Liberty Global plant 100% Spin-off von Sunrise

«Wir freuen uns, dass wir wieder in der Schweiz börsenkotiert sein werden. Damit ermöglichen wir lokalen Investoren, sich an unserer gestärkten Marktposition als Herausforderin im FMC-Markt zu beteiligen. Nach einer erfolgreichen Integration und den erzielten Synergieeffekten bei der Zusammenführung mit UPC, hat Sunrise ein sehr gutes FCF-Profil und plant eine attraktive Aktionärsrendite anzubieten. Weitere Einzelheiten werden wir anlässlich eines Capital Market Day später in diesem Jahr bekannt geben», kommentiert André Krause, CEO von Sunrise.

Mike Fries, CEO Liberty Global sagt: «Liberty wird bei der Börsenkotierung von Sunrise eine starke Kapitalstruktur sicherstellen, die ein Potenzial für die zukünftige Cash-Generierung schafft, welches die attraktive Equity Story von Sunrise und den Spielraum für signifikante Dividenden unterstützen wird.»

Die wichtigsten Sunrise Investitions-Highlight sind:

• Starke, vollkonvergente und nationale Herausforderin: Sunrise ist die klare Nummer 2 im Markt mit einer gestärkten Position und Grössenvorteilen über alle Fest- und Mobilnetz- wie auch Konvergenz-Produkte hinweg.
  
   
• Überragende 5G-Abdeckung und Festnetz der nächsten Generation: Sunrise bietet eine landesweite 5G- und 1-GIG-Abdeckung zur Unterstützung einer Mehrmarkenstrategie und konvergenter Angebote.
  
   
• Mehrfache Wachstumshebel: Sunrise konzentriert sich auf eine Strategie, die auf einen steigenden Marktanteil im B2B- und B2C-Bereich fokussiert. Hinzu kommen Kosteneffizienz und eine effiziente Kapitalintensität, die von den bisherigen Investitionen in die qualitativ hochwertige Infrastruktur und von den attraktiven Wholesale-Geschäften profitiert. Damit verfügt Sunrise über mehrere Hebel, die das künftige Wachstum begünstigen.
  
   
• Hochgradig Cash-generierender Vermögenswert: Sunrise profitiert von einer starken Cash-Generierung. Das Unternehmen strebt deshalb eine Bilanz mit einem stärker reduzierten Verschuldungsgrad und langfristig festverzinslichem Schuldenprofil an (mit durchschnittlicher Laufzeit von 5 Jahren, ~3% durchschnittliche Fremdkapitalkosten), was künftig eine attraktive Dividenden-Ausschüttungspolitik ermöglicht.
  
   
• Erfahrenes Management-Team: Mit CEO Andre Krause und CFO Jany Fruytier hat Sunrise ein Führungsteam, das über einen starken Leistungsausweis im Telekombereich und Erfahrung in der Führung eines börsenkotierten Unternehmens verfügt.

Die Börsenkotierung von Sunrise an der SIX Swiss Exchange ist für das zweite Halbjahr 2024 geplant. Sunrise wird mit einer langfristigen und kostengünstigen Kapitalstruktur an die Börse gehen, die durch einen Schuldenabbau in Höhe von CHF 1,5 Milliarden ($1.7 Milliarden1)) unterstützt wird. Dieser Schuldenabbau soll durch die von Sunrise erwartete FCF-Generierung, Schuldenoptimierung und Liberty Globals Unternehmensliquidität (einschliesslich der Veräusserung von nicht zum Kerngeschäft gehörenden Vermögenswerten von Liberty Global) erreicht werden.

Sunrise schloss das Finanzjahr 2023 dank einer kontinuierlichen Leistungssteigerung mit einem starken Q4 2023 ab und erreichte alle Finanzziele 2023. Mit der starken Leistung im Q4 2023 kehrte Sunrise zu einem Umsatz- und bereinigtem EBITDA-Wachstum zurück. Darauf abgestützt wird für Sunrise folgende Finanzprognose 20242) bekannt gegeben: Stabiler Umsatz, stabil bis niedriges bereinigtes EBITDA-Wachstum («stable to low-single digit adjusted EBITDA growth») auf angepasster Basis3), 16-18% Capex im Verhältnis zum Umsatz und ein bereinigter FCF4) in einer Spanne von CHF 360-400 Millionen, vor jeglichen Vorteilen aus dem Schuldenabbau.

Sämtliche Einzelheiten finden sich im Liberty Global Press Release.

Medienmitteilung (PDF)

Sunrise

Media Relations

[email protected]

0800 333 000

______________________________

No offer to sell or solicit

This communication is not an offer to sell or a solicitation of offers to purchase or subscribe for shares or a solicitation of any vote or approval. This document is not a prospectus within the meaning of the Swiss Financial Services Act and not a prospectus under any other applicable laws. Copies of this document may not be sent to, distributed in or sent from jurisdictions in which this is barred or prohibited by law. The information contained herein shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, in any jurisdiction in which such offer or solicitation would be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any jurisdiction and there shall be no sale of securities in any such jurisdiction.

This announcement is only addressed to and directed at specific addresses who: (A) if in member states of the European Economic Area (the EEA) are people who are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 (as amended) (the Prospectus Regulation) (Qualified Investors); and (B) if in the U.K., are “qualified investors” within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the UK version of the Prospectus Regulation as it forms part of domestic law in the U.K. by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (the UK Prospectus Regulation) who are: (i) persons having professional experience in matters relating to investments who fall within the definition of “investment professionals” in Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the Order); or (ii) high net worth entities falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order; or (C) are other persons to whom an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended)) in connection with the sale of any securities of the Company or any member of its group may otherwise lawfully be communicated or caused to be communicated (all such persons referred to in (B) and (C) being Relevant Persons). This announcement must not be acted on or relied on (i) in the U.K., by persons who are not Relevant Persons and (ii) in any member state of the EEA by persons who are not Qualified Investors. Any investment activity to which this announcement relates (i) in the U.K. is available only to, any may be engaged in only with, Relevant Persons; and (ii) in any member state of the EEA is available only to, and may be engaged only with, Qualified Investors.

This communication is an advertisement for the purposes of the Prospectus Regulation (EU) 2017/1129 as it forms part of domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (as amended) and underlying legislation. It is not a prospectus. A copy of any prospectus published by the Company will, if approved and published, be made available for inspection on the issuer’s website at www.libertyglobal.com subject to certain access restrictions.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, 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 any such jurisdiction.

As announced today, Liberty Global intends to spin-off its businesses attributed to Sunrise GmbH (“Sunrise”) into a separate publicly-traded company (the “Transaction”). In connection with the Transaction, a registration statement on Form F-4 that will include a preliminary proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement/Prospectus”) will be filed and mailed to the Liberty Global shareholders. LIBERTY GLOBAL SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO AND ANY DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE THEREIN AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION THAT LIBERTY GLOBAL AND SUNRISE WILL FILE WITH THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION.  Liberty Global shareholders and investors may obtain free copies of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other relevant materials (when they become available) and other documents filed by Liberty Global and Sunrise at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.  Copies of the Proxy Statement/Prospectus (and other relevant materials when they become available) and the filings that will be incorporated by reference therein may also be obtained, without charge, by contacting Liberty Global’s Investor Relations at [email protected] or +1 (303) 220-6600.

Participants in Solicitation

Liberty Global and its directors, executive officers and certain employees, may be deemed, under rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed Transaction.  Information regarding Liberty Global’s directors and executive officers is set forth in Liberty Global’s filings with the SEC.  Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the Proxy Statement/Prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC (when they become available).  These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.  

Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the Transaction, the listing of the Sunrise shares for trading on the SIX Swiss Exchange (the “SIX”), Sunrise’s 2024 financial guidance and other information and statements that are not historical fact. These forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, some of which are beyond our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the risk that we do not receive shareholder approval for the Transaction and/or related matters, our ability to satisfy the other conditions to the Transaction on the expected timeframe or at all, the approval of the shares of Sunrise for listing on the SIX and the development of a trading market for them, the Liberty Global Board of Directors’ discretion to decide not to complete the Transaction for any reason, our ability to realize the expected benefits from the Transaction, unanticipated difficulties or costs in connection with the Transaction, Sunrise’s ability to successfully operate as an independent public company and maintain its relationships with material counterparties after the Transaction, and other factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recently filed annual report on Form 10-K, as it may be supplemented from time to time by our quarterly reports and other subsequent filings.

These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement.