Core Viewpoint - The financial performance of the company in the first half of 2025 shows a decline in revenue but significant growth in operating profit and net profit, indicating a shift towards profitability despite lower overall sales [2][3][5]. Financial Performance - Revenue for the first half of 2025 was 3.19 billion RMB, down 23.9% from 4.19 billion RMB in the same period last year [3]. - Gross profit decreased by 22.6% to 1.61 billion RMB from 2.08 billion RMB year-on-year [3]. - Operating profit increased by 92.7% to 876 million RMB compared to 454 million RMB in the previous year [3]. - Profit before tax rose by 65.7% to 999 million RMB, while net profit increased by 68.6% to 850 million RMB [3]. Online Business Performance - Online business revenue grew by 2.3% to 1.99 billion RMB, accounting for 62.2% of total revenue [5][7]. - Revenue from proprietary platform products was 1.75 billion RMB, up 3% year-on-year, representing 54.7% of total revenue [9]. - The number of monthly paid users increased by 4.5% to 9.2 million, with significant growth in high-ticket works [10]. IP and Content Development - The company reported a strong performance in IP operations, with a notable increase in the success rate of short dramas and a GMV of 480 million RMB from IP derivative products [5][12]. - The short drama "Good Luck Sweet Wife" generated over 80 million RMB in revenue, highlighting the success of adaptations from the company's IP [11]. - The company has expanded its IP offerings, with over 10,000 Chinese translated works available on its overseas platform WebNovel, contributing to a 38% increase in revenue from AI-translated works [14][15]. Strategic Initiatives - The company is focusing on integrating AI technology with its IP ecosystem, enhancing writer interaction and productivity through tools like "Miao Bi Tong Jian" [13][14]. - The overseas market is seen as a potential growth area, with cultural exports becoming increasingly significant and less affected by external disruptions [15].

Investment Rating - The report maintains a "Buy" rating for the company, with a target price of HKD 48.50, indicating a potential upside of 29.8% from the current price of HKD 37.32 [1][7]. Core Insights - The company has experienced a significant adjustment in its revenue structure, leading to a notable improvement in profitability. Despite a 23.9% year-on-year decline in total revenue to RMB 31.9 billion in the first half of 2025, operating profit surged by 92.7% to RMB 8.76 billion, and net profit attributable to shareholders increased by 68.5% to RMB 8.5 billion [4][10]. - The online reading business has shown resilience, achieving revenue of RMB 19.9 billion, a 2.3% increase year-on-year, while the user strategy has shifted from scale to quality, resulting in a stable core user base [11][4]. - The company's copyright operations faced short-term pressure, with revenue declining by 46.4% to RMB 12.1 billion due to the natural development cycle of film and television projects. However, the long-term potential of the IP economy remains promising [6][12]. Summary by Sections Financial Performance - In the first half of 2025, the company reported total revenue of RMB 31.9 billion, down from RMB 41.9 billion in the same period of 2024, while operating profit increased significantly by 92.7% to RMB 8.76 billion. The net profit attributable to shareholders reached RMB 8.5 billion, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 68.5% [4][10]. - The online reading segment contributed significantly to the revenue, with a stable performance despite a slight decline in user numbers. The average monthly active users (MAU) for the core self-owned platform remained stable at 103 million, with a minor decrease of 2.5% year-on-year [11][4]. Business Strategy - The company has strategically reduced reliance on low-margin channels, focusing on high-value channel operations, which has been key to achieving profit growth in the first half of 2025 [10][15]. - The report highlights the company's new development model of "content + platform + AI," which is expected to drive future growth. The valuation for the online reading business is set at 12 times PE for 2025, while the copyright operation business is valued at 9 times PS revenue for the same year [7][15]. Market Outlook - The report expresses optimism about the company's IP economy potential, with a robust pipeline of projects expected to contribute to revenue growth in the future. The company has a rich reserve of IP projects, which are anticipated to be released in the coming periods [12][14]. - The IP derivative business has shown promising growth, with GMV reaching RMB 4.8 billion in the first half of 2025, nearing the total for the entire year of 2024, indicating strong monetization potential [14][6].

Core Insights - In the first half of 2025, the company achieved a revenue of 3.19 billion yuan and a net profit attributable to shareholders of 850 million yuan, representing a year-on-year growth of 68.5% [2] Group 1: Financial Performance - The company's online reading business saw a steady growth, with online business revenue increasing by 2.3% to 1.99 billion yuan [2] - The total gross merchandise value (GMV) of the IP derivative business reached 480 million yuan, nearing the total for the previous year, indicating significant development [2] Group 2: IP Ecosystem and New Business Ventures - The company's IP ecosystem demonstrated strong growth resilience, with several successful adaptations of premium IPs into films and series, including titles like "Ninefold Purple" and "The Great Duty of the Night Watchman" [2] - The company added 410,000 new novels to its online reading platform, with a total of approximately 20 billion new words added during the reporting period [2] - The short drama success rate significantly improved, showcasing the company's ability to innovate and expand into new business areas [2]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue for the first half of 2025 was RMB 3.2 billion, a decrease from RMB 4.2 billion in 2024 [23] - Online business revenues increased by 2.3% to RMB 2 billion, driven by growth in self-owned platform products [23][24] - Net profit attributable to shareholders increased by 68.5% to RMB 850 million, while non-IFRS net profit decreased to RMB 508 million from RMB 702 million in 2024 [29] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from self-owned platform products increased by 3.1% to RMB 1.7 billion, while revenues from Tencent channels decreased by 25.6% to RMB 97 million [24] - Revenue from IT operations decreased by 46.4% to RMB 1.2 billion, primarily due to a lack of new TV series or film releases [26][27] - The IT merchandise business generated GMV of RMB 488 million, nearing last year's total of RMB 500 million [16][27] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The average monthly active users (MAUs) decreased to 141.3 million from 176 million in 2024, with a decline in MAUs from Tencent channels [25] - Average monthly paying users (MPUs) grew by 4.5% to 9.2 million, reflecting growth in membership users [26] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to capitalize on the rapid growth of China's IP industry, focusing on premium IP, short dramas, and physical merchandise [7][9] - Plans to enhance the IP commercialization strategy by expanding product categories and improving distribution channels [16][39] - Commitment to integrating AI across business lines to enhance content creation and user engagement [19][62] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management highlighted the explosive growth of China's IP industry and the company's unique position to leverage this trend [7][9] - The focus will be on enhancing the emotional connection between IP and users, as well as exploring new technologies like AI and VR [46][62] - The company anticipates strong growth momentum driven by diverse content types and consumption patterns [20][21] Other Important Information - The company introduced an AI-powered knowledge base for online literature, significantly increasing interactions between writers and AI [19][62] - Revenue from AI-translated works on the international reading platform grew by 38% year over year, accounting for over 35% of total novel revenue [20][62] Q&A Session Summary Question: Progress of IP merchandise business and future development priorities - Management discussed the successful IP merchandise initiatives, including events like the King's Avatar tournament and plans for customized merchandise [33][35][40] Question: Top priorities and KPIs for classic IPs - Management emphasized the importance of releasing new content and enhancing merchandise offerings for classic IPs to maintain their popularity [42][45] Question: Commercialization potential of top IPs - Management expressed confidence in the commercialization potential of IPs, highlighting the need to adapt to evolving user demands [48][53] Question: Content pipeline for Newcastle Media - Management outlined the upcoming content releases, including six drama series and a movie project scheduled for the second half of the year [59][61] Question: Deployment of AI technologies - Management provided insights into the integration of AI in content creation, enhancing efficiency and user engagement [62]