CMCSA, §1A diff (2019 → 2020)

Item 1A: Risk Factors Risks Related to Our Business, Industry and Operations The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and will likely continue to have, a material adverse effect on our businesses and results of operations. The impacts of COVID-19 and measures to prevent its spread across the globe have impacted our businesses in a number of ways. While our Cable Communications results were strong in 2020, they were negatively affected by the significant deterioration in domestic economic conditions and by costs associated with our support of customer connectivity as people increasingly worked and learned remotely from home. COVID-19 had material negative impacts on NBCUniversal and Sky results of operations during 2020. For example, in late February we temporarily closed our theme park in Japan, and in mid-March we temporarily closed our theme parks in Orlando and Hollywood, and although our parks in Orlando and Japan reopened with limited capacity in June 2020, our park in Hollywood remains closed. We cannot predict when the Hollywood park will reopen, if any reopened parks will remain open or estimate attendance levels at any of the parks. We expect the results of operations at our theme parks will continue to be negatively impacted in the near to medium term. The creation and availability of our film and television programming globally have been and will continue to be disrupted, including as a result of the postponement or cancellation of sporting events (such as the professional soccer, hockey, baseball and basketball leagues and the Olympics), theatrical closures and the suspension of entertainment content production. We expect any continued deterioration of global economic conditions would result in lower advertising revenues and consumer spending across our businesses. The impact of COVID-19 on our businesses also generally depends on the extent of restrictive governmental measures taken that affect day-to-day life and the length of time that such measures remain in place to respond to COVID-19, further deterioration of the global economy and the widespread availability of a vaccine. At this point, it is impossible to predict such extent and duration and the degree to which our results of operations will continue to be affected. COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks set forth below. Our businesses operate in highly competitive and dynamic industries, and our businesses and results of operations could be adversely affected if we do not compete effectively. All of our businesses operate in intensely competitive, consumer-driven, rapidly changing environments and compete with a growing number of companies that provide a broad range of communications products and services as well as entertainment, news and information content to consumers. Some established DTC streaming and other OTT service providers have become core competitors to our video services and more continue to enter the market at a growing pace. For example: •Cable Communications’ and Sky’s high-speed internet services compete primarily against wireline telecommunications companies with fiber-based networks, wireless telecommunications companies offering internet services (such as 4G and 5G wireless broadband services), certain municipalities in the United States that own and operate their own broadband networks and DBS providers. Competition for Cable Communications’ video services consists primarily of DBS providers, phone companies with fiber-based networks and increasingly DTC streaming and other OTT service providers and devices, each of which typically offer features, pricing and packaging for services comparable to ours, including bundled offers with high-speed internet services. Sky faces competition for its services from cable and telecommunications providers in its European markets, many of which offer customers bundled services, which has increased competition. •NBCUniversal and Sky face substantial and increasing competition from providers of similar types of content, as well as from other forms of entertainment and recreational activities. NBCUniversal and Sky must compete to obtain talent, content (including sports programming) and other resources required to operate their businesses. This competition has intensified as DTC streaming and other OTT service providers seek to develop high-quality programming to attract viewers. For a more detailed description of the competition facing our businesses, see Item 1: Business and refer to the “Competition” discussion within that section. Consolidation of, or cooperation between, our competitors, including suppliers and distributors of content, may increase competition in all of these areas, as may the emergence of additional competitors with significant resources and efficiencies of scale who are competing with our businesses in all forms of content distribution and production. For example, consolidation or cooperation between phone companies (which are also wireless distributors) and content providers may allow competitors to offer free or lower cost streaming services, potentially on an exclusive basis, through unlimited data-usage plans for internet or wireless phone services. The ability of our businesses to compete effectively also depends on our perceived image and reputation among our various constituencies, including our customers, consumers, advertisers, business partners, employees, investors and government authorities. Our ability to compete will be negatively affected if we do not provide our customers with a satisfactory customer experience. While we continue to seek ways to enhance the value of our businesses, such as by growing high-speed internet services and business services and by investing in Peacock as the media and entertainment landscape continues to rapidly evolve, there can be no assurance that we can execute on these and other initiatives in a manner sufficient to grow or maintain our revenue or operating margins or to compete successfully in the future. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete effectively against existing or new competitors or that competition will not have an adverse effect on our businesses. Changes in consumer behavior driven by online video distribution platforms for viewing content continue to adversely affect our businesses and challenge existing business models. Distribution platforms for viewing and purchasing content over the internet have been, and will likely continue to be, developed that further increase the number of competitors that all our businesses face and challenge existing business models. As consumers increasingly turn to DTC streaming and other OTT services, the number of Cable Communications’ video customers and subscribers to NBCUniversal’s cable networks decrease, even as Cable Communications’ high-speed internet services become more important to consumers. DTC streaming and other OTT services have driven, and will continue to drive, changes in consumer behavior as consumers seek more control over when, where and how they consume content and access communications services, and how much they pay for such content. For example, in Europe, as more of Sky’s new video customers have recently subscribed, and may continue to subscribe, to Sky’s DTC streaming service instead of its traditional DTH video service. Although we have attempted to adapt our video service offerings and enhance our high-speed internet services for changing consumer behaviors, for example, by deploying the X1 and Sky Q platforms and Flex, which more easily aggregate content from linear (i.e., traditional television channels) and DTC streaming and other OTT services for our customers, and by launching Peacock, our DTC streaming service, the continuing trend of content owners delivering their content directly to consumers over the internet rather than through, or in addition to, traditional video distribution services continues to disrupt traditional distribution business models. The increase in DTC streaming and other OTT service providers also has significantly increased the number of entertainment choices available to consumers, which has intensified audience fragmentation and disaggregated the way that content traditionally has been distributed and viewed by consumers. NBCUniversal’s revenue relatedly may be negatively impacted as traditional and virtual multichannel video providers, which pay NBCUniversal fees based on their respective numbers of customers, lose customers. Time-shifting technologies, such as DVR and on demand services, reduce viewership, which has caused and likely will continue to cause audience ratings declines for our programming channels. Consumers in many cases have multiple options for viewing the same content; for example, content may be available through traditional linear platforms, on demand services, or a DTC streaming or OTT service, which may also result in audience rating declines. Reduced ratings may adversely affect the price and amount of advertising that advertisers are willing to purchase from us and the amount that we receive for distribution of our content. In addition, as more programming providers offer their content directly to consumers, they may reduce the quantity and quality of the programming they license to NBCUniversal or Sky’s programming channels. Our failure to effectively anticipate or adapt to emerging competitors or changes in consumer behavior, including among younger consumers, and shifting business models could have an adverse effect on our competitive position, businesses and results of operations. A decline in advertisers’ expenditures or changes in advertising markets could negatively impact our businesses. Cable Communications, NBCUniversal and Sky compete for the sale of advertising time with digital media distributors, other television networks and stations, as well as with all other advertising platforms, such as radio and print. We derive substantial revenue from the sale of advertising, and a decline in expenditures by advertisers, including through traditional linear television distribution models, could negatively impact our results of operations. Declines can be caused by the economic prospects of specific advertisers or industries, increased competition for the leisure time of viewers, such as from social media and video games, audience fragmentation, increased viewing of content through DTC streaming and other OTT service providers, regulatory intervention regarding where and when advertising may be placed, or economic conditions generally. In addition, advertisers have shifted a portion of their total expenditures to digital media and mobile offerings, which can deliver targeted advertising. Their willingness to purchase advertising from us may be adversely affected by lower audience ratings, which many of NBCUniversal’s networks and some of Sky’s television channels have experienced and likely will continue to experience, or from the level of popularity or perceived acceptance of Peacock. Advertising sales and rates also are dependent on the methodology used for audience measurement and could be negatively affected if methodologies do not accurately reflect actual viewership levels. For example, certain methods of viewing content, such as through DTC streaming or other OTT service providers or delayed viewing through DVR or on demand services, might not be fully counted in audience measurements or may generate less, if any, revenue than traditional linear television distribution methods, which could have an adverse effect on our advertising revenue. Programming expenses for our video services are increasing, which could adversely affect Cable Communications’ video businesses. We expect programming expenses for our video services to continue to be the largest single expense item for our Cable Communications segment and to increase for the foreseeable future. Our programming expenses may also increase as we add programming to our video services or distribute existing programming to more of our customers or through additional delivery platforms, such as on demand or streaming services. Additionally, Cable Communications pays certain local broadcast television stations in exchange for their required consent for the retransmission of broadcast network programming to video services customers; we expect to continue to be subject to increasing demands for payment and other concessions from local broadcast television stations. These market factors may be exacerbated by increased consolidation in the media industry, which may further increase our programming expenses. If we are unable to raise our customers’ rates or otherwise offset programming cost increases through the sale of additional services, cost management or other initiatives, the increasing cost of programming could have an adverse effect on our Cable Communications segment’s results of operations. Moreover, as our contracts with content providers expire, there can be no assurance that they will be renewed on acceptable terms, or at all, in which case we may be unable to provide such content as part of Cable Communication’s video services, and our businesses and results of operations could be adversely affected. NBCUniversal’s and Sky’s success depends on consumer acceptance of their content, and their businesses may be adversely affected if their content fails to achieve sufficient consumer acceptance or the costs to create or acquire content increase. NBCUniversal and Sky create and acquire media and entertainment content, the success of which depends substantially on consumer tastes and preferences that change in often unpredictable ways. The success of these businesses depends on our ability to consistently create, acquire, market and distribute television programming, filmed entertainment, theme park attractions and other content that meet the changing preferences of the broad domestic and international consumer markets. We have invested, and will continue to invest, substantial amounts in our content, including in the production of original content at NBCUniversal and Sky, in our films and for new theme parks and theme park attractions, before learning the extent to which they will earn consumer acceptance. We also are incurring significant costs to develop Peacock, and there can be no assurance that consumers and advertisers will embrace this offering. NBCUniversal and Sky also obtain a significant portion of their content from third parties, such as movie studios, television production companies, sports organizations and other suppliers, sometimes on an exclusive basis. Competition for popular content, particularly for sports programming, is intense, and we may have to increase the price we are willing to pay or be outbid by our competitors for popular content. We also may be unable to license popular third-party content for NBCUniversal’s and Sky’s programming channels if media companies determine that licensing the content to us is not in their strategic best interests (for example, they may launch DTC streaming or other OTT services for their owned content, forgo license fees from us and only provide their content directly to consumers or they may license their content on an exclusive basis to certain of our competitors or rival DTC streaming or other OTT service providers). Entering into or renewing contracts for such programming rights or acquiring additional rights may result in significantly increased costs. Particularly with respect to long-term contracts for sports programming rights for NBCUniversal and Sky, our results of operations and cash flows over the term of a contract depend on a number of factors, including the strength of the advertising market, audience size, the timing and amount of rights payments, and the ability of NBCUniversal to secure distribution from, impose surcharges on, or obtain carriage on multichannel video providers. There can be no assurance that revenue from these contracts will exceed our costs for the rights, as well as the other costs of producing and distributing the programming. If our content does not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance, or if we cannot obtain or retain rights to popular content on acceptable terms, or at all, NBCUniversal’s and Sky’s businesses may be adversely affected. The loss of programming distribution and licensing agreements, or the renewal of these agreements on less favorable terms, could adversely affect our businesses. NBCUniversal’s cable networks depend on their ability to secure and maintain distribution agreements with traditional and virtual multichannel video providers. The number of subscribers to NBCUniversal’s cable networks has been, and likely will continue to be, reduced as a result of fewer subscribers to multichannel video providers. Sky also depends on its ability to secure and maintain wholesale distribution agreements for its television channels with multichannel video providers. NBCUniversal’s and Sky’s ability to renew these agreements on favorable terms may be affected by recent industry consolidation and new participants entering the market for distribution of content on digital platforms. Increasingly, NBCUniversal and Sky license their prior season and library content on third party distribution platforms, including to DTC streaming and other OTT service providers. If this programming does not attract sufficient viewers, these providers may not distribute NBCUniversal’s or Sky’s programming, and DTC streaming and other OTT service providers may not license programming NBCUniversal or Sky creates (or license it at reduced rates). In addition, we expect not to license certain popular content, and we may decide not to license additional owned popular content, to third parties so we may offer it exclusively through Peacock, which would result in foregone licensing revenue. NBCUniversal’s broadcast television networks depend on their ability to secure and maintain network affiliation agreements with third-party local broadcast television stations in the markets where it does not own the affiliated local broadcast television station. In addition, every three years, each of its owned local broadcast television stations must elect, with respect to its retransmission by multichannel video providers within its DMA, either “must-carry” status, in which the distributor’s carriage of the station is mandatory and does not generate any compensation for the local station, or “retransmission consent,” in which the station gives up its right to mandatory carriage and instead seeks to negotiate the terms and conditions of carriage with the distributor, including the amount of compensation, if any, paid to the station by such distributor. There can be no assurance that any of these agreements will be entered into or renewed in the future on acceptable terms. The inability to enter into or renew these agreements could reduce our revenues and the reach of our programming, which could adversely affect NBCUniversal’s and Sky’s businesses. Less favorable European telecommunications access regulations, the loss of Sky’s transmission access agreements with satellite or telecommunications providers or the renewal of these agreements on less favorable terms could adversely affect Sky’s businesses. Sky relies on various third-party telecommunications providers to deliver its video, high-speed internet, voice and wireless phone services to its customers. For example, Sky relies on satellite transponder capacity leased from third parties to provide most of its video services. In addition, under the current regulatory regimes in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy, Sky accesses networks owned by third-party telecommunications providers to offer its high-speed internet and phone services, in many cases, on regulated terms, including price. If there is a change in regulation in these markets, the regulated terms could become less favorable. Moreover, while Sky receives wholesale fiber access on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms, specific pricing terms are not regulated. As a result, if Sky is only able to enter into or renew its transmission agreements with satellite or telecommunications operators on less favorable terms, this would adversely affect Sky’s ability to compete, and if it is ultimately unable to do so on commercially viable terms or if these operators were to terminate their agreements, Sky may be unable to deliver some of its services to customers in one or more of the countries in which it operates, which would adversely affect Sky’s businesses and results of operations. Our businesses depend on using and protecting certain intellectual property rights and on not infringing the intellectual property rights of others. We rely on our intellectual property, such as patents, copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets, as well as licenses and other agreements with our vendors and other third parties, to use various technologies, conduct our operations and sell our products and services. Legal challenges to our intellectual property rights and claims of intellectual property infringement by third parties could require that we enter into royalty or licensing agreements on unfavorable terms, incur substantial monetary liability, or be enjoined preliminarily or permanently from further use of the intellectual property in question, from importing into the United States or other jurisdictions in which we operate hardware or software that uses such intellectual property or from the continuation of our businesses as currently conducted. We may need to change our business practices if any of these events occur, which may limit our ability to compete effectively and could have an adverse effect on our results of operations. Even if we believe any such challenges or claims are without merit, they can be time-consuming and costly to defend and divert management’s attention and resources away from our businesses. Moreover, if we are unable to obtain or continue to obtain licenses from our vendors and other third parties on reasonable terms, our businesses could be adversely affected. In addition, intellectual property constitutes a significant part of the value of NBCUniversal’s and Sky’s businesses, and their success is highly dependent on protecting the intellectual property rights of the content they create or acquire against third-party misappropriation, reproduction or infringement. The unauthorized reproduction, distribution or display of copyrighted material negatively affects our ability to generate revenue from the legitimate sale of our content, as well as from the sale of advertising in connection with our content, and increases our costs due to our active enforcement of our intellectual property rights. Piracy and other unauthorized uses of content are made easier, and the enforcement of intellectual property rights more challenging, by technological advances that allow the conversion of programming, films and other content into digital formats, which facilitates the creation, transmission and sharing of high-quality unauthorized copies. In particular, piracy of programming and films through unauthorized distribution platforms continues to present challenges for NBCUniversal’s cable networks, broadcast television and filmed entertainment businesses, and certain illegal online entities may stream our broadcast television content online without our consent and without paying any compensation to us. It also presents similar challenges for Sky’s businesses, including as a result of illegal retransmission of sports events. While piracy is a challenge in the United States, it is particularly prevalent in many parts of the world that lack developed copyright laws, effective enforcement of copyright laws and technical protective measures like those in effect in the United States. If any U.S. or international laws intended to combat piracy and protect intellectual property rights are repealed or weakened or are not adequately enforced, or if the legal system fails to adapt to new technologies that facilitate piracy, we may be unable to effectively protect our rights, the value of our intellectual property may be negatively impacted and our costs of enforcing our rights may increase. We may be unable to obtain necessary hardware, software and operational support. We depend on third-party vendors to supply us with a significant amount of the hardware, software and operational support necessary to provide certain of our products and services. Some of these vendors represent our primary source of supply or grant us the right to incorporate their intellectual property into some of our hardware and software products. While we actively monitor the operations and financial condition of key vendors in an attempt to detect any potential difficulties, there can be no assurance that we would timely identify any operating or financial difficulties associated with these vendors or that we could effectively mitigate our risks with respect to any such difficulties. If any of these vendors experience operating or financial difficulties, if our demand exceeds their capacity or if they breach or terminate their agreements with us or are otherwise unable to meet our specifications or provide the equipment, products or services we need in a timely manner (or at all), or at reasonable prices, our ability to provide some products or services may be adversely affected and we may incur additional costs. Weak economic conditions may have a negative impact on our businesses. A substantial portion of our revenue comes from customers whose spending patterns may be affected by prevailing economic conditions. Weak economic conditions in the United States or globally could adversely affect demand for any of our products and services and have a negative impact on our results of operations. For example, weak economic conditions will likely impact our customers’ discretionary spending and as a result, they may reduce the level of services to which they subscribe or may discontinue subscribing to one or more of Cable Communications’ or Sky’s services. This risk may be increased by the expanded availability of free or lower cost competitive services, such as certain DTC streaming and other OTT services, or substitute services for high-speed internet and voice services, such as mobile phones and Wi-Fi networks. Weak economic conditions also negatively impact our advertising revenue, the performance of our films and home entertainment releases, and attendance and spending in our theme parks. In particular, the success of our theme parks and theatrical releases largely depend on consumer demand for out-of-home entertainment experiences, which may be limited by weakened economic conditions (as well as natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks (such as COVID-19), terrorist attacks or other similar events). Weak economic conditions and disruption in the global financial markets may also have an impact on the ability of third parties to satisfy their obligations to us or increase our exposure to currency fluctuations in countries where we operate. In addition, in connection with our acquisition of Sky, we incurred and assumed a significant amount of additional debt. If our businesses are negatively impacted by weak economic conditions, we may not be able to reduce the amount of our debt outstanding as quickly as expected. Further, a significant increase in interest rates or disruption in the global financial markets may affect our ability to obtain financing or to refinance existing debt on acceptable terms, if at all, and could increase the cost of our borrowings. Acquisitions and other strategic initiatives present many risks, and we may not realize the financial and strategic goals that we had contemplated. From time to time, we make acquisitions and investments and may pursue other strategic initiatives, such as Peacock. In connection with such acquisitions and strategic initiatives, we may incur significant or unanticipated expenses, fail to realize anticipated benefits and synergies, have difficulty incorporating an acquired or new line of business, disrupt relationships with current and new employees, customers and vendors, incur significant debt, divert the attention of management from our current operations, or have to delay or not proceed with announced transactions or initiatives. Additionally, federal regulatory agencies such as the FCC or DOJ or international regulators may impose restrictions on the operation of our businesses as a result of our seeking regulatory approvals for any significant acquisitions and strategic initiatives or may dissuade us from pursuing certain transactions. The occurrence of any of these events could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. We face risks relating to doing business internationally that could adversely affect our businesses. We operate our businesses worldwide. There are risks inherent in doing business internationally, including global financial market turmoil; economic volatility and global economic slowdown; currency exchange rate fluctuations and inflationary pressures; political risks; the requirements of local laws and customs relating to the publication and distribution of content and the display and sale of advertising; import or export restrictions, tariffs, sanctions and trade regulations; difficulties in developing, staffing and managing foreign operations; issues related to occupational safety and adherence to diverse local labor laws and regulations; and potentially adverse tax developments. Additionally, although we employ foreign currency derivative instruments to hedge certain exposure to foreign currency exchange rate risks, including the British pound and Euro, the use of such derivative instruments may not be sufficient to mitigate exchange rate fluctuations. Sky’s businesses in particular are also subject to risks relating to uncertainties and effects of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (referred to as “Brexit”), including financial, legal, tax and trade implications. In addition, doing business internationally subjects us to risks relating to political or social unrest, as well as corruption and government regulation, including U.S. laws such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the U.K. Bribery Act, that impose stringent requirements on how we conduct our foreign operations. If any of these events occur or our conduct does not comply with such laws and regulations, our businesses may be adversely affected. Our businesses depend on keeping pace with technological developments. Our success is, to a large extent, dependent on our ability to acquire, develop, adopt and leverage new and existing technologies, and our competitors’ use of certain types of technology and equipment may provide them with a competitive advantage. New technologies can materially impact our businesses in a number of ways, including affecting the demand for our products, the distribution methods of our products and content to our customers, the ways in which our customers can purchase and view our content and the growth of distribution platforms available to advertisers. For example, current and new wireless internet technologies such as 4G and 5G wireless broadband services continue to evolve rapidly and may allow for greater speed and reliability. In addition, some companies and U.S. municipalities are building advanced fiber-based networks that provide very fast internet access speeds. We expect advances in communications technology to continue to occur in the future. If we choose technology or equipment that is not as effective or attractive to consumers as that employed by our competitors, if we fail to employ technologies desired by consumers before our competitors do so, or if we fail to execute effectively on our technology initiatives, our businesses and results of operations could be adversely affected. We also will continue to incur additional costs as we execute our technology initiatives, such as the deployment of Flex and Sky Q set-top boxes, wireless gateways and the development of Peacock. There can be no assurance that we can execute on these and other initiatives in a manner sufficient to grow or maintain our revenue or to successfully compete in the future. We also may generate less revenue or incur increased costs if changes in our competitors’ product offerings require that we offer certain services or enhancements at a lower or no cost to our customers or that we increase our research and development expenditures. We rely on network and information systems and other technologies, as well as key properties, and a disruption, cyber attack, failure or destruction of such networks, systems, technologies or properties may disrupt our businesses. Network and information systems and other technologies, including those related to our network management, customer service operations, and programming delivery, and technology embedded in our products and services, are critical to our business activities. Cyber threats and attacks are directed at both known and newly discovered software and hardware vulnerabilities and are constantly evolving, which increases the difficulty of detecting and successfully defending against them. Cyber threats and attacks can have cascading impacts that unfold with increasing speed across networks, information systems and other technologies. Network, information systems and technology-related events, including those caused by us, such as process breakdowns, security architecture or design vulnerabilities, or by third parties, such as computer hackings, cyber attacks, computer viruses, worms or other destructive or disruptive software, denial of service attacks, malicious social engineering or other malicious activities, or power outages, natural disasters, infectious disease outbreaks (such as COVID-19), terrorist attacks or other similar events, could result in a degradation or disruption of our products and services, excessive call volume to call centers, theft or misuse of our intellectual property or other assets, a reduction in demand for our theme parks, disruption of the security of our internal systems and products and services or satellite transmission signals, the compromise of confidential or technical business information or damage to our equipment, data, properties and reputation. In addition, severe weather events such as hurricanes and wild fires have impacted our services, products and properties from time to time in the past and will in the future. The occurrence of these events may result in large expenditures to repair or replace the damaged properties, products, services, networks or information systems to protect them from similar events in the future, and any such events could lead to litigation or otherwise have an adverse effect on our results of operations. In addition, we obtain certain confidential, proprietary and personal information about our customers, personnel and vendors, and in some cases provide this information to third parties, in connection with our business. While we generally obtain assurances that these third parties will protect this information, there is a risk that this information may be compromised. Any security breaches, such as misappropriation, misuse, leakage, falsification or accidental release or loss of information maintained in our third-party’s information technology systems, including customer, personnel and vendor data, could damage our reputation and require us to expend significant capital and other resources to remedy any such security breach, could lead to litigation or could cause regulators in the United States and internationally to impose fines or other remedies for failure to comply with relevant customer privacy rules. The risk of systems-related events and security breaches occurring continues to intensify in many of our businesses, and our businesses may be at a disproportionately heightened risk of these events occurring, due to the nature of our businesses and because we maintain certain information necessary to conduct our business in digital form. In the ordinary course of our business, there are frequent attempts by third parties to cause such systems-related events and security breaches and to identify our security architecture or system design vulnerabilities. While we develop and maintain systems, and operate an extensive security program, seeking to prevent systems-related events and security breaches from occurring, the development, maintenance and operation of these systems and programs is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become more sophisticated and evolve rapidly. Despite our efforts to prevent these events and security breaches, we have experienced systems-related events and breaches in the past, and there can be no assurance that they will not occur in the future or will not have an adverse effect on our businesses. Moreover, the amount and scope of insurance we maintain against losses resulting from any such events or security breaches likely would not be sufficient to cover our losses or otherwise adequately compensate us for any disruptions to our business that may result, and the occurrence of any such events or security breaches could have an adverse effect on our business. The loss of key management personnel or popular on-air and creative talent could have an adverse effect on our businesses. We rely on certain key management personnel in the operation of our businesses. While we maintain long-term and emergency transition plans for key management personnel and believe we could either identify internal candidates or attract outside candidates to fill any vacancy created by the loss of any key management personnel, the loss of one or more of our key management personnel could have a negative impact on our businesses. In addition, NBCUniversal and Sky depend on the abilities and expertise of on-air and creative talent. If we fail to attract or retain on-air or creative talent, if the costs to attract or retain such talent increase materially, or if these individuals cause negative publicity or lose their current appeal, our businesses could be adversely affected. Risks Related to Legal, Regulatory and Governance Matters We are subject to regulation by federal, state, local and foreign authorities, which impose additional costs and restrictions on our businesses. While all of our businesses are subject to various federal, state and local laws and regulations, compliance with certain laws and regulations is most material with respect to our Cable Communications and Broadcast Television businesses in the United States. In addition, our international businesses are subject to various laws and regulations in the jurisdiction of the foreign regulatory authorities where they operate. Legislators and regulators at all levels of government frequently consider changing, and sometimes do change, existing statutes, rules or regulations, or interpretations of existing statues, rules or regulations, or prescribe new ones, any of which may significantly affect our businesses and ability to effectively compete. These legislators and regulators have been active in considering rulemakings and legislation, at times looking to adopt regulatory approaches from different countries that may be more burdensome, and they, along with some state attorneys general and foreign governmental authorities, also have been active in conducting inquiries and reviews regarding our services, and this trend likely will continue. State legislative and regulatory initiatives can create a patchwork of different and/or conflicting state requirements, such as with respect to privacy and Open Internet/net neutrality, that can affect our business operations and further constrain our ability to compete. Legislative and regulatory activity may increase with the change in administration following the 2020 U.S. presidential election. For example, the U.S. Congress may consider proposals that address communications issues, including whether it should rewrite the entire Communications Act to account for changes in the communications marketplace, whether it should enact new, permanent Open Internet requirements, and whether it should fund new broadband infrastructure or broadband connectivity initiatives. Any of these regulations could significantly affect our business and compliance costs. In addition, United States and foreign regulators and courts could adopt new interpretations of existing competition laws and United States and foreign policymakers could enact new competition laws or regulatory enforcement options that could negatively impact our businesses. With the change in administration, tax legislation could be enacted increasing the federal corporate income tax from the current rate of 21%. Any future legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative actions may increase our costs or impose additional restrictions on our businesses, some of which may be significant. We are unable to predict the outcome or effects of any of these potential actions or any other legislative or regulatory proposals on our businesses. Failure to comply with the laws and regulations applicable to our businesses could result in administrative enforcement actions, fines, and civil and criminal liability. Any changes to the legal and regulatory framework applicable to any of our services or businesses could have an adverse impact on our businesses and results of operations. For a more extensive discussion of the significant risks associated with the regulation of our businesses, see Item 1: Business and refer to the “Legislation and Regulation” discussion within that section. Unfavorable litigation or governmental investigation results could require us to pay significant amounts or lead to onerous operating procedures. We are subject from time to time to a number of lawsuits both in the United States and in foreign countries, including claims relating to competition, intellectual property rights (including patents), employment and labor matters, personal injury and property damage, free speech, customer privacy, regulatory requirements, advertising, marketing and selling practices, and credit and collection issues. Greater constraints on the use of arbitration to resolve certain of these disputes could adversely affect our business. We also spend substantial resources complying with various regulatory and government standards, including any related investigations and litigation. We may incur significant expenses defending any such suit or government charge and may be required to pay amounts or otherwise change our operations in ways that could adversely impact our businesses, results of operations or financial condition. Labor disputes, whether involving employees or sports organizations, may disrupt our operations and adversely affect our businesses. Many of NBCUniversal’s writers, directors, actors, technical and production personnel, as well as some of our on-air and creative talent employees, are covered by collective bargaining agreements or works councils. Most of NBCUniversal’s collective bargaining agreements are industry-wide agreements, and we may lack practical control over the negotiations and terms of the agreements. If we are unable to reach agreement with a labor union before the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement, our employees who were covered by that agreement may have a right to strike or take other actions that could adversely affect us, which could disrupt our operations and reduce our revenue, and the resolution of any disputes may increase our costs. There can be no assurance that we will renew our collective bargaining agreements as they expire or that we can renew them on favorable terms or without any work stoppages. In addition, NBCUniversal’s cable networks and broadcast television networks and Sky have programming rights agreements of varying scope and duration with various sports organizations to broadcast and produce sporting events, including certain NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB and European football games. Labor disputes in these and other sports organizations could have an adverse effect on our businesses. Our Class B common stock has substantial voting rights and separate approval rights over several potentially material transactions, and our Chairman and CEO has considerable influence over our company through his beneficial ownership of our Class B common stock. Our Class B common stock has a non-dilutable 33 1/3% of the combined voting power of our Class A and Class B common stock. This non-dilutable voting power is subject to proportional decrease to the extent the number of shares of Class B common stock is reduced below 9,444,375, which was the number of shares of Class B common stock outstanding on the date of our 2002 acquisition of AT&T Corp.’s cable business, subject to adjustment in specified situations. Stock dividends payable on the Class B common stock in the form of Class B or Class A common stock do not decrease the non-dilutable voting power of the Class B common stock. The Class B common stock also has separate approval rights over several potentially material transactions, even if they are approved by our Board of Directors or by our other shareholders and even if they might be in the best interests of our other shareholders. These potentially material transactions include mergers or consolidations involving us, transactions (such as a sale of all or substantially all of our assets) or issuances of securities that require shareholder approval, transactions that result in any person or group owning shares representing more than 10% of the combined voting power of the resulting or surviving corporation, issuances of Class B common stock or securities exercisable or convertible into Class B common stock, and amendments to our articles of incorporation or by-laws that would limit the rights of holders of our Class B common stock. Brian L. Roberts, our chairman and CEO, beneficially owns all of the outstanding shares of our Class B common stock and, accordingly, has considerable influence over our company and the potential ability to transfer effective control by selling the Class B common stock, which could be at a premium. Item 1B: