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Astral Releases Q4 and Year End Results

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  • Astral Media Inc. today reported solid financial results for the fourth quarter and the year ended August 31, 2024 and delivered continued growth in revenues, EBITDA2, net earnings, EPS, and cash flow from operations2.

    In Fiscal 2024, consolidated net earnings1 grew 9% over last year to $204.4 million from $188.0 million, while diluted earnings per share1 grew 10% to $3.64 from $3.30 last year. EBITDA2 rose 4% to $331.2 million from $318.4 million for the same period last year. Consolidated revenues for Fiscal 2024 totalled $1,021.9 million, a 1% increase over the $1,015.4 million recorded last year for the same period. Cash flow from operations2 rose a healthy 5% to $259.0 million for the year compared to $246.5 million for the corresponding period last year.

    In the fourth quarter, consolidated net earnings1 grew 14% over last year to $54.3 million from $47.7 million, while diluted earnings per share1 grew 13% to $0.96 from $0.85 last year. EBITDA2 rose 11% to $85.6 million from $77.2 million for the same period last year. Consolidated revenues in the fourth quarter totalled $251.8 million, a 2% increase over the $247.6 million reported last year for the same period. Cash flow from operations2 rose 11% to $71.1 million for the fourth quarter compared to $63.8 million for the corresponding period last year.

    “I am very pleased with the solid performance delivered by our business units in Fiscal 2024, particularly with the strong finish in the fourth quarter, consolidating the Company’s 16th consecutive year of profitable growth,” said Ian Greenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We remain fully committed to maintain the same financial discipline that allowed the Company to grow in Fiscal 2024 and to continue to invest in content and new products in order to offer the highest possible quality of products and services.”

    Bell-Astral Transaction3

    On March 16, 2024, the Company announced that it entered into a definitive agreement with BCE Inc. for the sale of its business through the acquisition of all of its issued and outstanding shares. The transaction is valued at approximately $3.38 billion, including an estimated net debt of $380.0 million. The transaction is subject to closing conditions, including regulatory approvals from the CRTC and the Competition Bureau. On October 18, 2024 the CRTC issued its decision on Bell’s application for authority to acquire and change the effective control of the Company and denied Bell’s application. On October 22, 2024, Bell submitted its request that the Federal Cabinet issue a policy direction to the CRTC, under Section 7 of the Broadcasting Act, that directs the CRTC to follow its existing policies when reviewing change of control transactions in broadcasting. Bell stated that with such a Cabinet policy direction in place, it would then re-submit a Change of Control Application to the CRTC. There can be no assurance that the transaction will occur, or that it will occur on the terms and conditions currently contemplated.

    FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS

    Television

    Revenue growth of 1% for the year (1% for the fourth quarter);

    EBITDA2 growth of 2% for the year (1% for the fourth quarter);

    In July 2024, launch of the new Cartoon Network service, currently available to 2.3 million subscribers on Cogeco, Eastlink, Telus and Bell;

    Radio

    Revenue decrease of 1% for the year (2% growth for the fourth quarter);

    EBITDA2 growth of 4% for the year (23% growth for the fourth quarter);

    In January 2024, Astral completed the acquisition of all outstanding shares of Shore Media Group Inc., a radio broadcaster in Vancouver, BC, for a consideration of $13.4 million;

    In February 2024, launch of Astral Radio’s all-new digital music service across NRJ and Virgin Radio networks.

    Out-of-Home

    Revenue growth of 8% for the year (6% for the fourth quarter);

    EBITDA2 growth of 10% for the year (9% for the fourth quarter);

    In June 2024, Astral Out-of-Home announced the addition of two new digital advertising faces in the greater Montréal region, bringing the total of faces in Astral’s Digital Network to 41;

    Subsequent to year-end, launch by Astral Out-of-Home of a brand new network of 30 urban Digital Columns in the heart of downtown Montréal.

    Corporate

    In October 2024, the Company established, in addition to its existing credit facility, a $700.0 million unsecured five-year revolving credit facility and entered into two new interest-rate swap agreements to hedge its exposure to interest rate fluctuations;

    During the year, the Company repaid $133.0 million of its long-term debt and repurchased 423,800 Class A shares for a total consideration of $14.2 million.

    Under the terms of the Bell-Astral Transaction3, the Company’s dividend payment scheduled for August 2024 and activity under the Company’s normal course issuer bid have been suspended;

    The audited consolidated financial statements and related notes and the Management’s Discussion and Analysis are available on the Company’s website: www.astral.com. There will be a conference call with analysts and media at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on Wednesday, October 31, 2024. To access the conference call dial 1-800-731-5319. The conference call will also be broadcast live and archived for a three-month period on the Astral website at www.astral.com.

    This press release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning the future performance of the Company. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations. We caution that all forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from the assumptions, estimates or expectations reflected or contained in the forward-looking information, and that actual future performance will be affected by a number of factors, including technological change, economic conditions, regulatory change, competitive factors and changes in accounting rules or standards, many of which are beyond the Company’s control. We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements.

    Founded in 1961, Astral is one of Canada’s largest media companies. It operates several of the country’s most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit www.astral.com.

    1. Excluding acquisition and other costs, Bell-Astral transaction costs, impairment of broadcast licences and deferred income tax expense resulting from income tax rate change. See “Additional IFRS and Non-IFRS Measures” in Appendix 1.

    2. See “Additional IFRS and Non-IFRS Measures” in Appendix 1.

    3. See the “Bell-Astral Transaction” section in the Management’s Discussion and Analysis.

    ASTRAL MEDIA INC.

    Consolidated Statements of Earnings

    for the periods ended August 31, 2024 and 2024

    (in thousands of Canadian dollars except for per-share data)

    (unaudited)

    3 months 12 months

    2012 2024 2024 2024

    Revenues $ 251,801 $ 247,620 $ 1,021,926 $ 1,015,431

    Operating expenses 166,231 170,455 690,754 697,017

    Acquisition and other costs 16 – 4,881 4,407

    Depreciation of property, plant and equipment 4,599 6,970 26,668 28,001

    Amortization of other intangible and non-current assets 2,733 2,224 8,656 8,254

    Financial expense, net 2,885 4,587 14,198 20,737

    Impairment charge on broadcast licences, net 21,085 22,164 21,085 22,164

    Bell-Astral Transaction costs 6,557 – 12,789 –

    Earnings before income taxes 47,695 41,220 242,895 234,851

    Income tax expense before undernoted 19,206 15,728 72,457 72,074

    Deferred tax recovery resulting from the impairment charge on broadcast licences (5,136) (4,293) (5,136) (4,293)

    Deferred tax expense resulting from tax rate changes 2,267 – 2,267 –

    16,337 11,435 69,588 67,781

    Net earnings $ 31,358 $ 29,785 $ 173,307 $ 167,070

    Earnings per share

    – Basic $ 0.56 $ 0.53 $ 3.11 $ 2.96

    – Diluted $ 0.55 $ 0.53 $ 3.08 $ 2.93

    ASTRAL MEDIA INC.

    Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

    for the periods ended August 31, 2024 and 2024

    (in thousands of Canadian dollars)

    (unaudited)

    3 months 12 months

    2012 2024 2024 2024

    Net earnings $ 31,358 $ 29,785 $ 173,307 $ 167,070

    Other comprehensive income

    Actuarial loss on employee future benefit plans, net of deferred tax recovery of $2.5 million and

    $0.6 million respectively for the three months and $8.1 million and $0.5 million respectively for

    the twelve months (6,641) (1,596) (22,275) (1,307)

    Change in fair value of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges, net of deferred tax expense of

    $0.3 million and $0.3 million respectively for the three months and $0.6 million and $2.1 million

    respectively for the twelve months 687 893 1,540 5,627

    Comprehensive income $ 25,404 $ 29,082 $ 152,572 $ 171,390

    ASTRAL MEDIA INC.

    Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

    for the periods ended August 31, 2024 and 2024

    (in thousands of Canadian dollars)

    (unaudited)

    3 months 12 months

    2012 2024 2024 2024

    OPERATING ACTIVITIES

    Net earnings $ 31,358 $ 29,785 $ 173,307 $ 167,070

    Non-cash items:

    Stock-based compensation costs 1,539 1,124 11,244 7,099

    Depreciation and amortization 7,332 9,194 35,324 36,255

    Imputed interest, net 417 428 1,509 1,638

    Amortization of deferred financing costs 273 171 1,022 686

    Impairment charge on broadcast licences, net 21,085 22,164 21,085 22,164

    Deferred tax expense 6,784 909 13,207 11,565

    Deferred tax expense resulting from tax rate changes 2,267 – 2,267 –

    Cash flows from operations 71,055 63,775 258,965 246,477

    Additional pension plan contributions (6,344) (1,813) (6,344) (1,813)

    Net change in non-cash operating items (11,004) 4,297 (41,185) (1,465)

    Cash provided by operating activities 53,707 66,259 211,436 243,199

    INVESTING ACTIVITIES

    Additions to property, plant and equipment (15,442) (17,002) (37,095) (46,648)

    Additions to other intangible and non-current assets (3,187) (3,225) (6,382) (13,508)

    Business acquisition, net of cash acquired (150) – (11,971) –

    Contingent consideration relating to a previous business acquisition – (8,042) – (8,042)

    Cash used for investing activities (18,779) (28,269) (55,448) (68,198)

    FINANCING ACTIVITIES

    Repayment of long-term debt (33,000) – (133,000) (65,000)

    Deferred financing costs – – (2,017) –

    Stock options exercised 105 655 19,317 13,518

    Shares repurchased – (18,212) (14,126) (70,137)

    Dividends – (20,895) (27,923) (42,274)

    Cash used for financing activities (32,895) (38,452) (157,749) (163,893)

    Net change in cash 2,033 (462) (1,761) 11,108

    Cash – beginning of period 18,859 23,115 22,653 11,545

    Cash – end of period $ 20,892 $ 22,653 $ 20,892 $ 22,653

    ASTRAL MEDIA INC.

    Consolidated Balance Sheets as at

    (in thousands of Canadian dollars)

    August 31,

    2012 August 31,

    2011 September 1,

    2010

    ASSETS

    Current

    Cash $ 20,892 $ 22,653 $ 11,545

    Accounts receivable 174,384 170,063 169,240

    Program and film rights 114,753 105,385 106,723

    Prepaid expenses and other current assets 29,007 29,096 29,451

    339,036 327,197 316,959

    Program and film rights 51,208 51,058 41,640

    Property, plant and equipment 210,035 195,508 180,616

    Broadcast licences 1,631,307 1,639,785 1,661,949

    Goodwill 118,489 116,016 116,016

    Other intangible and non-current assets 64,750 70,543 64,162

    Non-current financial assets 16,084 19,852 22,848

    Deferred tax assets 34,582 34,954 45,292

    $ 2,465,491 $ 2,454,913 $ 2,449,482

    LIABILITIES

    Current

    Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 141,729 $ 141,893 $ 143,156

    Provisions 5,319 5,355 4,004

    Income taxes payable 15,531 13,560 16,654

    Program and film rights payable 63,619 77,033 64,908

    Other current financial liabilities – 1,945 –

    226,198 239,786 228,722

    Long-term debt 390,138 524,133 588,447

    Deferred tax liabilities 131,377 126,662 125,033

    Program and film rights payable 7,446 8,839 12,668

    Provisions 6,717 5,453 5,244

    Other non-current liabilities 76,556 57,124 63,820

    Other non-current financial liabilities 8,466 10,116 20,311

    846,898 972,113 1,044,245

    SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

    Capital stock 778,548 762,572 768,762

    Contributed surplus 20,445 17,278 18,903

    Retained earnings 819,470 704,360 624,609

    Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) 130 (1,410) (7,037)

    819,600 702,950 617,572

    1,618,593 1,482,800 1,405,237

    $ 2,465,491 $ 2,454,913 $ 2,449,482

    ASTRAL MEDIA INC.

    Business Segments

    for the periods ended August 31, 2024 and 2024

    (in thousands of Canadian dollars) (unaudited)

    3 months 12 months

    2012 2024 2024 2024

    REVENUES

    Television $ 140,425 $ 139,681 $ 586,026 $ 582,231

    Radio 84,129 82,177 335,993 340,300

    Out-of-Home 27,247 25,762 99,907 92,900

    $ 251,801 $ 247,620 $ 1,021,926 $ 1,015,431

    EBITDA(1)

    Television $ 47,591 $ 47,280 $ 214,981 $ 211,384

    Radio 32,759 26,717 108,202 104,427

    Out-of-Home 9,635 8,820 33,979 30,758

    Corporate (4,415) (5,652) (25,990) (28,155)

    $ 85,570 $ 77,165 $ 331,172 $ 318,414

    ___________________

    (1) See Appendix 1.

    ASTRAL MEDIA INC.

    Appendix 1

    Additional IFRS and Non-IFRS Measures

    for the periods ended August 31, 2024 and 2024

    (unaudited)

    ——————————————————————————–

    In addition to discussing earnings measures in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”), this press release provides the following additional IFRS and non-IFRS measures which are also factors used by the Company’s management and Board of Directors in monitoring and evaluating the performance of the Company and its business segments:

    Additional IFRS Measure

    Cash flow from operations is defined as cash provided by operating activities before additional pension plan contributions and the net change in non-cash operating items. This measure provides an indication of the Company’s ability to generate cash flows without considering certain timing and other factors causing variations in non-cash operating items.

    Non-IFRS Measures

    EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) is provided to assist investors in determining the ability of the Company to generate cash flow from operating activities and to cover financial charges. Other items such as acquisition and other costs, Bell-Astral Transaction costs and impairment of broadcast licences are also excluded from earnings in the determination of EBITDA as they are not considered to be in the ordinary course of business. EBITDA is also an indicator widely used for business valuation purposes. EBITDA margin is defined as the ratio obtained by dividing EBITDA by revenues. The following table reconciles IFRS measures disclosed in the audited consolidated statements of earnings for the periods ended August 31, 2024 and 2024 to EBITDA:

    3 months 12 months

    (in thousands of $) 2024 2024 2024 2024

    Earnings before income taxes 47,695 41,220 242,895 234,851

    Depreciation and amortization 7,332 9,194 35,324 36,255

    Financial expense, net 2,885 4,587 14,198 20,737

    Acquisition and other costs 16 – 4,881 4,407

    Bell-Astral Transaction costs 6,557 – 12,789 –

    Impairment of broadcast licences, net 21,085 22,164 21,085 22,164

    EBITDA 85,570 77,165 331,172 318,414

    Earnings before income taxes, excluding impairment of broadcast licences. This measure provides an indication of the Company’s ability to generate earnings and cash flows from its ongoing operations, by excluding the non-cash impairment of broadcast licences. The following table reconciles IFRS measures disclosed in the audited consolidated statements of earnings for the periods ended August 31, 2024 and 2024 to earnings before income taxes, excluding impairment of broadcast licences:

    3 months 12 months

    (in thousands of $) 2024 2024 2024 2024

    Earnings before income taxes 47,695 41,220 242,895 234,851

    Impairment of broadcast licences, net 21,085 22,164 21,085 22,164

    Earnings before income taxes, excluding impairment of broadcast licences 68,780 63,384 263,980 257,015

    Net earnings and diluted earnings per share before acquisition and other costs, Bell-Astral Transaction costs, impairment of broadcast licences and tax rate changes. These measures provide an indication of the Company’s ability to generate earnings from its ongoing operations, by excluding some items such as acquisition and other costs, Bell-Astral Transaction costs, impairment of broadcast licences and tax rate changes as they are not considered to be in the ordinary course of business.

    The following tables reconcile IFRS measures disclosed in the audited consolidated statements of earnings for the periods ended August 31 2024 and 2024 to net earnings and diluted earnings per share before acquisition and other costs, Bell-Astral Transaction costs, impairment of broadcast licences and tax rate changes:

    3 months 12 months

    (in thousands of $) 2024 2024 2024 2024

    Net earnings 31,358 29,785 173,307 167,070

    Acquisition and other costs, net of income taxes 12 – 3,616 3,091

    Bell-Astral Transaction costs, net of income taxes 4,713 – 9,272 –

    Impairment of broadcast licences, net of income taxes 15,949 17,871 15,949 17,871

    Deferred tax expense resulting from tax rate changes 2,267 – 2,267 –

    Net earnings before acquisition and other costs, Bell-Astral Transaction costs,

    impairment of broadcast licences and tax rate changes 54,299 47,656 204,411 188,032

    3 months 12 months

    (in dollars) 2024 2024 2024 2024

    Diluted earnings per share 0.55 0.53 3.08 2.93

    Acquisition and other costs, net of income taxes – – 0.07 0.05

    Bell-Astral Transaction costs, net of income taxes 0.09 – 0.17 –

    Impairment of broadcast licences, net of income taxes 0.28 0.32 0.28 0.32

    Deferred tax expense resulting from tax rate changes 0.04 – 0.04 –

    Diluted earnings per share before acquisition and other cost, Bell-Astral Transaction

    costs, impairment of broadcast licences and tax rate changes 0.96 0.85 3.64 3.30