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Curiosity(CURI) - 2025 Q2 - Earnings Call Transcript
2025-08-05 22:00
Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Quarterly revenue grew by 53% year over year from $12.4 million to $19 million, exceeding guidance [6][27] - Net income improved by nearly $3 million year over year, reaching $800,000 or $0.01 per share [7][28] - Adjusted EBITDA increased by over $4 million year over year from negative $1 million to positive $3 million, marking the highest adjusted EBITDA in company history [7][28] - Adjusted free cash flow was $2.9 million, representing the sixth consecutive quarter of positive adjusted free cash flow [29] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Subscription revenue was $9.3 million, a decline of $1.7 million from last year but a sequential increase from Q1 [29] - Content licensing revenue was $9.3 million, an increase of over $8 million driven by significant new business from AI licensing [29] - Gross margin improved slightly to 53% from 52% a year ago, with reductions in content amortization [30] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company has entered into new and expanded multiyear wholesale distribution agreements in Asia, Latin America, and the U.S., which are expected to boost subscription revenue [8] - The dataset licensing for AI training has grown substantially for three consecutive quarters, including licensing about 9 million tokens of code for the first time [10][11] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to have three solid revenue pillars: subscription business, licensing business, and advertising business, with expectations for steady growth in subscriptions and rapid growth in licensing [37] - The company is focused on becoming a dominant AI video licensor, with plans to license more video and data than in 2025 [24][25] - The company emphasizes the importance of its extensive library of over 1 million hours of content and its ability to structure data effectively as competitive advantages [19][21] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management believes the market for high-quality, ethically sourced video and audio content is durable and growing, with estimates of industry-wide needs ranging from billions to tens of billions of hours [14][15] - The company is confident in its ability to navigate the evolving landscape of AI and media, focusing on meaningful information while disregarding distractions [22][23] - The company maintains a strong balance sheet with $31 million in liquidity and no debt, positioning itself as a high-performance outlier amid technological revolution [25][31] Other Important Information - The company paid dividends of $10.4 million in June, including a special dividend of $5.8 million, resulting in a dividend yield of about 6.5% [31] - The company expects third-quarter revenue in the range of $15 million to $18 million and adjusted free cash flow for 2025 in the range of $11 million to $13 million [32] Q&A Session Summary Question: Why is the company in the core media business? - Management stated that the subscription video on demand business is strong and global, representing the core of the company, and that all revenue streams work together synergistically [36][37] Question: What are the expected cost increases as the company pivots towards high-growth licensing? - Management indicated that the primary costs would be related to storage and delivery, but overall costs would remain manageable due to existing revenue-sharing arrangements [40][41] Question: What is the significance of licensing code for AI training? - Management explained that while video is the primary focus, the inclusion of code in licensing is a unique opportunity that reflects the value of owning and controlling intellectual property [49][50] Question: Is the company exploring other types of video content for licensing? - Management confirmed that while the focus remains on building a factual entertainment library, there is potential value in other types of video content, particularly if they are not freely available [53][55]