Core Insights - The number of digital subscriptions for AS Ekspress Grupp increased by 10% year-over-year, reaching a total of 244,500 subscriptions by the end of September, indicating strong growth despite economic challenges [1][2][9] - The Baltic States experienced economic stagnation, which has impacted consumer confidence and subscription growth, particularly in the third quarter [3] - In Estonia, Delfi Meedia achieved stable annual growth of 8%, while Latvia and Lithuania saw significant growth in digital subscriptions at 24% and 22%, respectively, highlighting the potential for further expansion in these markets [4][5][8] Detailed Overview of Digital Subscriptions - AS Delfi Meedia's digital subscriptions totaled 121,118, reflecting an 8% year-over-year increase [8] - AS Õhtuleht Kirjastus, partially owned by Ekspress Grupp, saw a decrease of 5% in digital subscriptions, totaling 24,746 [8] - Geenius Meedia OÜ experienced a 10% decline in digital subscriptions, totaling 6,800 [8] - In Latvia, Delfi A/S reported a 24% increase in digital subscriptions, totaling 32,875 [8] - In Lithuania, Delfi's digital subscriptions increased by 22%, totaling 47,187, while Lrytas saw a 4% increase, totaling 11,774 [8] - The overall digital subscription count for Ekspress Grupp remained stable at 244,500, with a slight change of 0% from the previous quarter [7] Future Outlook - The company aims to increase the volume of digital subscriptions to 340,000 in the Baltic countries by the end of 2026, aligning with its long-term strategic goals established in early 2022 [9]

Financial Performance - The company's total revenues increased by 9.7% year-over-year, reaching $686 million in Q2 2025, compared to $625 million in Q2 2024 [11] - Adjusted operating profit (AOP) grew by 27.8% year-over-year to approximately $134 million [8, 11] - AOP margin increased by approximately 280 basis points year-over-year to 19.5% [8, 42] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share increased to $0.58 in Q2 2025, up from $0.45 in Q2 2024 [11] - Adjusted operating costs (AOC) grew by 6.1% year-over-year [8] Subscriber Growth - The company added approximately 230,000 net digital-only subscribers in Q2 2025, bringing the total subscriber count to 11.88 million [8, 13] - Bundle and multiproduct subscribers now constitute 51% of the company's total subscriber base, an increase from 49% in Q1 2025 [8] - Total digital-only average revenue per user (ARPU) increased by 3.2% year-over-year to $9.64 [8] Revenue Streams - Digital-only subscription revenues increased by 15.1% year-over-year [8, 26] - Digital advertising revenues increased by 18.7% year-over-year [8, 33] - Affiliate, licensing, and other revenues increased by 5.8% year-over-year [8, 34] Free Cash Flow - The company generated strong free cash flow, with $455 million for the last twelve months ended June 30, 2025 [44]

Core Insights - The number of digital subscriptions for AS Ekspress Grupp increased by 10% year-over-year, totaling 244,884 by the end of June [1][2] - The growth in digital subscriptions in Latvia and Lithuania was particularly strong, with increases of 23% and 11% respectively [3] - The company aims to reach a long-term goal of 340,000 digital subscribers in the Baltic States by the end of 2026 [5][8] Digital Subscription Performance - AS Delfi Meedia's digital subscriptions rose by 12% year-over-year, reaching 119,811 [7] - AS Õhtuleht Kirjastus saw a decrease of 10% year-over-year in digital subscriptions, totaling 24,460, although it experienced a 2% increase in the last quarter [4][7] - Geenius Meedia OÜ's digital subscriptions decreased by 1% year-over-year, totaling 7,388 [7] - In Latvia, Delfi A/S's digital subscriptions increased by 23% year-over-year, totaling 33,840 [7] - In Lithuania, Delfi's digital subscriptions increased by 11%, totaling 47,758, while Lrytas UAB's subscriptions increased by 13%, totaling 11,627 [7] Market Outlook - The Baltic digital subscriptions market has significant growth potential, especially in Latvia and Lithuania [5] - The company is focused on increasing digital subscribers across all markets, indicating a positive growth trend [4][5]

Core Insights - The New York Times Company (NYT) has positioned digital subscriptions as a central element of its growth strategy, focusing on high-quality journalism and personalized content to expand its subscriber base [1][2][6] - The company has diversified its digital offerings beyond news, including cooking, games, and lifestyle features, which contribute to its subscription growth [1][2] Subscriber Growth - As of the end of Q1 2025, NYT had approximately 11.66 million subscribers, with 11.06 million being digital-only subscribers, marking a net addition of 250,000 digital-only subscribers from the previous quarter [3] - The company reported that 5.76 million of its digital-only subscribers were bundle and multi-product subscribers [3] Revenue Performance - Subscription revenues reached $464.3 million in Q1 2025, reflecting an 8.2% year-over-year increase, while digital-only subscription revenues surged by 14.4% to $335 million [4] - The average revenue per user (ARPU) for digital-only subscribers increased to $9.54 from $9.21 year-over-year, driven by subscribers moving to higher rate plans and price increases for long-term non-bundle subscribers [5] Future Outlook - Management anticipates continued growth in subscriptions, projecting total subscription revenue growth of 8-10% and digital-only subscription revenue growth of 13-16% for Q2 2025 [6] - The strategic focus on building a loyal subscriber base has reduced the company's reliance on volatile advertising revenues [6] Market Positioning - NYT's emphasis on subscription growth and digital innovation has been a key factor in its success within a competitive media landscape, showcasing its ability to attract new subscribers and optimize ARPU [7] - Despite the positive trends, the company faces challenges with a decline in print advertising revenues, which fell by 8.5% in Q1 2025 [7] - Over the past three months, NYT shares have increased by 15.7%, outperforming the industry growth of 14.8% [8]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a strong start to 2025 with a 22% year-over-year growth in Adjusted Operating Profit (AOP) and an expansion of AOP margin by approximately 180 basis points [12][13] - Free cash flow generated in Q1 was approximately $90 million, including a one-time benefit of $33 million from the sale of excess land [13] - Adjusted diluted EPS increased by $0.10 to $0.41, driven by higher operating profit and interest income [17] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company added 250,000 net new digital subscribers, surpassing 11 million digital-only subscribers, bringing the total subscriber base to 11.7 million [6][12] - Digital subscription revenue, the largest and fastest-growing revenue stream, increased by more than 14% to $335 million [15] - Digital advertising revenue grew by 12%, marking the strongest growth rate in three years, with total advertising revenues increasing by approximately 4% to $108 million [7][16] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported that bundle and multi-product subscribers now make up approximately 49% of the total subscriber base, indicating a shift towards bundled offerings [12] - Engagement levels remained high, with 50 to 100 million people turning to the company's offerings weekly [5] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to continue comprehensive coverage of important stories, innovate in video and audio, and enhance product value through new content and features [8][10] - The strategy focuses on leveraging multiple complementary revenue lines, including subscriptions, advertising, affiliate, and licensing, which are all experiencing healthy growth [5][7] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the long-term growth drivers and the ability to navigate an uncertain market environment, emphasizing the resilience of the business model [11][18] - The impact of tariffs on the business has been described as immaterial to date, with expectations for healthy growth in revenues and AOP for the full year [18] Other Important Information - The company won four Pulitzer Prizes, highlighting its commitment to high-quality journalism [9] - The company is focused on maintaining disciplined cost growth while investing in journalism and product enhancements [8][13] Q&A Session Summary Question: Strength in digital ad revenue - Management noted that the ad business is now viewed similarly to the consumer business, with engaged audiences and a suite of high-performing ad products [20][21] Question: News-only subscriber base stability - Management confirmed that the strategy is working as designed, with expectations for continued marketing of the bundle and gradual conversion of legacy subscribers [25][26] Question: Subscriber dynamics and ARPU - Management highlighted the year-over-year increase in total digital-only ARPU and expressed confidence in the trajectory due to strong engagement and value addition [31][33] Question: Tactics for transitioning from promotional pricing - Management explained that they monitor engagement closely and adjust pricing strategies accordingly, including intermediate pricing options [41][44] Question: Digital ad revenue performance - Management expressed optimism about the ad business, noting strong performance across various categories and improving audience targeting capabilities [48][49]

Financial Performance - Total revenues increased by 7.1% year-over-year, reaching $636 million in Q1 2025 compared to $594 million in Q1 2024[12] - Adjusted operating profit (AOP) grew by 21.9% year-over-year to approximately $93 million in Q1 2025, up from $76 million in Q1 2024[9, 12] - AOP margin increased by approximately 180 basis points year-over-year to 14.6% in Q1 2025[9] - Adjusted diluted earnings per share increased to $0.41 in Q1 2025, compared to $0.31 in Q1 2024, a 32.3% increase[12, 59] - Adjusted operating costs (AOC) grew by 4.9% year-over-year, primarily due to higher cost of revenue, product development, and adjusted general and administrative expenses[9, 40] Subscriber Growth - The company added approximately 250K net digital-only subscribers in Q1 2025, bringing the total subscriber count to 11.66 million[9, 14] - Bundle and multiproduct subscribers now constitute 49% of the company's total subscriber base, an increase from 48% in Q4 2024[9] Revenue Streams - Digital-only subscription revenues increased by 14.4% year-over-year due to growth in both digital subscribers and total digital-only ARPU[9, 28] - Total digital-only average revenue per user (ARPU) increased by 3.6% year-over-year to $9.54[9] - Digital advertising revenues increased by 12.4% year-over-year, driven by strong marketer demand and new advertising supply[9, 35]

Core Insights - The total number of digital subscriptions for AS Ekspress Grupp increased by 12% year-over-year, reaching 236,272 by the end of March [1][2][5] Digital Subscription Growth - The most significant year-on-year growth in digital subscriptions was observed in Latvia (30%) and Lithuania (17%), while Estonia experienced a slight decline in the first quarter due to the expiration of some business contracts [3][6] - The company aims to expand its digital subscriber base, particularly in Latvia and Lithuania, with a long-term goal of reaching 340,000 subscribers in the Baltic countries by the end of 2026 [4][5] Detailed Subscription Overview - As of March 31, 2025, the digital subscriptions for various segments are as follows: - Delfi Meedia AS: 112,751 subscriptions (10% increase year-over-year) - AS Õhtuleht Kirjastus: 24,009 subscriptions (9% decrease year-over-year) - Geenius Meedia OÜ: 7,219 subscriptions (5% decrease year-over-year) - Delfi AS (Latvia): 32,918 subscriptions (30% increase year-over-year) - Delfi UAB (Lithuania): 47,341 subscriptions (17% increase year-over-year) - Lrytas UAB (Lithuania): 12,034 subscriptions (38% increase year-over-year) [4][6] Revenue Insights - Digital subscription revenue is becoming a larger portion of Ekspress Grupp's overall digital revenue, aligning with the company's long-term goals established in early 2022 [5]