Grupo Clarín Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2019 Results

BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA / ACCESSWIRE / March 9, 2019 / Grupo Clarín S.A. ("Grupo Clarín" or the "Company")(LSE:GCLA)(BCBA:GCLA), the largest media company in Argentina, announced today its fourth quarter and full year 2019 results. Figures in this report have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (*) ("IFRS") as of December 31, 2019 and are stated in Argentine Pesos ("Ps"), unless otherwise indicated.

(*) The Company's Management has applied IAS 29 in the preparation of these financial statements (inflation adjustment) because Resolution 777/18, issued by the Comisión Nacional de Valores ("CNV"), establishes that the restatement will be applied to the financial statements.

Highlights (2019 vs. 2018):

Total Revenues reached Ps. 25,429.3 million, a decrease of 14.1% compared to 2018, mainly due to lower advertising revenues in all segments and lower circulation in the Printing and Publishing segment.
Adjusted EBITDA (1) reached Ps. 1,652.0 million, a decrease of 16.7% compared to 2018, mainly driven by lower EBITDA results in the Broadcasting and Programming segment.
Grupo Clarín's Adjusted EBITDA Margin (2) was 6.5% in December 2019, compared to 6.7% in 2018.
Loss for the period totaled Ps. 1,459.1 million, compared to Ps. 1,357.4 million Loss reported in 2018. Loss for the period attributable to Equity Shareholders amounted Ps 1,507.3 million in 2019.

FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS

(In millions of Ps.)

 
2019
 
 
2018
 
 
% Ch.
 
 
 
4Q19
 
 
 
3Q19
 
 
 
4Q18
 
 
QoQ
 
 
YoY
 

Total Revenues

 
 
25,429.3
 
 
 
29,619.0
 
 
 
(14.1
%)
 
 
6,077.1
 
 
 
6,730.1
 
 
 
7,430.0
 
 
 
(9.7
%)
 
 
(18.2
%)

Adjusted EBITDA (1)

 
 
1,652.0
 
 
 
1,982.7
 
 
 
(16.7
%)
 
 
(17.3
)
 
 
719.6
 
 
 
63.9
 
 
 
(102.4
%)
 
 
(127.1
%)

Adjusted EBITDA Margin (2)

 
 
6.5
%
 
 
6.7
%
 
 
(2.9
%)
 
 
(0.3
%)
 
 
10.7
%
 
 
0.9
%
 
 
(102.7
%)
 
 
(133.1
%)

Income for the period

 
 
(1,459.1
)
 
 
(1,357.4
)
 
 
(7.5
% )
 
 
(657.9
)
 
 
(510.9
)
 
 
(1,296.9
)
 
 
(28.8
%)
 
 
49.3
%

Attributable to:

Equity Shareholders

 
 
(1,507.3
)
 
 
(1,316.8
)
 
 
(14.5
%)
 
 
(799.3
)
 
 
(489.3
)
 
 
(1,293.2
)
 
 
63.3
%
 
 
38.2
%

Non-Controlling Interests

 
 
48.2
 
 
 
(40.7
)
 
 
218.6
%
 
 
141.4
 
 
 
(21.6
)
 
 
(3.8
)
 
 
(755.3
%)
 
NA
 

(1) We define Adjusted EBITDA as Total Revenues minus cost of sales (excluding depreciation and amortization) and selling and administrative expenses (excluding depreciation and amortization). We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is a meaningful measure of our performance. It is commonly used to analyze and compare media companies based on operating performance, leverage and liquidity. Nonetheless, Adjusted EBITDA is not a measure of net income or cash flow from operations and should not be considered as an alternative to net income, an indication of our financial performance, an alternative to cash flow from operating activities or a measure of liquidity. Other companies may compute Adjusted EBITDA in a different manner; therefore, Adjusted EBITDA as reported by other companies may not be comparable to Adjusted EBITDA as we report it.

(2) We define Adjusted EBITDA Margin as Adjusted EBITDA over Total Revenues.

For a full version of this earnings release with financial statements, go to: https://www.grupoclarin.com/ir

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST INFORMATION

GRUPO CLARIN S.A.
(BCBA: GCLA; LSE: GCLA)
cordially invites you to participate in its conference call and webcast presentation to discuss Fourth Quarter 2019 Results

Date: Friday, March 13, 2020
Time: 12:00pm Buenos Aires Time/3:00pm London Time/11:00am New York Time
To access the conference call, please dial:
Argentina Participants: 0-800-666-0250
U.S. Participants: 1-877-830-2576
All other countries: +1-785-424-1726
Passcode: CLARIN

The 4Q19 results will be accompanied by a webcast presentation. To access the live stream and slide presentation, visit: https://services.choruscall.com/links/gcla200313kageFkUP.html

There will be a replay available, for 7 days, starting four hours after the conclusion of the conference call. To access the replay, please dial 1-844-488-7474 toll free from the U.S., or +1-862-902-0129 from anywhere outside the U.S. The replay passcode is: 20236680

The webcast presentation will be archived at http://www.grupoclarin.com.ar/ir

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Grupo Clarín is the largest media company in Argentina and a leading company in printing and publishing and broadcasting and programming markets. Its flagship newspaper – Diario Clarín – is one of the highest circulation newspapers in Latin America. Grupo Clarín is the largest producer of media content in Argentina, including news, sports and entertainment and reaches substantially all segments of the Argentine population in terms of wealth, geography and age.

Investor Relations Contacts

In Buenos Aires:
Agustín Medina Manson
Grupo Clarín S.A.
Tel: +54 11 4309 7215
Email: investors@grupoclarin.com

In London:
Alex Money
Jasford IR
Tel: +44 20 3289 5300
E-mail: alex@jasford.com

In New York:
Melanie Carpenter
I-advize Corporate Communications
Tel: +1 212 406 3692
E-mail: clarin@i-advize.com

SOURCE: Grupo Clarín S.A.

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