UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

 

 

FORM 10-K

 

 

 

 

 

Commission File No. 000-25826

 

HARMONIC INC.

 

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

549 Baltic Way
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
(408) 542-2500
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of Registrant’s principal executive offices)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act: None

 

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.

Yes [ ]  No [ ü ]

 

Indicate by check mark if the Registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act.

Yes [ ]  No [ ü ]

 

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 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 [ ü ]  No [ ]

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the Registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.

[ ü ]

 

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 the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes [ ] No [ ü ]

 

Based on the closing sale price of the Common Stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on June 27, 2008, the aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting Common Stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant was $845,233,378. Shares of Common Stock held by each officer and director and by each person who owns 5% or more of the outstanding Common Stock have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

 

The number of shares outstanding of the Registrant’s Common Stock, $.001 par value, was 95,370,525 on January 30, 2009.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the Proxy Statement for the Registrant’s 2009 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days of the end of the fiscal year ended December 31, 2008) are incorporated by reference in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

HARMONIC INC.

 

FORM 10-K

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Forward Looking Statements

 

Some of the statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. The statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K that are not purely historical are 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, including, without limitation, statements regarding our expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “intends,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

 

 

These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause our actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. Important factors that may cause actual results to differ from expectations include those discussed in “Risk Factors” beginning on page 14 in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. All forward-looking statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K are based on information available to us on the date thereof, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. The terms “Harmonic,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” “its,” and “our” as used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K refer to Harmonic Inc. and its subsidiaries and its predecessors as a combined entity, except where the context requires otherwise.

Item 1. Business

 

OVERVIEW

 

We design, manufacture and sell versatile and high performance video products and system solutions that enable service providers to efficiently deliver the next generation of broadcast and on-demand services, including high-definition television, or HDTV, video-on-demand, or VOD, network personal video recording and time-shifted TV. Historically, the majority of our sales have been derived from sales of video processing solutions and edge and access systems to cable television operators and from sales of video processing solutions to direct-to-home satellite operators. We also provide our video processing solutions to telecommunications companies, or telcos, broadcasters and Internet companies that offer video services to their customers. On December 22, 2008, Harmonic entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Scopus Video Networks Ltd., a publicly traded company organized under the laws of Israel, and the acquisition is expected to close in March 2009. The proposed acquisition of Scopus is expected to expand our product offerings and customer base, in part by better enabling us to supply solutions to broadcasters and programmers who deliver video content to our service provider customers, and in part by extending our sales and distribution capacity in international markets.

 

INDUSTRY OVERVIEW

 

Demand for Broadband and Digital Video Services

 

The delivery to subscribers of television programming and Internet-based information and communication services is converging, driven in part by advances in technology and in part by changes in the regulatory and competitive environment. Viewers of video increasingly seek a more personalized and dynamic video experience that can be delivered to a variety of devices ranging from wide-screen HDTVs to mobile devices, including cellular phones. Today, there are a number of developing trends which impact the broadcasting and television business and that of our service provider customers, which deliver video programming. These trends include:

 

On-Demand Services

 

The expanding use of digital video recorders and network-based VOD services is leading to changes in the way subscribers watch television programming. Subscribers are increasingly utilizing “time-shifting” and “ad-skipping” technology. Further advances in technology are likely to accelerate these trends, with cable, satellite and telco operators announcing initiatives, often in conjunction with network broadcasters, to increasingly personalize subscribers’ video viewing experience.

 

High-Definition Television

 

The increasing popularity of HDTV and home theater equipment is putting pressure on broadcasters and pay-TV providers to offer additional HDTV content and higher quality video signals for both standard and high definition services, including recent initiatives to broadcast in the 1080p standard of HDTV. At the end of 2008, DIRECTV offered approximately 130 national HDTV channels to its subscribers, and other service providers are also rapidly introducing expanded HDTV offerings for both national and local channels.

 

The Internet and Other Emerging Distribution Methods

 

Several companies, including Google, Apple and Netflix, as well as traditional broadcasters such as NBC, now enable their customers to download video content to PCs and mobile devices. Other devices that link broadband connections and PCs to the television set are gaining in popularity. We believe that the delivery of video over the Internet will further change traditional video viewing habits and distribution methods.

 

Mobile Video

 

Several telcos in the U.S. and abroad have launched video services to cellular telephones and other mobile devices. Certain cable operators have entered into agreements with mobile phone operators that are likely to lead to further expansion of mobile video services.

These trends are expected to increase the demand from service providers for sophisticated digital video systems and optical network products, which are required to acquire video content from a variety of sources and deliver it to the subscriber.

 

The Market Opportunity

 

Personalized video services, such as VOD, and the increasing amounts of high definition content, as well as an increasing amount of video data being transmitted over Internet connections, require greater bandwidth to the home in order to deliver maximum choice and flexibility to the subscriber. In addition, the delivery of live television and downloadable content to cellular telephones and other mobile devices creates bandwidth constraints and network management challenges. The demand for more bandwidth-intensive video, voice and data content has strained existing communications networks and created bottlenecks, especially in the headends and in the last mile of the communications infrastructure where homes connect to the local network. The upgrade and extension of existing networks or the construction of completely new network environments to facilitate the delivery of high-speed broadband video, voice and data services requires substantial expenditure and often the replacement of significant portions of the existing infrastructure. As a result, service providers are seeking solutions that maximize the efficiency of existing available bandwidth and cost-effectively manage and transport digital traffic within networks, while minimizing the need to construct new networks for the distribution of video, voice and data content.

 

Competition and Deregulation

 

Competition among traditional service providers in the cable and satellite markets has intensified as offerings from non-traditional providers of video, such as telcos, Internet companies and mobile operators, are beginning to attract subscribers. The economic success of existing and new operators in this increasingly competitive environment will depend, to a large extent, on their ability to provide a broader range of offerings that package video, voice and data services for subscribers. These services all need to be delivered in a highly reliable manner with easy access to a service provider’s network. This increasingly competitive environment led to higher capital spending by many of the market participants in 2007 and 2008, in an effort to deploy attractive packages of services and to capture and retain high revenue-generating subscribers. Similar competitive factors and the liberalization of regulatory regimes in foreign countries have led to the establishment abroad of new or expanded cable television networks, the launch of new direct broadcast satellite, or DBS, services and particularly, the entry of telephone companies into the business of providing video services. Pay-TV services have seen recently significant investment in emerging markets due to deregulation and growing disposable incomes. Although we expect competition among our customers to remain vibrant and pay-TV services to continue to grow, we anticipate that capital expenditures by most of our domestic and international customers will decline in 2009, as a result of global economic conditions and restricted access to credit.

 

Our Cable Market

 

To address increasing competition and demand for high-speed broadband services, cable operators have widely introduced digital video, voice and data services. By offering bundled packages of broadband services, cable operators are seeking to obtain a competitive advantage over telephone companies and direct broadcast satellite, or DBS, providers and to create additional revenue streams. Cable operators have been upgrading and rebuilding their networks to offer digital video, which enables them to provide more channels and better picture quality than analog video, allowing them to better compete against the substantial penetration of DBS services. These upgrades to digital video allow cable operators to roll out HDTV and interactive services, such as VOD, on their digital platforms. Capital spending on upgrades includes investment in digital video equipment that can receive, process and distribute content from a variety of sources in increasingly complex headends. For example, VOD services require video storage equipment and servers, systems to ingest, store and intelligently distribute increasing amounts of content, complemented by edge devices capable of routing, multiplexing and modulation for delivering signals to individual subscribers over a hybrid fiber-coax, or HFC, network. Additionally, the provision of HDTV channels requires deployment of high-definition encoders and significantly more available bandwidth than the equivalent number of standard definition channels. In order to provide more bandwidth for such services, operators are adopting bandwidth optimization techniques such as switched digital video, new standards such as Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification, or DOCSIS, 3.0, as well as making enhancements to their optical networks, including the segmentation of nodes and the extension of bandwidth from 750 MHz to 1 GHz.

Our Satellite Market

 

Satellite operators around the world have established digital television services that serve millions of subscribers. These services are capable of providing up to several hundred channels of high quality standard definition video as well as increasing numbers of high definition channels. DBS services, however, operate mostly in a one-way environment. Signals are transmitted from an uplink center to a satellite and then beamed to dishes located at subscribers’ homes. This method is suited to the delivery of broadcast television, but does not lend itself easily to two-way services, such as Internet access or VOD. As cable operators expand the number of channels offered and introduce services such as VOD and HDTV, DBS providers are seeking to protect and expand their subscriber base in a number of ways. Domestic DBS operators have made local channels available in all major markets in standard definition format and are adding local channels in high definition in many markets. Advances in digital video compression technology allow DBS operators to cost-effectively add these new channels and to further expand their video entertainment offerings. Certain DBS operators have also entered into partnerships with, or have acquired, companies which provide terrestrial broadband services, thereby allowing them to introduce VOD and high-speed data services which are delivered over the broadband connections. The new services, particularly HDTV, pose continuing bandwidth challenges and are expected to require ongoing capital expenditures for satellite capacity and other infrastructure by such operators.

 

Our Telco Market

 

Telcos are also facing increasing competition and demand for high-speed residential broadband services as well as saturation of fixed-line and basic mobile services. Consequently, many telcos around the world have added video services as a competitive response to cable and satellite and as a potential source of revenue growth. However, the telcos’ legacy networks are not well equipped to offer video services. The bandwidth and distance limitations of the copper-based last mile present difficulties in providing multiple video services to widespread geographic areas. Multi-channel video, especially HDTV, delivered over DSL lines has significant bandwidth constraints, but the use of video compression technology at very low bit rates and improvements in DSL technology have allowed many operators to introduce competitive video services using the Internet Protocol (IPTV). A few operators, including Verizon, are building out fiber networks to homes, enabling the delivery of hundreds of video channels as well as very high data speed delivery of data. Many major telcos around the world are now implementing plans to rebuild or upgrade their networks to offer bundled video, voice and data services including mobile video services to hand-held devices such as cellular telephones.

 

Other Markets

 

In the terrestrial broadcasting market, operators in many countries are now required by regulation to convert from analog to digital transmission in order to free up broadcast spectrum. The conversion to digital transmission often provides the opportunity to deliver new services, such as HDTV and data transmission. These broadcasters are faced with similar requirements to cable and satellite providers in that they need to convert analog signals to digital signals prior to transmission over the air and must also effectively manage the available bandwidth to maximize their revenue streams. Similarly, operators of wireless broadcast systems require encoding for the conversion of analog signals to digital signals.

 

We expect that our proposed acquisition of Scopus will allow us to more effectively address the needs of network broadcasters and other programmers to transmit live programming of news and sports to their studios and to subsequently deliver their content to cable, satellite and telco operators for distribution to their subscribers.

 

Current Industry Conditions

 

The telecommunications industry has seen considerable restructuring and consolidation in recent years. For example:

 

 

Regulatory issues, financial concerns and business combinations among our customers are likely to significantly affect the industry, capital spending plans, and our business for the foreseeable future.

 

The current global economic slowdown has led many of our customers to announce or plan lower capital expenditures for 2009, and we believe that this slowdown caused certain of our customers to reduce or delay orders for our products in the fourth quarter of 2008. Many of our international customers, particularly those in emerging markets, have been exposed to tight credit markets and depreciating currencies, further restricting their ability to invest to build out or upgrade their networks. Some customers have difficulty in servicing or retiring existing debt and the financial constraints of certain international customers required us to significantly increase our reserves for doubtful accounts in the fourth quarter of 2008. For example, Charter Communications recently indicated that it expects to file for bankruptcy protection in the first quarter of 2009 in order to implement a restructuring aimed at improving its capital structure.

 

PRODUCTS

 

Harmonic’s products generally fall into two principal categories, video processing solutions and edge and access products. In addition, we provide network management software and have introduced and acquired new application software products. We also provide technical support services to our customers worldwide. Our video processing solutions provide broadband operators with the ability to acquire a variety of signals from different sources, in different protocols, and to organize, manage and distribute this content to maximize use of the available bandwidth. Our edge products enable cable operators to deliver customized broadcast or narrowcast on-demand and data services to their subscribers. Our access products, which consist mainly of optical transmission products, node platforms and return path products, allow cable operators to deliver video, data and voice services over their distribution networks.

 

Video Stream Processing Products

 

DiviCom encoders.  We offer our Electra and Ion high performance encoders, which provide compression of video, audio and data channels. Using sophisticated signal pre-processing, noise reduction and encoding algorithms, these encoders produce high-quality video and audio at low data transmission rates. Our encoders are available in the standard and high definition formats in both MPEG-2 and the newer MPEG-4 AVC/H264, or MPEG-4, video compression standards. Compliance with these widely adopted standards enables interoperability with products manufactured by other companies, such as set-top boxes and conditional access systems. Most of our encoders are used in real-time broadcasting applications, but they are also employed in conjunction with our software in encoding of video content and storage for later delivery as VOD.

 

Statistical multiplexing solutions.  We offer a variety of solutions that enable our customers to efficiently combine video streams generated by encoders into a single transport stream at the required data rate. These channel combinations, or “pools” can be in standard definition, high definition, or a combination of both. An important product for these applications is our DiviTrackIP which enables operators to combine inputs from different physical locations in a single multiplex. DiviTrackIP also enhances the bandwidth efficiency of our encoders by allowing bandwidth to be dynamically allocated according to the complexity of the video content.

 

Stream processing products.  Our ProStream platform and other stream processing products offer our customers a variety of capabilities which enable them to manage and organize digital streams in a format best suited to their particular delivery requirements and subscriber offerings. Specific applications include multiplexing, scrambling, re-encoding, rate-shaping, splicing, and ad insertion. Our products for these applications include our ProStream 1000, 2000 and 4000.

 

Decoders and descramblers.  We provide our ProView integrated receivers-decoders to allow service providers to acquire content delivered from satellite and terrestrial broadcasters for distribution to their subscribers. These products are available in both standard and high definition formats. The Pro Stream 1000 can also be used as a bulk descrambler to enable operators to deliver up to 128 channels of video and efficiently descramble the content at small or remote headends.

Edge and Access Products

 

Edge products.  Our Narrowcast Services Gateway family, or NSG, is a fully integrated edge gateway, which integrates routing, multiplexing and modulation into a single package for the delivery of narrowcast services to subscribers over cable networks. The NSG is usually supplied with Gigabit Ethernet inputs, allowing the cable operator to use bandwidth efficiently by delivering IP signals from the headend to the edge of the network for subsequent modulation onto the HFC network. Originally developed for VOD applications, our most recent NSG product, the high-density, multi-function NSG 9000, may also be used in switched digital video and M-CMTS applications as well as large-scale VOD deployments.

 

Optical transmitters and amplifiers.  Our family of optical transmitters and amplifiers operate at various optical wavelengths and serve both long-haul and local transport applications in the cable distribution network. The PWRLink series provides optical transmission primarily at a headend or hub for local distribution to optical nodes and for narrowcasting, which is the transmission of programming to a select set of subscribers. Our METROLink Dense Wave Division Multiplexing, or DWDM, system allows operators to expand the capacity of a single strand of fiber and also to provide narrowcast services directly from the headend to nodes. We recently introduced SupraLink, a transmitter which allows deeper deployment of optical nodes in the network and minimizes the significant capital and labor expense associated with deploying additional optical fiber.

 

Optical nodes and return path equipment.  Our family of PWRBlazer optical nodes supports network architectures which meet the varying demands for bandwidth delivered to a service area. By the addition of modules providing functions such as return path transmission and DWDM, our configurable nodes are easily segmented to handle increasing two-way traffic over a fiber network without major reconstruction or replacement of our customers’ networks. Our return path transmitters support two-way transmission capabilities by sending video, voice and data signals from the optical node back to the headend. These transmitters are available for either analog or digital transport.

 

Software Products

 

Management and control software.  Our NMX Digital Service Manager gives service providers the ability to control and visually monitor their digital video infrastructure at an aggregate level, rather than as just discrete pieces of hardware, reducing their operational costs. Our NETWatch management system operates in broadband networks to capture measurement data and our software enables the broadband service operator to monitor and control the HFC transmission network from a master headend or remote locations. Our NMX Digital Service Manager and NETWatch software is designed to be integrated into larger network management systems through the use of simple network management protocol, or SNMP.

 

Content management software.  Our MediaPrism software provides operators with a suite of integrated content preparation tools to create high-quality on-demand content. MediaPrism incorporates a number of Harmonic hardware and software products, including CLEARCut storage encoding and our CarbonCoder software-based transcoding solutions that facilitate the creation of multi-format video for Internet, mobile and broadcast applications. Our ProStream 8000 solution allows operators to present on-screen mosaics with several channels tiled within a single video stream. Our Armada and Streamliner products enable the intelligent management of an operator’s video-on-demand assets and the distribution of these assets to subscribers.

 

Technical and support services

 

We provide consulting, implementation and maintenance services to our customers worldwide. We draw upon our expertise in broadcast television, communications networking and compression technology to design, integrate and install complete solutions for our customers. We offer a broad range of services and support including program management, budget analysis, technical design and planning, parts inventory management, building and site preparation, integration and equipment installation, end-to-end system testing, comprehensive training and ongoing maintenance. Harmonic also has extensive experience in integrating our products with numerous third-party products and services.

 

Historically, a majority of our sales have been to relatively few customers, and due in part to the consolidation of ownership of cable television and direct broadcast satellite systems, we expect this customer concentration to continue in the foreseeable future. Sales to our ten largest customers in 2008, 2007 and 2006 accounted for approximately 58%, 53% and 50% of net sales, respectively. In 2008, sales to Comcast and EchoStar accounted for 20% and 12% of net sales, respectively. In 2007, sales to Comcast and EchoStar accounted for 16% and 12% of net sales, respectively. Sales to Comcast accounted for 12% of net sales in 2006.

 

Sales to customers outside of the U.S. in 2008, 2007 and 2006 represented 44%, 44%, and 49% of net sales, respectively. We expect international sales to continue to account for a substantial portion of our net sales for the foreseeable future, and expect that, following the completion of the proposed acquisition of Scopus, our international sales may increase, both in absolute terms and as a proportion of net sales. International sales are subject to a number of risks, including changes in foreign government regulations and telecommunications standards, import and export license requirements, tariffs, taxes and other trade barriers, fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, difficulty in collecting accounts receivable, difficulty in staffing and managing foreign operations, managing distributor relations and political and economic instability. Also, additional international markets may not develop and we may not receive future orders to supply our products in international markets at rates equal to or greater than those experienced in recent periods.

 

SALES AND MARKETING

 

In the U.S. we sell our products principally through our own direct sales force which is organized geographically and by major customers and markets to support customer requirements. We sell to international customers through our own direct sales force as well as through independent distributors and integrators. Our principal sales offices outside of the U.S. are located in the United Kingdom, France and China, and we have recently established an international support center in Switzerland to support our international customers. International distributors are generally responsible for importing the products and providing certain installation, technical support and other services to customers in their territory. Our direct sales force and distributors are supported by a highly trained technical staff, which includes application engineers who work closely with operators to develop technical proposals and design systems to optimize system performance and economic benefits to operators. Technical support provides a customized set of services, as required, for ongoing maintenance, support-on-demand and training for our customers and distributors both in our facilities and on-site.

 

Our marketing organization develops strategies for product lines and market segments, and, in conjunction with our sales force, identifies the evolving technical and application needs of customers so that our product development resources can be most effectively and efficiently deployed to meet anticipated product requirements. Our marketing organization is also responsible for setting price levels, demand forecasting and general support of the sales force, particularly at major accounts. We have many programs in place to heighten industry awareness of Harmonic and our products, including participation in technical conferences, publication of articles in industry journals and exhibitions at trade shows.

MANUFACTURING AND SUPPLIERS

 

We use third party contract manufacturers extensively to assemble full turnkey products and a substantial majority of subassemblies and modules for our products. Our increasing reliance on subcontractors involves several risks, and we may not be able to obtain an adequate supply of components, subassemblies, modules and turnkey systems on a timely basis. In 2003, we entered into an agreement with Plexus Services Corp. as our primary contract manufacturer, and Plexus currently provides us with a substantial portion of the products we purchase from our contract manufacturers. This agreement has automatic annual renewals unless prior notice is given and has been renewed until October 2009.

 

Our manufacturing operations consist primarily of final assembly and testing of fiber optic systems. These processes are performed by highly trained personnel employing technologically advanced electronic equipment and proprietary test programs. The manufacturing of our products and subassemblies is a complex process and we cannot be sure that we will not experience production problems or manufacturing delays in the future. Because we utilize our own manufacturing facilities for the final assembly and test of our fiber optic systems, and because such manufacturing capabilities are not readily available from third parties, any interruption in our manufacturing operations could materially and adversely affect our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

Upon completion of the proposed acquisition of Scopus, we will own Scopus’ manufacturing operations in Israel. Scopus assembles and tests most of its products at this facility, from components and sub-assemblies manufactured by local and international suppliers. Our ability to improve production efficiency with respect to Scopus’ business may be limited by the terms of research grants that Scopus has received from the Office of the Chief Scientist, or OCS, an arm of the Israeli government. These grants restrict the transfer outside of Israel of intellectual property developed with funding from the OCS, and also limits the manufacturing outside of Israel of products containing such intellectual property. In addition, OCS also generally requires royalty payments with respect to products developed with OCS grants.

 

Many components, subassemblies and modules necessary for the manufacture or integration of our products are obtained from a sole supplier or a limited group of suppliers. For example, we are dependent on a small private company for certain video encoding chips which are incorporated into several new products. Our reliance on sole or limited suppliers, particularly foreign suppliers, involves several risks, including a potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of required components, subassemblies or modules and reduced control over pricing, quality and timely delivery of components, subassemblies or modules. In particular, certain components have in the past been in short supply and are available only from a small number of suppliers, or from sole source suppliers. While we expend considerable efforts to qualify additional component sources, consolidation of suppliers in the industry and the small number of viable alternatives have limited the results of these efforts. We do not generally maintain long-term agreements with any of our suppliers, although the agreement with Plexus was for an initial term of three years and has been renewed until October 2009. Managing our supplier relationships is particularly difficult during time periods in which we introduce new products and during time periods in which demand for our products is increasing, especially if demand increases more quickly than we expect. An inability to obtain adequate deliveries or any other circumstance that would require us to seek alternative sources of supply could affect our ability to ship our products on a timely basis, which could damage relationships with current and prospective customers and harm our business. We attempt to limit this risk by maintaining safety stocks of certain components, subassemblies and modules. As a result of this investment in inventories, we have in the past and in the future may be subject to risk of excess and obsolete inventories, which could harm our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

 

We currently hold 40 issued U.S. patents and 18 issued foreign patents, and have a number of patent applications pending. Although we attempt to protect our intellectual property rights through patents, trademarks, copyrights, licensing arrangements, maintaining certain technology as trade secrets and other measures, we cannot assure you that any patent, trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights owned by us will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged, that such intellectual property rights will provide competitive advantages to us or that any of our pending or future patent applications will be issued with the scope of the claims sought by us, if at all. We cannot assure you that others will not develop technologies that are similar or superior to our technology, duplicate our technology or design around the patents that we own. In addition, effective patent, copyright and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in certain foreign countries in which we do business or may do business in the future.

We believe that patents and patent applications are not currently significant to our business, and investors therefore should not rely on our patent portfolio to give us a competitive advantage over others in our industry. We believe that the future success of our business will depend on our ability to translate the technological expertise and innovation of our personnel into new and enhanced products. We generally enter into confidentiality or license agreements with our employees, consultants, vendors and customers as needed, and generally limit access to and distribution of our proprietary information. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that the steps taken by us will prevent misappropriation of our technology. In addition, we have taken in the past, and may take in the future, legal action to enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others, or to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity. Such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

In order to successfully develop and market our products, we may be required to enter into technology development or licensing agreements with third parties. Although many companies are often willing to enter into such technology development or licensing agreements, we cannot assure you that such agreements will be negotiated on terms acceptable to us, or at all. The failure to enter into technology development or licensing agreements, when necessary, could limit our ability to develop and market new products and could cause our business to suffer.

 

Harmonic’s industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent claims and related litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. In particular, leading companies in the telecommunications industry as well as an increasing number of companies whose principal business is the ownership and exploitation of patents, have extensive patent portfolios. From time to time, third parties, including certain of these companies, have asserted and may assert exclusive patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights against us or our customers. There can be no assurance that we will be able to defend against any claims that we are infringing upon their intellectual property rights, or that the terms of any license offered by any person asserting such rights would be acceptable to us or our customers or that failure to obtain a license or the costs associated with any license would not cause our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows to be materially adversely affected. Also, you should read “Risk Factors — We or our customers may face intellectual property infringement claims from third parties” and “Legal Proceedings” for a description of a claim against us by Stanford University and Litton Systems, which we settled out of court and for which we recorded a litigation charge in the fourth quarter of 2008.

 

BACKLOG

 

We schedule production of our products and solutions based upon our backlog, open contracts, informal commitments from customers and sales projections. Our backlog consists of firm purchase orders by customers for delivery within the next twelve months as well as deferred revenue which is expected to be recognized within the next twelve months. At December 31, 2008, backlog, including deferred revenue, was $74.0 million, compared to $98.9 million at December 31, 2007. The decrease in backlog at December 31, 2008 from December 31, 2007 was due in part to the timing of the completion or acceptance of projects, and to a decrease in orders received where product shipment had not been made. We believe that the global economic slowdown caused certain customers to reduce or delay capital spending plans in the fourth quarter of 2008, and that these conditions could persist well into 2009. Anticipated orders from customers may fail to materialize and delivery schedules may be deferred or canceled for a number of reasons, including reductions in capital spending by cable, satellite and other operators or changes in specific customer requirements. In addition, due to weather-related seasonal factors and annual capital spending budget cycles at many major end users, our backlog at December 31, 2008, or any other date, is not necessarily indicative of actual sales for any succeeding period.

 

COMPETITION

 

The markets for digital video systems and fiber optic systems are extremely competitive and have been characterized by rapid technological change and declining average selling prices. The principal competitive factors in these markets include product performance, reliability, price, breadth of product offerings, network management capabilities, sales and distribution capabilities, technical support and service, and relationships with network operators. We believe that we compete favorably in each of these categories. Harmonic’s competitors in digital video solutions include vertically integrated system suppliers, such as Motorola, Cisco Systems, Ericsson and Thomson Multimedia, and in certain product lines, a number of smaller companies. In edge devices and fiber optic access products, competitors include corporations such as Motorola, Cisco Systems and Arris.

Recent consolidation in the industry has led to the acquisition of smaller companies such as Scientific-Atlanta, Tandberg Television and C-Cor by Cisco Systems, Ericsson and Arris, respectively. Consequently, most of our principal competitors are substantially larger and have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than Harmonic. Many of these large organizations are in a better position to withstand any significant reduction in capital spending by customers in these markets, and are often more capable of engaging in price-based competition for sales of products. They often have broader product lines and market focus, and, therefore will not be as susceptible to downturns in a particular market. In addition, many of our competitors have been in operation longer than we have and have more long-standing and established relationships with domestic and foreign customers. We may not be able to compete successfully in the future and competition may harm our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

If any of our competitors’ products or technologies were to become the industry standard, our business could be seriously harmed. In addition, companies that have historically not had a large presence in the broadband communications equipment market have expanded their market presence through mergers and acquisitions. Further, our competitors may bundle their products or incorporate functionality into existing products in a manner that discourages users from purchasing our products or which may require us to lower our selling prices, which could adversely affect our net sales and result in lower gross margins.

 

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

 

We have historically devoted a significant amount of our resources to research and development. Research and development expenses in 2008, 2007 and 2006 were $54.5 million, $42.9 million and $39.5 million, respectively.

 

Our research and development program is primarily focused on developing new products and systems, and adding new features to existing products and systems. Our development strategy is to identify features, products and systems for both software and hardware that are, or expected to be, needed by, or desirable to, our customers. Our current research and development efforts are focused heavily on enhanced video compression and we also devote significant resources to stream processing solutions and stream management software. Other research and development efforts are focused in edge devices for VoD, switched broadcast and M-CMTS, and broadband optical products that enable the transmission of video over fiber optic networks.

 

Our success in designing, developing, manufacturing and selling new or enhanced products will depend on a variety of factors, including the identification of market demand for new products, product selection, timely implementation of product design and development, product performance, effective manufacturing and assembly processes and sales and marketing. Because of the complexity inherent in such research and development efforts, we cannot assure you that we will successfully develop new products, or that new products developed by us will achieve market acceptance. Our failure to successfully develop and introduce new products could harm our business and operating results.

 

EMPLOYEES

 

As of December 31, 2008, we employed a total of 698 people, including 247 in sales, service and marketing, 261 in research and development, 113 in manufacturing operations and 77 in a general and administrative capacity. There were 487 employees in the U.S., and 211 employees in foreign countries who are located in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. We also employ a number of temporary employees and consultants on a contract basis. None of our employees is represented by a labor union with respect to his or her employment by Harmonic. We have not experienced any work stoppages and we consider our relations with our employees to be good. Additionally, Scopus has approximately 300 employees, of whom we expect to retain a significant number, assuming closing of the proposed acquisition. Our future success will depend, in part, upon our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel. Competition for qualified personnel in the broadband communications industry and in the geographic areas where our primary operations are located remains strong, and we cannot assure you that we will be successful in retaining our key employees or that we will be able to attract skilled personnel in the future.

 

Patrick J. Harshman joined Harmonic in 1993 and was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer in May 2006. In December 2005, he was appointed Executive Vice President responsible for the majority of our operational functions, including the unified digital video and broadband optical networking divisions as well as global marketing. Prior to the consolidation of our product divisions, Dr. Harshman held the position of President of the Convergent Systems division and, prior to that, for more than four years, was President of the Broadband Access Networks Division. Dr. Harshman has also previously held key leadership positions in marketing, international sales, and research and development. Dr. Harshman earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and completed an Executive Management Program at Stanford University.

 

Robin N. Dickson joined Harmonic in 1992 as Chief Financial Officer. From 1989 to March 1992, Mr. Dickson was Corporate Controller of Vitelic Corporation, a semiconductor manufacturer. From 1976 to 1989, Mr. Dickson held various positions at Raychem Corporation, a materials science company, including regional financial officer of the Asia-Pacific Division of the International Group. Mr. Dickson holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Edinburgh and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.

 

Matthew Aden joined Harmonic in October 2007 as Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Service. Mr. Aden was previously Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Customer Operations at Terayon Communications, a manufacturer of broadband systems, from July 2005 to July 2007. Prior to Terayon, Mr. Aden was at Motorola/General Instrument from 1984 until July 2005 and held a variety of positions in executive sales management. Mr. Aden holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska.

 

Nimrod Ben-Natan joined Harmonic in 1997 and was appointed Vice President of Product Marketing, Solutions and Strategy in 2007. Mr. Ben-Natan initially joined us as a software engineer to design and develop our first-generation video transmission platform, and in 2000, transitioned to product marketing, solutions and strategy to develop the digital video cable segment. From 1993 to 1997, Mr. Ben-Natan was employed at Orckit Communications Ltd., a digital subscriber line developer. Previously, Mr. Ben-Natan worked on wireless communications systems while he was with the Israeli Defense Signal Corps. Mr. Ben-Natan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Tel Aviv University.

 

Charles J. Bonasera joined Harmonic in November 2006 as Vice President, Operations. From 2005 to 2006, Mr. Bonasera was Senior Director-Global Sourcing at Solectron Corporation, a global provider of electronics manufacturing services and supply chain solutions. From 1999 to 2005, Mr. Bonasera held various key positions in outsourcing strategies, commodity management, supply management and supply chain development at Sun Microsystems, Inc.

 

Neven Haltmayer joined Harmonic in December 2002 and was appointed Vice President, Research and Development in November 2005. Prior to November 2005, Mr. Haltmayer was Director of Engineering of Compression Systems and managed the development of Harmonic’s MPEG-2 and MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 encoder and DiviCom Electra product lines. Between 2001 and 2002, Mr. Haltmayer held various key positions including Vice President of Engineering and was responsible for system integration and development of set top box middleware and interactive applications while at Canal Plus Technologies. Mr. Haltmayer holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Zagreb, Croatia.

ABOUT HARMONIC

 

Harmonic was initially incorporated in California in June 1988 and reincorporated into Delaware in May 1995.

 

On December 8, 2006, we completed the acquisition of the video networking software business of Entone Technologies, Inc. The solutions offered by the Entone video networking software business facilitate the provisioning of personalized video services, including VOD, network personal video recording (nPVR), time-shifted television and targeted advertisement insertion.

 

On July 31, 2007, we completed the acquisition of Rhozet Corporation. Rhozet develops and markets software-based transcoding solutions that facilitate the creation of multi-format video for Internet, mobile and broadcast applications. With Rhozet’s products, and sometimes in conjunction with other Harmonic products, Harmonic’s existing broadcast, cable, satellite and telco customers can deliver traditional video programming over the Internet and to mobile devices, as well as expand the types of content delivered via their traditional networks to encompass web-based and user-generated content. The acquisition also opens up new customer opportunities for Harmonic with Rhozet’s customer base of broadcast content creators and online video service providers and is complementary to Harmonic’s VOD networking software business acquired in December 2006 from Entone Technologies.

 

On December 22, 2008, we entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Scopus Video Networks, Ltd., a publicly traded company organized under the laws of Israel. Under the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, Harmonic plans to pay $5.62 per share in cash, without interest, for all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Scopus, which represents an enterprise value of approximately $51 million, net of Scopus’ cash and short-term investments. The proposed acquisition of Scopus is expected to strengthen Harmonic’s position in international video broadcast and contribution and distribution markets. Scopus provides complementary video processing technology, expanded research and development capability and additional sales and distribution channels, particularly in emerging markets. Scopus has approximately 300 employees, the majority of whom are located at its headquarters in Rosh Ha’ayin, Israel. The merger is expected to close in March 2009.

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 549 Baltic Way, Sunnyvale, California 94089. Our telephone number is (408) 542-2500.

 

Available Information

 

Harmonic makes available free of charge on the Harmonic website the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act as soon as reasonably practicable after Harmonic files such material with, or furnishes such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission. The address of the Harmonic website is http://www.harmonicinc.com .

Item 1A. Risk Factors

 

We depend on cable, satellite and telecom industry capital spending for a substantial portion of our revenue and any decrease or delay in capital spending in these industries would negatively impact our operating results and financial condition or cash flows.

 

A significant portion of our sales have been derived from sales to cable television, satellite and telecommunications operators, and we expect these sales to constitute a significant portion of net sales for the foreseeable future. Demand for our products will depend on the magnitude and timing of capital spending by cable television operators, satellite operators, telecommunications companies and broadcasters for constructing and upgrading their systems.

 

These capital spending patterns are dependent on a variety of factors, including:

 

 

In the past, specific factors contributing to reduced capital spending have included:

 

 

The financial difficulties of certain of our customers and changes in our customers’ deployment plans adversely affected our business in the past. Recently, economic conditions in the countries in which we operate and sell products have become increasingly negative, and global economies and financial markets have experienced a severe downturn stemming from a multitude of factors, including adverse credit conditions impacted by the subprime-mortgage crisis, slower economic activity, concerns about inflation and deflation, rapid changes in foreign exchange rates, increased energy costs, decreased consumer confidence, reduced corporate profits and capital spending, adverse business conditions and liquidity concerns and other factors. Economic growth in the U.S. and in many other countries has slowed significantly or receded recently, and is expected by many to slow further or recede in 2009. The severity or length of time that these adverse economic and financial market conditions may persist is unknown. During challenging economic times, and in tight credit markets, many customers may delay or reduce capital expenditures, which in turn often results in lower demand for our products.

 

Further, we have a number of customers internationally to whom sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. In recent months, the value of the U.S. dollar also has appreciated against many foreign currencies, including the local currencies of many of our international customers. As the U.S. dollar appreciates relative to the local currencies of our customers, the price of our products correspondingly increase for such customers. These factors could result in reductions in sales of our products, longer sales cycles, difficulties in collection of accounts receivable, slower adoption of new technologies and increased price competition. Financial difficulties among our customers could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.

 

In addition, industry consolidation has in the past constrained, and may in the future constrain capital spending among our customers. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will maintain or increase our net sales in the future. Also, if our product portfolio and product development plans do not position us well to capture an increased portion of the capital spending of U.S. cable operators, our revenue may decline and our operating results would be adversely affected.

 

Our customer base is concentrated and the loss of one or more of our key customers, or a failure to diversify our customer base, could harm our business.

 

Historically, a majority of our sales have been to relatively few customers, and due in part to the consolidation of ownership of cable television and direct broadcast satellite systems, we expect this customer concentration to continue in the foreseeable

future. Sales to our ten largest customers in 2008, 2007 and 2006 accounted for approximately 58%, 53% and 50% of net sales, respectively. Although we are attempting to broaden our customer base by penetrating new markets, such as the telecommunications and broadcast markets, and to expand internationally, we expect to see continuing industry consolidation and customer concentration due in part to the significant capital costs of constructing broadband networks. For example, Comcast acquired AT&T Broadband in 2002, thereby creating the largest U.S. cable operator, reaching approximately 24 million subscribers. The sale of Adelphia Communications’ cable systems to Comcast and Time Warner Cable has led to further industry consolidation. NTL and Telewest, the two largest cable operators in the UK, completed their merger in 2006. In the DBS market, The News Corporation Ltd. acquired an indirect controlling interest in Hughes Electronics, the parent company of DIRECTV, in 2003, and News Corporation subsequently sold its interest in DIRECTV to Liberty Media in February 2008. In the telco market, AT&T completed its acquisition of Bell South in December 2006. The expected bankruptcy filing of Charter Communications in the first quarter of 2009 could lead to further industry consolidation.

 

In the fiscal year 2008, sales to Comcast and EchoStar accounted for 20% and 12%, respectively, of our net sales. In the fiscal year 2007, sales to Comcast and EchoStar accounted for 16% and 12%, respectively, of our net sales. In the fiscal year 2006, sales to Comcast accounted for 12% of our net sales. The loss of Comcast, EchoStar or any other significant customer or any reduction in orders by Comcast, EchoStar or any significant customer, or our failure to qualify our products with a significant customer could adversely affect our business, operating results and liquidity. The loss of, or any reduction in orders from, a significant customer would harm our business if we were not able to offset any such loss or reduction with increased orders from other customers.

 

In addition, historically we have been dependent upon capital spending in the cable and satellite industry. We are attempting to diversify our customer base beyond cable and satellite customers, principally into the telco market. Major telcos have begun to implement plans to rebuild or upgrade their networks to offer bundled video, voice and data services. While we have recently been increasing our revenue from telco customers, we are relatively new to this market. In order to be successful in this market, we may need to continue to build alliances with telco equipment manufacturers, adapt our products for telco applications, take orders at prices resulting in lower margins, and build internal expertise to handle the particular contractual and technical demands of the telco industry. In addition, telco video deployments are subject to delays in completion, as video processing technologies and video business models are new to most telcos and many of their largest suppliers. Implementation issues with our products or those of other vendors have caused, and may continue to cause, delays in project completion for our customers and delay the recognition of revenue by Harmonic. Further, during challenging economic times, and in tight credit markets, many customers, including telcos, may delay or reduce capital expenditures. This could result in reductions in sales of our products, longer sales cycles, difficulties in collection of accounts receivable, slower adoption of new technologies and increased price competition. As a result of these and other factors, we cannot assure you that we will be able to increase our revenues from the telco market, or that we can do so profitably, and any failure to increase revenues and profits from telco customers could adversely affect our business.

 

Our operating results are likely to fluctuate significantly and may fail to meet or exceed the expectations of securities analysts or investors, causing our stock price to decline.

 

Our operating results have fluctuated in the past and are likely to continue to fluctuate in the future, on an annual and a quarterly basis, as a result of several factors, many of which are outside of our control. Some of the factors that may cause these fluctuations include:

 

The timing of deployment of our equipment can be subject to a number of other risks, including the availability of skilled engineering and technical personnel, the availability of other equipment such as compatible set top boxes, and our customers’ need for local franchise and licensing approvals.

 

In addition, we often recognize a substantial portion, or majority, of our revenues in the last month of the quarter. We establish our expenditure levels for product development and other operating expenses based on projected sales levels, and expenses are relatively fixed in the short term. Accordingly, variations in timing of sales can cause significant fluctuations in operating results. As a result of all these factors, our operating results in one or more future periods may fail to meet or exceed the expectations of securities analysts or investors. In that event, the trading price of our common stock would likely decline.

 

The markets in which we operate are intensely competitive.

 

The markets for digital video systems are extremely competitive and have been characterized by rapid technological change and declining average selling prices. Pressure on average selling prices was particularly severe during previous economic downturns as equipment suppliers compete aggressively for customers’ reduced capital spending, and we may experience similar pressure during the current economic slowdown. Our competitors for fiber optic access and edge products include corporations such as Motorola, Cisco Systems and Arris. In our video processing products, we compete broadly with products from vertically integrated system suppliers including Motorola, Cisco Systems, Thomson Multimedia and Ericsson, and, in certain product lines, with a number of smaller companies.

 

Many of our competitors are substantially larger and have greater financial, technical, marketing and other resources than us. Many of these large organizations are in a better position to withstand any significant reduction in capital spending by customers in these markets. They often have broader product lines and market focus and may not be as susceptible to downturns in a particular market. These competitors may also be able to bundle their products together to meet the needs of a particular customer and may be capable of delivering more complete solutions than we are able to provide. Further, some of our competitors have greater financial resources than we do, and they have offered and in the future may offer their products at lower prices than we do, which has in the past and may in the future cause us to lose sales or to reduce our prices in response to competition. Any reduction in sales or reduced prices for our products would adversely affect our business and results of operations. In addition, many of our competitors have been in operation longer than we have and therefore have more long-standing and established relationships with domestic and foreign customers. We may not be able to compete successfully in the future, which would harm our business.

 

If any of our competitors’ products or technologies were to become the industry standard, our business could be seriously harmed. For example, new standards for video compression are being introduced and products based on these standards are being developed by us and some of our competitors. If our competitors are successful in bringing these products to market earlier, or if these products are more technologically capable than ours, then our sales could be materially and adversely affected. In addition, companies that have historically not had a large presence in the broadband communications equipment market have begun recently to expand their market share through mergers and acquisitions. The continued consolidation of our competitors could have a significant negative impact on us. Further, our competitors, particularly competitors of our digital and video broadcasting systems business, may bundle their products or incorporate functionality into existing products in a manner that discourages users from purchasing our products or which may require us to lower our selling prices, resulting in lower revenues and decreased gross margins.

 

Our future growth depends on market acceptance of several broadband services, on the adoption of new broadband technologies and on several other broadband industry trends.

 

Future demand for our products will depend significantly on the growing market acceptance of emerging broadband services, including digital video, VOD, HDTV, IPTV, mobile video services, very high-speed data services and voice-over-IP, or VoIP.

 

The effective delivery of these services will depend, in part, on a variety of new network architectures and standards, such as:

 

 

If adoption of these emerging services and/or technologies is not as widespread or as rapid as we expect, or if we are unable to develop new products based on these technologies on a timely basis, our net sales growth will be materially and adversely affected.

 

Furthermore, other technological, industry and regulatory trends will affect the growth of our business. These trends include the following:

 

 

We need to develop and introduce new and enhanced products in a timely manner to remain competitive.

 

Broadband communications markets are characterized by continuing technological advancement, changes in customer requirements and evolving industry standards. To compete successfully, we must design, develop, manufacture and sell new or enhanced products that provide increasingly higher levels of performance and reliability. However, we may not be able to successfully develop or introduce these products if our products:

 

 

We are currently developing and marketing products based on new video compression standards. Encoding products based on the MPEG-2 compression standards have represented a significant portion of our sales since our acquisition of DiviCom in 2000. New standards, such as MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 have been adopted which provide significantly greater compression efficiency, thereby making more bandwidth available to operators. The availability of more bandwidth is particularly important to those DBS and telco operators seeking to launch, or expand, HDTV services. We have developed and launched products, including HD encoders, based on these new standards in order to remain competitive and are devoting considerable resources to this effort. There can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful in the near future, or at all, or that competitors will not take significant market share in HD encoding. At the same time, we need to devote development resources to the existing MPEG-2 product line which our cable customers continue to require.

Also, to successfully develop and market certain of our planned products, we may be required to enter into technology development or licensing agreements with third parties. We cannot assure you that we will be able to enter into any necessary technology development or licensing agreements on terms acceptable to us, or at all. The failure to enter into technology development or licensing agreements when necessary could limit our ability to develop and market new products and, accordingly, could materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

Conditions and changes in the national and global economic environments may adversely affect our business and financial results.

 

Adverse economic conditions in markets in which we operate may harm our business. Recently, economic conditions in the countries in which we operate and sell products have become increasingly negative, and global financial markets have experienced a severe downturn stemming from a multitude of factors, including adverse credit conditions impacted by the subprime-mortgage crisis, slower economic activity, concerns about inflation and deflation, rapid changes in foreign exchange rates, increased energy costs, decreased consumer confidence, reduced corporate profits and capital spending, adverse business conditions and liquidity concerns and other factors. Economic growth in the U.S. and in many other countries slowed in the fourth quarter of 2007, remained slow or stopped in 2008, and is expected to slow further or recede in 2009 in the U.S. and internationally. The current global economic slowdown has led many of our customers to announce or plan lower capital expenditures for 2009, and we believe that this slowdown caused certain of our customers to reduce or delay orders for our products in the fourth quarter of 2008. Many of our international customers, particularly those in emerging markets, have been exposed to tight credit markets and depreciating currencies, further restricting their ability to invest to build out or upgrade their networks. Some customers have difficulty in servicing or retiring existing debt and the financial constraints on certain international customers required us to significantly increase our reserves for doubtful accounts in the fourth quarter of 2008. For example, Charter Communications recently indicated that it expects to file for bankruptcy protection in the first quarter of 2009 in order to implement a restructuring aimed at improving its capital structure.

 

During challenging economic times, and in tight credit markets, many customers may delay or reduce capital expenditures. This could result in reductions in sales of our products, longer sales cycles, difficulties in collection of accounts receivable, slower adoption of new technologies and increased price competition. If global economic and market conditions, or economic conditions in the United States or other key markets deteriorate, we may experience a material and adverse impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

 

Broadband communications markets are characterized by rapid technological change.

 

Broadband communications markets are relatively immature, making it difficult to accurately predict the markets’ future growth rates, sizes or technological directions. In view of the evolving nature of these markets, it is possible that cable television operators, telcos or other suppliers of broadband wireless and satellite services will decide to adopt alternative architectures or technologies that are incompatible with our current or future products. Also, decisions by customers to adopt new technologies or products are often delayed by extensive evaluation and qualification processes and can result in delays in sales of current products. If we are unable to design, develop, manufacture and sell products that incorporate or are compatible with these new architectures or technologies, our business will suffer.

 

If sales forecasted for a particular period are not realized in that period due to the unpredictable sales cycles of our products, our operating results for that period will be harmed.

 

The sales cycles of many of our products, particularly our newer products and products sold internationally, are typically unpredictable and usually involve:

 

 

For these and other reasons, our sales cycles generally last three to nine months, but can last up to 12 months. If orders forecasted for a specific customer for a particular quarter do not occur in that quarter, our operating results for that quarter could be substantially lower than anticipated. In this regard, our sales cycles with our current and potential satellite and telco customers are particularly unpredictable. Orders may include multiple elements, the timing of delivery of which may impact the timing of revenue recognition. Additionally, our sales arrangements may include testing and acceptance of new technologies and the timing of completion of acceptance testing is difficult to predict and may impact the timing of revenue recognition. Quarterly and annual results may fluctuate significantly due to revenue recognition policies and the timing of the receipt of orders.

 

In addition, a significant portion of our revenue is derived from solution sales that principally consist of and include the system design, manufacture, test, installation and integration of equipment to the specifications of our customers, including equipment acquired from third parties to be integrated with our products. Revenue forecasts for solution contracts are based on the estimated timing of the system design, installation and integration of projects. Because solution contracts generally span several quarters and revenue recognition is based on progress under the contract, the timing of revenue is difficult to predict and could result in lower than expected revenue in any particular quarter.

 

We must be able to manage expenses and inventory risks associated with meeting the demand of our customers.

 

If actual orders are materially lower than the indications we receive from our customers, our ability to manage inventory and expenses may be affected. If we enter into purchase commitments to acquire materials, or expend resources to manufacture products, and such products are not purchased by our customers, our business and operating results could suffer. In this regard, our gross margins and operating results have been in the past adversely affected by significant charges for excess and obsolete inventories.

 

In addition, we must carefully manage the introduction of next generation products in order to balance potential inventory risks associated with excess quantities of older product lines and forecasts of customer demand for new products. For example, in 2007, we wrote down approximately $7.6 million of net obsolete and excess inventory, with a significant portion of the write-down being due to product transitions. We also wrote down $1.1 million in 2006 as a result of the end of life of a product line. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage these product transitions in the future without incurring write-downs for excess inventory or having inadequate supplies of new products to meet customer expectations.

 

We have made and expect to continue to make acquisitions, and such acquisitions could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our operating results.

 

As part of our business strategy, from time to time, we have acquired, and continue to consider acquiring, businesses, technologies, assets and product lines that we believe complement or expand our existing business. For example, on December 22, 2008, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger pursuant to which we intend to acquire Scopus Video Networks Ltd. In addition, on December 8, 2006, we acquired the video networking software business of Entone Technologies, Inc. and, on July 31, 2007, we completed the acquisition of Rhozet Corporation. We expect to make additional acquisitions in the future.

 

We may face challenges as a result of these activities, because acquisitions entail numerous risks, including:

 

 

For example, the government grants that Scopus has received for research and development expenditures limits its ability to manufacture products and transfer technologies outside of Israel, and if Scopus fails to satisfy specified conditions, it may be required to refund grants previously received together with interest and penalties, and may be subject to criminal charges.

 

Also, we closed all operations and product lines related to Broadcast Technology Limited, which we acquired in 2005 and we have recorded charges associated with that closure.

 

Competition within our industry for acquisitions of businesses, technologies, assets and product lines has been, and may in the future continue to be, intense. As such, even if we are able to identify an acquisition that we would like to consummate, we may not be able to complete the acquisition on commercially reasonable terms or because the target is acquired by another company. Furthermore, in the event that we are able to identify and consummate any future acquisitions, we could:

 

 

These financing activities or expenditures could harm our business, operating results and financial condition or the price of our common stock. Alternatively, due to difficulties in the capital and credit markets, we may be unable to secure capital on acceptable terms, or all, to complete acquisitions.

 

Moreover, even if we do obtain benefits from acquisitions in the form of increased sales and earnings, there may be a delay between the time when the expenses associated with an acquisition are incurred and the time when we recognize such benefits.

 

If we are unable to successfully address any of these risks, our business, financial condition or operating results could be harmed.

We depend on our international sales and are subject to the risks associated with international operations, which may negatively affect our operating results.

 

Sales to customers outside of the U.S. in 2008, 2007 and 2006 represented 44%, 44% and 49% of net sales, respectively, and we expect that international sales will continue to represent a meaningful portion of our net sales for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, a substantial portion of our contract manufacturing occurs overseas. Our international operations, the international operations of our contract manufacturers and our efforts to increase sales in international markets are subject to a number of risks, including:

 

 

In the past, certain of our international customers accumulated significant levels of debt and have undertaken reorganizations and financial restructurings, including bankruptcy proceedings. Even where these restructurings have been completed, in some cases these customers have not been in a position to purchase new equipment at levels we have seen in the past.

 

While our international sales and operating expenses have typically been denominated in U.S. dollars, fluctuations in currency exchange rates could cause our products to become relatively more expensive to customers in a particular country, leading to a reduction in sales or profitability in that country. A portion of our European business is denominated in Euros, which may subject us to increased foreign currency risk. Gains and losses on the conversion to U.S. dollars of accounts receivable, accounts payable and other monetary assets and liabilities arising from international operations may contribute to fluctuations in operating results.

 

Furthermore, payment cycles for international customers are typically longer than those for customers in the U.S. Unpredictable sales cycles could cause us to fail to meet or exceed the expectations of security analysts and investors for any given period. In addition, foreign markets may not further develop in the future.

 

Another significant legal risk resulting from our international operations is compliance with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or FCPA. In many foreign countries, particularly in those with developing economies, it may be a local custom that businesses operating in such countries engage in business practices that are prohibited by the FCPA or other U.S. laws and regulations. Although we have implemented policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance with the FCPA and similar laws, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, and agents, as well as those companies to which we outsource certain of our business operations, will not take actions in violation of our policies. Any such violation, even if prohibited by our policies, could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

Any or all of these factors could adversely impact our business and results of operations.

Fluctuations in our future effective tax rates could affect our future operating results, financial condition and cash flows.

 

In 2008, we released $110.4 million of the valuation allowance as an offset against all of our U.S. and certain foreign net deferred tax assets, of which $3.3 million was accounted for as a reduction to goodwill or other non-current intangible assets related to the Entone and Rhozet acquisitions. In accordance with SFAS 109, we have evaluated the need for a valuation allowance based on historical evidence, trends in profitability, expectations of future taxable income and implemented tax planning strategies. As such, we determined that a valuation allowance was no longer necessary for our U.S. deferred tax assets because, based on the available evidence, we concluded that a realization of these net deferred tax assets was more likely than not. We continue to maintain a valuation allowance for certain foreign deferred tax assets at the end of 2008. However, pursuant to SFAS 109, we are required to periodically review our deferred tax assets and determine whether, based on available evidence, a valuation allowance is necessary. In the event that, in the future, we determine that a valuation allowance is necessary with respect to our U.S. and certain foreign deferred tax assets, we would incur a charge equal to the amount of the valuation allowance in the period in which we made such determination, and this could have a material and adverse impact on our results of operations for such period.

 

The calculation of tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex global tax regulations. We recognize potential liabilities for anticipated tax audit issues in the U.S. and other tax jurisdictions based on our estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes will be due. If payment of these amounts ultimately proves to be unnecessary, the reversal of the liabilities would result in tax benefits being recognized in the period when we determine the liabilities are no longer necessary. If the estimate of tax liabilities proves to be less than the ultimate tax assessment, a further charge to expense would result. The Company adopted the provisions of FASB Interpretation No. 48, Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes (“FIN 48”) on January 1, 2007, the first day of fiscal 2007. FIN 48 prescribes a comprehensive model for recognizing, measuring, presenting and disclosing in the consolidated financial statements tax positions taken or expected to be taken on a tax return, including a decision whether to file or not to file in a particular jurisdiction.

 

We are in the process of expanding our international operations and staff to better support our expansion into international markets. This expansion includes the implementation of an international structure that includes, among other things, an international support center in Europe, a research and development cost-sharing arrangement, certain licenses and other contractual arrangements between us and our wholly-owned domestic and foreign subsidiaries. As a result of these changes, we anticipate that our consolidated pre-tax income will be subject to foreign tax at relatively lower tax rates when compared to the United States federal statutory tax rate and, as a consequence, our effective income tax rate is expected to be lower than the United States federal statutory rate. Our future effective income tax rates could be adversely affected if tax authorities challenge our international tax structure or if the relative mix of United States and international income changes for any reason. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that our income tax rate will be less than the United States federal statutory rate in future periods.

 

We face risks associated with having important facilities and resources located in Israel.

 

We maintain a facility in Caesarea in the State of Israel with a total of 82 employees as of December 31, 2008, or approximately 12% of our workforce. The employees at this facility consist principally of research and development personnel. In addition, we have pilot production capabilities at this facility consisting of procurement of subassemblies and modules from Israeli subcontractors and final assembly and test operations.

 

On December 22, 2008, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger to acquire Scopus Video Networks Ltd., and we expect to complete this acquisition in March 2009. Scopus is organized under the laws of the State of Israel and has its headquarters and the substantial majority of its operations in Israel. Accordingly, we are directly influenced by the political, economic and military conditions affecting Israel, and this influence is expected to increase following the completion of the proposed acquisition of Scopus. Any significant conflict involving Israel could have a direct effect on our business or that of our Israeli subcontractors, in the form of physical damage or injury, reluctance to travel within or to Israel by our Israeli and foreign employees or those of our subcontractors, or the loss of employees to active military duty. Most of our employees in Israel are currently obligated to perform annual reserve duty in the Israel Defense Forces and several have been called for active military duty recently. In the event that more employees are called to active duty, certain of our research and development activities may be adversely affected and significantly delayed. In addition, the interruption or curtailment of trade between Israel and its trading partners could significantly harm our business. Terrorist attacks and hostilities within Israel, the hostilities between

Israel and Hezbollah, and Israel and Hamas, and the conflict between Hamas and Fatah have also heightened these risks. Current or future tensions in the Middle East may adversely affect our business and results of operations.

 

Changes in telecommunications legislation and regulations could harm our prospects and future sales.

 

Changes in telecommunications legislation and regulations in the U.S. and other countries could affect the sales of our products. In particular, regulations dealing with access by competitors to the networks of incumbent operators could slow or stop additional construction or expansion by these operators. Local franchising and licensing requirements may slow the entry of telcos into the video business. Increased regulation of our customers’ pricing or service offerings could limit their investments and consequently the sales of our products. Changes in regulations could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, and financial condition.

 

Negative conditions in the global credit markets may impair the liquidity of a portion of our investment portfolio.

 

As of December 31, 2008, we held approximately $10.7 million of auction rate securities, or ARSs, which were invested in preferred securities in closed-end mutual funds. The recent negative conditions in the credit markets have restricted our ability to liquidate holdings of ARSs because the amount of securities submitted for sale has exceeded the amount of purchase orders for such securities. During 2008, we were able to sell $24.1 million of ARSs through successful auctions and redemptions. The remaining balance of $10.7 million in ARSs as of December 31, 2008 all had failed auctions in 2008. During August 2008, we received notification from our investment manager who holds the ARSs that it had reached a settlement with certain regulatory authorities, pursuant to which we would be able to sell its outstanding ARSs to the investment manager at par, plus accrued interest and dividends at any time during the period from January 2, 2009 through January 15, 2010. The entire balance of $10.7 million in ARSs that we held at December 31, 2008 were sold at par plus interest in February 2009.

 

In the event we need or desire to access funds from the other short-term investments that we hold, it is possible that we may not be able to do so due to market conditions. If a buyer is found but is unwilling to purchase the investments at par or our cost, we may incur a loss. Further, rating downgrades of the security issuer or the third parties insuring such investments may require us to adjust the carrying value of these investments through an impairment charge. Our inability to sell all or some of our short-term investments at par or our cost, or rating downgrades of issuers of these securities, could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition.

 

In addition, we invest our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments in a variety of investment vehicles in a number of countries with and in the custody of financial institutions with high credit ratings. While our investment policy and strategy attempt to manage interest rate risk, limit credit risk, and only invest in what we view as very high-quality securities, the outlook for our investment holdings is dependent on general economic conditions, interest rate trends and volatility in the financial marketplace, which can all affect the income that we receive, the value of our investments, and our ability to sell them.

 

During 2008, we recorded an impairment charge of $0.8 million relating to an investment in an unsecured debt instrument of Lehman Brothers Holdings, Inc. We believe that our investment securities are carried at fair value. However, over time the economic and market environment may provide additional insight regarding the fair value of certain securities which could change our judgment regarding impairment. This could result in unrealized or realized losses relating to other than temporary declines being charged against future income. Given the current market conditions involved, there is continuing risk that further declines in fair value may occur and additional impairments may be charged to income in future periods, resulting in realized losses.

 

In order to manage our growth, we must be successful in addressing management succession issues and attracting and retaining qualified personnel.

 

Our future success will depend, to a significant extent, on the ability of our management to operate effectively, both individually and as a group. We must successfully manage transition and replacement issues that may result from the departure or retirement of members of our senior management. We cannot assure you that changes of management personnel would not cause disruption to our operations or customer relationships, or a decline in our financial results.

 

In addition, we are dependent on our ability to retain and motivate high caliber personnel, in addition to attracting new personnel. Competition for qualified management, technical and other personnel can be intense and we may not be successful in attracting and retaining such personnel. Competitors and others have in the past and may in the future attempt to recruit our

employees. While our employees are required to sign standard agreements concerning confidentiality and ownership of inventions, we generally do not have employment contracts or non-competition agreements with any of our personnel. The loss of the services of any of our key personnel, the inability to attract or retain qualified personnel in the future or delays in hiring required personnel, particularly senior management and engineers and other technical personnel, could negatively affect our business.

 

Accounting standards and stock exchange regulations related to equity compensation could adversely affect our earnings, our ability to raise capital and our ability to attract and retain key personnel.

 

Since our inception, we have used equity compensation, including stock options and restricted stock units, as a fundamental component of our employee compensation packages. We believe that our equity incentive plans are an essential tool to link the long-term interests of stockholders and employees, especially executive management, and serve to motivate management to make decisions that will, in the long run, give the best returns to stockholders. The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued SFAS 123(R) that requires us to record a charge to earnings for employee stock option and restricted stock unit grants and employee stock purchase plan rights for all periods from January 1, 2006. This standard has negatively impacted and will continue to negatively impact our earnings and may affect our ability to raise capital on acceptable terms. For 2008, stock-based compensation expense recognized under SFAS 123(R) was $7.8 million, which consisted of stock-based compensation expense related to board of directors’ restricted stock units, employee equity awards and employee stock purchases.

 

In addition, regulations implemented by the NASDAQ Stock Market requiring stockholder approval for all equity incentive plans could make it more difficult for us to grant options or restricted stock units to employees in the future. To the extent that new accounting standards make it more difficult or expensive to grant options or restricted stock units to employees, we may incur increased compensation costs, change our equity compensation strategy or find it difficult to attract, retain and motivate employees, each of which could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

We are exposed to additional costs and risks associated with complying with increasing regulation of corporate governance and disclosure standards.

 

We are spending an increased amount of management time and external resources to comply with changing laws, regulations and standards relating to corporate governance and public disclosure, including the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, SEC regulations and the NASDAQ Stock Market rules. In particular, Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires management’s annual review and evaluation of our internal control over financial reporting and attestation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting by our independent registered public accounting firm in connection with the filing of the annual report on Form 10-K for each fiscal year. We have documented and tested our internal control systems and procedures and have made improvements in order for us to comply with the requirements of Section 404. This process required us to hire additional personnel and outside advisory services and has resulted in significant additional expenses. While our management’s assessment of our internal control over financial reporting resulted in our conclusion that as of December 31, 2008, our internal control over financial reporting was effective, and our independent registered public accounting firm has attested that our internal control over financial reporting was effective in all material respects as of December 31, 2008, we cannot predict the outcome of our testing and that of our independent registered public accounting firm in future periods. If we conclude in future periods that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to provide an unqualified attestation as of future year-ends, investors may lose confidence in our financial statements, and the price of our stock may suffer.

 

We may need additional capital in the future and may not be able to secure adequate funds on terms acceptable to us.

 

We have generated substantial operating losses since we began operations in June 1988. We have been engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of a variety of video products and system solutions since inception, which has required, and will continue to require, significant research and development expenditures. As of December 31, 2008 we had an accumulated deficit of $1.8 billion. These losses, among other things, have had and may have an adverse effect on our stockholders’ equity and working capital.

 

We believe that our existing liquidity sources, including the net proceeds of the public offering of common stock that we completed in November 2007, will satisfy our cash requirements for at least the next twelve months. However, we may need to

raise additional funds if our expectations are incorrect, to take advantage of unanticipated strategic opportunities, to satisfy our other liabilities, or to strengthen our financial position. Our ability to raise funds may be adversely affected by a number of factors relating to Harmonic, as well as factors beyond our control, including weakness in the economic conditions in markets in which we operating and into which we sell our products, increased uncertainty in the financial, capital and credit markets, as well as conditions in the cable and satellite industries. In particular, companies are experiencing difficulty raising capital from issuances of debt or equity securities in the current capital market environment, and may also have difficulty securing credit financing. There can be no assurance that such financing will be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

 

In addition, we actively review potential acquisitions that would complement our existing product offerings, enhance our technical capabilities or expand our marketing and sales presence. Any future transaction of this nature could require potentially significant amounts of capital to finance the acquisition and related expenses as well as to integrate operations following a transaction, and could require us to issue our stock and dilute existing stockholders. If adequate funds are not available, or are not available on acceptable terms, we may not be able to take advantage of market opportunities, to develop new products or to otherwise respond to competitive pressures.

 

We may raise additional financing through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or additional corporate collaboration and licensing arrangements. To the extent we raise additional capital by issuing equity securities, our stockholders may experience dilution. To the extent that we raise additional funds through collaboration and licensing arrangements, it may be necessary to relinquish some rights to our technologies or products, or grant licenses on terms that are not favorable to us. For example, debt financing arrangements may require us to pledge assets or enter into covenants that could restrict our operations or our ability to incur further indebtedness. If adequate funds are not available, we will not be able to continue developing our products.

 

If demand for our products increases more quickly than we expect, we may be unable to meet our customers’ requirements.

 

If demand for our products increases, the difficulty of accurately forecasting our customers’ requirements and meeting these requirements will increase. For example, we had insufficient quantities of certain products to meet customer demand late in the second quarter of 2006 and, as a result, our revenues were lower than internal and external expectations. Forecasting to meet customers’ needs and effectively managing our supply chain is particularly difficult in connection with newer products. Our ability to meet customer demand depends significantly on the availability of components and other materials as well as the ability of our contract manufacturers to scale their production. Furthermore, we purchase several key components, subassemblies and modules used in the manufacture or integration of our products from sole or limited sources. Our ability to meet customer requirements depends in part on our ability to obtain sufficient volumes of these materials in a timely fashion. Also, in previous years, in response to lower sales and the prolonged economic recession, we significantly reduced our headcount and other expenses. As a result, we may be unable to respond to customer demand that increases more quickly than we expect. If we fail to meet customers’ supply expectations, our net sales would be adversely affected and we may lose business.

 

We purchase several key components, subassemblies and modules used in the manufacture or integration of our products from sole or limited sources, and we are increasingly dependent on contract manufacturers.

 

Many components, subassemblies and modules necessary for the manufacture or integration of our products are obtained from a sole supplier or a limited group of suppliers. For example, we depend on a small private company for certain video encoding chips which are incorporated into several new products. Our reliance on sole or limited suppliers, particularly foreign suppliers, and our increased reliance on subcontractors involves several risks, including a potential inability to obtain an adequate supply of required components, subassemblies or modules and, reduced control over pricing, quality and timely delivery of components, subassemblies or modules. In particular, certain optical components have in the past been in short supply and are available only from a small number of suppliers, including sole source suppliers. These risks are heightened during the current economic slowdown, because our suppliers and subcontractors are more likely to experience adverse changes in their financial condition and operations during such a period. While we expend resources to qualify additional component sources, consolidation of suppliers in the industry and the small number of viable alternatives have limited the results of these efforts. We do not generally maintain long-term agreements with any of our suppliers. Managing our supplier and contractor relationships is particularly difficult during time periods in which we introduce new products and during time periods in which demand for our products is increasing, especially if demand increases more quickly than we expect. Furthermore, from time to time we assess our relationship with our contract manufacturers. In 2003, we entered into a three-

year agreement with Plexus Services Corp. as our primary contract manufacturer, and Plexus currently provides us with a majority of the products that we purchase from our contract manufacturers. This agreement has automatic annual renewals unless prior notice is given and has been renewed until October 2009.

 

Difficulties in managing relationships with current contract manufacturers, particularly Plexus, could impede our ability to meet our customers’ requirements and adversely affect our operating results. An inability to obtain adequate deliveries or any other circumstance that would require us to seek alternative sources of supply could negatively affect our ability to ship our products on a timely basis, which could damage relationships with current and prospective customers and harm our business. We attempt to limit this risk by maintaining safety stocks of certain components, subassemblies and modules. As a result of this investment in inventories, we have in the past and in the future may be subject to risk of excess and obsolete inventories, which could harm our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows. In this regard, our gross margins and operating results in the past were adversely affected by significant excess and obsolete inventory charges.

 

Cessation of the development and production of video encoding chips by C-Cube’s spun-off semiconductor business may adversely impact us.

 

Our DiviCom business, which we acquired in 2000, and the C-Cube semiconductor business (acquired by LSI Logic in June 2001) collaborated on the production and development of two video encoding microelectronic chips prior to our acquisition of the DiviCom business. In connection with the acquisition, we have entered into a contractual relationship with the spun-off semiconductor business of C-Cube, under which we have access to certain of the spun-off semiconductor business technologies and products on which the DiviCom business depends for certain product and service offerings. The current term of this agreement is through October 2009, with automatic annual renewals unless terminated by either party in accordance with the agreement provisions. On July 27, 2007, LSI announced that it had completed the sale of its consumer products business (which includes the design and manufacture of encoding chips) to Magnum Semiconductor, and the agreement providing us with access to certain of the spun-off semiconductor business technologies and products was assigned to Magnum Semiconductor. If the spun-off semiconductor business is not able to or does not sustain its development and production efforts in this area, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow could be harmed.

 

We need to effectively manage our operations and the cyclical nature of our business.

 

The cyclical nature of our business has placed, and is expected to continue to place, a significant strain on our personnel, management and other resources. We reduced our work force by approximately 44% between December 31, 2000 and December 31, 2003 due to reduced industry spending and demand for our products. Our purchase of the video networking software business of Entone in December 2006 resulted in the addition of 43 employees, most of whom are based in Hong Kong, and we added approximately 18 employees on July 31, 2007, in connection with the completion of our acquisition of Rhozet. In addition, upon the closing of the proposed acquisition of Scopus, we expect to add a significant number of employees. Our ability to manage our business effectively in the future, including any future growth, will require us to train, motivate and manage our employees successfully, to attract and integrate new employees into our overall operations, to retain key employees and to continue to improve our operational, financial and management systems.

 

We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations that could impose substantial costs upon us and may adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Some of our operations use substances regulated under various federal, state, local and international laws governing the environment, including those governing the management, disposal and labeling of hazardous substances and wastes and the cleanup of contaminated sites. We could incur costs and fines, third-party property damage or personal injury claims, or could be required to incur substantial investigation or remediation costs, if we were to violate or become liable under environmental laws. The ultimate costs under environmental laws and the timing of these costs are difficult to predict.

 

We also face increasing complexity in our product design as we adjust to new and future requirements relating to the presence of certain substances in electronic products and making producers of those products financially responsible for the collection, treatment, recycling, and disposal of certain products. For example, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union have enacted the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) directive, which regulates the collection, recovery, and recycling of waste from electrical and electronic products, and the Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS) directive, which bans the use of certain hazardous materials including lead,

mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) that exceed certain specified levels. Legislation similar to RoHS and WEEE has been or may be enacted in other jurisdictions, including in the United States, Japan, and China. Our failure to comply with these laws could result in our being directly or indirectly liable for costs, fines or penalties and third-party claims, and could jeopardize our ability to conduct business in such countries. We also expect that our operations will be affected by other new environmental laws and regulations on an ongoing basis. Although we cannot predict the ultimate impact of any such new laws and regulations, they will likely result in additional costs or decreased revenue, and could require that we redesign or change how we manufacture our products, any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

We are liable for C-Cube’s pre-merger liabilities, including liabilities resulting from the spin-off of its semiconductor business.

 

Under the terms of the merger agreement with C-Cube, we are generally liable for C-Cube’s pre-merger liabilities. As of December 31, 2008, approximately $1.7 million of pre-merger liabilities remained outstanding and are included in accrued liabilities. We are working with LSI Logic, which acquired C-Cube’s spun-off semiconductor business in June 2001 and assumed its obligations, to develop an approach to settle these obligations, a process which has been underway since the merger in 2000. These liabilities represent estimates of C-Cube’s pre-merger obligations to various authorities in five countries. We paid $4.9 million to satisfy a portion of this liability during 2008, but are unable to predict when the remaining obligations will be paid. The full amount of the estimated obligations has been classified as a current liability. To the extent that these obligations are finally settled for less than the amounts provided, we are required, under the terms of the merger agreement, to refund the difference to LSI Logic. Conversely, if the settlements are more than the remaining $1.7 million pre-merger liability, LSI Logic is obligated to reimburse us.

 

The merger agreement stipulates that we will be indemnified by the spun-off semiconductor business if the cash reserves are not sufficient to satisfy all of C-Cube’s liabilities for periods prior to the merger. If for any reason, the spun-off semiconductor business does not have sufficient cash to pay such taxes, or if there are additional taxes due with respect to the non-semiconductor business and we cannot be indemnified by LSI Logic, we generally will remain liable, and such liability could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

 

We rely on value-added resellers and systems integrators for a substantial portion of our sales, and disruptions to, or our failure to develop and manage our relationships with these customers and the processes and procedures that support them could adversely affect our business.

 

We generate a substantial portion of our sales through net sales to value-added resellers, or VARs, and systems integrators. We expect that these sales will continue to generate a substantial percentage of our net sales in the future. Our future success is highly dependent upon establishing and maintaining successful relationships with a variety of VARs and systems integrators that specialize in video delivery solutions, products and services.

 

We have no long-term contracts or minimum purchase commitments with any of our VAR or system integrator customers, and our contracts with these parties do not prohibit them from purchasing or offering products or services that compete with ours. Our competitors may be effective in providing incentives to our VAR and systems integrator customers to favor their products or to prevent or reduce sales of our products. Our VAR or systems integrator customers may choose not to purchase or offer our products. Our failure to establish and maintain successful relationships with VAR and systems integrator customers would likely materially and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

Our failure to adequately protect our proprietary rights may adversely affect us.

 

We currently hold 40 issued U.S. patents and 18 issued foreign patents, and have a number of patent applications pending. Although we attempt to protect our intellectual property rights through patents, trademarks, copyrights, licensing arrangements, maintaining certain technology as trade secrets and other measures, we cannot assure you that any patent, trademark, copyright or other intellectual property rights owned by us will not be invalidated, circumvented or challenged, that such intellectual property rights will provide competitive advantages to us or that any of our pending or future patent applications will be issued with the scope of the claims sought by us, if at all. We cannot assure you that others will not develop technologies that are similar or superior to our technology, duplicate our technology or design around the patents that we own. In addition,

effective patent, copyright and trade secret protection may be unavailable or limited in certain foreign countries in which we do business or may do business in the future.

 

We believe that patents and patent applications are not currently significant to our business, and investors therefore should not rely on our patent portfolio to give us a competitive advantage over others in our industry. We believe that the future success of our business will depend on our ability to translate the technological expertise and innovation of our personnel into new and enhanced products. We generally enter into confidentiality or license agreements with our employees, consultants, vendors and customers as needed, and generally limit access to and distribution of our proprietary information. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that the steps taken by us will prevent misappropriation of our technology. In addition, we have taken in the past, and may take in the future, legal action to enforce our patents and other intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others, or to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity. Such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of resources and could negatively affect our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

In order to successfully develop and market certain of our planned products, we may be required to enter into technology development or licensing agreements with third parties. Although many companies are often willing to enter into technology development or licensing agreements, we cannot assure you that such agreements will be negotiated on terms acceptable to us, or at all. The failure to enter into technology development or licensing agreements, when necessary or desirable, could limit our ability to develop and market new products and could cause our business to suffer.

 

Our products include third-party technology and intellectual property, and our inability to use that technology in the future could harm our business.

 

We incorporate certain third-party technologies, including software programs, into our products, and intend to utilize additional third-party technologies in the future. Licenses to relevant third-party technologies or updates to those technologies may not continue to be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. In addition, the technologies that we license may not operate properly and we may not be able to secure alternatives in a timely manner, which could harm our business. We could face delays in product releases until alternative technology can be identified, licensed or developed, and integrated into our products, if we are able to do so at all. These delays, or a failure to secure or develop adequate technology, could materially and adversely affect our business.

 

We or our customers may face intellectual property infringement claims from third parties.

 

Our industry is characterized by the existence of a large number of patents and frequent claims and related litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights. In particular, leading companies in the telecommunications industry have extensive patent portfolios. From time to time, third parties have asserted and may assert patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights against us or our customers. Our suppliers and customers may have similar claims asserted against them. A number of third parties, including companies with greater financial and other resources than us, have asserted patent rights to technologies that are important to us. Any future litigation, regardless of its outcome, could result in substantial expense and significant diversion of the efforts of our management and technical personnel. An adverse determination in any such proceeding could subject us to significant liabilities, temporary or permanent injunctions or require us to seek licenses from third parties or pay royalties that may be substantial. Furthermore, necessary licenses may not be available on satisfactory terms, or at all. An unfavorable outcome on any such litigation matters could require that Harmonic pay substantial damages, or, in connection with any intellectual property infringement claims, could require that we pay ongoing royalty payments or could prevent us from selling certain of our products and any such outcome could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

On July 3, 2003, Stanford University and Litton Systems (now Northrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Company, Inc.) filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging that optical fiber amplifiers incorporated into certain of our products infringe U.S. Patent No. 4859016. This patent expired in September 2003. The complaint sought injunctive relief, royalties and damages. On August 6, 2007, the District Court granted our motion to dismiss. The plaintiffs appealed this motion and on June 19, 2008 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a decision which vacated the District Court’s decision and remanded for further proceedings. At a scheduling conference on October 6, 2008, the judge ordered the parties to mediation. Two mediation sessions were held in November and December 2008. Following the mediation sessions, Harmonic and Litton entered into a settlement agreement on January 15, 2009. The settlement agreement provides

than in exchange for a one-time lump sum payment from Harmonic to Litton of $5 million, Litton (i) will not bring suit against Harmonic, any of its affiliates, customers, vendors, representatives, distributors, and its contract manufacturers from having any liability for making, using, offering for sale, importing, and/or selling any Harmonic products that may have incorporated technology that was alleged to have infringed on one or more of the relevant patents and (ii) would release Harmonic from any liability for making, using, selling any Harmonic products that may have infringed on such patents. Harmonic paid the settlement amount in January 2009.

 

Our suppliers and customers may have similar claims asserted against them. We have agreed to indemnify some of our suppliers and customers for alleged patent infringement. The scope of this indemnity varies, but, in some instances, includes indemnification for damages and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees).

 

We are the subject of litigation which, if adversely determined, could harm our business and operating results.

 

In addition to the litigation discussed elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we are involved in other litigation and may be subject to claims arising in the normal course of business. An unfavorable outcome on any litigation matter could require that we pay substantial damages, or, in connection with any intellectual property infringement claims, could require that we pay ongoing royalty payments or could prevent us from selling certain of our products. In addition, we may decide to settle any litigation, which could cause us to incur significant costs. A settlement or an unfavorable outcome on any litigation matter could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

We have received preliminary court approval of a settlement of derivative claims and hearing on final approval has been scheduled.

 

In 2000, several class action lawsuits, which were ultimately consolidated into a single lawsuit, were brought on behalf of a purported class of persons who purchased Harmonic’s publicly traded securities between January 19, 2000 and June 26, 2000, and alleged violations of federal securities laws by Harmonic and certain of its officers and directors. The consolidated complaint alleged, inter alia, that, by making false or misleading statements regarding Harmonic’s prospects and customers and its acquisition of C-Cube, certain defendants violated sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and also alleged that certain defendants violated section 14(a) of the Exchange Act and sections 11, 12(a)(2), and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act, by filing a false or misleading registration statement, prospectus, and joint proxy in connection with the C-Cube acquisition.

 

Following a series of procedural actions, a significant number of the claims alleged in the consolidated complaint were dismissed. However, certain of the plaintiffs’ claims survived dismissal. In January 2007, the District Court set a trial date for August 2008, and also ordered the parties to participate in mediation.

 

As a result of discussions and negotiations between plaintiffs’ counsel and Harmonic, and Harmonic and its insurance carriers, an agreement was reached in March 2008 to resolve the securities class action lawsuit. This agreement releases Harmonic, its officers, directors and insurance carriers from all claims brought in the lawsuit by the plaintiffs against Harmonic or its officers and directors, without any admission of fault on the part of Harmonic or its officers and directors. On October 29, 2008, the District Court issued a final order granting approval of the settlement agreement.

 

Under the terms of the agreement to settle the securities class action lawsuit, Harmonic and its insurance carriers paid $15.0 million in consideration to the plaintiffs in the securities class action. Of this amount, Harmonic paid $5.0 million, and Harmonic’s insurance carriers, in addition to having funded most litigation costs, contributed the remaining $10.0 million on behalf of the individual defendants. Harmonic paid its share of the settlement consideration into escrow on August 5, 2008.

 

On May 15, 2003, a derivative action purporting to be on our behalf was filed in the Superior Court for the County of Santa Clara against certain current and former officers and directors. It alleges facts similar to those alleged in the securities class action filed in 2000 and settled in 2008. On December 23, 2008, the Court granted preliminary approval to a settlement of the derivative action. On February 26, 2009, the settlement was submitted to the Court for final approval. The terms of the settlement require final approval of the settlement in the securities class action litigation, which has occurred, and payment by Harmonic of $550,000 to cover plaintiff’s attorneys fees. If finalized, the settlement will release Harmonic’s officers and directors from all claims brought in the derivative lawsuit.

 

There can be no assurance that final approval of the settlement will be granted. If final approval is not granted, or if for any reason the settlement does not become final, Harmonic and its officers and directors will be required to continue litigating the

derivative action, which could result in substantive legal expenses for the Company and distraction by its management. If an agreement cannot be reached resulting in a court trial, an adverse verdict in a trial could require that we pay substantial damages. Any subsequent attempt to settle the litigation matters could be on terms less favorable to Harmonic than those set forth in the tentative agreements described above. A subsequent settlement of the derivative action on terms that are different from those outlined above, or an unfavorable outcome of the derivative litigation, could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

We are subject to import and export controls that could subject us to liability or impair our ability to compete in international markets.

 

Our products are subject to U.S. export controls and may be exported outside the United States only with the required level of export license or through an export license exception, in most cases because we incorporate encryption technology into our products. In addition, various countries regulate the import of certain technology and have enacted laws that could limit our ability to distribute our products or could limit our customers’ ability to implement our products in those countries. Changes in our products or changes in export and import regulations may create delays in the introduction of our products in international markets, prevent our customers with international operations from deploying our products throughout their global systems or, in some cases, prevent the export or import of our products to certain countries altogether. Any change in export or import regulations or related legislation, shift in approach to the enforcement or scope of existing regulations, or change in the countries, persons or technologies targeted by such regulations, could result in decreased use of our products by, or in our decreased ability to export or sell our products to, existing or potential customers internationally.

 

In addition, we may be subject to customs duties and export quotas, which could have a significant impact on our revenue and profitability. While we have not encountered significant difficulties in connection with the sales of our products in international markets, the future imposition of significant increases in the level of customs duties or export quotas could have a material adverse effect on our business.

 

The ongoing threat of terrorism has created great uncertainty and may continue to harm our business.

 

Current conditions in the U.S. and global economies are uncertain. The terrorist attacks in the U.S. in 2001 and subsequent terrorist attacks in other parts of the world have created many economic and political uncertainties that have severely impacted the global economy, and have adversely affected our business. For example, following the 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S., we experienced a further decline in demand for our products. The long-term effects of the attacks, the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing war on terrorism on our business and on the global economy remain unknown. Moreover, the potential for future terrorist attacks has created additional uncertainty and makes it difficult to estimate the stability and strength of the U.S. and other economies and the impact of economic conditions on our business.

 

The markets in which we, our customers and our suppliers operate are subject to the risk of earthquakes and other natural disasters.

 

Our headquarters and the majority of our operations are located in California, which is prone to earthquakes, and some of the other locations in which we, our customers and suppliers conduct business are prone to natural disasters. In the event that any of our business centers are affected by any such disasters, we may sustain damage to our operations and properties and suffer significant financial losses. Furthermore, we rely on third-party manufacturers for the production of many of our products, and any disruption in the business or operations of such manufacturers could adversely impact our business. In addition, if there is a major earthquake or other natural disaster in any of the locations in which our significant customers are located, we face the risk that our customers may incur losses, or sustained business interruption and/or loss which may materially impair their ability to continue their purchase of products from us. A major earthquake or other natural disaster in the markets in which we, our customers or suppliers operate could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Some anti-takeover provisions contained in our certificate of incorporation, bylaws and stockholder rights plan, as well as provisions of Delaware law, could impair a takeover attempt.

 

We have provisions in our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, each of which could have the effect of rendering more difficult or discouraging an acquisition deemed undesirable by our Board of Directors. These include provisions:

 

 

These provisions, alone or together, could delay hostile takeovers and changes in control or management of us.

 

In addition, we have adopted a stockholder rights plan. The rights are not intended to prevent a takeover of us, and we believe these rights will help our negotiations with any potential acquirers. However, if the Board of Directors believes that a particular acquisition is undesirable, the rights may have the effect of rendering more difficult or discouraging that acquisition. The rights would cause substantial dilution to a person or group that attempts to acquire us on terms or in a manner not approved by our Board of Directors, except pursuant to an offer conditioned upon redemption of the rights.

 

As a Delaware corporation, we are also subject to provisions of Delaware law, including Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation law, which prevents some stockholders holding more than 15% of our outstanding common stock from engaging in certain business combinations without approval of the holders of substantially all of our outstanding common stock.

 

Any provision of our certificate of incorporation or bylaws, our stockholder rights plan or Delaware law that has the effect of delaying or deterring a change in control could limit the opportunity for our stockholders to receive a premium for their shares of our common stock, and could also affect the price that some investors are willing to pay for our common stock.

 

Our common stock price may be extremely volatile, and the value of your investment may decline.

 

Our common stock price has been highly volatile. We expect that this volatility will continue in the future due to factors such as:

 

 

In addition, in recent years, the stock market in general, and the NASDAQ Stock Market and the securities of technology companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations. These fluctuations have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of individual companies. These broad market fluctuations have in the past and may in the future materially and adversely affect our stock price, regardless of our operating results. Investors may be unable to sell their shares of our common stock at or above the purchase price.

 

Our stock price may decline if additional shares are sold in the market.

 

Future sales of substantial amounts of shares of our common stock by our existing stockholders in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. In addition, we may be required to issue additional shares upon exercise of previously granted options that are currently outstanding. Increased sales of our common stock in the market after exercise of currently outstanding options could exert significant downward pressure on our stock price. These sales also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and price we deem appropriate.

 

If securities analysts do not continue to publish research or reports about our business, or if they downgrade our stock, the price of our stock could decline.

 

The trading market for our common stock relies in part on the availability of research and reports that third-party industry or financial analysts publish about us. Further, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade our stock, our stock price may decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause the liquidity of our stock and our stock price to decline.

 

 

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

 

SHAREHOLDER LITIGATION

 

In 2000, several class action lawsuits, which were ultimately consolidated into a single lawsuit, were brought on behalf of a purported class of persons who purchased Harmonic’s publicly traded securities between January 19, 2000 and June 26, 2000, and alleged violations of federal securities laws by Harmonic and certain of its officers and directors. The consolidated complaint alleged, inter alia, that, by making false or misleading statements regarding Harmonic’s prospects and customers and its acquisition of C-Cube, certain defendants violated sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and also alleged that certain defendants violated section 14(a) of the Exchange Act and sections 11, 12(a)(2), and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act, by filing a false or misleading registration statement, prospectus, and joint proxy in connection with the C-Cube acquisition.

 

Following a series of procedural actions, a significant number of the claims alleged in the consolidated complaint were dismissed. However, certain of the plaintiffs’ claims survived dismissal. In January 2007, the District Court set a trial date for August 2008, and also ordered the parties to participate in mediation.

 

As a result of discussions and negotiations between plaintiffs’ counsel and Harmonic, and Harmonic and its insurance carriers, an agreement was reached in March 2008 to resolve the securities class action lawsuit. This agreement releases Harmonic, its officers, directors and insurance carriers from all claims brought in the lawsuit by the plaintiffs against Harmonic or its officers and directors, without any admission of fault on the part of Harmonic or its officers and directors. On October 29, 2008, the District Court issued a final order granting approval of the settlement agreement.

 

Under the terms of the agreement to settle the securities class action lawsuit, Harmonic and its insurance carriers paid $15.0 million in consideration to the plaintiffs in the securities class action. Of this amount, Harmonic paid $5.0 million, and Harmonic’s insurance carriers, in addition to having funded most litigation costs, contributed the remaining $10.0 million on behalf of the individual defendants. Harmonic paid its share of the settlement consideration into escrow on August 5, 2008.

 

On May 15, 2003, a derivative action purporting to be on our behalf was filed in the Superior Court for the County of Santa Clara against certain current and former officers and directors. It alleges facts similar to those alleged in the securities class action filed in 2000 and settled in 2008. On December 23, 2008, the Court granted preliminary approval to a settlement of the derivative action. On February 26, 2009, the settlement was submitted to the Court for final approval. The terms of the settlement require final approval of the settlement in the securities class action litigation, which has occurred, and payment by Harmonic of $550,000 to cover plaintiff’s attorneys fees. If finalized, the settlement will release Harmonic’s officers and directors from all claims brought in the derivative lawsuit.

 

OTHER LITIGATION

 

On July 3, 2003, Stanford University and Litton Systems (now Northrop Grumman Guidance and Electronics Company, Inc.) filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California alleging that optical fiber amplifiers incorporated into certain of Harmonic’s products infringe U.S. Patent No. 4859016. This patent expired in September 2003. The complaint sought injunctive relief, royalties and damages. On August 6, 2007, the District Court granted our motion to dismiss. The plaintiffs appealed this motion and on June 19, 2008 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued a decision which vacated the District Court’s decision and remanded for further proceedings. At a scheduling conference on September 6, 2008, the judge ordered the parties to mediation. Two mediation sessions were held in November and December 2008. Following the mediation sessions, Harmonic and Litton entered into a settlement agreement on January 15, 2009. The settlement agreement provides than in exchange for a one-time lump sum payment from Harmonic to Litton of $5 million, Litton (i) will not bring suit against Harmonic, any of its affiliates, customers, vendors, representatives, distributors, and its contract manufacturers from having any liability for making, using, offering for sale, importing, and/or selling any Harmonic products that may have incorporated technology that was alleged to have infringed on one or more of the relevant patents and (ii) would release Harmonic from any liability for making, using, selling any Harmonic products that may have infringed on such patents. Harmonic paid the settlement amount in January 2009.

An unfavorable outcome on any other litigation matter could require that Harmonic pay substantial damages, or, in connection with any intellectual property infringement claims, could require that we pay ongoing royalty payments or could prevent us from selling certain of our products. A settlement or an unfavorable outcome on any other litigation matter could have a material adverse effect on Harmonic’s business, operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

Harmonic is involved in other litigation and may be subject to claims arising in the normal course of business. In the opinion of management the amount of ultimate liability with respect to these matters in the aggregate will not have a material adverse effect on the Company or its operating results, financial position or cash flows.

 

 

 

PERFORMANCE GRAPH

 

Set forth below is a line graph comparing the annual percentage change in the cumulative return to the stockholders of Harmonic’s common stock with the cumulative return of the NASDAQ Telecom Index and of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index for the period commencing December 31, 2003 and ending on December 31, 2008. The graph assumes that $100 was invested in each of Harmonic’s common stock, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ Telecom Index on December 31, 2003, and assumes the reinvestment of dividends, if any. The comparisons shown in the graph below are based upon historical data. Harmonic cautions that the stock price performance shown in the graph below is not indicative of, nor intended to forecast, the potential future performance of Harmonic’s common stock.

 

 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

 

The data set forth below are qualified in their entirety by reference to, and should be read in conjunction with, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and the Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

 

 

The 2007 income from operations and net income included a charge of $6.4 million for the settlement of the securities class action lawsuit, a restructuring charge of $0.4 million on a reduction in estimated sublease income for a Sunnyvale building and a charge of $0.5 million from the closure of the manufacturing and research and development activities of Broadcast Technology Limited. This was partially offset by a credit of $1.8 million from a revised estimate of expected sublease income due to the extension of a sublease of a building to the lease expiration. The acquisition of Rhozet in July 2007 resulted in a charge of $0.7 million related to the write-off of acquired in-process technology.

 

The 2006 gross profit, loss from operations and net income included a charge of $3.0 million for restructuring charges associated with a management reduction and a campus consolidation. An impairment expense of $1.0 million was recorded in 2006 due to the writedown of the remaining balance of the BTL intangibles.

 

The 2005 gross profit, loss from operations and net loss included a charge of $8.4 million for the writedown of inventory resulting primarily from the introduction of new products and the related obsolescence of existing inventory. Operating expenses included an expense of $1.1 million for severance costs from the consolidation of the Company’s two operating segments into a single segment effective as of January 1, 2006, and a benefit of $1.1 million from the reversal of previously recorded excess facilities costs due to subleasing an excess facility.

 

The 2004 gross profit, income from operations and net income included credits of $4.0 million for products sold during the year that had been written down in prior years.

 

 

 

slowdown caused certain customers to reduce or delay capital spending plans in the fourth quarter of 2008, and expect that these conditions could persist well into 2009. In addition, during challenging economic times, we are likely to experience increased price-based competition from our competitors, which may result in our losing sales or force us to reduce the prices of our products, which would reduce our revenues and could adversely affect our gross margin.

 

Historically, a majority of our net sales have been to relatively few customers, and due in part to the consolidation of ownership of cable television and direct broadcast satellite systems, we expect this customer concentration to continue for the foreseeable future. In 2008, sales to Comcast and EchoStar accounted for 20% and 12% of net sales, respectively. In 2007, sales to Comcast and EchoStar accounted for 16% and 12% of net sales, respectively. Sales to Comcast accounted for 12% of net sales in 2006.

 

Sales to customers outside of the U.S. in 2008, 2007, and 2006 represented 44%, 44%, and 49% of net sales, respectively. A significant portion of international sales are made to distributors and system integrators, which are generally responsible for importing the products and providing installation and technical support and service to customers within their territory. Sales denominated in foreign currencies were approximately 6%, 7% and 11% of net sales in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. We expect international sales to continue to account for a substantial portion of our net sales for the foreseeable future, and expect that, following the completion of the proposed acquisition of Scopus, our international sales may increase.

 

Harmonic often recognizes a significant portion, or the majority, of its revenues in the last month of the quarter. Harmonic establishes its expenditure levels for product development and other operating expenses based on projected sales levels, and expenses are relatively fixed in the short term. Accordingly, variations in timing of sales can cause significant fluctuations in operating results. In addition, because a significant portion of Harmonic’s business is derived from orders placed by a limited number of large customers, the timing of such orders, delays in project completion and revenue recognition policies can also cause significant fluctuations in our operating results. Harmonic’s expenses for any given quarter are typically based on expected sales and if sales are below expectations, our operating results may be adversely impacted by our inability to adjust spending to compensate for the shortfall. In addition, because a significant portion of Harmonic’s business is derived from orders placed by a limited number of customers, the timing of such orders can also cause significant fluctuations in our operating results.

 

On December 22, 2008, Harmonic entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Scopus Video Networks Ltd., a publicly traded company organized under the laws of Israel. Under the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, Harmonic will pay $5.62 per share in cash, without interest, for all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Scopus, which represents an enterprise value of approximately $51 million, net of Scopus’ cash and short-term investments. The acquisition of Scopus is expected to extend Harmonic’s worldwide customer base and strengthen its market and technology leadership, particularly in international video broadcast, contribution and distribution markets. The merger is expected to close in March 2009.

 

On December 8, 2006, Harmonic completed its acquisition of Entone Technologies, Inc. pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, or Entone Agreement, dated August 21, 2006, for a total purchase consideration of $48.9 million. The purchase consideration consisted of a payment of $26.2 million, the issuance of 3,579,715 shares of Harmonic common stock with a value of $20.1 million, issuance of 175,342 options to purchase Harmonic common stock with a value of $0.2 million and acquisition-related costs of $2.5 million. Under the terms of the Entone Agreement, Entone spun off its consumer premises equipment, or CPE, business into a separate private company prior to the closing of the merger. As part of the terms of the Entone Agreement, Harmonic purchased a convertible note with a face amount of $2.5 million in the new spun off private company in July 2007. The convertible note was sold to a third party for approximately $2.6 million during 2008.

 

On July 31, 2007, Harmonic completed its acquisition of Rhozet Corporation, pursuant to the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, or Rhozet Agreement, dated July 25, 2007. Under the Rhozet Agreement, Harmonic paid or will pay an aggregate of approximately $15.5 million in total merger consideration, comprised of approximately $2.5 million in cash, 1,105,656 shares of Harmonic’s common stock in exchange for all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of Rhozet, and approximately $2.8 million of cash which was paid in the first quarter of 2008, as provided in the Rhozet Agreement, to the holders of outstanding options to acquire Rhozet common stock. In addition, in connection with the acquisition, Harmonic incurred approximately $0.7 million in transaction costs. Pursuant to the Rhozet Agreement, approximately $2.3 million of the total merger consideration, consisting of cash and shares of Harmonic common stock, are being held back by Harmonic for at least 18 months following the closing of the acquisition to satisfy certain indemnification obligations of Rhozet’s shareholders pursuant to the terms of the Rhozet Agreement.

In the fourth quarter of 2007, we sold and issued 12,500,000 shares of common stock in a public offering at a price of $12.00 per share. Our net proceeds from the offering were approximately $141.8 million, which was net of underwriters’ discounts and commissions of approximately $7.4 million and related legal, accounting, printing and other costs totaling approximately $0.7 million. The net proceeds from the offering have been and are expected to continue to be used for general corporate purposes, including payment of existing liabilities, research and development, the development or acquisition of new products or technologies, equipment acquisitions, strategic acquisitions of businesses, general working capital and operating expenses.

 

In the third quarter of 2006, we completed our facilities rationalization plan resulting in more efficient use of our Sunnyvale campus and vacated several buildings, some of which were subsequently subleased. This resulted in a net charge for excess facilities of $2.1 million in the third quarter of 2006.

 

In the third quarter of 2007, we recorded a credit of $1.8 million from a revised estimate of expected sublease income due to the extension of a sublease of a Sunnyvale building to the lease expiration. In addition, in 2007 we recorded a restructuring charge of $0.4 million on a reduction in estimated sublease income for a Sunnyvale building, and a charge of $0.5 million from the closure of the manufacturing and research and development activities of Broadcast Technology Limited.

 

During the second quarter of 2008, we recorded a charge in selling, general and administrative expenses for excess facilities of $1.2 million from a revised estimate of expected sublease income of a Sunnyvale building. The lease for such building terminates in September 2010 and all sublease income has been eliminated from the estimated liability. During the third quarter of 2008, we recorded a charge in selling, general and administrative expenses for excess facilities of $0.2 million from a revised estimate of expected sublease income of two buildings in the United Kingdom. The leases for these buildings terminate in October 2010 and all sublease income has been eliminated from the estimated liability.

 

We are in the process of expanding our international operations and staff to better support our expansion into international markets. This expansion includes the implementation of an international structure that includes, among other things, an international support center in Europe, a research and development cost-sharing arrangement, certain licenses and other contractual arrangements by and among the Company and its wholly-owned domestic and foreign subsidiaries. Our foreign subsidiaries have acquired certain rights to sell our existing intellectual property and intellectual property that will be developed or licensed in the future. As a result of these changes and an expanding customer base internationally, we expect that an increasing percentage of our consolidated pre-tax income will be derived from, and reinvested in, our international operations. We anticipate that this pre-tax income will be subject to foreign tax at relatively lower tax rates when compared to the United States federal statutory tax rate in future periods.

 

Critical Accounting Policies, Judgments and Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures requires Harmonic to make judgments, assumptions and estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingencies and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Material differences may result in the amount and timing of revenue and expenses if different judgments or different estimates were made. See Note 1 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements for details of Harmonic’s accounting policies. Critical accounting policies, judgments and estimates which we believe have the most significant impact on Harmonic’s financial statements are set forth below:

 

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Harmonic’s principal sources of revenue are from sales of hardware products, software products, solution sales, services and hardware and software maintenance agreements. Harmonic recognizes revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been provided, the sale price is fixed or determinable, collection is reasonably assured, and risk of loss and title have transferred to the customer.

 

We generally use contracts and customer purchase orders to determine the existence of an arrangement. Shipping documents and customer acceptance, when applicable, are used to verify delivery. We assess whether the sales price is fixed or determinable based on the payment terms associated with the transaction and whether the price is subject to refund or adjustment. We assess collectibility based primarily on the creditworthiness of the customer as determined by credit checks and analysis, as well as the customer’s payment history.

 

We evaluate our products to assess whether software is more-than-incidental to a product. When we conclude that software is more-than-incidental to a product, we account for the product as a software product. Revenue on software products and software-related elements are recognized in accordance with Statement of Position (“SOP”) 97-2, “Software Revenue Recognition.” Significant judgment may be required in determining whether a product is a software or hardware product.

 

Revenue from hardware product sales is recognized in accordance with the provisions of Staff Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 104, “Revenue Recognition.” Subject to other revenue recognition provisions, revenue on product sales is recognized when risk of loss and title has transferred, which is generally upon shipment or delivery, based on the terms of the arrangement. Revenue on shipments to distributors, resellers and systems integrators is generally recognized on delivery or sell-in. Allowances are provided for estimated returns and discounts. Such allowances are adjusted periodically to reflect actual and anticipated experience.

 

Distributors and systems integrators purchase our products for specific capital equipment projects of the end-user and do not hold inventory. They perform functions that include importation, delivery to the end-customer, installation or integration, and post-sales service and support. Our agreements with these distributors and systems integrators have terms which are generally consistent with the standard terms and conditions for the sale of our equipment to end users and do not provide for product rotation or pricing allowances, as are typically found in agreements with stocking distributors. We have long-term relationships with most of these distributors and systems integrators and substantial experience with similar sales of similar products. We do have instances of accepting product returns from distributors and system integrators. However such returns typically occur in instances where the system integrator has designed a component into a project for the end user but the integrator requests to return product that does not meet the specific project’s functional requirements. Such returns are made solely at the discretion of the Company, as our agreements with distributors and system integrators do not provide for return rights. We have had extensive experience monitoring product returns from our distributors and accordingly, we have concluded that the amount of future returns can be reasonably estimated in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) 48, “Revenue Recognition When Right of Return Exits”, and SAB 104. With respect to these sales, we evaluate the terms of sale and recognize revenue when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery has occurred or services have been provided, the sales price is fixed or determinable, collectibility is reasonably assured, and risk of loss and title have transferred.

 

When arrangements contain multiple elements, Harmonic evaluates all deliverables in the arrangement at the outset of the arrangement based on the guidance in Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) No. 00-21, “Accounting for Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables” (“EITF 00-21”). If the undelivered elements qualify as separate units of accounting based on the criteria in EITF 00-21, which include that the delivered elements have value to the customer on a stand-alone basis and that objective and reliable evidence of fair value exists for undelivered elements, Harmonic allocates the arrangement fee based on the relative fair value of the elements of the arrangement. If a delivered element does not meet the criteria in EITF 00-21 to be considered a separate unit of accounting, revenue is deferred until the undelivered elements are fulfilled. We establish fair value by reference to the price the customer is required to pay when an item is sold separately using contractually stated, substantive renewal rates, when applicable, or the average price of recently completed stand alone sales transactions. Accordingly, the determination as to whether appropriate objective and reliable evidence of fair value exists can impact the timing of revenue recognition for an arrangement.

For multiple element arrangements that include both hardware products and software products, Harmonic evaluates the arrangement based on EITF 03-5, “Applicability of AICPA Statement of Position 97-2 to Non-Software Deliverables in an Arrangement Containing More-Than-Incidental Software.” In accordance with the provisions of EITF 03-5, the arrangement is divided between software-related elements and non-software deliverables. Software-related elements are accounted for as software. Software-related elements include all non-software deliverables for which a software deliverable is essential to its functionality. When software arrangements contain multiple elements and vendor specific objective evidence, or VSOE, of fair value exists for all undelivered elements, Harmonic accounts for the delivered elements in accordance with the “Residual Method” prescribed by SOP No. 98-9. In arrangements where VSOE of fair value is not available for all undelivered elements, we defer the recognition of all revenue until all elements, except post contract support, have been delivered. Fair value of software-related elements is based on separate sales to other customers or upon renewal rates quoted in contracts when the quoted renewal rates are deemed to be substantive.

 

We also enter into solution sales for the design, manufacture, test, integration and installation of products to the specifications of Harmonic’s customers, including equipment acquired from third parties to be integrated with Harmonic’s products. These arrangements typically include the configuration of system interfaces between Harmonic product and customer/third party equipment, and optimization of the overall solution to operate with the unique features of the customer’s design and to meet customer-specific performance requirements. Revenue on these arrangements is generally recognized using the percentage of completion method in accordance with Statement of Position (SOP) 81-1, “Accounting for Performance of Construction/ Production Contracts.” We measure performance under the percentage of completion method using the efforts-expended method based on current estimates of labor hours to complete the project. Management believes that for each such project, labor hours expended in proportion to total estimated hours at completion represents the most reliable and meaningful measure for determining a project’s progress toward completion. If the estimated costs to complete a project exceed the total contract amount, indicating a loss, the entire anticipated loss is recognized. Deferred revenue includes billings in excess of revenue recognized, net of deferred costs of sales. Our application of percentage-of-completion accounting is subject to our estimates of labor hours to complete each project. In the event that actual results differ from these estimates or we adjust these estimates in future periods, our operating results, financial position or cash flows for a particular period could be adversely affected. During the year ended December 31, 2008, we recorded a loss of approximately $0.4 million related to a loss contract.

 

Revenue from hardware and software maintenance agreements is recognized ratably over the term of the maintenance agreement. First year maintenance typically is included in the original arrangement and renewed on an annual basis thereafter. Services revenue is recognized on performance of the services and costs associated with services are recognized as incurred. Fair value of services such as consulting and training is based upon separate sales of these services.

 

Significant management judgments and estimates must be made in connection with determination of the revenue to be recognized in any accounting period. Because of the concentrated nature of our customer base, different judgments or estimates made for any one large contract or customer could result in material differences in the amount and timing of revenue recognized in any particular period.

 

Allowances for Doubtful Accounts, Returns and Discounts

 

We establish allowances for doubtful accounts, returns and discounts based on credit profiles of our customers, current economic trends, contractual terms and conditions and historical payment, return and discount experience, as well as for known or expected events. If there were to be a deterioration of a major customer’s creditworthiness or if actual defaults, returns or discounts were higher than our historical experience, our operating results, financial position and cash flows could be adversely affected. At December 31, 2008, our allowances for doubtful accounts, returns and discounts totaled $8.7 million.

 

Valuation of Inventories

 

Harmonic states inventories at the lower of cost or market. We write down the cost of excess or obsolete inventory to net realizable value based on future demand forecasts and historical demand. If there were to be a sudden and significant decrease in demand for our products, or if there were a higher incidence of inventory obsolescence because of rapidly changing technology and customer requirements, we could be required to record additional charges for excess and obsolete inventory and our gross margin could be adversely affected. Inventory management is of critical importance in order to balance the need

to maintain strategic inventory levels to ensure competitive lead times against the risk of inventory obsolescence because of rapidly changing technology and customer requirements.

 

Impairment of Goodwill or Long-lived Assets

 

We perform an evaluation of the carrying value of goodwill and long-lived assets, such as intangibles, on an annual basis in the fourth quarter, or whenever we become aware of an event or change in circumstances that would indicate potential impairment. We evaluate the recoverability of goodwill on the basis of market capitalization adjusted for a control premium and discounted cash flows on a Company level, which is the sole reporting unit. We evaluate the recoverability of intangible assets and other long-lived assets on the basis of undiscounted cash flows from each asset group. If impairment is indicated, provisions for impairment are determined based on fair value, principally using discounted cash flows. For example, changes in industry and market conditions or the strategic realignment of our resources could result in an impairment of identified intangibles, goodwill or long-lived assets. There can be no assurance that future impairment tests will not result in a charge to earnings. Our review of intangibles in 2006 determined that the remaining balance of $1.0 million of the intangibles acquired as a result of the BTL acquisition in February 2005 had been impaired based on the discontinuance of the decoder product line obtained in the acquisition. At December 31, 2008, our carrying values for goodwill and intangible assets totaled $41.7 million and $12.1 million, respectively.

 

Restructuring Costs and Accruals for Excess Facilities

 

For restructuring activities initiated prior to December 31, 2002 Harmonic recorded restructuring costs when it committed to an exit plan and significant changes to the exit plan were not likely. Harmonic determines the excess facilities accrual based on estimates of expected cash payments reduced by any sublease rental income for each excess facility. In the event that Harmonic is unable to achieve expected levels of sublease rental income, it will need to revise its estimate of the liability which could materially impact our operating results, financial position or cash flows. For restructuring activities initiated after December 31, 2002, Harmonic adopted SFAS 146, “Accounting for Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities,” which requires that a liability for costs associated with an exit or disposal activity be recognized and measured initially at fair value only when the liability is incurred. At December 31, 2008, our accrual for excess facilities totaled $11.4 million.

 

Assessment of the Probability of the Outcome of Current Litigation

 

Harmonic records accruals for loss contingencies when it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. Based on an agreement entered into on January 15, 2009 to settle its outstanding patent infringement litigation, Harmonic believed that a probable and estimable liability had been incurred, and, accordingly, recorded a provision for $5.0 million in its statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2008. Based on a preliminary agreement to settle its outstanding securities litigation, Harmonic believed that a probable and estimable liability had been incurred, and, accordingly, recorded a provision for $6.4 million in its statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2007. In other pending litigation, Harmonic believes that it either has meritorious defenses with respect to those actions and claims or is unable to predict the impact of an adverse action and, accordingly, no loss contingencies have been accrued. There can be no assurance, however, that we will prevail. An unfavorable outcome of these legal proceedings or failure to settle the securities litigation on the terms proposed could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial position, operating results or cash flows.

 

Accounting for Income Taxes

 

In preparation of our financial statements, we estimate our income taxes for each of the jurisdictions in which we operate. This involves estimating our actual current tax exposures and assessing temporary differences resulting from differing treatment of items, such as reserves and accruals, for tax and accounting purposes. These differences result in deferred tax assets and liabilities, which are included within our consolidated balance sheet.

 

Significant management judgment is required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets and liabilities and our future taxable income for purposes of assessing our ability to realize any future benefit from our deferred tax assets. In the event that actual results differ from these estimates or we adjust these estimates in future periods, our operating results and financial position could be materially affected. During the year ended December 31, 2008, a full release of the valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions, based on our

judgment that the likelihood that our deferred tax assets in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions will be recovered from future taxable income is more-likely-than-not, resulted in a benefit from income taxes of $53.5 million recorded in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations and a $3.3 million reduction in goodwill.

 

We are subject to examination of our income tax returns by various tax authorities on a periodic basis. We regularly assess the likelihood of adverse outcomes resulting from such examinations to determine the adequacy of our provision for income taxes. We adopted the provisions of FASB Interpretation 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes–an Interpretation of FASB Statement 109” (“FIN 48”) as of the beginning of 2007. Prior to adoption, our policy was to establish reserves that reflected the probable outcome of known tax contingencies. The effects of final resolution, if any, were recognized as changes to the effective income tax rate in the period of resolution. FIN 48 requires application of a more-likely-than-not threshold to the recognition and derecognition of uncertain tax positions. If the recognition threshold is met, FIN 48 permits us to recognize a tax benefit measured at the largest amount of tax benefit that, in our judgment, is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon settlement. It further requires that a change in judgment related to the expected ultimate resolution of uncertain tax positions be recognized in earnings in the quarter of such change.

 

We file annual income tax returns in multiple taxing jurisdictions around the world. A number of years may elapse before an uncertain tax position is audited and finally resolved. While it is often difficult to predict the final outcome or the timing of resolution of any particular uncertain tax position, we believe that our reserves for income taxes reflect the most likely outcome. We adjust these reserves and penalties as well as the related interest, in light of changing facts and circumstances. If our estimate of tax liabilities proves to be less than the ultimate assessment, a further charge to expense would result. If payment of these amounts ultimately prove to be unnecessary, the reversal of the liabilities would result in tax benefits being recognized in the period when we determine the liabilities are no longer necessary. The changes in estimate could have a material impact on our financial position and operating results. In addition, settlement of any particular position could have a material and adverse effect on our cash flows and financial position.

 

Stock-based Compensation

 

On January 1, 2006, Harmonic adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 123(R), “Share-Based Payment,” (“SFAS 123(R)”) which requires the measurement and recognition of compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees and directors, including employee stock options, restricted stock units and employee stock purchases related to our Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”) based upon the grant-date fair value of those awards. SFAS 123(R) supersedes the Company’s previous accounting under Accounting Principles Board Opinion 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees” (“APB 25”) and related interpretations, and provided the required pro forma disclosures prescribed by Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” (“SFAS 123”) as amended. In addition, we have applied the provisions of Staff Accounting Bulletin 107 (“SAB 107”), issued by the Securities and Exchange Commission, in our adoption of SFAS 123(R).

 

The Company adopted SFAS 123(R) using the modified-prospective transition method, which requires the application of the accounting standard as of January 1, 2006, the first day of the Company’s fiscal year 2006. Stock-based compensation expense recognized under SFAS 123(R) for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 was $7.8 million, $6.2 million and $5.7 million, respectively, which consisted of stock-based compensation expense related to employee equity awards and employee stock purchases.

 

SFAS 123(R) requires companies to estimate the fair value of share-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model. The value of the portion of the award that is ultimately expected to vest is recognized as expense over the requisite service period in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations.

 

Stock-based compensation expense recognized during the period is based on the value of the portion of share-based payment awards that is ultimately expected to vest during the period. Stock-based compensation expense recognized in the Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 included compensation expense for share-based payment awards granted prior to, but not yet vested as of December 31, 2005 based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the pro forma provisions of SFAS 123 and compensation expense for the share-based payment awards granted subsequent to December 31, 2005 based on the grant date fair value estimated in accordance with the provisions of SFAS 123(R). In conjunction with the adoption of SFAS 123(R), the Company changed its method of attributing the value of stock-based compensation costs to expense from the accelerated multiple-option method to the straight-line single-option method. Compensation expense for all share-based payment awards granted on or prior to

December 31, 2005 will continue to be recognized using the accelerated approach while compensation expense for all share-based payment awards related to stock options and employee stock purchase rights granted subsequent to December 31, 2005 are recognized using the straight-line method.

 

As stock-based compensation expense recognized in our results for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006 is based on awards ultimately expected to vest, it has been reduced for estimated forfeitures. SFAS 123(R) requires forfeitures to be estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.

 

The fair value of share-based payment awards is estimated at grant date using a Black-Scholes option pricing model. The Company’s determination of fair value of share-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model is affected by the Company’s stock price as well as the assumptions regarding a number of highly complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited to, the Company’s expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, and actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors.

 

On November 10, 2005, the FASB issued FASB Staff Position No. FAS 123(R)-3, “Transition Election Related to Accounting for Tax Effects of Share-Based payment Awards,” (“FSP 123(R)-3”). We elected to adopt the alternative transition method provided in the FSP 123(R)-3 for calculating the tax effects of stock-based compensation pursuant to SFAS 123(R). The alternative transition method provides a simplified method to establish the beginning balance of the additional paid-in-capital pool (“APIC Pool”) related to the tax effects of employee stock-based compensation, and to determine the subsequent impact on the APIC Pool and consolidated statements of cash flows of the tax effects of employee stock-based compensation awards that are outstanding upon adoption of SFAS 123(R). The adoption of FSP 123(R)-3 did not have an impact on our overall consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Consistent with prior years, we use the “with and without” approach as described in EITF Topic No. D-32 in determining the order in which our tax attributes are utilized. The “with and without” approach results in the recognition of the windfall stock option tax benefits only after all other tax attributes of ours have been considered in the annual tax accrual computation. Also consistent with prior years, we consider the indirect effects of the windfall deduction on the computation of other tax attributes, such as the R&D credit and the domestic production activities deduction, as an additional component of equity. This incremental tax effect is recorded to additional paid-in-capital when realized.

 

 

Net sales increased in 2008 compared to 2007 principally due to stronger demand from domestic satellite operators and cable operators for their VOD and HDTV deployments, and an increase in sales to new customers internationally. The sales of products of the video processing product line were higher in 2008 compared to 2007 primarily due to increased purchases of our products from domestic satellite customers. The increase in sales of products of the edge and access product lines in 2008 compared to 2007 was primarily due to an increase of approximately $65.7 million in sales of the Company’s NSG edge QAM devices for VOD, switched digital and Cable Modem Termination System, or CMTS, deployments by cable operators. The sales of software, support and other products was higher in 2008 compared to 2007 primarily from software sales of new products and support revenue, consisting of maintenance agreements, system integration and customer repairs, principally due to an increased customer base.

 

Net sales increased in 2007 compared to 2006 principally due to stronger demand from domestic and international satellite operators and domestic cable operators, and sales of our recently introduced products. In the video processing product line, the sales increase in 2007 compared to the same period in the prior year was primarily due to higher spending across all types of customers except telco. The increase in the edge and access product lines was principally attributable to an increase of approximately $27.4 million in sales of VOD and video transmission products for deployments for domestic and international cable operators, offset by a decrease of $11.6 million in sales of lower margin FTTP products. Software and other revenue increased in 2007 compared to 2006 primarily due to sales of recently introduced software products, including products acquired as a result of the acquisitions of Entone and Rhozet. Service and support revenue, consisting of maintenance agreements, system integration and customer repairs, increased in 2007 compared to 2006 principally due to an increased customer base.

 

Net sales in the U.S. increased in 2008 compared to 2007 primarily due to stronger demand for our products from our domestic satellite and cable operators for VOD and HDTV deployments. International sales in 2008 increased compared to 2007 primarily due to stronger demand from cable operators and an increase in the number of international customers, particularly in the European and Asian markets. We expect that international sales will continue to account for a substantial portion of our net sales for the foreseeable future, and expect that, following the completion of the proposed acquisition of Scopus, our international sales may increase.

 

Net sales in the U.S. increased in 2007 compared to 2006 primarily due to stronger demand from our domestic satellite and cable operators, partially offset by lower sales of FTTP products to a domestic telco customer. International sales in 2007 increased compared to the corresponding periods in 2006 primarily due to stronger demand from satellite and cable customers for network expansion, primarily in South America, Asia and Europe, partially offset by lower sales in Canada.

 

 

The increase in gross profit in 2008 compared to 2007 was primarily due to increased sales, partially offset by an increase in expense of $0.8 million from amortization of intangibles expense. The gross margin percentage of 48.6% in 2008 compared to 43.1% in 2007 was higher primarily due to higher gross margins on sales of recently introduced products, increased sales of software products, which have higher margins than hardware products, and lower expense associated with excess and obsolete

inventories of $5.1 million, partially offset by increased expense from shipping costs of $1.0 million, warranty expense of $0.8 million and amortization of intangibles of $0.8 million. In 2008, $5.5 million of expense related to amortization of intangibles was included in cost of sales compared to $4.7 million in 2007. We expect to record a total of approximately $5.3 million in amortization of intangibles expense in cost of sales in 2009 related to acquisitions of Entone and Rhozet. In addition, additional amortization of intangibles expense in cost of sales is expected following the completion of the proposed acquisition of Scopus.

 

The increase in gross profit in 2007 compared to 2006 was primarily due to increased sales, partially offset by an increased expense from the net writedown of excess and obsolete inventory of $6.4 million and an increase in expense of $3.0 million from amortization of intangibles expense. The gross margin percentage of 43.1% in 2007 compared to 41.0% in 2006 was higher primarily due to higher gross margins on sales of recently introduced products and higher margin software sales, partially offset by increased expense from the writedown of excess and obsolete inventory and amortization of intangibles expense. In 2007, $4.7 million of expense related to intangibles was included in cost of sales compared to $1.7 million in 2006.

 

 

The increase in research and development expense in 2008 compared to 2007 was primarily the result of increased compensation expense of $6.2 million, increased facilities expense of $2.2 million, increased consulting and outside services expense of $0.9 million, increased stock-based compensation expense of $0.8 million and increased prototype material expense of $0.3 million. The increased compensation costs in 2008 were primarily due to the increased headcount, which was primarily related to the additional personnel that we hired as a result of the acquisition of Rhozet in July 2007, higher incentive compensation expenses and increased payroll taxes.

 

The increase in research and development expense in 2007 compared to 2006 was primarily the result of increased compensation expense of $4.3 million, increased depreciation expense of $0.5 million and increased stock-based compensation expense of $0.4 million, which was partially offset by lower facilities and overhead expenses of $0.9 million, lower consulting expenses of $0.6 million and lower prototype materials expenses of $0.5 million associated with the development of new products. The increased compensation costs in 2007 were primarily related to the increased headcount associated with the acquisitions of Entone and Rhozet in December 2006 and July 2007, respectively, and higher incentive compensation expenses.

 

The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses in 2008 compared to 2007 was primarily due to higher compensation expenses of $4.7 million, higher excess facilities charges of $2.2 million, higher bad debt expenses of $1.6 million, higher travel and entertainment expenses of $1.0 million, higher marketing expense of $1.0 million and higher stock-based compensation expense of $0.6 million. The higher compensation expense was primarily related to increased headcount and incentive compensation, the increase in excess facilities charges was primarily related to a reduction in estimated sublease income of $1.4 million in 2008 and a net credit of $1.4 million recorded in 2007 from lease extensions of subleased facilities. The increase in marketing expenses was primarily related to trade shows.

 

The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses in 2007 compared to 2006 was primarily due to a litigation settlement and related expenses of $6.4 million, higher compensation expenses of $1.6 million and higher legal, accounting and tax expenses of $1.0 million, partially offset by a decrease in excess facilities expenses of $2.5 million, lower facilities and overhead expenses of $0.4 million, lower depreciation expenses of $0.3 million and lower evaluation material expenses of $0.3 million. The higher compensation expense was primarily related to increased incentive compensation, and the higher legal, accounting and tax expenses were primarily due to personnel separation and acquisition-related activities. The decrease in the excess facilities expenses was primarily due to a net credit of $1.4 million from a revised estimate of sublease income due to the extension of a sublease of a building, which was partially offset by a charge of $0.5 million from the closure of the BTL facility.

 

The increase in amortization of intangibles expense in 2008 compared to 2007 was due to the amortization of intangibles related to the acquisition of Rhozet in July 2007. Harmonic expects to record a total of approximately $0.7 million in amortization of intangibles expense in operating expenses in 2009 related to the intangible assets resulting from the acquisitions of Entone and Rhozet. In addition, additional amortization of intangibles expense in cost of sales is expected following the completion of the proposed acquisition of Scopus.

 

The increase in amortization of intangibles expense in 2007 compared to 2006 was due to the amortization of intangibles related to the acquisitions of Entone and Rhozet during December 2006 and July 2007, respectively.

 

 

The increase in interest income, net in 2008 compared to 2007 was primarily due to a higher investment portfolio balance during the year, which was partially offset by lower interest rates on the cash and short-term investments portfolio.

 

The increase in interest income, net, in 2007 compared to 2006 was primarily due to a higher investment portfolio balance during the year and higher interest rates on the cash and short-term investments portfolio. We completed an offering of our common stock in the fourth quarter of 2007, which resulted in net proceeds of approximately $141.8 million.

 

 

The increase in other expense, net, in 2008 compared to 2007 was primarily due to higher foreign exchange losses on intercompany balances of $0.9 million, an impairment charge on a short-term investment of $0.8 million and higher indirect taxes.

 

The decrease in other income, net, in 2007 compared to 2006 was primarily due to lower gains on foreign exchange, resulting from a continuing decrease in the value of the U.S. dollar compared to the Euro and Pound Sterling in 2007.

 

For the year ended December 31, 2008, our tax rate benefit was 39.2% compared to a tax provision of 4.6% for the same period a year ago. The difference between the underlying effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2008 and the federal statutory rate of 35% is primarily attributable to charges due to the differential in foreign tax rates as well as non-deductible stock-based compensation expense, offset by benefits due to the utilization of net operating loss carryforwards, and the release of the valuation allowance.

 

In accordance with SFAS 109, we have evaluated the need for a valuation allowance based on historical evidence, trends in profitability, expectations of future taxable income and implemented tax planning strategies. As such, we determined that a valuation allowance was no longer necessary for our U.S. and certain foreign deferred tax assets because, based on the available evidence, we concluded that a realization of these net deferred tax assets was more likely than not. We continue to maintain a valuation allowance for certain foreign deferred tax assets at the end of 2008. A release of the valuation allowance against our net deferred tax assets in the United States and certain foreign jurisdictions resulted in a credit of $53.5 million to our consolidated statement of operations and a $3.3 million reduction in goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2008.

 

The provision for income taxes in 2007 is principally due to federal alternative minimum tax and foreign income taxes.

 

Segments

 

Effective January 1, 2006, Harmonic implemented a new organizational structure, and we have operated as a single operating segment and reported our financial results as a single segment since that time. See Note 14 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

non-cash charges included deferred income taxes, stock-based compensation, depreciation, amortization, other non-cash adjustments and loss on disposal of fixed assets. The net change in assets and liabilities included an increase in income taxes payable, lower inventories and accounts receivables, which was partially offset by a decrease in accounts payable primarily from the payment for inventory purchases, a decrease in accrued excess facilities costs and a decrease in deferred revenue.

 

To the extent that non-cash items increase or decrease our future operating results, there will be no corresponding impact on our cash flows. After excluding the effects of these non-cash charges, the primary changes in cash flows relating to operating activities resulted from changes in working capital. Our primary source of operating cash flows is the collection of accounts receivable from our customers. Our operating cash flows are also impacted by the timing of payments to our vendors for accounts payable and other liabilities. We generally pay our vendors and service providers in accordance with the invoice terms and conditions. In addition, we usually pay our annual incentive compensation to employees in the first quarter.

 

Net cash used in investing activities was $18.0 million in 2008, resulting primarily from the net purchase of investments of $8.6 million, the payment of $8.5 million of capital expenditure primarily for test equipment and a payment of $2.8 million to option holders of Rhozet as part of the acquisition in July 2007, which was partially offset by the sale to a third party of a convertible note from Entone, Inc. for $2.6 million. Harmonic currently expects capital expenditures to be in the range of $6 million to $8 million during 2009.

 

Net cash provided by financing activities was $8.5 million in 2008, resulting primarily from proceeds from the exercise of stock options and the sale of our common stock under our 2002 Purchase Plan.

 

Under the terms of the merger agreement with C-Cube, Harmonic is generally liable for C-Cube’s pre-merger tax liabilities. Approximately $1.7 million of pre-merger tax liabilities remained outstanding at December 31, 2008 and are included in accrued liabilities. These liabilities represent estimates of C-Cube’s pre-merger tax obligations to various tax authorities in five countries. We are working with LSI Logic, which acquired the spun-off semiconductor business in June 2001 and assumed its obligations, to settle these obligations, a process which has been underway since the merger in 2000. Harmonic paid $4.9 million during 2008, but is unable to predict when the remaining obligations will be paid, or in what amount. The full amount of the estimated obligation has been classified as a current liability. To the extent that these obligations are finally settled for less than the amounts provided, Harmonic is required, under the terms of the tax-sharing agreement, to refund the difference to LSI Logic. Conversely, if the settlements are more than the remaining $1.7 million pre-merger tax liability balance LSI is obligated to reimburse Harmonic.

 

Harmonic has a bank line of credit facility with Silicon Valley Bank, which provides for borrowings of up to $10.0 million that matures on March 5, 2009. As of December 31, 2008, other than standby letters of credit and guarantees, there were no amounts outstanding under the line of credit facility and there were no borrowings in 2007 or 2008. This facility, which was amended and restated in March 2008, contains a financial covenant with the requirement for Harmonic to maintain cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, net of credit extensions, of not less than $40.0 million. If Harmonic is unable to maintain this cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments balance or satisfy the affirmative covenant requirement, Harmonic would be in noncompliance with the facility. In the event of noncompliance by Harmonic with the financial covenants under the facility, Silicon Valley Bank would be entitled to exercise its remedies under the facility which include declaring all obligations immediately due and payable if obligations were not repaid. At December 31, 2008, Harmonic was in compliance with the covenants under this line of credit facility. The March 2008 amendment requires payment of approximately $20,000 of additional fees if the Company does not maintain an unrestricted deposit of $30.0 million with the bank. Future borrowings pursuant to the line bear interest at the bank’s prime rate (4.0% at December 31, 2008). Borrowings are payable monthly and are not collateralized.

 

Harmonic’s cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments at December 31, 2008 were $327.2 million. As of December 31, 2008, we held approximately $10.7 million of auction rate securities, or ARSs, classified as short-term investments and the fair value of these securities approximate their par value at the balance sheet date. These ARSs which are invested in preferred securities in closed-end mutual funds, all have a credit rating of AA or better and the issuers are paying interest at the maximum contractual rate. During 2008, the Company was able to sell $24.1 million of ARSs through successful auctions and redemptions. The remaining balance of $10.7 million in ARSs that we held as of December 31, 2008, all had failed auctions in 2008. During August 2008, we received notification from our investment manager who holds the ARSs that it had reached a settlement with certain regulatory authorities, pursuant to which the Company would be able to sell its outstanding ARSs to the investment manager at par, plus accrued interest and dividends at any time during the period from January 2, 2009 through January 15, 2010. The entire balance of $10.7 million in ARSs that we held at December 31, 2008 were sold at par plus interest in February 2009.

In the event we need or desire to access funds from the other short-term investments that we hold, it is possible that we may not be able to do so due to adverse market conditions. Our inability to sell all or some of our short-term investments at par or our cost, or rating downgrades of issuers of these securities, could adversely affect our results of operations or financial condition. Nevertheless, we believe that our existing liquidity sources will satisfy our requirements for at least the next twelve months. However, if our expectations are incorrect, we may need to raise additional funds to fund our operations, to take advantage of unanticipated opportunities or to strengthen our financial position.

 

On December 22, 2008, Harmonic entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Scopus Video Networks Ltd., a publicly traded company organized under the laws of Israel. Under the terms of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, Harmonic will pay $5.62 per share in cash, without interest, for all of the outstanding ordinary shares of Scopus, which represents an enterprise value of approximately $51 million, net of Scopus’ cash and short-term investments. The merger is expected to close in March 2009.

 

In addition, we actively review potential acquisitions that would complement our existing product offerings, enhance our technical capabilities or expand our marketing and sales presence. Any future transaction of this nature could require potentially significant amounts of capital or could require us to issue our stock and dilute existing stockholders. If adequate funds are not available, or are not available on acceptable terms, we may not be able to take advantage of market opportunities, to develop new products or to otherwise respond to competitive pressures.

 

Our ability to raise funds may be adversely affected by a number of factors relating to Harmonic, as well as factors beyond our control, including the global economic slowdown, market uncertainty surrounding the ongoing U.S. war on terrorism, as well as conditions in financial markets and the cable and satellite industries. There can be no assurance that any financing will be available on terms acceptable to us, if at all.

 

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

 

None as of December 31, 2008.

 

 

Due to the uncertainty with respect to the timing of future cash flows associated with our unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2008, we are unable to make reasonably reliable estimates of the period of cash settlement with the respective taxing authority. Therefore, $41.6 million of unrecognized tax benefits classified as “Income tax payable long-term” in the accompanying consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2008, have been excluded from the contractual obligations table above. See Note 13 “Income Taxes” to our consolidated financial statements for a discussion on income taxes.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

In September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards 157, “Fair Value Measurements” (“SFAS 157”). This statement clarifies the definition of fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value, and expands the disclosures on fair value measurements. SFAS 157 is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. In February 2008, the FASB adopted FASB Staff Position No. 157-2 — “Effective Date of FASB Statement No. 157” delaying the effective date of SFAS No. 157 for one year for all non financial assets and non financial liabilities, except those that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in the financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually).

 

Harmonic adopted SFAS No. 157 on January 1, 2008, except as it applies to those non-financial assets and non-financial liabilities as described in FSP FAS No. 157-2, and the adoption of SFAS 157 did not materially impact our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. See Note 6, “Cash Equivalents and Investments” for additional information in our consolidated financial statements.

 

In October 2008, the FASB issued FSP 157-3, “Determining Fair Value of a Financial Asset in a Market That Is Not Active” (“FSP 157-3”). FSP 157-3 clarified the application of SFAS No. 157 in an inactive market. It demonstrated how the fair value of

a financial asset is determined when the market for that financial asset is inactive. FSP 157-3 was effective upon issuance, including prior periods for which financial statements had not been issued. The implementation of this standard did not have a material impact on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

 

In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS 141 (revised 2007), “Business Combinations” (“SFAS 141(R)”). SFAS 141(R) establishes principles and requirements for how an acquirer recognizes and measures in its financial statements the identifiable assets acquired, the liabilities assumed, any noncontrolling interest in the acquiree and the goodwill acquired. SFAS 141(R) also establishes disclosure requirements to enable the evaluation of the nature and financial effects of the business combination. SFAS 141(R) is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, and will be adopted by us in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. The adoption of SFAS 141(R) could have a material effect on the Company’s financial position and results of operations as the release of any valuation allowance for acquired tax attributes subsequent to adoption would benefit the tax provision as opposed to recording the benefit to goodwill. We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the adoption of SFAS 141(R) on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

 

In December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS 160, “Noncontrolling Interests in Consolidated Financial Statements — an amendment of Accounting Research Bulletin 51” (“SFAS 160”). SFAS 160 establishes accounting and reporting standards for ownership interests in subsidiaries held by parties other than the parent, the amount of consolidated net income attributable to the parent and to the noncontrolling interest, changes in a parent’s ownership interest, and the valuation of retained noncontrolling equity investments when a subsidiary is deconsolidated. SFAS 160 also establishes disclosure requirements that clearly identify and distinguish between the interests of the parent and the interests of the noncontrolling owners. SFAS 160 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, and will be adopted by us in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. We are currently evaluating the potential impact, if any, of the adoption of SFAS 160 on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

 

In March 2008, the FASB issued SFAS 161, “Disclosures about Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities—an amendment of FASB Statement No. 133” (“SFAS 161”). SFAS 161 changes the disclosure requirements for derivative instruments and hedging activities. Entities are required to provide enhanced disclosures about (a) how and why an entity uses derivative instruments, (b) how derivative instruments and related hedge items are accounted for under Statement 133 and its related interpretations, and (c) how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity’s financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. SFAS 161 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008. We are currently evaluating the potential impact, if any, of the adoption of SFAS 161 on our consolidated results of operations, financial condition or cash flows.

 

In May 2008, the FASB issued SFAS 162, “The Hierarchy of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles” (“SFAS No. 162”). SFAS 162 identifies the sources of accounting principles and the framework for selecting the principles used in the preparation of financial statements of nongovernmental entities that are presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (the GAAP hierarchy). SFAS 162 will become effective 60 days following the SEC’s approval of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board amendments to AU Section 411, “The Meaning of Present Fairly in Conformity With Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.” The adoption of SFAS 162 did not have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

 

In April 2008, the FASB issued FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) No. 142-3, “Determination of the Useful Life of Intangible Assets”. FSP 142-3 amends the factors an entity should consider in developing renewal or extension assumptions used in determining the useful life of recognized intangible assets under FASB 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets”. This new guidance applies prospectively to intangible assets that are acquired individually or with a group of other assets in business combinations and asset acquisitions. FSP 142-3 is effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after December 15, 2008. Early adoption is prohibited. We do not expect the adoption of FSP 142-3 to have a material effect on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

 

In November 2008, the Emerging Issues Task Force issued EITF No. 08-7, “Accounting for Defensive Intangible Assets” (“EITF 08-7”) that clarifies accounting for defensive intangible assets subsequent to initial measurement. EITF 08-7 applies to acquired intangible assets which an entity has no intention of actively using, or intends to discontinue use of, the intangible asset but holds it (locks up) to prevent others from obtaining access to it (i.e., a defensive intangible asset). Under EITF 08-7, the Task Force reached a consensus that an acquired defensive asset should be accounted for as a separate unit of accounting (i.e., an asset separate from other assets of the acquirer); and the useful life assigned to an acquired defensive asset should be based on the period which the asset would diminish in value. EITF 08-7 is effective for defensive intangible assets acquired in

fiscal years beginning on or after December 15, 2008. We are currently evaluating the potential impact, if any, of the adoption of EITF 08-7 on our consolidated results of operations and financial condition.

 

 

 

 

The effectiveness of any system of internal control over financial reporting, including ours, is subject to inherent limitations, including the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, operating, and evaluating the controls and procedures, and the inability to eliminate misconduct completely. Accordingly, any system of internal control over financial reporting, including ours, no matter how well designed and operated, can only provide reasonable, not absolute assurances. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Our management assessed the effectiveness of Harmonic’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008. In making this assessment, our management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control — Integrated Framework. Based on our assessment using those criteria, we concluded that, as of December 31, 2008, Harmonic’s internal control over financial reporting was effective.

 

(a)  Index to Consolidated Financial Statements

 

 

(b)  Financial Statement Schedules:

 

 

 

 

 

To the Board of Directors and Stockholders of Harmonic Inc.:

 

In our opinion, the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets and the related Consolidated Statements of Operations, Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows listed in the index appearing under Item 8 (a) present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Harmonic Inc. and its subsidiaries at December 31, 2008 and December 31, 2007, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2008 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008, based on criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting appearing under Item 8. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

 

As discussed in Note 13 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, effective January 1, 2007, the Company changed its method of accounting for uncertain tax positions.

 

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

 

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

 

/s/PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP

 

PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP

 

San Jose, California

 

February 27, 2009

HARMONIC INC.

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial statements.