UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): March 19, 2015
Discovery Communications, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Charter)
Delaware | 001-34177 | 35-2333914 | ||
(State or Other Jurisdiction
of Incorporation) |
(Commission
File Number) |
(IRS Employer
Identification No.) |
One Discovery Place
Silver Spring, Maryland |
20910 | |
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: 240-662-2000
Not Applicable
(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On March 19, 2015, Discovery Communications, LLC (DCL) completed its registered offering of 600 million aggregate principal amount of its 1.90% Senior Notes due 2027 (the Notes). The Notes were sold in an underwritten public offering pursuant to an underwriting agreement, dated as of March 12, 2015, among DCL, Discovery Communications, Inc. (Discovery) and J.P. Morgan Securities plc, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited, Merrill Lynch International, BNP Paribas, Citigroup Global Markets Limited and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank.
The Notes bear interest at a rate of 1.90% per year and will mature on March 19, 2027. Interest on the Notes is payable on March 19 of each year, beginning on March 19, 2016.
Prior to December 19, 2026, DCL may, at its option, redeem some or all of the Notes at any time by paying a make-whole premium, plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of repurchase. On and after December 19, 2026, DCL may redeem the Notes at its option, in whole at any time or in part from time to time, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued interest on the principal amount being redeemed to the date of redemption. In addition, DCL may redeem the Notes in whole but not in part, at any time at its option, in the event of certain developments affecting U.S. taxation. The Notes are unsecured and rank equally in right of payment with all of DCLs other unsecured senior indebtedness. The Notes are fully and unconditionally guaranteed on an unsecured and unsubordinated basis by Discovery.
The Notes were issued pursuant to an indenture, dated as of August 19, 2009, as supplemented by an eighth supplemental indenture, dated as of March 19, 2015, among DCL, Discovery, U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, and Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, as London Paying Agent. The indenture and the eighth supplemental indenture contain certain covenants, events of default and other customary provisions.
The foregoing descriptions of the Notes, the indenture and the eighth supplemental indenture are summaries only and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of such documents. The indenture, which was filed as Exhibit 4.1 to Discoverys Current Report on Form 8-K on August 19, 2009 and the eighth supplemental indenture, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 4.1, are incorporated herein by reference.
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, counsel to DCL, has issued an opinion to DCL, dated March 19, 2015, regarding the legality of the Notes and the Guarantee upon issuance thereof. A copy of the opinion as to legality is filed as Exhibit 5.1 hereto.
Item 2.03 Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation Under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.
The information set forth under Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) | Exhibits |
4.1 | Eighth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March 19, 2015, among Discovery Communications, LLC, Discovery Communications, Inc., U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, and Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, as London Paying Agent | |
5.1 | Opinion of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP | |
23.1 | Consent of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1 above) |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: March 19, 2015 | DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, INC. | |||||
By: |
/s/ Andrew Warren |
|||||
Name: | Andrew Warren | |||||
Title: | Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
EXHIBIT INDEX
4.1 | Eighth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March 19, 2015, among Discovery Communications, LLC, Discovery Communications, Inc., U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee, and Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, as London Paying Agent | |
5.1 | Opinion of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP | |
23.1 | Consent of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (contained in Exhibit 5.1 above) |
Exhibit 4.1
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC,
Issuer
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, INC.,
Guarantor
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
Trustee
and
ELAVON FINANCIAL SERVICES LIMITED, UK BRANCH,
London Paying Agent
EIGHTH SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE
DATED AS OF MARCH 19, 2015
TO
INDENTURE
DATED AS OF AUGUST 19, 2009
Relating To
600,000,000 1.90% Senior Notes due 2027
EIGHTH SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE
EIGHTH SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE , dated as of March 19, 2015 (the Supplemental Indenture ), to the Base Indenture (defined below), among Discovery Communications, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Company ), Discovery Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Guarantor ), U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee (the Trustee ), and Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, as the London Paying Agent.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company has executed and delivered to the Trustee the Indenture, dated as of August 19, 2009 (the Base Indenture and, together with this Supplemental Indenture, the Indenture ), providing for the issuance from time to time of its Securities;
WHEREAS, pursuant to the terms of the Base Indenture, the Company desires to provide for the establishment of a new series of its Securities to be known as its 1.90% Senior Notes due 2027 (the Notes ), the form and substance of such Notes and the terms, provisions and conditions thereof to be set forth as provided in the Base Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture;
WHEREAS, the Company has requested that the Trustee execute and deliver this Supplemental Indenture, and all requirements necessary to make this Supplemental Indenture a valid instrument in accordance with its terms, and to make the Notes, when executed by the Company and authenticated and delivered by the Trustee, the valid and legally binding obligations of the Company, and all acts and things necessary have been done and performed to make this Supplemental Indenture enforceable in accordance with its terms, and the execution and delivery of this Supplemental Indenture has been duly authorized in all respects.
WITNESSETH:
NOW, THEREFORE, for and in consideration of the premises contained herein, each party agrees for the benefit of each other party and for the equal and ratable benefit of the Holders of the Notes, as follows:
ARTICLE 1
D EFINITIONS
Section 1.01 Capitalized terms used but not defined in this Supplemental Indenture shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Base Indenture.
Section 1.02 References in this Supplemental Indenture to article and section numbers shall be deemed to be references to article and section numbers of this Supplemental Indenture unless otherwise specified.
Section 1.03 For purposes of this Supplemental Indenture, the following terms have the meanings ascribed to them as follows:
Agency Agreement means that certain Agency Agreement, dated March 19, 2015, among the Company, the Guarantor, Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, Elavon Financial Services Limited and the Trustee.
Attributable Debt means, with respect to a Sale and Leaseback Transaction, an amount equal to the present value of the lease payments with respect to the term of the lease remaining on the date as of which the amount is being determined, without regard to any renewal or extension options contained in the lease, discounted at the rate of interest set forth or implicit in the terms of the lease, compounded semi-annually.
Base Indenture has the meaning provided in the recitals.
Business Day means any day, other than a Saturday or Sunday, (1) which is not a day on which banking institutions in The City of New York or London are authorized or required by law or executive order to close and (2) on which the Trans-European Automated Real-time Gross Settlement Express Transfer system (the TARGET2 system), or any successor thereto, operates.
Clearstream has the meaning provided in Section 2.03(b).
Company has the meaning provided in the preamble.
Comparable Government Bond has the meaning provided in Section 4.01(b).
Comparable Government Bond Rate has the meaning provided in Section 4.01(b).
Exchange Act means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Euroclear has the meaning provided in Section 2.03(b).
GAAP means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States set forth in the opinions and pronouncements of the Accounting Principles Board and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and statements and pronouncements of the Financial Accounting Standards Board or such other principles as may be approved by a significant segment of the accounting profession in the United States, that are applicable to the circumstances as of the date of determination, consistently applied.
- 2 -
Guarantor has the meaning provided in the preamble.
Indenture has the meaning provided in the recitals.
Interest Payment Date has the meaning provided in Section 2.03(f).
Lien means any mortgage, pledge, hypothecation, assignment, deposit, arrangement, encumbrance, lien (statutory or other), charge, or preference, priority or other security interest or preferential arrangement of any kind or nature whatsoever (including any conditional sale or other title retention agreement, any easement, right of way or other encumbrance on title to real property, and any financing lease substantially having the same economic effect as any of the foregoing).
Notes has the meaning provided in the recitals.
Paying Agent has the meaning provided in Section 2.03(d).
Permitted Sale and Leaseback Transaction has the meaning provided in Section 3.02(b).
Remaining Scheduled Payments has the meaning provided in Section 4.01(b).
Sale and Leaseback Transaction means any arrangement with any Person pursuant to which the Company or any Subsidiary leases any property that has been or is to be sold or transferred by the Company or the Subsidiary to such person.
Supplemental Indenture has the meaning provided in the preamble.
Total Consolidated Assets means, as of any date, the total consolidated assets of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries computed in accordance with GAAP as of the last day of the fiscal quarter most recently ended prior to such date, subject to the second sentence of the definition of Debt in the Base Indenture.
Transfer Agent has the meaning provided in Section 2.03(d).
Trustee has the meaning provided in the preamble.
- 3 -
ARTICLE 2
G ENERAL T ERMS AND C ONDITIONS OF THE N OTES
Section 2.01 . Designation and Principal Amount. The Notes are hereby authorized and are designated the 1.90% Notes due 2027, unlimited in aggregate principal amount. The Notes issued on the date hereof pursuant to the terms of this Indenture shall be in an aggregate principal amount of 600,000,000, which amount shall be set forth in the written order of the Company for the authentication and delivery of the Notes pursuant to Section 2.05 of the Base Indenture. In addition, the Company may, from time to time, without notice to or the consent of the Holders of the Notes, create and issue additional Notes ranking equally and ratably with the Notes issued on the date hereof in all respects (or in all respects except for the payment of interest accruing prior to the issue date of such additional Notes or except for the first payment of interest following the issue date of such additional Notes), so that such additional Notes shall be consolidated and form a single series with the Notes issued on the date hereof and shall have the same terms as to status, redemption or otherwise as the Notes issued on the date hereof, provided that if any such additional Notes are not fungible with the Notes initially issued hereunder for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such additional Notes shall have separate ISIN and Common Code numbers.
Section 2.02 . Maturity. The principal amount of the Notes shall be payable on March 19, 2027.
Section 2.03 . Form and Payment. (a) The Notes shall be issued as global notes, only in fully registered book-entry form, without coupons, in minimum denominations of 100,000 and integral multiples of 1,000 in excess thereof.
(b) Principal, premium, if any, and/or interest, if any, on the global notes representing the Notes shall be made to the Paying Agent which in turn shall make payment with respect to the Notes to Elavon Financial Services Limited, a common depositary for Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. ( Euroclear ) and Clearstream Banking, société anonyme ( Clearstream ), for their respective accounts.
(c) The global notes representing the Notes shall be deposited with, or on behalf of, Elavon Financial Services Limited, a common depositary for Euroclear and Clearstream, and registered in the name of such common depositary or its nominee for the accounts of Euroclear and Clearstream.
(d) Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, shall initially act as the London paying agent for the Notes (the Paying Agent ) and Elavon Financial Services Limited shall initially act as transfer agent for the Notes (the Transfer Agent ) in accordance with the terms of the Agency Agreement. The Company may change the Paying Agent or the Transfer Agent without prior notice to the Holders.
- 4 -
(e) Elavon Financial Services Limited shall initially act as the Security Registrar, as such term is defined in in Section 4.01(b) of the Base Indenture, for the Notes in accordance with the terms of the Agency Agreement and for so long as Elavon Financial Services Limited shall be the Security Registrar for the Notes, the list of Holders required by Section 4.01 of the Base Indenture shall not be required to be furnished to the Trustee. The Company may change the Security Registrar without prior notice to the Holders.
(f) Each of the Company and the Guarantor designates the office of the Transfer Agent and Paying Agent at 125 Old Broad Street, Fifth Floor, London EC2N 1AR as an agency where the Notes may be presented for payment, exchange or registration of transfer, in each case as provided for in the Indenture.
Section 2.04 . Interest. (a) Interest on the Notes shall accrue at the rate of 1.90% per annum. Interest on the Notes shall be payable annually in arrears on March 19, commencing on March 19, 2016 (each an Interest Payment Date ), to the Holders in whose names the Notes are registered at the close of business on the March 1 immediately preceding the relevant Interest Payment Date. Interest on the Notes shall be computed on the basis of the actual number of days in the period for which interest is being calculated and the actual number of days from and including the last date on which interest was paid on the Notes (or March 19, 2015 if no interest has been paid on the Notes), to but excluding the next scheduled Interest Payment Date. This payment convention is referred to as ACTUAL/ACTUAL (ICMA) as defined in the rulebook of the International Capital Markets Association.
(b) If any Interest Payment Date, the maturity date or a redemption date falls on a day that is not a Business Day, the related payment shall be paid on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if made on the relevant Interest Payment Date, maturity date or redemption date, as the case may be, and no further interest shall accrue as a result of such delay.
Section 2.05 Payments in Euro. The initial Holders will be required to pay for the Notes in euro, and all payments of interest and principal, including payments made upon any redemption of the Notes, will be payable in euro. If, on or after the date of issuance of the Notes, the euro is unavailable to the Company due to the imposition of exchange controls or other circumstances beyond the Companys control or if the euro is no longer being used by the then member states of the European Monetary Union that have adopted the euro as their currency or for the settlement of transactions by public institutions of or within the international banking community, then all payments in respect of the Notes will be made in U.S. dollars until the euro is again available to the Company or so
- 5 -
used. In such circumstances, the amount payable on any date in euro will be converted into U.S. dollars on the basis of the most recently available market exchange rate for euro. Any payment in respect of the Notes so made in U.S. dollars will not constitute an Event of Default under the Notes or the Indenture. Neither the Trustee nor the Paying Agent shall have any responsibility for any calculation or conversion in connection with the foregoing.
Section 2.06 . Other Terms. The Notes shall be unsecured senior indebtedness of the Company and shall rank equally and ratably in right of payment with all of the Companys other unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness outstanding from time to time. The Notes shall not be convertible into, or exchangeable for, any other securities of the Company, except that the Notes shall be exchangeable for other Notes to the extent provided for in the Base Indenture.
ARTICLE 3
A DDITIONAL C OVENANTS
Section 3.01 . Limitation on Liens. (a) The Company shall not, and shall not permit any of its Subsidiaries to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien on any property or asset, to secure any Debt of the Company, any of its Subsidiaries or any other Person, or permit any of its Subsidiaries to do so, without securing the Notes equally and ratably with such Debt for so long as such Debt will be so secured, subject to the exceptions set forth in Section 3.01(b).
(b) The foregoing restriction does not apply, with respect to any Person, to any of the following:
(i) Liens existing on the date hereof;
(ii) Liens on assets or property of a Person at the time it becomes a Subsidiary securing only indebtedness of such Person or Liens existing on assets or property at the time of the acquisition of such assets, provided such indebtedness was not incurred or such Liens were not created in connection with such Person becoming a Subsidiary or such assets being acquired;
(iii) Liens on assets created at the time of or within 12 months after the acquisition, purchase, lease, improvement or development of such assets to secure all or a portion of the purchase price or lease for, or the costs of improvement or development of, such assets;
(iv) Liens to secure any extension, renewal, refinancing or refunding (or successive extensions, renewals, refinancings or refundings),
- 6 -
in whole or in part, of any indebtedness secured by Liens referred to in the foregoing clauses (i) through (iii) or Liens created in connection with any amendment, consent or waiver relating to such indebtedness, so long as such Lien does not extend to any other property and the amount of Debt secured is not increased (other than by the amount equal to any costs and expenses incurred in connection with any extension, renewal, refinancing or refunding);
(v) Liens on property incurred in a Permitted Sale and Leaseback Transaction;
(vi) Liens in favor of only the Guarantor, the Company or one or more Subsidiaries granted by the Company or a Subsidiary to secure any obligations owed to the Guarantor, the Company or a Subsidiary of the Guarantor;
(vii) carriers, warehousemens, mechanics, materialmens, repairmens, laborers, landlords and similar Liens arising in the ordinary course of business securing obligations that are not overdue for a period of more than 90 days or that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings;
(viii) pledges or deposits in the ordinary course of business in connection with workers compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security legislation, other than any Lien imposed by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended;
(ix) deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts and leases, statutory obligations, surety bonds (other than bonds related to judgments or litigation), performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(x) Liens arising out of a judgment, decree or order of court being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, provided that adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the Guarantor, the Company or the books of their Subsidiaries, as the case may be, in conformity with GAAP;
(xi) Liens for taxes not yet due and payable, or being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, provided that adequate reserves with respect thereto are maintained on the books of the Guarantor, the Company or the books of their Subsidiaries, as the case may be, in conformity with GAAP;
- 7 -
(xii) easements, rights of way, restrictions and similar Liens affecting real property incurred in the ordinary course of business that do not secure any monetary obligations and do not materially detract from the value of the property subject thereto or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of the Guarantor, the Company or of such Subsidiary;
(xiii) Liens securing reimbursement obligations with respect to letters of credit related to trade payables and issued in the ordinary course of business, which Liens encumber documents and other property relating to such letters of credit and the products and proceeds thereof;
(xiv) Liens encumbering customary initial deposits and margin deposits and other Liens in the ordinary course of business, in each case securing indebtedness under any interest swap obligations and currency agreements and forward contract, option, futures contracts, futures options or similar agreements or arrangements designed to protect the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries from fluctuations in interest rates or currencies;
(xv) Liens in the nature of voting, equity transfer, redemptive rights or similar terms under any such agreement or other term customarily found in such agreements, in each case, encumbering the Companys or such Subsidiarys equity interests or other investments in such Subsidiary or other Person;
(xvi) Liens created in favor of a producer or supplier of television programming or films over distribution revenues and/or distribution rights which are allocable to such producer or supplier under related distribution arrangements; or
(xvii) Liens otherwise prohibited by this Section 3.01, securing indebtedness which, together with the amount of Attributable Debt incurred in Sale and Leaseback Transactions, do not at any time exceed 10% of Total Consolidated Assets.
Section 3.02 . Limitation on Sale and Leasebacks. (a) The Company shall not, and shall not permit any Subsidiary to, enter into any Sale and Leaseback Transaction (other than a Permitted Sale and Leaseback Transaction), unless the Company or such Subsidiary would be entitled to secure the property to be leased (without equally and ratably securing the outstanding Notes) in a principal amount equal to the amount of Attributable Debt incurred in such Sale and Leaseback Transaction.
(b) For purposes of Section 3.01 and this Section 3.02, Permitted Sale and Leaseback Transaction means any of the following: (i) temporary
- 8 -
leases for a term, including renewals at the option of the lessee, of not more than three years, (ii) leases between only the Company and a Subsidiary or only between Subsidiaries of the Company, (iii) leases of property executed by the time of, or within 12 months after the latest of (A) the acquisition, (B) the completion of construction or improvement or (C) the commencement of commercial operation of the property and (iv) any Sale and Leaseback Transaction regarding the real property in Silver Spring, Maryland and the Companys headquarters building located on such property.
Section 3.03 . Consolidation, Sale, Merger or Conveyance. (a) In addition to complying with the provisions of Section 9.01 of the Base Indenture, the Company agrees that if, as a result of any consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease to which such Section 9.01 applies, properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary would become subject to any lien that would not be permitted by Section 3.01 hereof without equally and ratably securing the Notes, (i) the Company or the Person formed by such consolidation or into which the Company is merged or the Person that acquires by conveyance or transfer, or that leases, the properties and assets of the Company substantially as an entirety, as the case may be, shall take the steps as are necessary to effectively secure the Notes equally and ratably with, or prior to, all indebtedness secured by those liens as provided for in Section 3.01 and (ii) the Officers Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel required by Section 9.01(c) of the Base Indenture shall also state that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection with such transaction, such supplemental indenture comply with this Section 3.03(a).
(b) In addition to complying with the provisions of Section 9.03 of the Base Indenture, the Guarantor agrees that if, as a result of any consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease to which such Section 9.03 applies, properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary would become subject to any lien that would not be permitted by Section 3.01 hereof without equally and ratably securing the Notes, (i) the Guarantor or the Person formed by such consolidation or into which the Guarantor is merged or the Person that acquires by conveyance or transfer, or that leases, the properties and assets of the Guarantor substantially as an entirety, as the case may be, shall take the steps as are necessary to effectively secure the Notes equally and ratably with, or prior to, all indebtedness secured by those liens as provided for in Section 3.01 and (ii) the Officers Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel required by Section 9.03(c) of the Base Indenture shall also state that such consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection with such transaction, such supplemental indenture comply with this Section 3.03(b).
(c) Nothing contained in the last paragraph of each of Sections 9.01 and 9.03 of the Base Indenture shall limit the application of Section 3.01 hereof to any consolidation or merger of any Person into the Company or the Guarantor
- 9 -
where the Company or the Guarantor is the survivor of such transaction, or the acquisition by the Company or the Guarantor, by purchase or otherwise, of all or any part of the property of any other Person (whether or not affiliated with the Company or the Guarantor).
ARTICLE 4
R EDEMPTION OF THE N OTES
Section 4.01 . Optional Redemption.
(a) Prior to December 19, 2026, the Notes shall be redeemable in whole or in part, at the option of the Company at any time and from time to time in accordance with Article 12 of the Base Indenture (as modified by this Supplemental Indenture), at a redemption price equal to the greater of:
(i) 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, and
(ii) the sum of the present values of the Remaining Scheduled Payments of principal and interest on the Notes to be redeemed (not including any portion of such payments of interest accrued as of the date of redemption) discounted to the date of redemption on an annual basis (ACTUAL/ACTUAL (ICMA)) at the applicable Comparable Government Bond Rate plus 30.0 basis points, plus accrued interest on the principal amount being redeemed to the date of redemption.
On and after December 19, 2026, the Notes shall be redeemable, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company at any time and from time to time, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued interest on the principal amount being redeemed to the date of redemption.
(b) For purposes of this Section 4.01, the following definitions are applicable:
Comparable Government Bond means, in relation to any Comparable Government Bond Rate calculation, at the discretion of an independent investment bank selected by the Company, a German government bond whose maturity is closest to the maturity of the Notes to be redeemed, or if such independent investment bank in its discretion determines that such similar bond is not in issue, such other German government bond as such independent investment bank may, with the advice of three brokers of, and/or market makers in, German government bonds selected by the Company, determine to be appropriate for determining the Comparable Government Bond Rate.
- 10 -
Comparable Government Bond Rate means, with respect to any redemption date, the price, expressed as a percentage (rounded to three decimal places, with 0.0005 being rounded upwards), at which the gross redemption yield on the Notes to be redeemed, if they were to be purchased at such price on the third Business Day prior to the date fixed for redemption, would be equal to the gross redemption yield on such Business Day of the Comparable Government Bond on the basis of the middle market price of the Comparable Government Bond prevailing at 11:00 a.m. (London time) on such Business Day as determined by an independent investment bank selected by the Company.
Remaining Scheduled Payments means, with respect to the Notes to be redeemed, the remaining scheduled payments of the principal thereof and interest thereon that would be due after the related redemption date but for such redemption; provided, however , that, if such redemption date is not an Interest Payment Date with respect to such Notes, the amount of the next succeeding scheduled interest payment thereon shall be deemed to be reduced by the amount of interest accrued thereon to such redemption date.
Section 4.02 . Purchase of Notes Upon a Change of Control Triggering Event. (a) If a Change of Control Triggering Event occurs, unless the Company has exercised its right to redeem the Notes in full, pursuant to Section 4.01, Holders of Notes shall have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or a portion of such Holders Notes pursuant to the offer described in 4.02(b) below (such offer, the Change of Control Offer ), at a purchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of repurchase, subject to the rights of Holders of Notes on the relevant record date to receive interest due on the relevant interest payment date.
(b) Within 30 days following the date upon which the Change of Control Triggering Event occurred, or at the Companys option, prior to any Change of Control but after the public announcement of the pending Change of Control, the Company shall be required to send, by first class mail (or electronically in accordance with applicable Depositary procedures), a notice to Holders of Notes, with a copy to the Trustee and the Paying Agent, which notice shall govern the terms of the Change of Control Offer. Such notice shall state, among other things, the repurchase date, which must be no earlier than 30 days nor later than 60 days from the date such notice is mailed, other than as may be required by law (the Change of Control Payment Date ). The notice, if sent prior to the date of consummation of the Change of Control, may state that the Change of Control Offer is conditioned on the Change of Control being consummated on or prior to the Change of Control Payment Date. Holders of Notes electing to have their Notes repurchased pursuant to a Change of Control Offer shall be required to surrender their Notes, with the form entitled Option of Holder to Elect Purchase on the reverse of the Notes completed, to the Paying Agent at the address specified in the notice, or transfer their Notes to the Paying
- 11 -
Agent by book-entry transfer pursuant to the applicable procedures of the Paying Agent, prior to the close of business on the third Business Day prior to the Change of Control Payment Date.
(c) The Company shall not be required to make a Change of Control Offer if a third party makes such an offer in the manner, at the times and otherwise in compliance with the requirements for such an offer made by the Company and such third party purchases all Notes properly tendered and not withdrawn under its offer.
(d) The Company shall comply with the requirements of Rule 14e-1 under the Exchange Act and any other securities laws and regulations thereunder to the extent those laws and regulations are applicable in connection with the repurchase of the Notes as a result of a Change of Control Triggering Event. To the extent that the provisions of any such securities laws or regulations conflict with the Change of Control Offer provisions of the Notes, the Company shall comply with those securities laws and regulations and shall not be deemed to have breached its obligations under the provisions in the Indenture governing the Change of Control Offer by virtue of any such conflict.
(e) For purposes of this Section 4.02, the following definitions are applicable:
Below Investment Grade Rating Event with respect to the Notes means that such Notes become rated below Investment Grade by each Rating Agency on any date from the date of the public notice by the Guarantor or the Company of an arrangement that results in a Change of Control until the end of the 60-day period following public notice by the Guarantor or the Company of the occurrence of a Change of Control (which period will be extended so long as the rating of such Notes is under publicly announced consideration for possible downgrade by any of the Rating Agencies); provided, however, that a Below Investment Grade Rating Event otherwise arising by virtue of a particular reduction in rating shall not be deemed to have occurred in respect of a particular Change of Control (and thus shall not be deemed a Below Investment Grade Rating Event for purposes of the definition of Change of Control Triggering Event), if the Rating Agencies making the reduction in rating to which this definition would otherwise apply do not announce or publicly confirm or inform the Trustee in writing at its request that the reduction was the result, in whole or in part, of any event or circumstance comprised of or arising as a result of, or in respect of, the applicable Change of Control (whether or not the applicable Change of Control has occurred at the time of the Below Investment Grade Rating Event).
- 12 -
Change of Control means the occurrence of any one of the following:
(i) the direct or indirect sale, lease, transfer, conveyance or other disposition (other than by way of merger or consolidation), in one or a series of related transactions, of all or substantially all of the assets of the Guarantor and its Subsidiaries, or the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to any person (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) other than to the Guarantor or one of its Subsidiaries;
(ii) the consummation of any transaction (including without limitation, any merger or consolidation) the result of which is that any person (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) other than any Significant Shareholder (as defined below) or any combination of Significant Shareholders becomes the beneficial owner (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of more than 50% of the outstanding Voting Stock of the Guarantor or the Company, measured by voting power rather than number of shares;
(iii) the consummation of a so-called going private/Rule 13e-3 Transaction that results in any of the effects described in paragraph (a)(3)(ii) of Rule 13e-3 under the Exchange Act (or any successor provision) with respect to each class of the Guarantors common stock, following which any Significant Shareholder or any combination of Significant Shareholders beneficially own (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the outstanding Voting Stock of the Guarantor or the Company, measured by voting power rather than number of shares;
(iv) the first day on which the majority of the members of the Board of Directors of the Guarantor cease to be Continuing Directors; or
(v) the adoption of a plan relating to the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Guarantor.
Change of Control Triggering Event means the occurrence of both a Change of Control and a Below Investment Grade Rating Event. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Change of Control Triggering Event shall be deemed to have, occurred in connection with any particular Change of Control unless and until such Change of Control has actually been consummated.
Continuing Director means, as of any date of determination, any member of the Board of Directors (or equivalent body) of the Guarantor who:
(i) was a member of such board of directors on the date of the issuance of the Notes; or
- 13 -
(ii) was nominated for election, elected or appointed to such board of directors with the approval of a majority of the Continuing Directors who were members of such board of directors at the time of such nomination, election or appointment (either by a specific vote or by approval of the Guarantors proxy statement in which such member was named as a nominee for election as a director, without objection to such nomination).
Fitch means Fitch Ratings Ltd., and its successors.
Investment Grade means a rating of BBB or better by S&P (or its equivalent under any successor rating category of S&P), a rating of Baa3 or better by Moodys (or its equivalent under any successor rating category of Moodys) and a rating of BBB or better by Fitch (or its equivalent under any successor rating category of Fitch).
Moodys means Moodys Investors Service, Inc., and its successors.
Rating Agency means (i) each of S&P, Moodys and Fitch; and (ii) if any of S&P, Moodys or Fitch ceases to rate the Notes or fails to make a rating of the Notes publicly available for reasons outside of the Companys control, a nationally recognized statistical rating organization as defined in Section 3(a)(63) of the Exchange Act, selected by the Company (as certified by a resolution of the Board of Directors of the Guarantor and reasonably acceptable to the Trustee) as a replacement agency for S&P, Moodys or Fitch, or all of them, as the case may be.
S&P means Standard & Poors Ratings Services, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., and its successors.
Significant Shareholder means each of (i) Advance/Newhouse Programming Partnership, (ii) the Guarantor or any of its Subsidiaries and (iii) any other person (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) if 50% or more of the Voting Stock of such person is beneficially owned (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, by Advance/Newhouse Programming Partnership or the Guarantor or one of its Subsidiaries or any combination thereof.
Voting Stock of any specified Person as of any date means any and all shares or equity interests (however designated) of such Person that are at the time entitled to vote generally in the election of the board of directors, managers or trustees of such Person, as applicable.
Section 4.03 Redemption for Tax Reasons. If, as a result of any change in, or amendment to, the laws (or any regulations or rulings promulgated under
- 14 -
the laws) of the United States (or any taxing authority in the United States), or any change in, or amendments to, an official position regarding the application or interpretation of such laws, regulations or rulings, which change or amendment is announced or becomes effective on or after the date of the issuance of the Notes, the Company becomes or, based upon a written opinion of independent counsel selected by the Company, the Company will become obligated to pay additional amounts as described in Article 5 Payment of Additional Amounts with respect to the Notes, then the Company may at any time at its option redeem, in whole, but not in part, the Notes on not less than 15 nor more than 60 days prior notice, at a redemption price equal to 100% of their principal amount, together with accrued and unpaid interest on those Notes to, but not including, the date fixed for redemption.
ARTICLE 5
P AYMENT OF A DDITIONAL A MOUNTS
Section 5.01. Payment of Additional Amounts. (a) The Company will, subject to the exceptions and limitations set forth below, pay as additional interest on the Notes such additional amounts as are necessary in order that the net payment by the Company of the principal of and interest on the Notes to a Holder of the Notes who is not a United States person (as defined below), after withholding or deduction for any present or future tax, assessment or other governmental charge imposed by the United States or a taxing authority in the United States, will not be less than the amount provided in the Notes to be then due and payable; provided, however, that the foregoing obligation to pay additional amounts shall not apply:
(1) to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed by reason of the Holder (or the beneficial owner for whose benefit such Holder holds such Notes), or a fiduciary, settlor, beneficiary, member or shareholder of the Holder if the Holder is an estate, trust, partnership or corporation, or a person holding a power over an estate or trust administered by a fiduciary holder, being considered as:
a. being or having been engaged in a trade or business in the United States or having or having had a permanent establishment in the United States;
b. having a current or former connection with the United States (other than a connection arising solely as a result of the ownership of the Notes, the receipt of any payment or the enforcement of any rights hereunder), including being or having been a citizen or resident of the United States;
- 15 -
c. being or having been a personal holding company, a passive foreign investment company or a controlled foreign corporation for United States income tax purposes or a corporation that has accumulated earnings to avoid United States federal income tax;
d. being or having been a 10-percent shareholder of the Guarantor as defined in section 871(h)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code) or any successor provision; or
e. being a bank receiving payments on an extension of credit made pursuant to a loan agreement entered into in the ordinary course of its trade or business;
(2) to any Holder that is not the sole beneficial owner of the Notes, or a portion of the Notes, or that is a fiduciary, partnership or limited liability company, but only to the extent that a beneficial owner with respect to the Holder, a beneficiary or settlor with respect to the fiduciary, or a beneficial owner or member of the partnership or limited liability company would not have been entitled to the payment of an additional amount had the beneficiary, settlor, beneficial owner or member received directly its beneficial or distributive share of the payment;
(3) to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that would not have been imposed but for the failure of the Holder or any other person to comply with certification, identification or information reporting requirements concerning the nationality, residence, identity or connection with the United States of the Holder or beneficial owner of the Notes, if compliance is required by statute, by regulation of the United States or any taxing authority therein or by an applicable income tax treaty to which the United States is a party as a precondition to exemption from such tax, assessment or other governmental charge;
(4) to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed otherwise than by withholding by us or a paying agent from the payment;
(5) to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that would not have been imposed but for a change in law, regulation, or administrative or judicial interpretation that becomes effective more than 15 days after the payment becomes due or is duly provided for, whichever occurs later;
- 16 -
(6) to any estate, inheritance, gift, sales, excise, transfer, wealth, capital gains or personal property tax or similar tax, assessment or other governmental charge;
(7) to any withholding or deduction that is imposed on a payment to an individual and that is required to be made pursuant to any law implementing or complying with, or introduced in order to conform to, any European Union Directive on the taxation of savings;
(8) to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge required to be withheld by any paying agent from any payment of principal of or interest on any Notes, if such payment can be made without such withholding by at least one other paying agent;
(9) to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that would not have been imposed but for the presentation by the Holder of any Notes, where presentation is required, for payment on a date more than 30 days after the date on which payment became due and payable or the date on which payment thereof is duly provided for, whichever occurs later;
(10) to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge that is imposed or withheld solely by reason of the beneficial owner being a bank (i) purchasing the Notes in the ordinary course of its lending business or (ii) that is neither (A) buying the Notes for investment purposes only nor (B) buying the Notes for resale to a third-party that either is not a bank or holding the Notes for investment purposes only;
(11) to any tax, assessment or other governmental charge imposed under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Internal Revenue Code (or any amended or successor provisions), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof, any agreement entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b) of the Internal Revenue Code or any fiscal or regulatory legislation, rules or practices adopted pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement entered into in connection with the implementation of such sections of the Internal Revenue Code; or
(12) in the case of any combination of items (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10) and (11) above.
(b) The Notes are subject in all cases to any tax, fiscal or other law or regulation or administrative or judicial interpretation applicable to the Notes. Except as specifically provided under this Article, we will not be required to make any payment for any tax, assessment or other governmental charge imposed by any government or a political subdivision or taxing authority of or in any government or political subdivision.
- 17 -
(c) As used under this Article 5 and under Section 4.03, the term United States means the United States of America, the states of the United States, and the District of Columbia, and the term United States person means any individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia, or any estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source.
ARTICLE 6
E VENTS OF D EFAULT
Section 6.01 . Events of Default. (a) Solely with respect to the Notes, the first paragraph of Section 5.01 of the Base Indenture shall be amended as follows:
(i) Clause (a) shall be amended by replacing the phrase 60 days (or such other period as may be established for the Securities of such series as contemplated by Section 2.04) with 30 days therein;
(ii) Clause (b) shall be amended by deleting the phrase , and the continuance of such default for five days (or such other period as may be established for the Securities of such series as contemplated by Section 2.04) therein;
(iii) The following clause shall be added immediately following clause (e): (f) the Guarantee ceases to be in full force and effect (except as contemplated by the terms of the Indenture) or is declared null and void in a judicial proceeding or the Guarantor denies or disaffirms its obligations under the Indenture or the Guarantee; or; and
(iv) Clause (f) shall be amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:
(g) default under any mortgage, indenture or instrument under which there may be issued or by which there may be secured or evidenced any indebtedness for money borrowed by the Guarantor, the Company or any of their Subsidiaries (or the payment of which is guaranteed by the Guarantor, the Company or any of their Subsidiaries), whether such indebtedness or guarantee now exists, or is created after the date hereof, if that default (i) is caused by
- 18 -
a failure to pay principal on such indebtedness at its stated final maturity (after giving effect to any applicable grace periods provided in such indebtedness) (a Payment Default ) or (ii) results in the acceleration of such indebtedness prior to its express maturity (an Acceleration Event ) and (A) in each case, the principal amount of any such indebtedness, together with the principal amount of any other such indebtedness under which there has been a Payment Default or an Acceleration Event, aggregates $100 million or more and (B) in the case of a Payment Default, such indebtedness is not discharged and, in the case of an Acceleration Event, such acceleration is not rescinded or annulled, within ten days after there has been given, by registered or certified mail (or sent electronically in accordance with applicable Depositary procedures), to the Company and the Guarantor by the Trustee or to the Company, the Guarantor and the Trustee by the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Notes, a written notice specifying such default or breach and requiring it to be remedied and stating that such notice is a Notice of Default hereunder.
(b) Solely with respect to the Notes, the first sentence of the second paragraph of Section 5.01 of the Base Indenture shall be amended by replacing the phrase in clauses (a), (b), (c) or (f) with in clauses (a), (b), (c), (f) or (g) therein.
(c) Solely with respect to the Notes, if the euro is unavailable to the Company due to the imposition of exchange controls or other circumstances beyond the Companys control or if the euro is no longer being used by the then member states of the European Monetary Union that have adopted the euro as their currency or for the settlement of transactions by public institutions of or within the international banking community, then all payments in respect of the Notes will be made in U.S. dollars until the euro is again available to the Company or so used. The amount payable on any date in euros will be converted into U.S. dollars on the basis of the most recently available market exchange rate for euro. Any payment in respect of the Notes so made in U.S. dollars will not constitute an Event of Default.
Section 6.02 . Collection of Debt by Trustee; Trustee May Prove Debt. Solely with respect to the Notes, the first sentence of the first paragraph of Section 5.02 of the Base Indenture shall be amended as follows:
(a) Clause (a) shall be amended by replacing the phrase 60 days with 30 days therein; and
(b) Clause (b) shall be amended by deleting the phrase , and such default shall have continued for a period of five days therein.
- 19 -
ARTICLE 7
S UPPLEMENTAL I NDENTURES
Section 7.01 . Supplemental Indentures with Consent of Securityholders. Solely with respect to the Notes, the first paragraph of Section 8.02 of the Base Indenture shall be amended as follows:
(a) the following clauses shall be added immediately following clause (a) in the proviso of that paragraph (but before the word or immediately preceding clause (b)): (b) reduce the amount payable upon repurchase of any Note, or change the time at which any Note may be so repurchased; (c) make any change to the Guarantee in any manner adverse to the Holders of the Notes; and
(b) clause (b) in the proviso of that paragraph shall become clause (d).
ARTICLE 8
M ISCELLANEOUS
Section 8.01 . Covenant Defeasance. (a) Article 10 of the Base Indenture shall be applicable to the Notes, subject to clause (b) below. If the Company effects covenant defeasance (as defined in Section 10.05 of the Base Indenture) pursuant to Article 10 of the Base Indenture, then the Company shall be released from its obligations under Article Three and Section 4.02 of this Supplemental Indenture with respect to the Notes as provided for in Article 10 of the Base Indenture.
(b) Solely with respect to the Notes, the obligations referred to in paragraph (a)(ii) of Section 10.06 of the Base Indenture shall refer to (1) securities that are direct obligations of the Federal Republic of Germany for the payment of which its full faith and credit is pledged or (2) obligations of a person controlled or supervised by and acting as an agency or instrumentality of the Federal Republic of Germany, the payment of which is unconditionally guaranteed as a full faith and credit obligation by the Federal Republic of Germany, which, in either case under clauses (1) or (2) are not callable or redeemable at the option of the issuer thereof.
Section 8.02 . Form of Notes. (a) The Notes and the Trustees certificates of authentication to be endorsed thereon are to be substantially in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto, which form is hereby incorporated in and made a part of this Supplemental Indenture.
- 20 -
(b) The terms and provisions contained in the Notes shall constitute, and are hereby expressly made, a part of this Supplemental Indenture, and the Company and the Trustee, by their execution and delivery of this Supplemental Indenture, expressly agree to such terms and provisions and to be bound thereby.
Section 8.03 . Ratification of Base Indenture. The Base Indenture, as supplemented by this Supplemental Indenture, is in all respects ratified and confirmed, and this Supplemental Indenture shall be deemed part of the Base Indenture in the manner and to the extent herein and therein provided.
Section 8.04 . Trust Indenture Act Controls. If any provision hereof limits, qualifies or conflicts with the duties imposed by Section 310 through 317 of the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, the imposed duties shall control.
Section 8.05 . Conflict with Indenture. To the extent not expressly amended or modified by this Supplemental Indenture, the Base Indenture shall remain in full force and effect. If any provision of this Supplemental Indenture relating to the Notes is inconsistent with any provision of the Base Indenture, the provision of this Supplemental Indenture shall control.
Section 8.06 . Governing Law. THIS SUPPLEMENTAL INDENTURE AND THE NOTES SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE A CONTRACT UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AND FOR ALL PURPOSES SHALL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF SUCH STATE, EXCEPT AS MAY OTHERWISE BE REQUIRED BY MANDATORY PROVISIONS OF LAW.
Section 8.07 . Successors. All agreements of the Company and the Guarantor in the Base Indenture, this Supplemental Indenture and the Notes shall bind their respective successors. All agreements of the Trustee in the Base Indenture and this Supplemental Indenture shall bind its successors.
Section 8.08 . Counterparts. This instrument may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which so executed shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. Signatures of the parties hereto transmitted by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed to be their original signatures for all purposes.
Section 8.09 . Trustee Disclaimer. The Trustee makes no representation as to the validity or sufficiency of this Supplemental Indenture other than as to the validity of its execution and delivery by the Trustee. The recitals and statements herein are deemed to be those of the Company and the Guarantor and not the Trustee.
- 21 -
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused the Supplemental Indenture to be duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC | ||||
By: |
/s/ Andrew Warren |
|||
Name: | Andrew Warren | |||
Title: | Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | |||
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, INC. | ||||
By: |
/s/ Andrew Warren |
|||
Name: | Andrew Warren | |||
Title: | Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer |
[ Signature Page to Supplemental Indenture ]
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Trustee | ||||
By: |
/s/ Andrew Sinasky |
|||
Name: | Andrew Sinasky | |||
Title: | Vice President |
[ Signature Page to Supplemental Indenture ]
Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, London Paying Agent | ||||
By: |
/s/ Hamyd Mazrae |
|||
Name: |
Hamyd Mazrae |
|||
Title: |
Authorised Signatory |
|||
By: |
/s/ Laurence Griffiths |
|||
Name: |
Laurence Griffiths |
|||
Title: |
Authorised Signatory |
[ Signature Page to Supplemental Indenture ]
EXHIBIT A
FORM OF NOTE
UNLESS THIS SECURITY IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF EUROCLEAR BANK, S.A./N.V., AS OPERATOR OF THE EUROCLEAR SYSTEM (EUROCLEAR) AND CLEARSTREAM BANKING, SOCIÉTÉ ANONYME, LUXEMBOURG (CLEARSTREAM, LUXEMBOURG AND, TOGETHER WITH EUROCLEAR, EUROCLEAR/CLEARSTREAM), TO THE COMPANY OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY SECURITY ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF USB NOMINEES (UK) LIMITED OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF EUROCLEAR/CLEARSTREAM (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO USB NOMINEES (UK) LIMITED OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF EUROCLEAR/CLEARSTREAM), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, USB NOMINEES (UK) LIMITED, HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
600,000,000 1.90% Senior Note Due 2027
No. 1 | ISIN No.: XS1117298247 | |
Common Code: 111729824 |
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Company , which term includes any successor corporation), for value received promises to pay to USB Nominees (UK) Limited, as nominee of Elavon Financial Services Limited, a common depositary for the accounts of Euroclear Bank S.A./N.V. and Clearstream Banking, société anonyme, Luxembourg, or registered assigns, the principal sum of 600,000,000 (the Principal ) on March 19, 2027.
Interest Payment Date: March 19 (the Interest Payment Date ), commencing on March 19, 2016.
Interest Record Date: March 1 (the Interest Record Date ).
Reference is made to the further provisions of this Security contained herein, which will for all purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has caused this Security to be signed manually or by facsimile by its duly authorized officer under its seal.
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC | ||||
By: |
|
|||
Name: | Eugenia Collis | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President and Corporate Treasurer |
NOTATION OF GUARANTEE
Discovery Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Guarantor , which term includes any successor thereto under the Indenture (the Indenture ) referred to in the Security on which this notation is endorsed) has unconditionally guaranteed, pursuant to the terms of the Guarantee contained in Article 13 of the Indenture, the due and punctual payment of the principal of and any premium and interest on this Security, when and as the same shall become due and payable in accordance with the terms of this Security and the Indenture.
The obligations of the Guarantor to the Holders of the Securities and to the Trustee pursuant to the Guarantee and the Indenture are expressly set forth in Article 13 of the Indenture, and reference is hereby made to such Article and Indenture for the precise terms of the Guarantee.
The Guarantee shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until the certificate of authentication on the Security upon which this notation of the Guarantee is endorsed shall have been executed by the Trustee under the Indenture by the manual signature of one of its authorized signatories.
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, INC. | ||||
By: |
|
|||
Name: | Eugenia Collis | |||
Title: | Senior Vice President and Corporate Treasurer |
This is one of the Securities of the series designated herein and referred to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
Dated: March 19, 2015
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Trustee | ||
By: |
|
|
Authorized Officer |
(REVERSE OF SECURITY)
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC
1.90% Senior Note Due 2027
1. | Interest. |
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Company ), promises to pay interest on the principal amount of this Security at the rate per annum shown above. Cash interest on the Securities will accrue from the most recent date to which interest has been paid or, if no interest has been paid, from March 19, 2015. The Company will pay interest annually in arrears on each Interest Payment Date, commencing March 19, 2016. Interest will be computed on the basis of the actual number of days in the period for which interest is being calculated and the actual number of days from and including the last date on which interest was paid on the Securities (or March 19, 2015 if no interest has been paid on the Securities), to but excluding the next scheduled Interest Payment Date. This payment convention is referred to as ACTUAL/ACTUAL (ICMA) as defined in the rulebook of the International Capital Markets Association.
The Company shall pay interest on overdue principal from time to time on demand at the rate borne by the Securities and on overdue installments of interest (without regard to any applicable grace periods) to the extent lawful.
2. | Method of Payment. |
The Company shall pay interest on the Securities (except defaulted interest) to the persons who are the registered Holders at the close of business on the Interest Record Date immediately preceding the Interest Payment Date notwithstanding any transfer or exchange of such Security subsequent to such Interest Record Date and prior to such Interest Payment Date. Holders must surrender Securities to the Trustee to collect principal payments. The Company shall pay principal and interest in euro, subject to the conditions in the immediately following paragraph. Payment of principal of (and premium, if any) and any such interest on this Security will be made at the office of the Paying Agent designated for such purpose at 125 Old Broad Street, Fifth Floor, London EC2N 1AR or at any other office or agency designated by the Company for such purpose; provided that at the option of the Company, payment of interest may be made by check mailed to the address of the Holder entitled thereto as such address appears in the Security register. However, the payments of interest, and any portion of the principal (other than interest payable at maturity or on any redemption or repayment date or the final payment of principal) shall be made by the Paying Agent, upon receipt from the Company of immediately available funds by 12:30 p.m., London time (or such other time as may be agreed to between the
Company and the Paying Agent), directly to a Holder (by funds wire transfer or otherwise) if the Holder has delivered written instructions to the Trustee 15 days prior to such payment date requesting that such payment will be so made and designating the bank account to which such payments shall be so made and in the case of payments of principal surrenders the same to the Trustee in exchange for a Security or Securities aggregating the same principal amount as the unredeemed principal amount of the Securities surrendered.
If, on or after the date of issuance of this Security, the euro is unavailable to the Company due to the imposition of exchange controls or other circumstances beyond the Companys control or if the euro is no longer being used by the then member states of the European Monetary Union that have adopted the euro as their currency or for the settlement of transactions by public institutions of or within the international banking community, then all payments in respect of the Securities will be made in U.S. dollars until the euro is again available to the Company or so used. In such circumstances, the amount payable on any date in euro will be converted into U.S. dollars on the basis of the most recently available market exchange rate for euro. Any payment made in respect of the Securities so made in U.S. dollars will not constitute an Event of Default under the Securities or the Indenture. Neither the Trustee nor the Paying Agent shall have any responsibility for any calculation or conversion in connection with the foregoing.
3. | Paying Agent. |
Initially, Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, will act as Paying Agent. The Company may appoint and change the Paying Agent without notice to the Holders.
4. | Indenture. |
The Company issued the Securities under an Indenture, dated as of August 19, 2009 (the Indenture ), among the Company, the Guarantor and the Trustee. Capitalized terms herein are used as defined in the Indenture unless otherwise defined herein. The terms of the Securities include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 (15 U.S.C. Sections 77aaa-77bbbb) (the TIA ), as in effect on the date of the Indenture. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Securities are subject to all such terms, and Holders of Securities are referred to the Indenture and the TIA for a statement of them. To the extent the terms of the Indenture and this Security are inconsistent, the terms of the Indenture shall govern.
The Company, the Guarantor, the Trustee and Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, as Paying Agent, entered into an Eighth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of March 19, 2015 setting forth certain terms of the Securities pursuant to Section 2.04 of the Indenture (the Supplemental Indenture ). The
Supplemental Indenture imposes certain limitations on the incurrence of liens and certain sale and leaseback transactions and limits the Companys ability to consolidate, merge, convey, transfer or lease its properties and assets substantially as an entirety. To the extent the terms of the Supplemental Indenture are inconsistent with the Indenture or this Security, the terms of the Supplemental Indenture shall govern.
5. | Guarantee. |
The payment by the Company of the principal of, and premium and interest on, the Securities is irrevocably and unconditionally guaranteed on a senior basis by the Guarantor.
6. | Optional Redemption. |
Prior to December 19, 2026, the Securities are redeemable, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company, at any time and from time to time, at the redemption price described in the Supplemental Indenture.
On and after December 19, 2026, the Securities shall be redeemable, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company, at any time and from time to time, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Securities to be redeemed, plus accrued interest on the principal amount being redeemed to the date of redemption.
7. | Redemption for Tax Reasons. |
The Securities are redeemable by the Company in whole, but not in part, upon the occurrence of certain developments affecting U.S. taxation described in the Supplemental Indenture at a redemption price equal to 100% of their principal amount, together with accrued and unpaid interest on those Securities to, but not including, the date fixed for redemption.
8. | Change of Control Offer to Repurchase. |
If a Change of Control Triggering Event (as defined in the Supplemental Indenture) occurs, unless the Company has exercised its right to redeem the Securities, Holders of the Securities will have the right to require the Company to repurchase all or a portion of their Securities pursuant to the offer described in the Supplemental Indenture at a purchase price equal to 101% of the principal amount thereof plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, to the date of repurchase, subject to the rights of Holders of Securities on the relevant Interest Record Date to receive interest due on the relevant Interest Payment Date.
9. | Payment of Additional Amounts. |
The Company will, subject to the exceptions and limitations set forth in the Supplemental Indenture, pay as additional interest on Securities such additional amounts as are necessary in order that the net payment by the Company of the principal of and interest on the Securities to a Holder of the Securities who is not a United States person (as defined below), after withholding or deduction for any present or future tax, assessment or other governmental charge imposed by the United States or a taxing authority in the United States, will not be less than the amount provided in the Securities to be then due and payable.
As used in this Section 9, the term United States means the United States of America, the states of the United States, and the District of Columbia, and the term United States person means any individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States for U.S. federal income tax purposes, a corporation, partnership or other entity created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia, or any estate or trust the income of which is subject to United States federal income taxation regardless of its source.
10. | Denominations; Transfer; Exchange. |
The Securities are in registered form, without coupons, in minimum denominations of 100,000 and integral multiples of 1,000 in excess thereof. A Holder shall register the transfer of or exchange Securities in accordance with the Indenture. The Company may require a Holder, among other things, to furnish appropriate endorsements and transfer documents and to pay certain transfer taxes or similar governmental charges payable in connection therewith as permitted by the Indenture. The Company need not issue, authenticate, register the transfer of or exchange any Securities or portions thereof for a period of 15 days before such series is selected for redemption, nor need the Company register the transfer or exchange of any Security selected for redemption in whole or in part.
11. | Persons Deemed Owners. |
The registered Holder of a Security shall be treated as the owner of it for all purposes.
12. | Unclaimed Funds. |
If funds for the payment of principal or interest remain unclaimed for two years, the Trustee and the Paying Agent will repay the funds to the Company or the Guarantor at its written request. After that, all liability of the Trustee and such Paying Agent with respect to such funds shall cease.
13. | Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance. |
The Company may be discharged from its obligations under the Securities and under the Indenture with respect to the Securities except for certain provisions thereof, and may be discharged from obligations to comply with certain covenants contained in the Securities and in the Indenture with respect to the Securities, in each case upon satisfaction of certain conditions specified in the Indenture, as supplemented by the Eighth Supplemental Indenture.
14. | Amendment; Supplement; Waiver. |
Subject to certain exceptions, the Securities and the provisions of the Indenture relating to the Securities may be amended or supplemented with the written consent of the Holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities of all series then outstanding affected by such amendment or supplement (voting as one class), and any existing Default or Event of Default or compliance with certain provisions may be waived with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of all the Securities of such series, each series voting as a separate class, (or of all the Securities, as the case may be, voting as a single class) then outstanding. Without notice to or consent of any Holder, the parties thereto may amend or supplement the Indenture and the Securities to, among other things, cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency, provide for uncertificated Securities in addition to or in place of certificated Securities, or make any other change that does not adversely affect the rights of any Holder of a Security.
15. | Defaults and Remedies. |
If an Event of Default (other than certain bankruptcy Events of Default with respect to the Company or the Guarantor) occurs and is continuing, the Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of Securities of this series then outstanding (voting as a separate class) may declare all of the Securities to be due and payable immediately in the manner and with the effect provided in the Indenture. If a bankruptcy Event of Default with respect to the Company or the Guarantor occurs and is continuing, the entire principal amount of the Securities then outstanding and interest accrued thereon, if any, shall immediately become due and payable. Holders of Securities may not enforce the Indenture or the Securities except as provided in the Indenture. The Trustee is not obligated to enforce the Indenture or the Securities unless it has received indemnity satisfactory to it. The Indenture permits, subject to certain limitations therein provided, Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Securities then outstanding to direct the Trustee in its exercise of any trust or power. The Trustee may withhold from Holders of Securities notice of certain continuing Defaults or Events of Default if it determines that withholding notice is in their interest.
16. | Trustee Dealings with Company. |
The Trustee under the Indenture, in its individual or any other capacity, may become the owner or pledgee of Securities and may otherwise deal with the Company as if it were not the Trustee.
17. | No Recourse Against Others. |
No stockholder, director, officer, employee, member or incorporator, as such, of the Company, of the Guarantor or any successor Person thereof shall have any liability for any obligation under the Securities or the Indenture or for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. Each Holder of a Security by accepting a Security waives and releases all such liability. The waiver and release are part of the consideration for the issuance of the Securities.
18. | Authentication. |
This Security shall not be valid until the Trustee manually signs the certificate of authentication on this Security.
19. | Abbreviations and Defined Terms. |
Customary abbreviations may be used in the name of a Holder of a Security or an assignee, such as: TEN COM (= tenants in common), TEN ENT (= tenants by the entireties), JT TEN (= joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common), CUST (= Custodian), and U/G/M/A (= Uniform Gifts to Minors Act).
20. | Common Code and ISIN Numbers. |
Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Company has caused Common Code and ISIN numbers to be printed on the Securities as a convenience to the Holders of the Securities. No representation is made as to the accuracy of such numbers as printed on the Securities and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed hereon.
21. | Governing Law. |
The laws of the State of New York shall govern the Indenture and this Security thereof.
ASSIGNMENT FORM
I or we assign and transfer this Security to
(Print or type name, address and zip code of assignee or transferee)
(Insert Social Security or other identifying number of assignee or transferee)
and irrevocably appoint agent to transfer this Security on the books of the Company. The agent may substitute another to act for him.
Dated:
Signed: | ||
|
||
(Signed exactly as name appears on the other side of this Security) |
Signature | ||||
Guarantee: |
|
|||
Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor program reasonably acceptable to the Trustee) |
OPTION OF HOLDER TO ELECT PURCHASE
If you want to elect to have this Security purchased by the Company pursuant to Section 4.02 of the Supplemental Indenture, check the box ¨ .
If you want to elect to have only part of this Security purchased by the Company pursuant to Section 4.02 of the Supplemental Indenture, state the amount you elect to have purchased (must be integral multiples of 1,000 in excess thereof):
Dated:
Signed: | ||
|
||
(Signed exactly as name appears on the other side of this Security) |
Signature | ||||
Guarantee: |
|
|||
Participant in a recognized Signature Guarantee Medallion Program (or other signature guarantor program reasonably acceptable to the Trustee) |
Exhibit 5.1
+1 202 663 6000 (t)
+1 202 663 6363 (f)
wilmerhale.com
March 19, 2015
Discovery Communications, LLC
One Discovery Place
Silver Spring, Maryland 20910
Re: | Registration Statement on Form S-3 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as counsel for Discovery Communications, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Company), in connection with the offer and sale of 600 million aggregate principal amount of the Companys 1.90% Senior Notes due 2027 (the Debt Securities), pursuant to an underwriting agreement dated March 12, 2015 (the Underwriting Agreement), among the Company, the Guarantor (as defined below) and J.P. Morgan Securities plc, Credit Suisse Securities (Europe) Limited, Merrill Lynch International, BNP Paribas, Citigroup Global Markets Limited and Crédit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank. The Debt Securities will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed (the Guarantee) by Discovery Communications, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Guarantor). The term Securities as used herein shall mean the Debt Securities and the related Guarantee. The Securities will be issued pursuant to an indenture dated as of August 19, 2009 (the Base Indenture), among the Company, the Guarantor and U.S. Bank National Association, as Trustee (the Trustee), as supplemented by the Eighth Supplemental Indenture to be dated as of March 19, 2015, among the Company, the Guarantor, the Trustee, and Elavon Financial Services Limited, as London Paying Agent (the Supplemental Indenture and together with the Base Indenture, the Indenture), and will be subject to the Agency Agreement among the Issuer, the Guarantor, Elavon Financial Services Limited, UK Branch, as paying agent, Elavon Financial Services Limited, as registrar and transfer agent, and the Trustee (the Paying Agency Agreement).
The Company, the Guarantor and Discovery Communications Holding, LLC filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) the registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-182194) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), on June 18, 2012 (the Registration Statement) and the prospectus dated June 18, 2012 (the Base Prospectus), as supplemented by the preliminary prospectus supplement dated March 12, 2015 (the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement), and the prospectus supplement dated March 12, 2015 (the Prospectus Supplement).
We have examined and relied upon corporate or other proceedings of the Company and the Guarantor regarding the authorization of the execution and delivery of the Indenture, the Underwriting Agreement and the issuance of the Debt Securities, the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus Supplement, the Underwriting Agreement, the Paying Agency Agreement and the Indenture. We have also
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP , 1875 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006 Beijing Berlin Boston Brussels Denver Frankfurt London Los Angeles New York Oxford Palo Alto Washington |
examined and relied upon originals or copies of such company or corporate records of the Company and the Guarantor, such other agreements and instruments, certificates of public officials, representations of officers of the Company and the Guarantor and other persons, and such other documents, instruments and certificates as we have deemed necessary as a basis for the opinions hereinafter expressed.
In our examination of the documents referred to above, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all individual signatories, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies, the authenticity of such original documents, and the completeness and accuracy of the company or corporate records of the Company and the Guarantor provided to us by the Company and the Guarantor. Insofar as this opinion relates to factual matters, we have assumed, without independent investigation, that representations of officers and directors of the Company and the Guarantor and documents furnished to us by the Company and Guarantor are true and correct.
In rendering the opinions set forth below, we have assumed that (i) the Trustee has the power, corporate or other, to enter into and perform its obligations under the Indenture, and (ii) the Indenture will be a valid and binding obligation of the Trustee. We have also assumed that at the time of the issuance of the Securities, the sole Member of the Company and the Board of Directors of the Guarantor (or any person acting pursuant to authority properly delegated to such person by the sole Member of the Company or the Board of Directors of the Guarantor) have not taken any action to rescind or otherwise reduce their prior authorization of the issuance of the Securities.
Our opinions below are qualified to the extent that they may be subject to or affected by (i) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium, usury, fraudulent conveyance or similar laws relating to or affecting the rights or remedies of creditors generally, (ii) statutory or decisional law concerning recourse by creditors to security in the absence of notice or hearing, (iii) duties and standards imposed on creditors and parties to contracts, including, without limitation, requirements of materiality, good faith, reasonableness and fair dealing and (iv) general equitable principles. Furthermore, we express no opinion as to the availability of any equitable or specific remedy upon any breach of the Indenture or the Securities, or to the successful assertion of any equitable defenses, inasmuch as the availability of such remedies or the success of any equitable defenses may be subject to the discretion of a court. We also express no opinion herein as to the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than the state laws of the State of New York, the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act and the federal laws of the United States of America.
On the basis of, and subject to, the foregoing, we are of the opinion that when the Debt Securities and Guarantee have been duly executed by the Company and the Guarantor, as the case may be, and duly authenticated by the Trustee in accordance with the terms of the Indenture, and delivered to the purchasers thereof against payment of the consideration in accordance with the terms of the Underwriting Agreement duly approved by the Company, the Debt Securities and
Guarantee will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company and the Guarantor, as the case may be, enforceable against the Company and the Guarantor, as the case may be, in accordance with their terms.
Please note that we are opining only as to the matters expressly set forth herein, and no opinion should be inferred as to any other matters. This opinion is based upon currently existing statutes, rules, regulations and judicial decisions and is rendered as of the date hereof, and we disclaim any obligation to advise you of any change in any of the foregoing sources of law or subsequent developments in law or changes in facts or circumstances that might affect any matters or opinions set forth herein.
* * * * *
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion with the Commission as an exhibit to the Guarantors Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed on or about March 19, 2015, which Form 8-K will be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and to the use of our name therein and in the related Base Prospectus, Preliminary Prospectus Supplement and Prospectus Supplement under the caption Legal Matters. In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission.
Very truly yours,
WILMER CUTLER PICKERING HALE AND DORR LLP |
||
By: |
/s/ Erika L. Robinson |
|
Erika L. Robinson, a Partner |