Charter Communications 10-Q 2026-06-30
Filed 2026-07-24. 7 sections, 147K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown · JSON
Cover and table of contents
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
(Mark One)
| ☒ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2026
or
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Transition Period From to
Commission File Number: 001-33664

Charter Communications, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware | 84-1496755 | ||||||||||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||||||||||
| 400 Washington Blvd. | Stamford | Connecticut | 06902 | ||||||||
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
(203) 905-7801
(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||||||
| Class A Common Stock $.001 Par Value | CHTR | NASDAQ Global Select Market |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer x Accelerated filer o Non-accelerated filer o Smaller reporting company ☐ Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No x
Number of shares of Class A common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2026: 119,277,492
Number of shares of Class B common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2026: 1

CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
QUARTERLY REPORT ON FORM 10-Q FOR THE PERIOD ENDED JUNE 30, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
This quarterly report on Form 10-Q is for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you directly to those documents. In this quarterly report, “Charter,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Charter Communications, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
i
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This quarterly report includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, regarding, among other things, our plans, strategies and prospects, both business and financial including, without limitation, the forward-looking statements set forth in Part I, Item 2. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in this quarterly report. Although we believe that our plans, intentions and expectations as reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure you that we will achieve or realize these plans, intentions or expectations. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions including, without limitation, the factors described under “Risk Factors” in Part I, Item 1A of our most recent Form 10-K filed with the SEC. Many of the forward-looking statements contained in this quarterly report may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “believe,” “future,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “should,” “planned,” “will,” “may,” “intend,” “estimated,” “aim,” “on track,” “target,” “opportunity,” “tentative,” “positioning,” “designed,” “create,” “predict,” “project,” “initiatives,” “seek,” “would,” “could,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “upside,” “increases,” “grow,” “focused on” and “potential,” among others. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements we make in this quarterly report are set forth in this quarterly report on Form 10-Q, in our annual report on Form 10-K, and in other reports or documents that we file from time to time with the SEC, and include, but are not limited to:
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our ability to sustain and grow revenues and cash flow from operations by offering Internet, mobile, video, voice, advertising and other services to residential and commercial customers, to adequately meet the customer experience demands in our service areas and to maintain and grow our customer base, particularly in the face of increasingly aggressive competition, the need for innovation and the related capital expenditures;
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the impact of competition from other market participants, including but not limited to incumbent telephone companies, direct broadcast satellite ("DBS") operators, wireless and satellite broadband and telephone providers, digital subscriber line (“DSL”) providers, fiber to the home providers and providers of video content over broadband Internet connections;
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general business conditions, unemployment levels and the level of activity in the housing sector and economic uncertainty or downturn;
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our ability to develop and deploy new products and technologies including consumer services and service platforms;
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any events that disrupt our networks, information systems or properties and impair our operating activities or our reputation;
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the effects of governmental regulation on our business including subsidies to consumers, subsidies and incentives for competitors, costs, disruptions and possible limitations on operating flexibility related to, and our ability to comply with, regulatory conditions applicable to us;
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our ability to procure necessary services and equipment from our vendors in a timely manner and at reasonable costs including in connection with our network evolution and rural construction initiatives;
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our ability to obtain programming at reasonable prices or to raise prices to offset, in whole or in part, the effects of higher programming costs (including retransmission consents and distribution requirements);
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the ability to hire and retain key personnel;
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the availability and access, in general, of funds to meet our debt obligations prior to or when they become due and to fund our operations and necessary capital expenditures, either through (i) cash on hand, (ii) free cash flow, or (iii) access to the capital or credit markets;
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our ability to comply with all covenants in our indentures and credit facilities, any violation of which, if not cured in a timely manner, could trigger a default of our other obligations under cross-default provisions;
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our ability to satisfy the conditions to consummate the Liberty Broadband Combination and/or the Cox Transactions and/or to consummate the Liberty Broadband Combination and/or the Cox Transactions in a timely manner or at all;
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the risks related to us being restricted in the operation of our business while the Liberty Broadband Merger Agreement and the Cox Communications Transaction Agreement are in effect;
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other risks related to the Liberty Broadband Combination as described in the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus with respect to the Liberty Broadband Combination, filed by Charter on January 22, 2025, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Where You Can Find More Information” included therein; and
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other risks related to the Cox Transactions as described in the definitive proxy statement with respect to the Cox Transactions, filed by Charter on July 2, 2025, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Where You Can Find More Information” included therein.
All forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We are under no duty or obligation to update any of the forward-looking statements after the date of this quarterly report.
ii
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Financial Statements.
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(dollars in millions, except share data)
| June 30, 2026 | December 31, 2025 | ||||||||||
| (unaudited) | |||||||||||
| ASSETS | |||||||||||
| CURRENT ASSETS: | |||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 509 | $ | 477 | |||||||
| Accounts receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $238 and $219, respectively | 3,651 | 3,680 | |||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 813 | 987 | |||||||||
| Total current assets | 4,973 | 5,144 | |||||||||
| INVESTMENT IN CABLE PROPERTIES: | |||||||||||
| Property, plant and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation of $41,990 and $41,514, respectively | 47,955 | 46,444 | |||||||||
| Customer relationships, net of accumulated amortization of $18,078 and $17,875, respectively | 238 | 440 | |||||||||
| Franchises | 67,471 | 67,471 | |||||||||
| Goodwill | 29,710 | 29,710 | |||||||||
| Total investment in cable properties, net | 145,374 | 144,065 | |||||||||
| OTHER NONCURRENT ASSETS | 5,271 | 5,004 | |||||||||
| Total assets | $ | 155,618 | $ | 154,213 | |||||||
| LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | |||||||||||
| CURRENT LIABILITIES: | |||||||||||
| Accounts payable, accrued and other current liabilities | $ | 12,779 | $ | 12,556 | |||||||
| Current portion of long-term debt | 999 | 750 | |||||||||
| Total current liabilities | 13,778 | 13,306 | |||||||||
| LONG-TERM DEBT | 92,960 | 94,006 | |||||||||
| EQUIPMENT INSTALLMENT PLAN FINANCING FACILITY | 1,596 | 1,447 | |||||||||
| DEFERRED INCOME TAXES | 20,237 | 19,841 | |||||||||
| OTHER LONG-TERM LIABILITIES | 5,146 | 5,094 | |||||||||
| SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY: | |||||||||||
| Class A common stock; $0.001 par value; 900 million shares authorized; | |||||||||||
| 129,602,238 and 126,631,549 shares issued, respectively | — | — | |||||||||
| Class B common stock; $0.001 par value; 1,000 shares authorized; | |||||||||||
| 1 share issued and outstanding | — | — | |||||||||
| Preferred stock; $0.001 par value; 250 million shares authorized; no shares issued and outstanding | — | — | |||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital | 21,765 | 21,447 | |||||||||
| Accumulated deficit | (2,938) | (5,393) | |||||||||
| Treasury stock at cost; 10,324,746 and no shares, respectively | (1,875) | — | |||||||||
| Total Charter shareholders’ equity | 16,952 | 16,054 | |||||||||
| Noncontrolling interests | 4,949 | 4,465 | |||||||||
| Total shareholders’ equity | 21,901 | 20,519 | |||||||||
| Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity | $ | 155,618 | $ | 154,213 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(dollars in millions, except per share data)
Unaudited
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | 2026 | 2025 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| REVENUES | $ | 13,526 | $ | 13,766 | $ | 27,123 | $ | 27,501 | |||||||||||||||
| COSTS AND EXPENSES: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses (exclusive of items shown separately below) | 8,215 | 8,230 | 16,378 | 16,424 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 2,197 | 2,176 | 4,408 | 4,357 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other operating expenses, net | 51 | 81 | 66 | 204 | |||||||||||||||||||
| 10,463 | 10,487 | 20,852 | 20,985 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Income from operations | 3,063 | 3,279 | 6,271 | 6,516 | |||||||||||||||||||
| OTHER INCOME (EXPENSES): | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense, net | (1,276) | (1,263) | (2,532) | (2,504) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expenses), net | 212 | (107) | 88 | (249) | |||||||||||||||||||
| (1,064) | (1,370) | (2,444) | (2,753) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Income before income taxes | 1,999 | 1,909 | 3,827 | 3,763 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Income tax expense | (475) | (414) | (940) | (859) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Consolidated net income | 1,524 | 1,495 | 2,887 | 2,904 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests | (232) | (194) | (432) | (386) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net income attributable to Charter shareholders | $ | 1,292 | $ | 1,301 | $ | 2,455 | $ | 2,518 | |||||||||||||||
| EARNINGS PER COMMON SHARE ATTRIBUTABLE TO CHARTER SHAREHOLDERS: | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basic | $ | 10.76 | $ | 9.41 | $ | 20.00 | $ | 18.00 | |||||||||||||||
| Diluted | $ | 10.66 | $ | 9.18 | $ | 19.81 | $ | 17.59 | |||||||||||||||
| Weighted average common shares outstanding, basic | 120,121,017 | 138,205,810 | 122,789,924 | 139,889,251 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted average common shares outstanding, diluted | 121,255,667 | 141,684,415 | 123,969,262 | 143,098,493 |
The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.
CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(dollars in millions)
Unaudited
| Class A Common Stock | Class B Common Stock | Additional Paid-in Capital | Accumulated Deficit | Treasury Stock | Total Charter Shareholders’ Equity | **Non- |
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Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
General
Charter Communications, Inc. (together with its controlled subsidiaries, “Charter”) is a leading broadband connectivity company with services available to nearly 59 million homes and small to large businesses across 41 states through our Spectrum brand. Founded in 1993, we have evolved from providing cable TV to streaming, and from high-speed Internet to a converged broadband, WiFi and mobile experience. Over the Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network and supported by our 100% U.S.-based employees, we offer Seamless Connectivity and Entertainment with Spectrum Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice products.
Charter is a holding company whose principal asset is a controlling equity interest in Charter Communications Holdings, LLC (“Charter Holdings”), an indirect owner of Charter Communications Operating, LLC (“Charter Operating”) under which substantially all of the operations reside. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions among consolidated entities have been eliminated.
The Cox Transactions
On May 16, 2025, Charter, Charter Holdings, and Cox Enterprises, Inc. (“Cox Enterprises”) entered into a Transaction Agreement (the “Transaction Agreement”) pursuant to which (i) Cox Enterprises will sell and transfer to Charter 100% of the equity interests of certain subsidiaries of Cox Communications, Inc. (“Cox Communications”) that conduct Cox Communications’ commercial fiber and managed IT and cloud services businesses (the “Equity Sale”), (ii) Cox Enterprises will contribute the equity interests of Cox Communications and certain other assets (other than certain excluded assets) primarily related to Cox Communications’ residential cable business to Charter Holdings (the “Contribution”), and (iii) Cox Enterprises will pay $1.00 to Charter (collectively, the “Cox Transactions”). Under the Transaction Agreement, Charter and Cox Enterprises may designate one or more wholly owned subsidiaries to take actions with respect to Charter and Cox Enterprises, respectively.
Pursuant to the Transaction Agreement, at the closing of the Cox Transactions (the “Closing”):
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in consideration of the Equity Sale, Charter will pay $3.5 billion in cash to Cox Enterprises;
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in consideration of the Contribution, Charter Holdings will (i) pay to Cox Enterprises $650 million in cash and (ii) issue to Cox Enterprises convertible preferred units of Charter Holdings with an aggregate liquidation preference of $6.0 billion, which will pay a 6.875% dividend per annum, and approximately 33.6 million Charter Holdings common units. The Charter Holdings convertible preferred units will be convertible into Charter Holdings common units, with an initial conversion price of $477.41, subject to certain adjustments. The Charter Holdings common units will be exchangeable by the holder, in certain circumstances, for cash or, at the election of Charter, Charter Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis, subject to certain adjustments; and
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in consideration of the $1.00 payment from Cox Enterprises to Charter, Charter will issue to Cox Enterprises one share of the newly created Charter Class C common stock. The Charter Class C common stock will be equivalent, economically, to the outstanding Charter Class A common stock and the Charter Class B common stock but will have a number of votes per share that reflect the voting power of the Charter Holdings common units and the Charter Holdings convertible preferred units held by Cox Enterprises on an as-converted, as-exchanged basis.
The combined entity will assume Cox Communications’ approximately $12.4 billion in outstanding net debt and finance leases.
Overview
The competitive environment continued to challenge our Internet customer growth in the second quarter of 2026 and we lost 172,000 Internet customers. Mobile lines grew by 406,000 while video customer losses improved versus the prior year period driven by improvements to our product offerings with customers finding value in bundling our seamless connectivity and entertainment products. Our core strategy is to deliver great products, at a great value, while continuously improving service. We remain focused on improving customer results through the power of our advanced fiber-powered network and cutting-edge connectivity products and services, and our simplified pricing and packaging strategy that better utilizes our seamless connectivity and entertainment products to offer lower promotional and persistent bundled pricing to drive growth. Our Internet and mobile product bundles provide a differentiated connectivity experience by bringing together Spectrum Internet,
Advanced WiFi and Spectrum Mobile to offer consumers fast, reliable and secure online connections on their favorite devices at home and on the go in high-value packages. We have completed deals with major programmers to deliver better flexibility and greater value to our customers by including seamless entertainment applications with certain of our Spectrum TV packages at no additional cost. We offer the sale of these seamless entertainment applications to customers on an à la carte basis, and through our digital storefront, the Spectrum App Store, customers can easily activate, upgrade, buy and manage their streaming applications in one place. We also continue to develop other elements of our video product and are deploying Xumo stream boxes to new video customers.
Our customer commitments focus on reliable connectivity, transparency, exceptional service and always improving. By continually improving our product set and offering consumers the opportunity to save money by switching to our services, we believe we can continue to penetrate our expanding footprint and sell additional products to our existing customers. We see operational benefits from the targeted investments we made in employee wages and benefits to build employee skill sets and tenure, as well as the continued investments in digitization of our customer service platforms, all with the goal of improving the customer experience, reducing transactions and driving customer growth and retention.
We currently offer Spectrum Internet products with speeds up to 1 Gbps across our entire footprint and multi-gigabit data speeds in a portion of our footprint. Our network evolution initiative remains on track to deliver symmetrical and multi-gigabit speeds across our entire footprint with convergence everywhere we operate. We spent $391 million and $818 million on our subsidized rural construction initiative during the three and six months ended June 30, 2026, respectively, and activated approximately 127,000 and 216,000 subsidized rural passings, respectively.
We realized revenue, Adjusted EBITDA and income from operations during the periods presented as follows (in millions; all percentages are calculated using whole numbers; minor differences may exist due to rounding):
| Three Months Ended June 30, | Six Months Ended June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2026 | 2025 | % Change | 2026 | 2025 | % Change | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenues | $ | 13,526 | $ | 13,766 | (1.7) | % | $ | 27,123 | $ | 27,501 | (1.4) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 5,449 | $ | 5,693 | (4.3) | % | $ | 11,086 | $ | 11,456 | (3.2) | % | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Income from operations | $ | 3,063 | $ | 3,279 | (6.5) | % |
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Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.
There have been no material changes to the interest rate risk as previously disclosed in Part II, Item 7A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
As of the end of the period covered by this report, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we have evaluated the effectiveness of our design and operation of disclosure controls and procedures with respect to the information generated for use in this quarterly report. The evaluation was based upon reports and certifications provided by a number of executives. Based on, and as of the date of that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable assurances that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file or submit under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.
In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, our management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance of achieving the desired control objectives, and management necessarily was required to apply its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based upon the evaluation, we believe that our controls provide such reasonable assurances.
During the quarter ended June 30, 2026, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings.
See Note 20 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 for a discussion of legal proceedings. Within this section, we use a threshold of $1 million in disclosing environmental proceedings involving a governmental authority, if any.
Item 1A. Risk Factors.
Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 includes "Risk Factors" under Item 1A of Part I. There have been no material changes from the risk factors described in our Form 10-K.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer
The following table presents Charter’s purchases of equity securities completed during the second quarter of 2026 (dollars in millions, except per share amounts):
| Period | Total Number of Shares Purchased (1) | Average Price Paid per Share | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (2) | Approximate Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (2) | ||||||||||
| April 1 - 30, 2026 | 4,005,612 | $228.65 | 2,370,455 | $419 | ||||||||||
| May 1 - 31, 2026 | 1,596,910 | $195.62 | 1,594,775 | $365 | ||||||||||
| June 1 - 30, 2026 | 40,405 | $158.47 | 31,315 | $365 |
(1)Includes 1,635,157, 2,135 and 9,090 shares withheld from employees for the payment of taxes and exercise costs upon the exercise of stock options or vesting of other equity awards for the months of April, May and June 2026, respectively.
(2)During the three months ended June 30, 2026, Charter purchased approximately 4.0 million shares of its Class A common stock for approximately $838 million. As of June 30, 2026, Charter had remaining board authority to purchase an additional $365 million of Charter’s Class A common stock and/or Charter Holdings common units, excluding purchases from Liberty Broadband. In addition to open market purchases including pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 plans adopted from time to time, Charter may also buy shares of Charter Class A common stock, from time to time, pursuant to private transactions outside of its Rule 10b5-1 plan and any such repurchases may also trigger the repurchases from A/N pursuant to and to the extent provided in the Existing A/N Letter Agreement or Liberty Broadband pursuant to the Stockholders and Letter Agreement Amendment.
Item 6. Exhibits.
See Exhibit Index.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, Charter Communications, Inc. has duly caused this quarterly report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| CHARTER COMMUNICATIONS, INC. | |||||||||||
| Registrant | |||||||||||
| By: | /s/ Kevin D. Howard | ||||||||||
| Kevin D. Howard | |||||||||||
| Date: July 24, 2026 | Executive Vice President, Chief Accounting Officer and Controller |
S-1
Exhibit Index
- Filed herewith
E-1