As announced by the Company on 25 August 2022, the financial year end of the Group has been changed from 31 December to 30 June.
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 August 2023 — Media Prima Berhad (“Media Prima” or the “Group”), Malaysia’s leading and largest integrated media group, today announced its financial results for the quarter and 18 months period ended 30 June 2023.
The Group reported a revenue of RM1.4 billion and a profit after tax (“PAT”) of RM67.3 million for the 18 months under review on the back of a challenging business environment and softer advertising market conditions. Media Prima’s revenue and PAT for the quarter ended 30 June 2023 are RM223.0 million and RM8.1 million respectively.
Commenting on the results, Datuk Seri (Dr) Syed Hussian Aljunid, Group Chairman of Media Prima, said: “While our performance was impacted by industry and economic challenges, notably the softer advertising market, we take pride in our efforts to defend our leadership positions across our businesses. We maintain a strong belief that our brand strength, expansive reach, and innovative content will continue to strongly resonate with our dedicated audiences and advertisers while delivering value to our shareholders.”
He added that Media Prima’s Board of Directors has declared a single-tier dividend of 1.5 sen per ordinary share for the 18 months period ended 30 June 2023.
Rafiq Razali, Group Managing Director of Media Prima, added: “The 18 months was a challenging period for the media industry, however, we are pleased with Media Prima’s resiliency having posted consecutive quarterly profits since the third quarter of the financial year ended 31 December 2020. Despite the tougher economic climate, we have been successful in optimising our operational costs and seeing incremental growth in advertising revenue across our businesses. We are committed to executing our 3-year business plan to strengthen our position and realise new opportunities for the Group.”
During the period under review, Media Prima was able to improve its market positions across the Group’s media platforms. The return in demand for out-of-home advertising boosted Big Tree’s performance, posting RM177.5 million in revenue for the 18 months period, a marked improvement given the impact of the Covid-19 outbreak on the OOH industry.
The New Straits Times Press (“NSTP”) recorded better advertising revenue during the period, leading the business to post a revenue of RM180.3 million. NSTP’s digital first strategy has also enabled BH, HM and NST to attract over 3.8 million, 3.6 million and 2.5 million monthly average unique visitors respectively according to Comscore data as at June 2023.
The Group posted RM74.7 million content sales revenue in the 18 months, driven by Media Prima’s content distribution strategy with popular streaming platforms. Our popular content is available to various global audiences through Disney+ Hotstar, VIU, iQiyi and Netflix and are among the most viewed programmes on the respective platforms.
In broadcasting, Media Prima Television Networks and Media Prima Audio recorded better reach. In the quarter under review, TV3’s audience share improved by 1.3% to 27.9% against the previous quarter while Hot FM emerged as Malaysia’s number one radio station and recorded 3.8 million total weekly listeners.
Meanwhile, REV remains Malaysia’s leading digital publisher in Malaysia, representing over 35 top authority brands across multiple languages and platforms comprising news, entertainment, lifestyle, technology and more.
Media Prima’s commitment to strong Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) practices was recognised at the recent Sustainability and CSR Malaysia Awards 2023. The Group was awarded ‘Company of the Year’ in the Media Category marking its third consecutive honour for outstanding ESG efforts since last year.
Looking ahead, Media Prima is committed to advancing its strategic 3-year business plan, which revolves around three key pillars: enhancing content, elevating inventory quality, and exploring new revenue opportunities. The Group intends to harness its technological expertise, valuable data insights, and talented workforce to gain a competitive advantage, attract prestigious clients and projects, and foster income diversification.
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