EDR - Endeavor Releases First Quarter 2023 Results

Announces Plan to Repurchase Shares and Issue First-Ever Quarterly Dividend

Endeavor Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: EDR) (“Endeavor”, “EGH”, or the “Company”), a global sports and entertainment company, today released its financial results for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023.

Highlights

• Announced two significant transactions in April:
  • Transformational deal to combine UFC and WWE to form a new, publicly listed company
  • Agreement to sell IMG Academy for an enterprise value of $1.25 billion
• Expect to commence an event-driven share repurchase of up to $300 million of Class A common stock
• Plan to begin making quarterly cash dividend payments
• Record Q1 revenue and Adjusted EBITDA for Owned Sports Properties segment
• Saw heightened demand for events, including record attendance and sponsorship sales at the Miami Open

Q1 2023 Consolidated Financial Results

• Revenue: $1.597 billion
• Net income: $36.3 million
• Adjusted EBITDA: $306.4 million

“This quarter, we continued to deliver solid results and set a number of financial and attendance records across our owned sports properties and marquee events,” said Ariel Emanuel, CEO, Endeavor. “Our agreement to sell IMG Academy, together with the planned share repurchase and quarterly dividend announced today, are strong examples of our commitment to maximizing return for our shareholders. We are excited about the unique opportunity the proposed combination of UFC and WWE presents, and remain focused on durable growth as we continue to execute our successful strategy in content and experiences.”

Segment Operating Results

• Owned Sports Properties segment revenue was $353.3 million for the quarter, up $56.6 million, or 19.1%, compared to the first quarter of 2022. Growth was primarily driven by an increase in media rights fees, sponsorships, commercial pay-per-view, and event-related revenue at UFC, primarily resulting from an additional Pay-Per-View event in the quarter, as well as more events with live audiences. Segment results also improved on increased ticket sales at PBR and increased revenue from PBR's new team series. The segment’s Adjusted EBITDA was $185.7 million, up $36.9 million, or 24.8%, year-over-year.
• Events, Experiences & Rights segment revenue was $800.8 million for the quarter, up $19.9 million, or 2.5%, compared to the first quarter of 2022. Growth was primarily driven by record attendance and sponsorship sales at the Miami Open and growth at IMG Academy, as well as the addition this quarter of Barrett-Jackson, which was acquired in August 2022. Growth was partially offset by the discontinuation of On Location’s music festival business in Mexico, which accounted for $75 million in the prior-year quarter. The segment’s Adjusted EBITDA was $108.0 million for the quarter, down $18.0 million, or 14.3%, year-over-year.
• Representation segment revenue was $350.2 million for the quarter, down $7.1 million, or 2.0%, compared to the first quarter of 2022. The decrease in segment revenue was primarily attributable to $14 million of revenue recorded in the prior year quarter from the restricted Endeavor Content business, which was sold in January 2022. Segment revenue was also impacted by a decrease at our 160over90 business due to the disposition of certain contracts in the quarter, partially offset by revenue increases at WME. Adjusted EBITDA was $84.2 million for the quarter, down $17.5 million, or 17.2%, year-over-year.
• Sports Data & Technology segment revenue was $100.9 million, up $55.8 million, or 123.9%, compared to the first quarter of 2022. Growth was driven by the addition of OpenBet, which we acquired in September 2022, as well as growth at IMG ARENA. The segment’s Adjusted EBITDA was $4.5 million for the quarter, down $2.0 million, or 31.0%, year-over-year, which was affected by certain costs at IMG ARENA incurred in advance of the sales cycle.

2023 Full Year Guidance

• Revenue expected between $5.665 billion and $5.815 billion
• Adjusted EBITDA expected between $1.220 billion to $1.275 billion
• Updated guidance primarily reflects expected sale of IMG Academy

Balance Sheet and Liquidity

At March 31, 2023, cash and cash equivalents totaled $718.7 million, compared to $767.8 million at December 31, 2022. Total debt was $5.151 billion at March 31, 2023, compared to $5.169 billion at December 31, 2022. Upon close of the sale of IMG Academy, Endeavor expects to commence repurchases of up to $300 million under an event-driven share repurchase authorization and pay down an additional $50 million of debt. Endeavor also expects to start making quarterly cash dividends of up to $25 million from Endeavor Operating Company to its common unit holders, including EGH, which, in turn, would dividend its portion each quarter to all holders of Endeavor’s Class A common stock. Endeavor expects to declare and pay the first dividend in the third quarter of 2023.

For further information regarding the Company's financial results, as well as certain non-GAAP financial measures, and the reconciliations thereof, please refer to the following pages of this release or visit the Company’s Investor Relation site at investor.endeavorco.com .

Webcast Details

Endeavor will host an audio webcast to discuss its results and provide a business update at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET today. The event can be accessed at: https://events.q4inc.com/attendee/338510069

The link to the webcast, as well as a recording, will also be available within the News/Events section of investor.endeavorco.com .

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including the Company’s guidance for full year 2023, its expected long-term value and market position, contemplated debt repayment, repurchases under the share repurchase authorization and the commencement of declaring a quarterly cash dividend. The words “believe,” “may,” “will,” “estimate,” “potential,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “expect,” “could,” “would,” “project,” “plan,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, though not all forward-looking statements use these words or expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from what is expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to: changes in public and consumer tastes and preferences and industry trends; Endeavor’s ability to adapt to or manage new content distribution platforms or changes in consumer behavior; Endeavor’s dependence on the relationships of its management, agents, and other key personnel with clients; Endeavor’s dependence on key relationships with television and cable networks, satellite providers, digital streaming partners, corporate sponsors, and other distribution partners; risks related to Endeavor’s gaming business and applicable regulatory requirements; risks related to Endeavor’s organization and structure; and other important factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” in Endeavor’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, as any such factors may be updated from time to time in the Company’s other filings with the SEC, including without limitation, the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2023, accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and Endeavor’s Investor Relations site at investor.endeavorco.com. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and, except as may be required under applicable law, Endeavor undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Additional Information Regarding Share Repurchase Authorization and Quarterly Dividend

Repurchases under the share repurchase authorization may be made in the open market, in privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, with the amount and timing of repurchases to be determined at Endeavor’s discretion, depending on market conditions and corporate needs and would be structured to occur in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. This authorization has no expiration and may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time at Endeavor’s discretion. It also does not obligate Endeavor to acquire any particular amount of Class A common stock. In addition, the ultimate amount of each quarterly dividend referenced above will be subject to market conditions and cash flow requirements.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We refer to certain financial measures that are not recognized under United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”). Please see “Note Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the reconciliation tables below for additional information and a reconciliation of the Non-GAAP financial measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures.

About Endeavor

Endeavor is a global sports and entertainment company, home to many of the world’s most dynamic and engaging storytellers, brands, live events and experiences. The company is comprised of industry leaders including entertainment agency WME; sports, fashion, events and media company IMG; and premier mixed martial arts organization UFC. The Endeavor network specializes in talent representation, sports operations & advisory, event & experiences management, media production & distribution, experiential marketing and brand licensing.

Website Disclosure

Investors and others should note that we announce material financial and operational information to our investors using press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls webcasts, as well as our Investor Relations site at investor.endeavorco.com . We may also use our website as a distribution channel of material Company information. In addition, you may automatically receive email alerts and other information about Endeavor when you enroll your email address by visiting the “Investor Email Alerts” option under the Resources tab on investor.endeavorco.com .

Note Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release includes financial measures that are not calculated in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), including Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA Margin.

Adjusted EBITDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and is defined as net income (loss), excluding income taxes, net interest expense, depreciation and amortization, equity-based compensation, merger, acquisition and earn-out costs, certain legal costs, restructuring, severance and impairment charges, certain non-cash fair value adjustments, certain equity earnings, tax receivable agreement liability adjustment, and certain other items, when applicable. Adjusted EBITDA margin is a non-GAAP financial measure defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by Revenue.

Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is useful to investors as it eliminates the significant level of non-cash depreciation and amortization expense that results from our capital investments and intangible assets recognized in business combinations, and improves comparability by eliminating the significant level of interest expense associated with our debt facilities, as well as income taxes and the tax receivable agreement, which may not be comparable with other companies based on our tax and corporate structure.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are used as the primary bases to evaluate our consolidated operating performance.

Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted EBITDA margin have limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. Some of these limitations are:

• they do not reflect every cash expenditure, future requirements for capital expenditures, or contractual commitments;
• Adjusted EBITDA does not reflect the significant interest expense or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments on our debt;
• although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized will often have to be replaced or require improvements in the future, and Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin do not reflect any cash requirement for such replacements or improvements; and
• they are not adjusted for all non-cash income or expense items that are reflected in our statements of cash flows.

We compensate for these limitations by using Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin along with other comparative tools, together with GAAP measurements, to assist in the evaluation of operating performance.

Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin should not be considered substitutes for the reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered in isolation or as alternatives to net income (loss) as indicators of our financial performance, as measures of discretionary cash available to us to invest in the growth of our business or as measures of cash that will be available to us to meet our obligations. Although we use Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin as financial measures to assess the performance of our business, such use is limited because it does not include certain material costs necessary to operate our business. Our presentation of Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin should not be construed as indications that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or nonrecurring items. These non-GAAP financial measures, as determined and presented by us, may not be comparable to related or similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Set forth below are reconciliations of our most directly comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP to these non-GAAP financial measures on a consolidated basis.

A reconciliation of the Company’s Adjusted EBITDA guidance to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure cannot be provided without unreasonable efforts and is not provided herein because of the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such reconciliations, including income taxes, equity-based compensation, merger, acquisition and earn-out costs, certain legal costs, restructuring, severance and impairment charges, certain non-cash fair value adjustments, certain equity earnings, tax receivable agreement liability adjustment, and certain other items reflected in our reconciliation of historical Adjusted EBITDA, the amounts of which, could be material.

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Investors: investor@endeavorco.com
Press: press@endeavorco.com