News
Half-Year Trading Update and Notice of Results
30 April 2025
Positive momentum in H1 25 with double digit growth, US delivering significant wins
and a healthy pipeline of opportunities
LBG Media plc, a social entertainment powerhouse with a focus on young adults, is pleased to announce a trading update for the half-year ended 31 March 2025 ("H1 25" or "the period"). All figures relate to this period, unless otherwise stated.
Trading update
● | Positive momentum reflecting a diversified model with demand from brands and social audiences: revenue of £43.9m (HY24 £38.9m) up 13%, adjusted EBITDA £12.2m (HY24 £10.5m) up 16%. | |
● | Progress across our three growth lenses: | |
○ | US expansion, following our step-change acquisition of Betches in 2023, where the Group achieved significant wins, including our first US client exceeding $1m. | |
○ | Direct (content and campaigns for brands and media agencies to reach young adults): revenues up 8%. | |
○ | Indirect (revenues shared with platforms and partners that place adverts next to LBG Media content on social media and programmatically on our owned and operated websites): revenues up 17%. | |
● | Global audience1 increased to 520m, up from 494m at H1 24 and 503m at FY24. | |
● | Net cash and cash equivalents at 31 March 2025 of £32.9m compared to £27.2m at 30 September 2024, with strong cash conversion of over 100%. | |
Outlook
Whilst mindful of heightened macroeconomic volatility, the Board remains confident of delivering an increase in revenue of approximately 10% in FY25, as previously indicated. This reflects LBG Media's diversified model, momentum from wins in the US, healthy pipeline and audience engagement.
CEO, Solly Solomou commented:
"LBG Media had positive momentum in the first half of the year, with a strong revenue, profit and cash performance. This reflects our diversified revenue streams and positive progress in the US, the world's largest advertising market, where we are seeing demand from global blue-chip brands.
Today, LBG Media is the UK's fifth largest social and digital business; reaching 70% of the UK's Gen Z population. We continue to expand our global social audiences and our brand is recognised as a leading social entertainment brand for young adults. LBG Media's diversified model, momentum from wins in the US, healthy pipeline and audience engagement support the Board's confidence of further progress in the second half of the financial year."
Notice of Half-Year Results
LBG Media intends to announce its 2025 half-year results on 24 June 2025.
For further information please contact:
LBG Media plc Solly Solomou, Chief Executive Officer Dave Wilson, Executive Chair
| |
Zeus (Nominated Adviser & Sole Broker) Dan Bate / Nick Cowles (Investment Banking) Benjamin Robertson (Equity Capital Markets) | Tel: +44 (0) 161 831 1512 |
Peel Hunt LLP (Joint Broker) Neil Patel Benjamin Cryer Alice Lane Kate Bannatyne | Tel: +44 (0) 207 418 8990 |
Media enquiries: FTI Consulting LLP Jamie Ricketts / Kwaku Aning / Jemima Gurney | Tel: +44 (0) 20 3727 1000 |
Notes to editors
As a social entertainment powerhouse, we help brands reach young adults on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, X, YouTube and TikTok, and our owned and operated websites.
We produce, curate, and distribute digital content that young adults engage with and want to share, whether through videos, editorials, images, or audio.
We do this through brands such as Betches and those dedicated to distinct popular interests (e.g. news, sport, gaming) like LADbible and SPORTbible.
Engagement is at the heart of what we do - which comes through in our two main revenue streams:
a. We create bespoke content for blue-chip advertisers that gives them access to a young adult audience that is hard to reach for traditional media players. This is distributed across social media platforms and our owned and operated websites. We call this 'Direct' revenue.
b. Third parties - such as social media platforms and programmatic advertising partners - generate revenue by placing advertising next to our content. We call this 'Indirect' revenue, and the revenue is shared between the publisher, which is us, and the social media platform or partner as applicable.
LBG Media is listed on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange (AIM: LBG).
Notes
1. Global audience reflects social followers, unique podcast listeners and average monthly website users in the period.