WWE issued the following press release earlier today:
WWE® Reports 2014 Third Quarter Results
Exceeds Earnings Expectations and Raises 2014 Outlook
STAMFORD, Conn., October 30, 2014 – WWE (NYSE:WWE) today announced financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2014. For the quarter, the Company reported a Net loss of $5.9 million, or $0.08 per share, compared to Net income of $2.4 million, or $0.03 per share, in the third quarter last year. Excluding items affecting comparability, Adjusted OIBDA was $5.1 million and Adjusted Net loss was $0.6 million, or $0.01 per share in the current year quarter, compared to Adjusted OIBDA of $16.7 million and adjusted Net income of $7.0 million, or $0.09 per share, in the prior year quarter.
“During the quarter, we delivered stronger financial performance than anticipated and surpassed our guidance while making significant progress on the execution of our WWE Network strategy,” stated Vince McMahon, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “To capitalize on the substantial opportunity created by WWE Network, it’s time to remove
all the barriers to those that want WWE. We are excited to introduce a new simplified price plan at $9.99 per month and like Netflix with no commitment/cancel anytime. This reflects our belief in the broad appeal of WWE Network content. Additionally, we continue to develop the international platform for WWE Network and plan to make the network available in the U.K. on an OTT basis in November. WWE Network continues to be the single greatest opportunity to transform WWE’s business model and we remain optimistic about our potential to drive long-term growth.”
“As we expanded WWE Network to 731,000 subscribers, our Adjusted OIBDA of $5.1 million surpassed our guidance, which indicated an Adjusted OIBDA loss ranging from $10 million to $15 million with an average of 723,000 subscribers. Given our performance in the quarter, we have improved our 2014 Adjusted OIBDA outlook ranges by approximately $15 million to $20 million,” added George Barrios, Chief Strategy & Financial Officer. “Key metrics
continued to show strength. Raw and SmackDown TV ratings increased 2% and 3%, respectively. WWE’s social media presence has increased 71% to over 420 million followers. In addition, revenue from the Company’s seven new key television agreements is expected to increase from approximately $130 million in 2014 to approximately $235 million in 2018, providing over $100 million of revenue growth subject to counterparty risks.”