Equity Research China Technology 13 May 2025 Tencent Music Entertainment Group Solid Results, Growth Formula Continues to Shift to ARPPU Fueled By SVIP Modestly raising our FY25 estimates on solid results, but drivers shift more towards ARPPU; Reiterate OW and PT of $16. Overall, TME delivered a pretty decent quarter with small beat in revenue and ARPU vs. BARC and Bloomberg consensus, but missed on the paying user net add number. There is no way around it, paying user growth was soft this quarter, +1.9mn v ...

交银国际研究 财务模型更新 | 互联网 | 收盘价 | 目标价 | 潜在涨幅 | 2025 年 5 月 14 日 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 14.69 | 美元 | 美元 17.00 | +15.7% | | | 腾讯音乐 (TME US) | | | | | | | | SVIP | 运营及利润释放 | | | 聚焦高质量会员增长，关注 | | | | | 我们小幅上调 2025 年经调整净利润 3%至 89 亿元（人民币，下同），维持 SOTP 目标价 17 美元/66 港元（1698 HK），其中：1）音乐 14 美元，参考可比 优质音乐平台及版权公司平均 20 倍市盈率；2）社交 1 美元，基于 8 倍市盈 率；3）现金 2 美元。我们持续看好在线音乐稳健增长，预计 ARPPU 提升拉动 效果将会高于会员数增加，关注会员权益、粉丝经济及长音频拉动SVIP增长， 看好订阅及广告收入增长、自制内容增加持续促进毛利率优化，股东回馈持 续，维持买入。 盈利预测变动 | | | | —————2025E————— —————2026E————— | | | | | ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q1 2025, total revenues reached RMB 7.4 billion, representing a 9% year-over-year growth [19] - Online music revenues increased by 16% year-over-year to RMB 5.8 billion, driven by strong growth in music subscription and advertising revenues [20] - Music subscription revenues reached RMB 4.2 billion, a 70% increase year-over-year [20] - Gross margin improved to 44.1%, up 3.2 percentage points year-over-year [23] - Net profit was RMB 4.4 billion, with a net profit attributable to equity holders of RMB 4.3 billion [25] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The music subscription business remains the cornerstone, with significant growth in SVIP membership and reduced promotional activity contributing to revenue increases [20][27] - Advertising revenues showed strong year-over-year growth, supported by the ad-supported model and increased engagement [20][21] - Artist-related merchandise sales and offline performances also contributed to revenue growth, with successful concert hosting leading to increased revenues [21][22] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has strengthened partnerships with record labels, enhancing its music library and user engagement [5][6] - There is a growing popularity of Korean, English, and Japanese tracks among users, indicating a diversification in music consumption preferences [7] - The company has expanded its merchandise collaborations, which have shown strong sales performance [8][9] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to enhance user engagement through a diverse range of music services and content offerings, focusing on high-quality growth [4][12] - Continued investment in original content production and innovative technologies is planned to improve user experience and strengthen the ecosystem [27] - The company is committed to expanding its SVIP membership and advertising business while diversifying offerings across the music value chain [27] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the 2025 outlook, expecting year-over-year growth rates to accelerate and margins to expand [31] - The company is focused on encouraging more music consumption and enhancing user engagement through unique offerings [31][32] - Management highlighted the importance of long-form audio content and its complementary role in driving user engagement and subscription growth [38] Other Important Information - The company released its 2024 ESG report, detailing practices in intellectual property protection, user privacy, and fostering diverse music communities [11] - The effective tax rate for Q1 2025 was 9.2%, a decrease from 19.9% in the same period of 2024 [25] Q&A Session Summary Question: Outlook for top line profit growth for the next quarter and full year 2025 - Management expressed confidence in achieving strong results in Q1 and expects growth rates to accelerate in 2025, driven by rich service offerings and user engagement [31] Question: Growth opportunity of podcasts in China and long-form audio user metrics - Management noted that while podcast growth in China is limited, long-form audio content is expected to grow and complement the existing subscriber base [36][38] Question: SVIP progress and key KPIs - Management reported strong growth in SVIP membership and ARPPU, with plans to enhance the membership system and improve user satisfaction [40][43] Question: Contribution of Super VIP to ARPPU growth - Management indicated that the reduction in promotional activities has positively impacted ARPPU growth, with expectations for continued growth from the SVIP business [46][48] Question: Monetization strategy for nonpaying subscribers - Management emphasized converting nonpaying users into subscribers and leveraging advertising and merchandise sales to generate revenue from this segment [51][55] Question: Future drivers for gross margin improvement - Management highlighted subscriber growth and cost management as key drivers for future gross margin improvement, with expectations for continued growth [60][62] Question: International opportunities, especially in Southeast Asia - Management acknowledged the importance of international markets and plans to invest in content creation and platform development in Southeast Asia [68][71] Question: Outlook for advertising and offline events business - Management expressed a positive outlook for advertising revenue growth and plans to enhance the quality of offline performances [79][80]