Digital Transformation Evident: 50% of Total Revenue and Adjusted Operating Income from Digital Sources in 2022, as Digital Revenue Increases +16% YOY
Net Leverage Declines to All-Time Low 4.29x
Announces $0.1875 Dividend Per Share
Purchase, NY – March 9, 2023 – Townsquare Media, Inc. (NYSE: TSQ) (“Townsquare”, the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or”our”) announced today its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2022.
“I am proud to report that Townsquare’s transformation into a Digital First Local Media Company allowed us to deliver record results in 2022 despite a progressively challenging economic landscape. In 2022, we drove net revenue and Adjusted EBITDA to new highs with strong net revenue growth of +11% year-over-year and Adjusted EBITDA growth of +8% year- over-year. In addition, we generated significant cash flow from operations of $50 million, ending the year with over $43 million of cash, and net leverage declined to an all-time low of 4.29x,” commented Bill Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of Townsquare Media, Inc. “2022 was a significant inflection point for our Company. It marked the first year where radio no longer comprised the majority of our revenue and profit, further separating Townsquare from our local media peers, and placing a spotlight on our world-class team and our unique and differentiated strategy, assets, platforms and solutions. Our growth engine has been and will continue to be our digital solutions, which were the primary driver of our 2022 growth. Total digital revenue increased +16% year-over-year (and +12% in the fourth quarter) to $231 million, and total digital Adjusted Operating Income increased +12% year-over-year to $69 million, representing a 30% profit margin. We believe Townsquare’s ability to drive profitable, sustainable digital growth is a key differentiator for our Company, and we reaffirm our expectation that our digital revenue will grow to at least $275 million by 2024.”
Mr. Wilson continued, “We are uniquely positioned as a Digital First Local Media Company focused principally on markets outside of the Top 50 in the United States, with a resilient digital growth engine supported by both a recurring subscription digital marketing solutions business, with a large addressable market and limited competition, and a highly differentiated digital advertising technology platform. We believe that our business model and strategy position us to weather the current economic environment better than most. We will continue to grow and support our local teams during these periods of macroeconomic challenges so that we can continue to be a resource to our local clients and audiences, and be well positioned to capture accelerated growth when economic tailwinds return. Our success has been and will continue to be the result of the Townsquare Team focusing on what we do best: creating high quality, local original content for our audiences and delivering creative and cost-effective marketing solutions for our local clients with strong return on investment.
The Company also announced today that its Board of Directors approved the initiation of a quarterly cash dividend of $0.1875 per share. The dividend will be payable on May 1, 2023 to shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 27, 2023.
“The Board’s decision to approve a dividend reflects confidence in our current capitalization, the strength of our balance sheet, and our free cash flow generation. Our quarterly cash dividend of $0.1875 per share, or $0.75 per share on an annual basis, commences in May 2023,” concluded Mr. Wilson.
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About Townsquare Media, Inc.
Townsquare is a community-focused digital media and digital marketing solutions company with market leading local radio stations, principally focused outside the top 50 markets in the U.S. Our assets include a subscription digital marketing services business, Townsquare Interactive, providing website design creation and hosting, search engine optimization, social media and online reputation management as well as other digital monthly services for approximately 30,650 SMBs; a robust digital advertising division, Townsquare IGNITE, a powerful combination of a) an owned and operated portfolio of more than 400 local news and entertainment websites and mobile apps along with a network of leading national music and entertainment brands, collecting valuable first party data, and b) a proprietary digital programmatic advertising technology stack with an in-house demand and data management platform; and a portfolio of 357 local terrestrial radio stations in 74 U.S. markets strategically situated outside the Top 50 markets in the United States. Our portfolio includes local media brands such as WYRK.com, WJON.com and NJ101.5.com, and premier national music brands such as XXLmag.com, TasteofCountry.com, UltimateClassicRock.com, and Loudwire.com. For more information, please visit www.townsquaremedia.com, www.townsquareinteractive.com, and www.townsquareignite.com.
Investor Relations:
Claire Yenicay
(203) 900-5555
investors@townsquaremedia.com