DEFA14A 1 dp02177_defa14a.htm

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Securities and Exchange Commission
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Filed by NTL Incorporated
Pursuant to Rule 14a-6
Under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934



NTL Inc. & Telewest Global, Inc.

Full Year 2005 Results

February 28, 2006

 







Forward Looking Statements

“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995:
Various statements contained in this document constitute “forward -looking statements” as that term is defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words like “believe,” “anticipate,” “should,” “intend,” “plan,” “will,” “expects,” “estimates,” “projects,” “positioned,” “strategy,” and similar expressions identify these forward -looking statements, which involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements or industry results to be materially different from those contemplated, projected, forecasted, estimated or budgeted, whether expressed or implied, by these forward -looking statements. These factors include: (1) the failure to obtain and retain expected synergies from the proposed merger with Telewest; (2) rates of success in executing, managing and integrating key acquisitions, including the proposed merger with Telewest; (3) the ability to achieve business plans for the combined NTL/Telewest group; (4) the ability to manage and maintain key customer relationships; (5) the ability to fund debt service obligations through operating cash flow; (6) the ability to obtain additional financing in the future and react to competitive and technological changes; (7) the ability to comply with restrictive covenants in NTL’s indebtedness agreements; (8) the ability to control customer churn; (9) our potential offer for 100% of of the shares of Virgin Mobile; (10) the ability to compete with a range of other communications and content providers; (11) the effect of technological changes on NTL’s businesses; (12) the functionality or market acceptance of new products that NTL may introduce; (13) possible losses in revenues due to systems failures; (14) the ability to maintain and upgrad e NTL’s networks in a cost-effective and timely manner; (15) the reliance on single-source suppliers for some equipment and software; (16) the ability to provide attractive programming at a reasonable cost; and (17) the extent to which NTL’s future earnings will be sufficient to cover its fixed charges.

These and other factors are discussed in more detail under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in NTL’s Form 10-K and in our joint proxy statement/prospectus dated January 30, 2006. We assume no obligation to update our forward -looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in factors affecting these statements.

2







Jim Mooney

Chairman, NTL

 


3






Today’s Agenda

Jim Mooney, Chairman of NTL
 
  Strategic vision and overview of merged company
 
Steve Burch, CEO of NTL
 
  Overview of integration priorities and initiatives to drive future growth
 
Jacques Kerrest, CFO of NTL
 
  Financial review
 


4







Our Strategic Vision


Branding and Marketing
 
Bundling, including the addition of a wireless offering
 
Cross-sell/Up-sell
 
  Supported by continued rollout of advanced RGUs (VOD/SVOD, DVR, HD, VoIP)
 
Content distribution across multiple platforms
 
Product convergence
 
  Television, Broadband, Telephony (landline and wireless)
 
Best of breed margins
 
Shareholder value maximization
 
  Significant cash flow generation opportunity
 

5







Best of Breed Management Team







Best of Breed Processes Infusion

 

             
Pre Sales   Segmentation
  Pricing / packaging driven by investment return appraisal     Target approach to prospect base
  Bundled and benefit-led marketing     Customer insight tools
  Sales channel optimisation     Propensity tools
          Informed marketing approach (eg DM & ATL/BTL mix)
Point of Sale        
  Value maximisation / RGUs per sale   Credit
  Sales commission structure aligned to customer lifetime value     Upfront credit policy and compliance
  Increasing focus on upsell     Collections approach to minimise churn and debt
          Credit management tools
Provisioning     Reduced bad debt levels
  Customer oriented install process        
  Completion rate improvement   Back Office / Internal
  Self-install programme trials     Shared service centre
          Developed self-service environment
Customer care / assurance     Single ERP (Finance, HR, procurement)
  Migration to Common billing platform        
  Network monitoring        
  Fault management        
    Retention incl Moves & Transfers        

7







Growth Opportunity

UK Cable will exploit various growth opportunities along existing
and new product
categories aimed at driving revenue, RGU and
ARPU growth
  • Up-sell existing customers to higher value packages

  • Cross sell products to existing customers

  • Exploit under penetrated PayTV and Broadband markets

  • Price increases

  • New products to exploit network advantage eg VOD, SVOD, DVR, HDTV, potentially Mobile

  • Grow Triple-play and pursue Quad-play

  • Enhance marketing and brand – increased scale

  • Grow Business revenues through on-net data and leveraging merged network

  • Grow Content revenues through strong channel performance and enhanced content

8






Product Development & Convergence

NTL & Telewest will remain focused on advancing product
development
convergence
  • Near-term product rollouts include
VOD 10Mpbs
As Standard
SVOD DVR HD
  • Near-term product rollouts include
Mobile
VoIP mp3/iPod Fixed/Mobile
combo Phone

Future offerings will enable convergence of all home communications and entertainment needs, supported by both companies’ fully rebuilt, two-way, high-bandwidth state-of-the-art network

9








Strategically Valuable Content Assets


 Increasing scale and leverage of content assets as a
strategic tool versus competition – Sky, Freeview and DSL

Strategic partnerships with other major PayTV providers
  Strong desire from third parties for strategic relationship
 
Address imbalance between our basic channel portfolio and lack of premium content
  Investigate bid for FAPL soccer rights
  Movie content
 
Organic growth and differentiation through investment in home grown content
  Reduce channels’ reliance on acquired programming
 
Differentiation through content exclusive or weighted to cable platform

10







Established Leadership Position

UK Cable is well-positioned as the single source provider of a whole
range of communication service offerings

      UK Cable   Sky   BT   LLU Player  
     


 


 


 


 
 Network Coverage     Ö    Ö         Ö      Ö     Ö      Ö     Ö     Ö       Ö      
Capabilities   Ö      Ö     Ö          Ö     Ö       Ö     Ö      Ö     Ö      
                                     
  Broadband   Ö     Ö     Ö        Ö        Ö     Ö     Ö      Ö     Ö      
  TV   Ö     Ö     Ö      Ö     Ö     Ö        ?      ?   
Services  Telephony    Ö     Ö        ?     Ö     Ö     Ö      Ö     Ö      
  Packages   Ö       Ö      Ö        Ö         Ö     Ö       Ö      
                                     
                                     
                                ? Undecided
                                Ö Low competitive position
                                Ö  Ö  Average competitive position
                                Ö  Ö  Ö   Strong competitive position

11







Capital Structure Optionality


A combination of growth opportunities available to us together with the
substantial cost synergies
creates significant free cash flow generation

     
  Potential uses of FCF
  Reduce leverage
  Dividends
  Share buybacks
  Content acquisition
  Strategic in-fill acquisitions
     
     

12






Steve Burch

Chief Executive Officer, NTL


13







Integration Priorities & Objectives

Maximize synergies
  Exploring options to increase size and timing of recognition
 
Operational process improvement
  Review and implement proven strategies
 
Best of Breed
  Customer care
  Management
 
Customer growth
  Continue focus on RGU growth
  Drive ARPU
  Reduce churn
 
New product deployment
  VOD and SVOD
  DVR
  HDTV
  Potentially Mobile 
     

14





RGU Growth Opportunities


RGU growth driven by broadband. UK’s largest residential broadband
provider

Broadband
  Currently 23% penetration; 62% UK internet penetration
  Compete on
   Service: Own end-to-end network
   Speed upgrades to 10Mb with potential for higher speeds
   Content packages/upgrade paths
       
Television
  25% TV and 74% digital penetration
  UK market relatively under-penetrated
  New services add competitive strengths and underpin ARPU potential
       
Telephony
  34% penetration
  Migrating to flat rate
  Potential addition of a wireless offering
 

15







Triple Play to Underpin ARPU


Triple play customers generate higher ARPU and lower churn
Cable has competitive strengths in providing triple play
  Expertise in selling and marketing bundles
  Robust product experience in TV, telephony and broadband
  End-to-end network control (no reliance on BT)
 

16







ARPU – Disciplined Initiatives


Continued growth in triple play penetration and RGU/customer
  Bundled marketing and promotions
  Sales commission structure to emphasis bundle
  Cross-sell to existing customers
 
Potential creation of the quadruple play
Migrating telephony customers to higher ARPU Talk plans
Increased TV capability
  VOD, DVR and HDTV
 
Continued migration from analogue to digital
Upsell and mix initiatives
Potential to add mobile to the bundle
Application of tight and consistent credit policy
NTL and Telewest price increases
 

17







Phasing of Cost Synergies

 

(in millions £) Yr 1 Yr 2 Yr 3 Exit Rate
 
EBITDA impacting:
       
       Savings 60 - 80 135 185
         
       4th quarter run rate 85 140 200 200
       
       Costs to capture (60) - (80) (45) (20)
         
Net Capex impact (25) 10 40 50
         
Total Cash flow impact (5) - (45) 100 205 250
  • Current estimated view of synergy phasing derived from collaboration phase of integration
  • £250m of annualized cash savings as we exit year 3, with slight increase thereafter
  • Significant revenue synergies also anticipated – not included in these numbers

Note: Year 1 commences at the completion of the transaction


18







Customer Care Roadmap


UK Cable will implement best of breed practices from NTL, Telewest and
external
sources to deliver superior customer care

Improvements in customer care will be driven by:

Transition to a unified billing platform
Focus on end-to-end customer care
Lowering costs while delivering quality customer satisfaction
Network monitoring / fault management
Consolidation of call centers
  NTL previously consolidated 13 call centers down to three
  Telewest previously consolidated 12 call centers down to five
 

Telewest recently named top of JD Power customer
satisfaction survey and won Contact centre of the year

19







Churn – Retention Strategies


UK Cable’s churn reduction initiatives to include:
   
Increasing RGU per customer; creating bundle “stickiness”
  Addition of a wireless offering
  Introduction of bundles for all types of customers
 
Pro-active customer contact ahead of the expiration of promotional offerings
Execution of customer care roadmap
  Customer relations center of excellence
  Movers center of excellence
 
Non-pay churn addressed through
  tighter and consistent credit control
  customer segmentation
 
Larger footprint reduces “movers” churn
 

20





Business Division Growth Opportunities


Competitively  positioned
  Combined UK Cable national reach
  No 2 in addressable areas for profitability and cash flow
  Quality of network deployed enabling high bandwidth services
  Synergies remain in tandem with Consumer division on network and back office
  Compete effectively on service quality
  Focus on on-net traffic, data and value added services
     
Future growth opportunities are robust
  Market share gains can be recognized
  Expansion of sales channel
  Further leverage network quality to offer high quality services
     

Merged Business Divisions will have greater access to on-net
business;
increasing reach and scale should aid competitiveness
and margin


21






Business Division Stable

 

  • Business revenues relatively stable in challenging market conditions
  • Focusing on revenue growth in data services

22






Jacques Kerrest

Chief Financial Officer, NTL

 

Financial Review

23






NTL Net Loss

    2005     Q4 Charges/Gains
    Q4     Q3      
   

 

   
    £m     £m      
                 
  OCF   155     166     Includes a £9.2m bad debt charge
                increase over Q3 2005, £1.8m in
                Telewest related merger costs and
                £1.1m in redundancy costs
  Other charges   (22 )   (1 )    
  Depreciation & Amortisation   (167 )   (170 )    
  Operating income (loss)   (34 )   (5 )   Includes a charge of £22.6m relating to
                an increase in the provision for vacant
                leasehold properties
  Net interest expense   (48 )   (45 )    
  Other   1     (2 )    
  FX transaction (losses)   35     (13 )    
  Income (loss) before income taxes   (46 )   (65 )   Includes foreign currency transaction
                gains of £35.2m principally due to
                favorable movements in the value of
                hedge transactions
  Minority interest expense   (0 )   (1 )    
  Income Tax (expense) benefit   (10 )   12      
   

 

   
  (Loss) from continuing operations   (56 )   (54 )    
  Gain on disposal, net of tax   -     2      
   

 

   
  Net income (loss)   (56 )   (52 )    

Note: (1) OCF is an NTL non-GAAP measure. See Appendix.

24




Sequential Performance

    Q4-05     Q3-05           Q4-05     Q3-05        
   

 

       

 

     
    NTL     NTL     Change     TLWT     TLWT     Change  
    £m     £m     £m     £m     £m     £m  
 Consumer                                    
    On-net   362     360     2     252     249     3  
    Off-net   18     18     (0 )   -     -     -  
 Business   105     105     -     63     64     (1 )
 Content   -     -           36     33     3  
 sit-up   -     -           84     58     26  
   

 

       

 

     
 Revenue   485     483     1     435     404     31  
 Operating Costs   (205 )   (200 )   (5 )   (163 )   (134 )   (29 )
 S,G&A   (125 )   (116 )   (9 )   (129 )   (128 )   (1 )
   

 

       

 

     
 OCF(1) /Adjusted EBITDA(2)   155     166     (11 )   143     142     1  

(1)      OCF is an NTL non-GAAP measure. See Appendix. NTL’s Q4 2005 OCF includes a £9.2m bad debt charge increase over Q3 2005, £1.8m in Telewest related merger costs and £1.1m in redundancy costs.
 
(2)      Adjusted EBITDA is a Telewest non-GAAP measure. See Appendix.
 

25






Year-On-Year Performance

    Q4-05     Q4-04           Q4-05     Q4-04(2)        
   

 

       

 

     
    NTL     NTL     Change     TLWT     TLWT     Change  
    £m     £m     £m     £m     £m     £m  
 Consumer                                    
     On-net   362     380     -5 %   252     241     5 %
     Off-net   18     10     80 %   -     -        
 Business   105     122     -14 %   63     63     0 %
 Content   -     -           36     32     13 %
 sit-up   -     -           84     81     4 %
   

 

 

 

 

 

 Revenue   485     512     -5 %   435     417     4 %
 Operating Costs   (205 )   (206 )   0 %   (163 )   (152 )   7 %
 S,G&A   (125 )   (132 )   -5 %   (129 )   (129 )   0 %
   

 

 

 

 

 

 OCF/Adjusted EBITDA   155     174     -11 %   143     136     5 %

Notes: (1) OCF is an NTL non-GAAP measure. See Appendix.
    Adjusted EBITDA is a Telewest non-GAAP measure. See Appendix.
     
  (2) Telewest Q4-04 is pro forma as if sit-up had been acquired on January 1, 2004. Q4 2004 for sit-up is UK GAAP. This presentation is not intended to suggest that Telewest management controlled or directed sit-up operations before 12th May 2005. Effect of proforma adjustments is to add £ 81m, £ 58m, £ 15m and £ 8m to revenue, operating costs, SG & A and Adjusted EBITDA respectively.
     

26






Free Cash Flow

    2005     2005  
   

 

    NTL     Telewest  
    £m     £m  
 OCF / Adjusted EBITDA   656     577  
 Other charges and non-cash items   -     12  
 Purchase of fixed assets   (288 )   (232 )
 Working Capital   (10 )   (17 )
   

 

 Free Cash Flow pre-interest   358     340  
 Cash interest payments, net   (187 )   (107 )
   

 

 Free Cash Flow from continuing operations   171     233  

Note: (1) Free cash flow from continuing operations is a non-GAAP measure (as are OCF and Adjusted EBITDA). See Appendix.

27




Debt Structure

    Q4-05     Structure I     Structure II  
   

 









    £m     £m     Rate     £m     Rate  
 









                               
 NTL Senior Credit Facility A   544     3,200     L+162.5     3,200     L+187.5  
 NTL Senior Credit Facility B   919     -           1,200     L+225.0  
 NTL Existing Senior Notes - Cable plc   777     777     9.75 %   777     9.75 %
 New Senior Notes - Cable plc   -     -           600     TBD  
 New Senior Notes - TopCo (Bridge)   -     1,800     TBD     -        
 Capital Leases/Other   40     136           136        
 



 Gross Debt   2,280     5,913           5,913        
 
   
   
 Cash   (832 )                        
 

 Net Debt(1)   1,448                          
 

     
Note: (1)

Net Debt is a non-GAAP measure. See Appendix.

28






Jim Mooney

Chairman, NTL

29






Investment Summary

  • Greatly enhanced management team
     
  • Solid Growth Opportunities
     
      Revenue
     
      Net subscriber growth
     
      Product Expansion
     
  • Brand infusion
     
  • Marketing leverage
     
  • Significant expense reduction
     
  • Margin expansion opportunities
     
  • Free cash flow generation
     

    30




    Cautionary Statement Regarding Synergies

    The information contained in the discussion of synergies set forth above is subjective in many respects and therefore is susceptible to various interpretations. The discussion of synergies reflects numerous assumptions made by the management of ntl and Telewest with respect to the speed and the scale of delivery, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond ntl’s and Telewest’s control. ntl and Telewest cannot predict whether the assumptions made in preparing the discussion of synergies will prove accurate. While presented with numeric specificity, the discussion of synergies is inherently imprecise, and ntl and Telewest can give no any assurance that the anticipated synergies will match those actually achieved, which may ultimately be materially higher or lower than those discussed above. The provision of this information should not be regarded as an indication that ntl, Telewest or any third parties consider such information to be a reliable prediction of future events, and this information should not be relied on as such.

    ntl and Telewest do not intend to, and specifically disclaim any duty to, update the discussion of synergies, even if any or all of the underlying assumptions are shown to be in error or if there is any change that would warrant any such update.

    The discussion of synergies was not prepared in compliance with any regulations or guidelines promulgated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (including Regulation G of the SEC) or the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants relating to the presentation of financial information, nor was it prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The discussion of synergies contains “non-GAAP financial measures” within the meaning of Regulation G of Regulation S-K that have not been reconciled with GAAP financial measures. Neither ntl’s nor Telewest’s auditors nor any other independent accountants have compiled, examined or performed any procedures with respect to the information contained in the discussion of synergies. In addition, neither ntl’s or Telewest’s auditors nor any other independent accountants have expressed any opinion or any other form of assurance with respect to this information or its achievability, and assume no responsibility for, and disclaim any association with, this information.

    For all of the reasons noted above, we strongly caution you not to place undue reliance on the discussion of synergies.

    31





    Responsibility for Separate Information


    The information in this presentation
    relating to NTL has been provided by NTL, which is solely responsible for that information. The information in this presentation relating to Telewest has been provided by Telewest, which is solely responsible for that information.

    The statements of combined NTL and Telewest amounts in this presentation are estimates and have been calculated by adding similar category information derived from the companies’ separate filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission or information otherwise provided by each company for the relevant periods. This data has not been adjusted to reflect, for example, inter-company amounts, differences in accounting policies or other matters. Consequently, this measurement method may result in amounts that differ from those that the companies or the combined company may use in the future.

    32






    Additional Information and Where to Find It

    This document may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the proposed merger of ntl and Telewest or any related transaction. In connection with the proposed merger and related transactions, ntl and Telewest have filed a joint proxy statement/prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) . INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF NTL AND TELEWEST ARE ADVISED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC BECAUSE THOSE DOCUMENTS WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED MERGER AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS. The final joint proxy statement/prospectus was mailed to stockholders of ntl and Telewest on or about January 31, 2006. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the joint proxy statement/prospectus, and other documents filed by ntl and Telewest with the SEC, at the SEC’s web site at http://www. sec.gov. Free copies of the joint proxy statement/prospectus, and each company’s other filings with the SEC, may also be obtained from the respective companies. Free copies of ntl’s filings may be obtained by directing a request to ntl Incorporated, 909 Third Avenue, Suite 2863, New York, New York 10022, Attention: Investor Relations. Free copies of Telewest’s filings may be obtained by directing a request to Telewest Global, Inc., 160 Great Portland Street, London W1W 5QA, United Kingdom, Attention: Investor Relations.

    This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.

    33






    NTL Appendices


    Use of non-U.S. GAAP measures

         
      The company’s intention is to provide investors with a better understanding of the operating results and underlying trends to measure past and future performance and liquidity. We evaluate operating performance based on several non-U.S. GAAP measures, including (i) operating income before depreciation, amortization and other charges (OCF) and the associated term OCF margin, (ii) free cash flow from continuing operations (iii)fixed asset additions (accrual basis), and (iv) net debt as we believe these are important measures of the operational strength of our business. Since these measures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP, they should notbe considered as substitutes for operating income (loss), net cash provided by (used in) operating activities and purchase of fixed assets, respectively, as indicators of our operating and cash flow performance and expenditure for fixed assets.
         
      The presentation of this supplemental information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-U.S. GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of ntl’soperations that, when viewed with ntl’sU.S. GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliations to corresponding U.S. GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting ntl’sbusiness. Management encourages investors to review ntl’sfinancial statements and publicly-filed reports in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure.
         
    Reconciliations to U.S. GAAP

    34




    NTL Appendices

    Use of Non-U.S. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) Financial Measures

    Operating income before depreciation, amortization and other charges (OCF)

    •Operating income before depreciation, amortisation and other charges, which we refer to as OCF, is not a financial measure recognised under U.S. GAAP. OCF represents our earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation, other charges, share of income from equity investments, loss on extinguishment of debt and foreign currency transaction gains (losses) . Our management, including our chief executive officer who is our chief operating decision maker, considers OCF as an important indicator of our operational strength and performance. OCF excludes the impact of costs and expenses that do not directly affect our cash flows. Other charges, including restructuring charges, are also excluded from OCF as management believes they are not characteristic of our underlying business operations. OCF is most directly comparable to the U.S. GAAP financial measure operating income (loss). Some of the significant limitations associated with the use of OCF as compared to operating income (loss)) are that OCF does not consider the amount of required reinvestment in depreciable fixed assets and ignores the impact on our results of operations of items that management believes are not characteristic of our underlying business operations.

    •We believe OCF is helpful for understanding our performance and assessing our prospects for the future, and that it provides useful supplemental information to investors. In particular, this non-U.S. GAAP financial measure reflects additional ways of viewing aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our U.S. GAAP results and the reconciliation to operating income (loss) shown below, provides a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting our business. Because non-U.S. GAAP financial measures are not standardised, it may not be possible to compare OCF with other companies’ non-U.S. GAAP financial measures that have the same or similar names.

    35






    NTL Appendices

    Reconciliation of Operating Income before Depreciation, Amortization and other Charges to U.S. GAAP Operating income (loss)

            3 months ended       3 months ended  
    Year ended
    Year ended
     
        December 31,   Dec 31,   Sept 30,   June 30,   March 31,   December 31,   Dec 31,   Sept 30,   June 30,   March 31,  
        2005    2005   2005    2005      2005   2004   2004    2004    2004      2004  










     
                                               
    Revenue   £1,947.6   £484.6   £482.7   £482.5   £497.8   £2,000.3   £512.3   £498.5   £493.8   £495.7  










     
                                               
    Operating income before depreciation, amortization and other charges   656.3   154.7   166.3   164.2   171.1   670.4   174.9   171.4   164.0   160.1  
                                               
                                               
    Reconciling items:                                          
     Other charges   (24.8 ) (22.4 ) (1.3 ) (0.7 ) (0.4 ) (23.8 ) (4.8 ) (3.7 ) (14.7 ) (0.6 )
     Depreciation and amortization   (651.2 ) (166.7 ) (169.7 ) (157.1 ) (157.7 ) (699.1 ) (181.2 ) (175.5 ) (171.9 ) (170.5 )










     
     Operating (loss) income   (£19.7 ) (£34.4 ) (£4.7 ) £6.4   £13.0   (£52.5 ) (£11.1 ) (£7.8 ) (£22.6 ) (£11.0 )










     
                                               
    OCF as a precentage of revenue (OCF margin)   33.7%   31.9%   34.5%   34.0%   34.4%   33.5%   34.1%   34.4%   33.2%   32.3%  
    Operating (loss) income as a percentage of revenue   (1.0% ) (7.1% ) (1.0% ) 1.3%   2.6%   (2.6% ) (2.2% ) (1.6% ) (4.6% ) (2.2% )

    36






    NTL Appendices

    Use of Non-U.S. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) Financial Measures, cont‘d.

    Free Cash Flow (Continuing Operations)

    •ntl's primary measure of cash flow is Free Cash Flow. Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by (used in) operating activities less cash used in the purchase of fixed assets adding back cash used in the purchase of marketable securities and one-off contributions to our defined benefit pension schemes made as a condition of the sale of our Broadcast operations. ntl's business is underpinned by its significant investment in network infrastructure and information technology. Management therefore considers it important to measure cash flow from continuing operations after cash used in the purchase of fixed assets. Free Cash Flow is most directly comparable to the U.S. GAAP financial measure net cash provided by (used in) operating activities. The significant limitation associated with Free Cash Flow as compared to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities is that Free Cash Flow deducts cash used in the purchase of fixed assets and adds back cash flow from the purchase of marketable securities as well as one-off contributions to defined benefit pension schemes which are made as a condition of the sale of our Broadcast operation. Management deducts purchase of fixed assets in arriving at Free Cash Flow because it considers the amount invested in the purchase of fixed assets to be an important component in evaluating ntl's liquidity. Management adds back the purchase of marketable securities and the one-off pension contribution because it believes that they are not important components in evaluating ntl's liquidity on a continuing basis.

    •The presentation of this supplemental information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP accepted in the United States. These non-U.S. GAAP financial measures reflect an additional way of viewing aspects of ntl’s operations that, when viewed with ntl’s U.S. GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliations to corresponding U.S. GAAP financial measures, provide a more complete understanding of factors and trends affecting ntl’s business. Management encourages investors to review ntl’s financial statements and publicly -filed reports in their entirety and to not rely on any single financial measure.

    37






    NTL Appendices

     

    Reconciliation of Free Cashflow to U.S. GAAP Net cash provided by continuing operating activites

     

     

    Year ended

     

    3 months ended

     

    Year ended

     

    3 months ended

     

     

     

    Dec 31,
    2005

     

    Dec 31,
    2005

     

    Sept 30,
    2005

     

    June 30,
    2005

     

    March 31,
    2005

     

    Dec 31,
    2004

     

    Dec 31,
    2004

     

    Sept 30,
    2004

     

    June 30,
    2004

     

    March 31,
    2004

     

    Free Cash Flow from continuing operations

     

     

    £170.8

     

     

    £35.5

     

     

    £44.8

     

     

    £24.3

     

     

    £66.2

     

     

    (£13.1

    )

     

    (£2.6

    )

     

    £27.0

     

     

    (£0.4

    )

     

    (£37.1

    )

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

                                               

    Pension Payment*

     

    (54.0

    )

     

     

     

     

    (54.0

    )

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

                                               

    Marketable securities

     

    (79.3

    )

    (4.4

    )

    (0.0

    )

    (77.6

    )

    2.7

     

    (12.1

    )

    (12.1

    )

     

     

     

                                               

    Purchase of Fixed Assets - continuing operations

     

    288.1

     

    71.8

     

    71.9

     

    70.6

     

    73.8

     

    274.5

     

    82.8

     

    75.5

     

    65.5

     

    50.7

     

                                                                   

    Net cash provided by operating activities continuing operations

     

     

    £325.6

     

     

    £102.2

     

     

    £116.7

     

     

    (£36.7

    )

     

    £142.7

     

     

    £249.3

     

     

    £68.1

     

    £

    102.5

     

     

    £65.1

     

     

    £13.6

     


    *The £54m Pension payment in Q2-05 relates to a one-off contribution of our defined pension Schemes which was made in
    connection with the sale of our Broadcast operations.

    38






    NTL Appendices

    Use of Non-U.S. GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles) Financial Measures, cont‘d.

    Net debt

    Net debt is defined as the sum of debt repayable, capital lease obligations and accrued interest payable on notes and debentures less cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities. The Company’s management, including its chief operating decision -maker, considers net debt an important measure of the financing obligations undertaken by the Company.

    Net debt is not a financial measure recognized under U.S. GAAP. This measure is most directly comparable to the U.S. GAAP financial measure, total liabilities. The significant limitation associated with the use of net debt as compared to total liabilities is that net debt does not consider current liabilities due in respect of accounts payable and other liabilities. It also assumes that all of cash and cash equivalents and marketable securities are available to service debt. ntl believes net debt is helpful for understanding its entire net debt funding obligations and it provides useful supplemental information to investors. Because non-U.S.GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare net debt with other companies' non-U.S.GAAP financial measures that have the same or similar names. The presentation of this supplemental information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for total liabilities, or other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with U.S.GAAP.

    39






    NTL Appendices

    Reconciliation of net debt to U.S. GAAP to Total liabilities

    in millions   Year ended December 31,
        2005   2004
     

             
    Net Debt   £1,447.9   £2,876.7
    Cash and cash equivalents   735.2   125.2
    Marketable Securities   96.9   11.6
     

    Total Debt   2,280.0   3,013.5
             
    Accounts payable   176.9   114.0
    Accrued expenses and other current liabilities   291.1   300.1
    Interest Payable   37.8   51.9
    Liabilities of discontinued operations   0.0   112.6
    Deferred Revenue and other long-term liabilities   237.5   326.7
    Deferred Income Taxes   9.2   0.0
    Minority Interest   1.0   0.0
     

    Total liabilities   3,033.5   3,918.8
     


    40






    Telewest Appendices

    Adjusted EBITDA

    Telewest’s primary measure of income or loss for each of our reportable segments is Adjusted EBITDA. Our management, including our chief operating decision -maker, considers Adjusted EBITDA an important indicator of the operational strength and performance of our reportable segments. Adjusted EBITDA for each segment and in total excludes the impact of costs and expenses that do not directly affect our cash flows or do not directly relate to the operating performance of that segment. These costs and expenses include depreciation, amortization, financial restructuring charges, merger related fees, interest expense, foreign exchange gains/(losses), share of net income/(loss) from affiliates and income taxes. It is the belief of management that the legal and professional costs relating to our financial restructuring and the proposed merger with NTL are not characteristic of our underlying business operations. Furthermore management believes that some of the components of these charges are not directly related to the performance of a single reportable segment.

    Adjusted EBITDA is not a financial measure recognised under GAAP. This measure is most directly comparable to the GAAP financial measure net income/(loss) . Some of the significant limitations associated with the use of Adjusted EBITDA as compared to net income/(loss) are that Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the amount of required reinvestment in depreciable fixed assets, financial restructuring charges, merger related fees, interest expense, foreign exchange gains or losses, income taxes expense or benefit and similar items on our results of operations. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is helpful for understanding our performance and assessing our prospects for the future, and that it provides useful supplemental information to investors. In particular, this non-GAAP financial measure reflects an additional way of viewing aspects of our operations that, when viewed with our GAAP results and the reconciliations to net income/(loss), shown below, provide a more complete understanding of facto rs and trends affecting our business. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare Adjusted EBITDA with other companies’ non-GAAP financial measures that have the same or similar names. The presentation of this supplemental information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net cash provided by operating activities, operating income/(loss), net income/(loss), or other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP.

    41






    Telewest Appendices
     
     
    Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
    (amounts in £millions)






        Three months ended Dec. 31,  

     
        2005   2004  


     
        Reorganized   Reorganized  
        Company   Company  






    Reconciliation of Adjusted EBITDA to net income/(loss)          

             
    Adjusted EBITDA   143   128  
    Financial restructuring          
         charges   -   -  
    Merger related fees   (6 ) -  
    Depreciation   (98 ) (101 )
    Amortization   (9 ) (9 )






    Operating income   30   18  
    Interest income   5   5  
    Interest expense (including          
         amortization of debt          
         discount)   (42 ) (47 )
    Foreign exchange          
         (losses)/gains, net   (2 ) 3  
    Share of net income of          
         affiliates   3   4  
    Other, net   3   -  
    Income tax (charge)/benefit   (1 ) -  






    Net (loss)/income   (4 ) (17 )







    42






    Telewest Appendices

    Reconciliation of Telewest pro-forma adjusted EBITDA to net income for the 3 months ended December 31, 2004

            £m
    Pro-forma adjusted EBITDA       136
             
    sit-up pro-forma revenue adjustment   -81    
    sit-up pro-forma operating costs adjustment   58    
    sit-up pro-forma SG&A adjustment   15    
     
     
            -8
       
    Adjusted EBITDA       128
    Depreciation       -101
    Amortization       -9
    Operating income       18
    Interest income       5
    Interest expense       -47
    Foreign exchange gains       3
    Share of net income of affiliates       4
       
             
    Net income       -17
       

    43






    Telewest Appendices

    Free cash flow

    •Telewest's primary measure of cash flow is free cash flow. Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities excluding cash paid for financial restructuring charges and merger related fees, less capital expenditure. Our management, including our chief operating decision -maker, considers free cash flow an important indicator of the operational performance of our business.

    •Free cash flow is not a financial measure recognized under GAAP. This measure is most directly comparable to the GAAP financial measure net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities. The significant limitation associated with the use of free cash flow as compared to net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities is that free cash flow does not consider the amount of cash required to pay financial restructuring charges and merger related fees. We believe free cash flow is helpful for understanding our performance and it provides useful supplemental information to investors. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare free cash flow with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures that have the same or similar names. The presentation of this supplemental information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities, or other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP.

    44






    Telewest Appendices

    Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

    Reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities

    Year ended 31 Dec. 2005
      £m
    Free cash flow 233
    Deduct cash paid for financial restructuring charges -1
    Deduct cash paid for merger related fees -3
    Add capital expenditure 232

    Net cash provided by operating activities 461

    Free cash flow is reported after cash paid for interest, net, and cash received for income taxes

    Supplementary cash flow information:  
    Cash paid for interest, net 107
    Cash received for income taxes, net -2

    45






    Telewest Appendices

    Net debt

    •Net debt is defined as the sum of debt repayable, capital lease obligations and accrued interest payable on notes and debentures less cash and cash equivalents. The Company’s management, including its chief operating decision -maker, considers net debt an important measure of the financing obligations undertaken by the Company.

    •Net debt is not a financial measure recognized under GAAP. This measure is most directly comparable to the GAAP financial measure, total liabilities. The significant limitation associated with the use of net debt as compared total liabilities is that net debt does not consider current liabilities due in respect of accounts payable and other liabilities. It also assumes that all of cash and cash equivalents is available to service debt. Telewest believes net debt is helpful for understanding its entire net debt funding obligations and it provides useful supplemental information to investors. Because non-GAAP financial measures are not standardized, it may not be possible to compare net debt with other companies' non-GAAP financial measures that have the same or similar names. The presentation of this supplemental information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for total liabilities, or other measures of financial performance reported in accordance with GAAP.

    46






    Telewest Appendices
       
       
      Dec. 31,
      2005
     
      Reorganized
      Company


    Reconciliation of net debt to total liabilities  


    Net debt 1,601
    Cash and cash equivalents 292


    Total debt 1,893
    Accounts payable 129
    Other liabilities 463
    Deferred taxes 98


    Total liabilities 2,583



    47