REG - Audioboom Group PLC - Trading Update and Notice of Investor Presentation

AudioboomAnnouncement

10/01/2022 07:05

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RNS Number : 8843X  Audioboom Group PLC  10 January 2022

 

This announcement contains inside information as stipulated under the UK
Market Abuse Regulations ("MAR").

 

Audioboom Group plc

("Audioboom", the "Group" or the "Company")

 

2021 Trading Update and Notice of Investor Presentation

125% annual revenue growth and maiden annual profit

Record quarterly performance in Q4 2021

 

Audioboom (AIM: BOOM), the leading global podcast company, is delighted to
provide a trading update for the 12 months ended 31 December 2021.

 

Financial((1)) and operating highlights

 

·      2021 revenue of approximately US$60.2 million, up 125% on 2020
(US$26.8 million). Year-on-year growth outpaced the predicted wider industry
growth by 108%((2))

·      Maiden annual adjusted EBITDA((3)) profit, ahead of market
expectations, of approximately US$3.0 million (2020: US$1.8 million loss),
with the Company recording positive adjusted EBITDA((3)) in every month in
2021

·      Maiden annual net profit of approximately US$1.4 million (2020:
US$3.3 million loss)

·      Q4 2021 revenue of US$20.5 million, up 141% on Q4 2020 (US$8.5
million), and up 21% on Q3 2021 (US$16.9 million)

·      Average global monthly downloads for Q4 increased to 113 million,
up 39% on Q4 2020 (81.7 million). Global downloads in October 2021 reached a
record 115.7 million

·      Average brand advertiser count for Q4 of 396, up 32% on Q4 2020
(301)

·      Average global revenue per 1,000 downloads (eCPM) for Q4
increased to US$55.85, up 49% (Q4 2020: US$37.55)

·      Cash ended the period ahead of expectations, with Group cash of
US$3.0 million (31 September 2021: US$1.2 million) and the Company still had
access to US$3.3 million of the non-revolving SPV loan facility

Key Q4 2021 and post-period commercial developments

·      Significant growth of ad tech related revenue during Q4 2021,
driven by an increase in adoption of our proprietary inventory creation tool
AdRip, and the launch in November 2021 of Showcase, our global advertising
marketplace. Revenue from ad tech in Q4 was approximately 3.5X that of Q1 2021
and for the first time reached more than US$1.0 million in a month in December
2021

·      Increased premium advertising inventory from new major content
partnerships including Two Hot Takes and Murder Mysteries and Makeup

·      Long-term renewal of key content partnerships in our Premium
Network, including Casefile True Crime, Mile Higher, Strange &
Unexplained, Lights Out and The Sesh

·      Significant pricing growth for premium inventory in 2022. Q1 2022
Average Unit Rate (AUR) for top 25 podcasts is 26% higher than Q4 2021

·      As of 31 December 2021, the Company had contracted revenue in
excess of US$45 million for 2022 through advance advertising bookings. At 31
December 2020, US$20 million revenue was contracted

The Board is delighted to report this strong performance for the year to 31
December 2021 with the Company exceeding market expectations once again. The
Board continues to be excited about the opportunities for the business and is
confident that this positive momentum will continue into 2022.

 

Stuart Last, CEO of Audioboom, commented: "2021 was a phenomenal year for
Audioboom. In my second year leading the business we have delivered an
incredible set of results, the culmination of our focus on content expansion
and platform development.

 

Achieving profitability on both an adjusted EBITDA and net basis is
transformative, establishing a self-sustaining business funded for continued
growth, and reshaping shareholder value.

 

Our revenue growth has once again significantly outperformed the wider
industry. We've gained strong market share, and now rank as the 4(th) largest
podcast publisher in the US. Alongside our ranking of 2(nd) in New Zealand and
3(rd) in Australia, we continue to develop a strong global position.

 

I'm very excited about 2022. We have seen unprecedented demand and high
pricing during this year's "upfront" advertising sales process, during which
we have already booked more than US$45 million of advertising for 2022, giving
us a strong foundation for further growth. Our newly created production team
in the UK has a strong set of shows in development, and we will continue to
invest into our ad tech platform following the successful launch of Showcase,
our global advertising marketplace.

 

I want to congratulate the entire Audioboom team and thank our shareholders
who continue to support our ambitions to be a global leader in podcasting."

 

Investor Presentation

 

Stuart Last, CEO, and Brad Clarke, CFO, will provide a live presentation
relating to this trading update via the Investor Meet Company platform on 20
January 2022 at 3:00pm.

 

The presentation is open to all existing and potential shareholders. Questions
can be submitted pre-event via your Investor Meet Company dashboard up until
9am the day before the meeting or at any time during the live presentation.

 

Investors can sign up to Investor Meet Company for free and add to meet
Audioboom via:

 

https://www.investormeetcompany.com/audioboom-group-plc/register-investor
(https://www.investormeetcompany.com/audioboom-group-plc/register-investor)

 

Investors who already follow Audioboom on the Investor Meet Company platform
will automatically be invited.

 

1)     Financial information for the year ended 31 December 2021 remains
subject to audit

2)     Interactive Advertising Bureau's May 2021 Podcast Advertising
Revenue Study states that US podcast advertising revenue is expected to grow
by 60% in 2021 relative to 2020

3)     Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation, share
based payments, non-cash foreign exchange movements and material one-off items

 

Enquiries

 Audioboom Group plc
 Stuart Last, Chief Executive Officer                                    Tel: +44(0)20 3714 4285

 Brad Clarke, Chief Financial Officer

 finnCap Ltd (Nominated Adviser and Broker)
 Jonny Franklin-Adams/Abigail Kelly/Milesh Hindocha (Corporate Finance)  Tel: +44(0)20 7220 0500

 Richard Chambers/Harriet Ward (ECM)

About Audioboom

 

Audioboom is a global leader in podcasting - our shows are downloaded more
than 116 million times each month by 32 million unique listeners around the
world. Audioboom is ranked as the fourth largest podcast publisher in the US
by Triton Digital.

 

Audioboom's ad-tech and monetisation platform underpins a scalable content
business that provides commercial services for a premium network of 250 top
tier podcasts, with key partners including 'Casefile True Crime' (US),
'Morbid' (US), 'True Crime Obsessed' (US), 'The Morning Toast' (US), 'No Such
Thing As A Fish' (UK), and 'The Cycling Podcast' (UK).

 

Audioboom Studios is home to a slate of content developed and produced by
Audioboom including 'Dark Air with Terry Carnation', 'F1: Beyond The Grid',
'RELAX!', 'Covert', 'It's Happening with Snooki & Joey', 'Mafia', 'Huddled
Masses' and 'What Makes A Killer'.

 

Audioboom operates internationally, with operations and global partnerships
across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. The platform allows content
to be distributed via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, Amazon Music, Deezer,
Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, RadioPublic, Saavn, Stitcher, Facebook and
Twitter as well as a partner's own websites and mobile apps.

 

For more information, visit audioboom.com.

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