Investment Rating - The investment rating for Tencent Music (TME.N) is "Outperform the Market" [5][27]. Core Views - Tencent Music's online music business is experiencing steady growth, with a revenue increase of 20.6% year-on-year in Q3 2025, reaching 8.46 billion yuan. The adjusted profit margin also improved by 1.6 percentage points year-on-year [1][9]. - The company is expanding into the broader music sector, which is expected to drive future growth. The focus for 2026 will be on investments in this area, including the acquisition of Himalaya, which is anticipated to enhance ARPPU and contribute to profit growth [3][25]. - The subscription business is showing strong performance, with a 17.2% year-on-year revenue growth in Q3 2025, and the monthly ARPPU increased by 10.2% year-on-year to 11.9 yuan [2][17]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In Q3 2025, Tencent Music achieved total revenue of 8.46 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 20.6% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.2%. Online music revenue accounted for 82% of total revenue [1][9]. - The gross margin for Q3 2025 was 43.5%, up 0.9 percentage points year-on-year but down 0.9 percentage points quarter-on-quarter, primarily due to the development of offline events [1][9]. - Adjusted net profit for Q3 2025 was 2.48 billion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 27.7% [1][9]. Subscription Business - The subscription revenue reached 4.5 billion yuan in Q3 2025, growing 17.2% year-on-year, with a net increase of 1.3 million paying users, resulting in a payment rate of 22.8% [2][17]. - The number of online music paying users was 126 million, an increase of 5.6% year-on-year [2][17]. Other Online Music Revenue - Other online music services, including advertising and digital albums, generated 2.47 billion yuan in revenue, a significant year-on-year increase of 50.5% [2][21]. - The advertising business is expanding its product offerings, and offline events, such as concerts, are contributing to revenue growth [2][21]. Social Entertainment Business - Revenue from social entertainment and other services was 1.49 billion yuan in Q3 2025, showing a decline of 2.7% year-on-year, but the decline is narrowing [2][24]. Financial Forecasts - The adjusted net profit forecasts for 2025-2027 are 9.6 billion, 10.9 billion, and 12.2 billion yuan, respectively, with a slight downward adjustment of 1-4% [3][25]. - The company is expected to maintain a strong market position with significant growth potential in the broader music sector [3][25].

Investment Rating - The investment rating for Tencent Music (TME.N) is "Outperform" [1] Core Views - The report highlights that Tencent Music is expanding in the pan-music field, with a successful increase in ARPPU (Average Revenue Per Paying User) [1][4] - The company is expected to maintain a strong position in the subscription business, driven by the growth of ARPPU and an increase in paid user penetration [6][28] - Tencent Music's acquisition of the long audio leader, Ximalaya, is anticipated to enhance synergies between long audio and music, similar to the model of Spotify [6][29] Financial Performance - In Q2 2025, Tencent Music achieved total revenue of 8.44 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 17.9% and a quarter-on-quarter increase of 14.8% [11][20] - The online music revenue accounted for 81% of total revenue, with a gross margin of 44.4%, up 2.4 percentage points year-on-year [11][20] - Adjusted net profit for Q2 2025 was 2.64 billion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 33% [11][20] Subscription Business - In Q2 2025, subscription revenue reached 4.38 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 17.1% [4][20] - The number of online music paying users was 124 million, with a payment rate of 22.5%, up 2 percentage points year-on-year [4][26] - The monthly ARPPU was 11.7 yuan, showing a year-on-year increase of 9.3% [4][26] Other Online Music Revenue - Other online music business revenue, including advertising and digital albums, grew by 46.9% year-on-year to 2.47 billion yuan [5][20] - The company has seen strong growth in artist-related activities and live performances, including managing large international tours [5][20] Strategic Developments - Tencent Music is actively expanding overseas, including a stake in South Korean SM Entertainment and launching the "Bubble" product for high-end fan services [8][29] - The report suggests that the company is well-positioned to leverage its leading market position and expand its pan-music offerings [6][29] Valuation - The reasonable valuation range for Tencent Music is set at $27.10 to $28.90, reflecting an increase of 66-71% [1][29] - The report uses comparable companies for valuation, indicating a strong growth potential in the pan-entertainment sector [29][30]