Regulatory release no. 34
Highlights second quarter 2020
- Q2 Revenue declined by 4% to 15,253 tEUR (Q2 2019: 15,834 tEUR). Organic revenue decline was 24%. The development was impacted by the complete halt of all major sports events from mid-March through April and May before a gradual re-start late May and in June. Positive revenue growth returned in June with 20% growth, of which 7% was organic, even though some major markets, like the US and LATAM, were still affected by sports closedowns.
- Q2 EBITA before special items declined 7% to 6,305 tEUR (Q2 2019: 6,789 tEUR). The EBITA-margin before special items was 41%. The EBITA-margin remained in line with the financial target as the cost base was lowered significantly following the cost reduction program implemented from April 1, which reduced the cost base in Q2 2020 by approximately 3 mEUR compared to Q1 2020.
- Cash Flow from operations before special items was 10,363 tEUR (Q2 2019: 6,601 tEUR), an increase of 57%. The cash conversion was 154%. End of Q2, capital reserves stood at 65.1 mEUR consisting of cash of 19.5 mEUR and unused bank credit facilities of 45.7 mEUR.
- New Depositing Customers (NDCs) was approx. 71,000 in the quarter, representing a decline of 36%, due to the cancellations and postponements of major sports events.
- Better Collective completed the share buyback program per June 30, 2020. During the period March 19, 2020 to June 30, 2020 625,964 shares for an amount of EUR 4,811,557 (SEK 52,523,439) were purchased.
- The payment of the third and last instalment relating to the acquisition of Ribacka AB in cash and shares from the buyback program combined was completed. The payment reflected the maximum earn-out of 9 mEUR and consisted of 8.4 mEUR in cash and 0,6 mEUR in shares.
- Better Collective Tennessee divested the website pocketfives.com for an amount of 0.6 mEUR. The website was originally part of the acquisition of RiCal in May, 2019 and was considered non-strategic for Better Collective. The profit from the divestment is recorded as income under Special Items.
Financial highlights first six months 2020
- In the first half of 2020, revenue grew by 18% to 36,174 tEUR (YTD 2019: 30,739 tEUR). Organic revenue declined 2%.
- In the first half of 2020, EBITA before special items increased 12% to 14,931 tEUR (YTD 2019: 13,310 tEUR). The EBITA-margin before special items was 41%.
- Cash Flow from operations before special items was 19,814 tEUR (YTD 2019: 14,161 tEUR), an increase of 40%. The cash conversion rate before special items was 124%. End of Q2 2020, cash and unused credit facilities amounted to 65.1 mEUR.
- New Depositing Customers (NDCs) exceeded 186,000 in the first half year (decline of 18%). The decline was mainly due to the cancellation of major sports events. In total, it is estimated that the cancellation and postponements of major sports events have resulted in approximately 90,000 fewer NDC’s during H1 2020, compared to a “pre-COVID-19 estimate”.
Significant events after the closure of the period
- July revenue was approximately 6.1 mEUR (total growth of 16% - organic growth 4%). NDC growth was 25% compared to July 2019. Based on betting activity in our major European revenue share accounts, European sports wagering showed the second-highest month ever.
- The remaining 63,231 new shares to be subscribed by the third seller of HLTV.org ApS as detailed in announcement no. 4 dated March 13, 2020 was settled in shares from the buyback program on July 3, 2020.
- Better Collective has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the acquisition of an iGaming company for up to approximately 45 mEUR. The target company has a global presence and is specialised within lead generation towards online gambling. The target company has disclosed its current expectations for financial performance for 2020 with revenue of >40 mEUR and operational earnings (EBITDA) >8 mEUR. The acquisition is pending due diligence and final contract negotiations and will, if completed, be an important strategic move for Better Collective.
The financial targets for 2020 remain unchanged
The cancellation and postponement of major sports events have created less visibility and thereby greater uncertainty than before the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, and as mentioned in the Q1-report, there is increased uncertainty regarding the revenue growth for the full year 2020 compared to previous periods.
The revenue growth for the full year of 2020 is expected to be 15-25% without any revenue contribution from new acquisitions. The M&A-pipeline is progressing well and Better Collective expects to complete one or more acquisitions before year end which expectedly bring the total revenue growth, incl. M&A, above the financial target of >30% for the full year. Earnings margin for the full year is maintained at >40% independent of any new M&As.
For 2021 we expect a normalised situation for major sports. In addition, several major events, that were postponed from 2020 including the EURO 2020 (now EURO 2021), are planned to take place. Financial targets for 2021 will be provided in connection with the Full Year Report for 2020.
Conference call
A telephone conference will be held at 10.00 a.m. CET today by CEO Jesper Søgaard and CFO Flemming Pedersen. The presentation will simultaneously be webcasted, and both the telephone conference and the webcast offer an opportunity to ask questions.
Dial in details for participants:
Confirmation Code: 9381576
Denmark: +45 32 72 80 42
Sweden: +46 (0)8 50692180
United Kingdom: +44 (0)8445718892
Webcast link
Jesper Søgaard, CEO of Better Collective, commented: “We have demonstrated the flexibility to withstand a period of low sports activity. I am very proud that we could maintain our financial earning target (EBITA > 40%) both for Q2 isolated and the full half year.”
Contacts
CEO: Jesper Søgaard
CFO: Flemming Pedersen
Investor Relations: Christina Bastius Thomsen +45 2363 8844
e-mail: investor@bettercollective.com
This information is such information as Better Collective A/S is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation.
About Better Collective
Better Collective is a global sports betting media group that develops digital platforms for betting tips, bookmaker information and iGaming communities. Better Collective’s vision is to empower iGamers through innovative products and technologies and by creating transparency in the online betting market. Its portfolio of platforms and products include bettingexpert.com, the trusted home of tips from expert tipsters and in depth betting theory, HLTV.org, the world’s leading esports media and community focusing on competitive Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), and vegasinsider.com, a leading source for sports betting information in the US. Better Collective is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm (BETCO).
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