, 2016, Telenet acquired Telenet Group BVBA ("BASE"). |
15 | Our aggregate unused borrowing capacity of $3.2 billion represents the maximum undrawn commitments under our subsidiaries' applicable facilities without regard to covenant compliance calculations. Upon completion of the relevant December 31, 2017 compliance reporting requirements for our credit facilities, and assuming no further changes from quarter-end borrowing levels, we anticipate that our subsidiaries' borrowing capacity will remain at $3.2 billion. |

Three months ended | Year ended | |||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||||||
in millions | ||||||||||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities of our continuing operations | $ | 1,494.6 | $ | 1,653.7 | $ | 5,134.6 | $ | 5,471.7 | ||||||||
Cash payments for direct acquisition and disposition costs | 1.8 | 2.5 | 8.7 | 29.3 | ||||||||||||
Expenses financed by an intermediary(i) | 439.8 | 206.1 | 1,506.9 | 812.0 | ||||||||||||
Capital expenditures | (575.7 | ) | (551.4 | ) | (1,953.1 | ) | (2,153.9 | ) | ||||||||
Principal payments on amounts financed by vendors and intermediaries | (496.5 | ) | (278.5 | ) | (3,059.3 | ) | (2,074.7 | ) | ||||||||
Principal payments on certain capital leases | (19.9 | ) | (23.3 | ) | (86.6 | ) | (105.5 | ) | ||||||||
Adjusted FCF | $ | 844.1 | $ | 1,009.1 | $ | 1,551.2 | $ | 1,978.9 | ||||||||
(i) | For purposes of our consolidated statements of cash flows, expenses financed by an intermediary are treated as hypothetical operating cash outflows and hypothetical financing cash inflows when the expenses are incurred. When we pay the financing intermediary, we record financing cash outflows in our consolidated statements of cash flows. For purposes of our Adjusted Free Cash Flow definition, we add back the hypothetical operating cash outflow when these financed expenses are incurred and deduct the financing cash outflows when we pay the financing intermediary. |

Three months ended | Year ended | |||||||||||||||||
December 31, | December 31, | |||||||||||||||||
2017 | 2016 | 2017 | 2016 | |||||||||||||||
in millions | ||||||||||||||||||
Operating income | $ | 495.8 | $ | 683.0 | $ | 1,947.5 | $ | 2,482.2 | ||||||||||
Share-based compensation expense | 63.9 | 85.8 | 173.9 | 143.6 | 281.5 | |||||||||||||
Depreciation and amortization | 1,333.7 | 1,187.5 | 4,857.0 | 5,213.8 | ||||||||||||||
Impairment, restructuring and other operating items, net | 18.5 | 190.3 | 79.2 | 107.2 | 186.2 | |||||||||||||
Total OCF | $ | 1,911.9 | $ | 2,035.5 | $ | 7,085.6 | $ | 8,163.7 | ||||||||||
