Spark Networks(R) Reports Third Quarter 2016 Financial Results
Quarterly Highlights
Spark Networks raised over$9 million during Q3 and ended the quarter with$11.3 million in cash
- Net Loss of
$94,000 , a$728,000 improvement from the prior year period
- Adjusted EBITDA increases to
$1.5 million , an 18% margin
- JSwipe current paid subscribers now represent 4% of total Jewish Networks subscribers with ARPU in-line with total Jewish Networks
Summary Quarterly Metrics
Q3 2016 | Q2 2016 | Q3 2015 | ||||
Revenue | $8.4 Million | $9.1 Million | $11.7 Million | |||
Contribution1 | $7.2 Million | $7.6 Million | $7.3 Million | |||
Net (Loss) Income | $(94) Thousand | $329 Thousand | $(822) Thousand | |||
Adjusted EBITDA2 | $1.5 Million | $1.4 Million | $309 Thousand | |||
Cash Balance | $11.3 Million | $3.1 Million | $14.4 Million | |||
Period Ending Subs3 | 158,233 | 183,678 | 197,832 | |||
Avg. Paying Subs3 | 173,564 | 189,938 | 197,109 | |||
ARPU | $15.81 | $15.70 | $19.04 | |||
Third Quarter 2016 Financial Results
Revenue: For the third quarter of 2016, total revenue was
Contribution: For the third quarter of 2016, contribution was
Net Loss: For the third quarter of 2016, Net Loss was
Adjusted EBITDA: For the third quarter of 2016, Adjusted EBITDA was
Liquidity: For the third quarter of 2016, the Company ended with
Commentary and Outlook
Chief Executive Officer
"One quarter into my tenure at Spark, I wanted to share initial observations and our approach. We have a better understanding of structural problems the business has faced. These have been driven by problems with technology and product that have prevented investment in modernizing our brands. Some of these challenges have been overcome in the short term through marketing spend, but that is not a sustainable approach that will enable the company to thrive and grow.
"Our strategy to improve operations and maximize long term potential is founded in fixing these core issues and doing fewer things in a better way. More specifically, we have made the decision to focus on holistically improving our core JDate and
"Within Marketing, we have significantly reduced paid marketing efforts and completely stopped any television advertising. These reductions have helped us identify inefficient marketing channels, and will give us a baseline against which to measure as we ramp our paid marketing efforts in November and continuing through
"Spark's strong and iconic brands have been hampered by a technology platform that is, at its core, over 15 years old. The Technology and Product teams are now aligned around the development of a single new, scalable, shared platform to support our customer-facing sites and applications. It is important to note, that this platform will also serve as the foundation for new internal systems and tools that will drive much-needed efficiencies within our Customer Service and Marketing teams.
"We expect our development and product work to result in the launch of new versions of JDate and
"While the last quarter has allowed us to identify and prioritize areas for improvement, the real work is still ahead of us. We are confident that we possess the resources, team, and capital to complete the ambitious plans we have for the next five quarters and position Spark for future growth. We are excited to complete the work necessary to effect positive change at Spark, and we look forward to sharing our progress with our customers and shareholders over the coming months."
SPARK NETWORKS, INC. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
SEGMENT4 RESULTS FROM OPERATIONS | ||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands except subscriber and ARPU information) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Q3 2016 | Q2 2016 | Q1 2016 | Q4 2015 | Q3 2015 | Q3 '16 v. Q3 '15 | Q3 '16 v. Q2 '16 | ||||||||||||||||
Revenue | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jewish Networks | $ | 3,322 | $ | 3,628 | $ | 3,994 | $ | 4,299 | $ | 4,613 | -28.0 | % | -8.4 | % | ||||||||
Christian Networks | 4,673 | 5,044 | 5,405 | 5,940 | 6,581 | -29.0 | % | -7.3 | % | |||||||||||||
Other Networks | 385 | 413 | 438 | 446 | 466 | -17.4 | % | -6.8 | % | |||||||||||||
Offline & Other Businesses | 11 | 13 | 21 | 20 | 22 | -50.0 | % | -13.4 | % | |||||||||||||
Total Revenue | $ | 8,391 | $ | 9,098 | $ | 9,859 | $ | 10,705 | $ | 11,682 | -28.2 | % | -7.8 | % | ||||||||
Direct Mktg. Exp. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jewish Networks | $ | 420 | $ | 372 | $ | 497 | $ | 648 | $ | 619 | -32.2 | % | 12.7 | % | ||||||||
Christian Networks | 750 | 1,001 | 4,420 | 3,111 | 3,664 | -79.5 | % | -25.0 | % | |||||||||||||
Other Networks | 60 | 105 | 120 | 129 | 141 | -57.5 | % | -42.8 | % | |||||||||||||
Total Direct Mktg. Exp. | $ | 1,230 | $ | 1,478 | $ | 5,038 | $ | 3,888 | $ | 4,424 | -72.2 | % | -16.8 | % | ||||||||
Contribution | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jewish Networks | $ | 2,902 | $ | 3,256 | $ | 3,497 | $ | 3,652 | $ | 3,994 | -27.3 | % | -10.9 | % | ||||||||
Christian Networks | 3,923 | 4,043 | 985 | 2,829 | 2,917 | 34.5 | % | -3.0 | % | |||||||||||||
Other Networks | 325 | 308 | 318 | 316 | 325 | -0.1 | % | 5.3 | % | |||||||||||||
Offline & Other Businesses | 11 | 13 | 20 | 20 | 22 | -50.6 | % | -14.4 | % | |||||||||||||
Total Contribution | $ | 7,161 | $ | 7,620 | $ | 4,821 | $ | 6,817 | $ | 7,258 | -1.3 | % | -6.0 | % | ||||||||
Period Ending Subs | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jewish Networks | 52,952 | 59,868 | 63,982 | 65,004 | 64,144 | -17.4 | % | -11.6 | % | |||||||||||||
Christian Networks | 95,047 | 112,895 | 122,935 | 123,800 | 122,068 | -22.1 | % | -15.8 | % | |||||||||||||
Other Networks | 10,234 | 10,915 | 11,321 | 11,219 | 11,620 | -11.9 | % | -6.2 | % | |||||||||||||
Total Period Ending Subs. | 158,233 | 183,678 | 198,238 | 200,023 | 197,832 | -20.0 | % | -13.9 | % | |||||||||||||
Average Paying Subs. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jewish Networks | 57,684 | 61,732 | 63,930 | 64,627 | 63,538 | -9.2 | % | -6.6 | % | |||||||||||||
Christian Networks | 105,108 | 117,024 | 124,180 | 123,888 | 121,597 | -13.6 | % | -10.2 | % | |||||||||||||
Other Networks | 10,772 | 11,182 | 11,341 | 11,266 | 11,974 | -10.0 | % | -3.7 | % | |||||||||||||
Total Avg. Paying Subs. | 173,564 | 189,938 | 199,451 | 199,781 | 197,109 | -11.9 | % | -8.6 | % | |||||||||||||
ARPU | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Jewish Networks | $ | 18.79 | $ | 19.33 | $ | 20.46 | $ | 21.82 | $ | 23.80 | -21.0 | % | -2.8 | % | ||||||||
Christian Networks | 14.60 | 14.09 | 14.17 | 15.25 | 17.19 | -15.0 | % | 3.7 | % | |||||||||||||
Other Networks | 11.69 | 12.15 | 12.52 | 12.72 | 12.58 | -7.0 | % | -3.8 | % | |||||||||||||
Total ARPU5 | $ | 15.81 | $ | 15.70 | $ | 16.12 | $ | 17.26 | $ | 19.04 | -16.9 | % | 0.7 | % | ||||||||
Distribution of New Subscription Purchases6 | |||||||||||
Q3 2016 | Q2 2016 | Q1 2016 | Q4 2015 | Q3 2015 | |||||||
Jewish Networks | |||||||||||
1 month plans | 32.6% | 28.2% | 26.4% | 32.8% | 35.6% | ||||||
3 month plans | 18.4% | 19.2% | 17.0% | 19.8% | 19.9% | ||||||
6 month plans | 49.0% | 52.6% | 56.6% | 47.3% | 44.5% | ||||||
100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | |||||||
Christian Networks | |||||||||||
1 month plans | 36.5% | 39.2% | 32.9% | 38.5% | 39.6% | ||||||
3 month plans | 22.4% | 25.7% | 20.5% | 21.6% | 18.4% | ||||||
6 month plans | 41.1% | 35.1% | 46.7% | 39.9% | 42.0% | ||||||
100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | |||||||
Other Networks | |||||||||||
1 month plans | 51.1% | 52.2% | 55.8% | 59.9% | 62.0% | ||||||
3 month plans | 9.5% | 10.8% | 11.6% | 10.6% | 11.4% | ||||||
6 month plans | 39.4% | 37.1% | 32.6% | 29.6% | 26.6% | ||||||
100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | |||||||
Composition of Average Paying Subscriber Base7 | |||||||||||
Q3 2016 | Q2 2016 | Q1 2016 | Q4 2015 | Q3 2015 | |||||||
Jewish Networks | |||||||||||
First Time Subscribers | 23.7% | 24.6% | 24.7% | 23.1% | 21.7% | ||||||
Winback Subscribers | 34.6% | 34.0% | 32.5% | 32.0% | 30.5% | ||||||
Renewal Subscribers | 41.7% | 41.4% | 42.8% | 44.9% | 47.8% | ||||||
Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | ||||||
Christian Networks | |||||||||||
First Time Subscribers | 39.9% | 42.0% | 43.1% | 41.3% | 39.1% | ||||||
Winback Subscribers | 26.4% | 26.0% | 24.6% | 23.7% | 23.3% | ||||||
Renewal Subscribers | 33.7% | 32.0% | 32.3% | 35.0% | 37.6% | ||||||
Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | ||||||
Other Networks | |||||||||||
First Time Subscribers | 32.7% | 33.0% | 31.9% | 30.0% | 31.2% | ||||||
Winback Subscribers | 22.9% | 22.4% | 21.7% | 21.0% | 22.0% | ||||||
Renewal Subscribers | 44.4% | 44.6% | 46.4% | 49.1% | 46.8% | ||||||
Total | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | ||||||
Investor Conference Call
The Company will discuss its financial results during a live teleconference today at
Toll-Free (
International: 1-201-493-6725
In addition, the Company will host a webcast of the call which will be accessible in the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at www.spark.net or by clicking http://investor.spark.net.
A replay will begin approximately three hours after completion of the call and run until
Replay
Toll-Free (
International: 1-412-317-6671
Passcode: 13648150
Safe Harbor Statement:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, statements regarding the Company's new strategy, statements regarding the expected benefits to the Company of significantly reducing paid marketing effort, statements regarding the expected benefits of the Company's new technology platform, statements regarding the expected launch of new versions of JDate and
About
The
1 "Contribution" is defined as revenue, net of credits and credit card chargebacks, less direct marketing.
2 The Company reports Adjusted EBITDA as a supplemental measure to generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP"). This non-GAAP measure is one of the primary metrics by which we evaluate the performance of our businesses, budget, forecast and compensate management. We believe this measure provides management and investors with a consistent view, period to period, of the core earnings generated from on-going operations and excludes the impact of: (i) non-cash items such as stock-based compensation, asset impairments, non-cash currency translation adjustments related to an inter-company loan and (ii) one-time items that have not occurred in the past two years and are not expected to recur in the next two years. Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as a substitute for net income (loss) (as determined in accordance with GAAP) for the purpose of analyzing our operating performance or financial position, as Adjusted EBITDA is not defined by GAAP. A reconciliation of the Adjusted EBITDA for the three and nine months ended
"Adjusted EBITDA" is defined as earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, stock-based compensation, impairment of long-lived assets, non-cash currency translation adjustments for an inter-company loan and non-recurring significant executive and non-executive severance, and acquisition costs.
3 "Paying Subscribers" are defined as individuals who have paid a monthly fee for access to communication and website features beyond those provided to our members. Period ending subscribers for each quarter represent the paying subscriber count as of the last day of the period. Average paying subscribers for each month are calculated as the sum of the paying subscribers at the beginning and end of the month, divided by two. Average paying subscribers for periods longer than one month are calculated as the sum of the average paying subscribers for each month, divided by the number of months in such period. The calculation excludes results from the Company's HurryDate business due to its relative size.
4 In accordance with Segment Reporting guidance, the Company's financial reporting includes detailed data on four separate operating segments. The Jewish Networks segment consists of JDate, JDate.co.il, JDate.fr, JDate.co.uk, Cupid.co.il, and JSwipe. The Christian Networks segment consists of ChristianMingle, CrossPaths, ChristianMingle.co.uk, ChristianMingle.com.au, Believe.com, ChristianCards.net, ChristianDating.com, DailyBibleVerse.com and Faith.com. The Other Networks segment consists of Spark.com and related other general market websites as well as other properties which are primarily composed of sites targeted towards various religious, ethnic, geographic and special interest groups. The Offline & Other Businesses segment consists of revenue generated from offline activities and HurryDate events and subscriptions.
5 ARPU is defined as average revenue per user per month. Total ARPU excludes results from the Company's HurryDate business due to its relative size.
6 One month plans may also include a small amount of two month plans. Three month plans may include a small amount of four month plans. Six month plans may include a small amount of twelve month plans.
7 Represents the composition of average paying subscribers in the period. First Time Subscribers are defined as those subscribers that have never purchased a subscription from the Company for that reporting segment. Winback Subscribers are defined as those individuals who have purchased a subscription from the Company for that reporting segment, allowed their subscription to lapse, and subsequently purchased a subscription from the Company for that reporting segment. Renewal Subscribers are defined as those subscribers that have auto-renewed a subscription from the Company for that reporting segment. Figures exclude results from JSwipe and CrossPaths.
SPARK NETWORKS, INC. | ||||||||||
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS | ||||||||||
(in thousands, except share data) | ||||||||||
September 30, | December 31, | |||||||||
2016 | 2015 | |||||||||
Assets | ||||||||||
Current assets: | ||||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 11,332 | $ | 6,565 | ||||||
Restricted cash | 506 | 747 | ||||||||
Accounts receivable (net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $101 and $99 at September 30, 2016, and December 31, 2015, respectively) | 463 | 790 | ||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other | 653 | 1,341 | ||||||||
Total current assets | 12,954 | 9,443 | ||||||||
Property and equipment, net | 5,180 | 5,584 | ||||||||
Goodwill | 14,681 | 14,450 | ||||||||
Intangible assets, net | 3,228 | 3,451 | ||||||||
Deposits and other assets | 119 | 148 | ||||||||
Total assets | $ | 36,162 | $ | 33,076 | ||||||
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity | ||||||||||
Current liabilities: | ||||||||||
Accounts payable | 605 | 1,749 | ||||||||
Accrued liabilities | 2,468 | 3,854 | ||||||||
Deferred revenue | 4,908 | 5,834 | ||||||||
Total current liabilities | 7,981 | 11,437 | ||||||||
Deferred tax liability - non-current | 2,230 | 2,136 | ||||||||
Other liabilities | 319 | 537 | ||||||||
Total liabilities | 10,530 | 14,110 | ||||||||
Commitments and Contingencies | ||||||||||
Stockholders' equity: | ||||||||||
10,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock authorized, $0.001 par value, 450,000 of which are designated as Series C Junior Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock, with no shares of Preferred Stock issued or outstanding | - | - | ||||||||
100,000,000 shares of Common Stock authorized, $0.001 par value, with 31,874,193 and 25,845,879 shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 | 32 | 27 | ||||||||
Additional paid-in-capital | 87,019 | 77,188 | ||||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive income | 742 | 739 | ||||||||
Accumulated deficit | (62,161 | ) | (58,988 | ) | ||||||
Total stockholders' equity | 25,632 | 18,966 | ||||||||
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity | $ | 36,162 | $ | 33,076 | ||||||
SPARK NETWORKS, INC. | |||||||||||||||||
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS | |||||||||||||||||
(unaudited, in thousands, except per share data) | |||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||
Revenue | $ | 8,391 | $ | 11,682 | $ | 27,348 | $ | 37,430 | |||||||||
Cost and expenses: | |||||||||||||||||
Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation shown separately below) | 2,323 | 5,593 | 11,205 | 19,058 | |||||||||||||
Sales and marketing | 1,103 | 1,144 | 3,935 | 2,895 | |||||||||||||
Customer service | 523 | 769 | 2,356 | 2,239 | |||||||||||||
Technical operations | 419 | 210 | 1,021 | 636 | |||||||||||||
Development | 962 | 1,053 | 3,172 | 2,978 | |||||||||||||
General and administrative | 2,438 | 2,933 | 6,953 | 7,704 | |||||||||||||
Depreciation | 738 | 562 | 2,196 | 1,607 | |||||||||||||
Amortization of intangible assets | 68 | 10 | 224 | 30 | |||||||||||||
Impairment of long-lived assets | 58 | 26 | 149 | 132 | |||||||||||||
Total cost and expenses | 8,632 | 12,300 | 31,211 | 37,279 | |||||||||||||
Operating (loss) income | (241 | ) | (618 | ) | (3,863 | ) | 151 | ||||||||||
Interest (income) expense and other, net | (82 | ) | 191 | (109 | ) | 79 | |||||||||||
(Loss) income before provision for income taxes | (159 | ) | (809 | ) | (3,754 | ) | 72 | ||||||||||
Income tax (benefit) provision | (65 | ) | 13 | (581 | ) | 266 | |||||||||||
Net loss | (94 | ) | (822 | ) | (3,173 | ) | (194 | ) | |||||||||
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax: | |||||||||||||||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment | 28 | - | 4 | (5 | ) | ||||||||||||
Comprehensive loss | $ | (66 | ) | $ | (822 | ) | $ | (3,169 | ) | $ | (199 | ) | |||||
Net loss per share - basic and diluted | $ | (0.00 | ) | $ | (0.03 | ) | $ | (0.12 | ) | $ | (0.01 | ) | |||||
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic and diluted | 29,212 | 25,188 | 27,003 | 24,991 | |||||||||||||
Three Months Ended | Nine Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||
September 30, | September 30, | ||||||||||||||||
2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | |||||||||||||||||
Sales and marketing | $ | (68 | ) | $ | 11 | $ | 27 | $ | 19 | ||||||||
Customer service | 4 | - | 8 | - | |||||||||||||
Technical operations | (32 | ) | - | 12 | - | ||||||||||||
Development | 7 | 5 | 18 | 8 | |||||||||||||
General and administrative | 207 | 159 | 719 | 485 | |||||||||||||
Reconciliation of Net Loss to Adjusted EBITDA: | ||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended September 30, |
Nine Months Ended September 30, |
|||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2016 | 2015 | 2016 | 2015 | ||||||||||||
Net loss | $ | (94 | ) | $ | (822 | ) | $ | (3,173 | ) | $ | (194 | ) | ||||
Interest expense | 19 | 15 | 52 | 35 | ||||||||||||
(Benefit) provision for income taxes | (65 | ) | 40 | (581 | ) | 237 | ||||||||||
Depreciation | 738 | 561 | 2,196 | 1,606 | ||||||||||||
Impairment of long lived assets | 58 | 26 | 149 | 132 | ||||||||||||
Amortization of intangible assets | 68 | 10 | 224 | 30 | ||||||||||||
Non-cash currency translation adjustments | (102 | ) | 175 | (166 | ) | 39 | ||||||||||
Stock-based compensation | 118 | 175 | 784 | 512 | ||||||||||||
Non-recurring financing, acquisition, and severance costs | 803 | 129 | 1,234 | 290 | ||||||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA | $ | 1,543 | $ | 309 | $ | 719 | $ | 2,687 | ||||||||
Source: