Lionsgate loss for the fiscal widens to $39 mn

MUMBAI: US film and entertainment company Lionsgate has reported revenue of $1.59 billion, EBITDA of $45.2 million, adjusted EBITDA of $71.6 million and net loss of $39.1 million for the year ended 31 March 2012.

In the previous fiscal the net loss stood at $30.4 million.

Filmed entertainment library revenues increased to a record $416 million in the fiscal year, an 11 per cent increase from the prior year.

The fourth quarter revenue for the recently concluded fiscal was $645.2 million, EBITDA of $6.8 million, adjusted EBITDA of $30.0 million and net loss of $22.7 million.

Revenue of $645.2 million in the fourth quarter increased by 71 per cent compared to $376.9 million in the prior year quarter, driven by theatrical revenue of the global blockbuster ?The Hunger Games? first eight days in North American theatrical release, the home entertainment release of ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1? and television and library revenues.

EBITDA of $6.8 million and adjusted EBITDA of $30.0 million in the fourth quarter compared to EBITDA of $63.0 million and adjusted EBITDA of $67.9 million in the prior year quarter.

Net loss of $22.7 million in the fourth quarter compared to net income of $48.7 million in the prior year quarter, due in part to $36 million in transaction and purchase accounting costs associated with the January 2012 acquisition of Summit Entertainment, including $10 million in transaction and severance costs and a $26 million impact on the profitability of the home entertainment release of ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1? due to the application of purchase accounting required by GAAP.

Fourth quarter results were also affected by theatrical marketing costs for four releases in the quarter, including ?The Hunger Games?, an additional $16 million in advance theatrical marketing costs for fiscal 2013 film releases and $13 million in increased stock appreciation rights related to the increase in the Company?s stock price in the quarter.

There were no theatrical releases with marketing costs in the prior year quarter. Increased interest expense along with the factors affecting EBITDA discussed above contributed to the net loss in the quarter.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said, "Fiscal 2012 was a milestone year with the acquisition of Summit Entertainment, the rollout of our record-breaking film ?The Hunger Games?, continued growth in library revenues and the increasing profitability of our diversified television business. With substantially all of the profitability of the first ?Hunger Games? film and this November?s release of ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ? Part 2? still ahead of us, we have great visibility and have set the stage for anticipated strong EBITDA, free cash flow and earnings in the years ahead."

Fiscal 2012 revenues were comparable to fiscal 2011 as record television revenues of $397 million and theatrical revenue growth offset declines in home entertainment, international film and pay TV revenue due to a smaller theatrical slate. Only eight days of the North American theatrical revenues of ?The Hunger Games?, released on 23 March 2012 are included in fiscal 2012 financial results.

The company reported EBITDA of $45.2 million and adjusted EBITDA of $71.6 million for the fiscal year compared to EBITDA of $33.1 million and adjusted EBITDA of $77.3 million in the prior year. The increased EBITDA reflected growth in television and library profitability, reduced theatrical marketing costs, increased equity interest income and a one-time gain on the sale of Maple Pictures offset in part by the factors described above affecting the fourth quarter, including transaction and severance costs associated with the Summit acquisition and increased stock appreciation rights related to the increase in the Company?s stock price in the fourth quarter, as well as under performance of certain films earlier in the year.

Net loss of $39.1 million in fiscal 2012 compared to net loss of $30.4 million in the prior year due to higher interest costs partially offset by the increased EBITDA discussed above. Basic net loss per common share for the fiscal year was $0.30 on 132.2 million weighted average common shares outstanding, compared to basic net loss per common share of $0.23 on 131.2 million weighted average common shares outstanding in the prior year.

Equity interest income was $8.4 million in the fiscal year compared to a loss of $20.7 million in the prior year, with the turnaround to profitability primarily attributable to the Company?s interest in EPIX.

Lionsgate?s filmed entertainment backlog reached $1 billion at March 31 2012, its sixth consecutive quarter of growth, driven in part by incorporation of the Summit Entertainment backlog. Filmed entertainment backlog represents the amount of future revenue not yet recorded from contracts for the licensing of films and television product for television exhibition and in international markets.

Overall motion picture revenue for 2012 was $1.19 billion, a decrease of 3 per cent from the prior year. Within the motion picture segment, theatrical revenue was $208.9 million, an increase of two per cent from the prior year, attributable to the strength of the first eight days of ?The Hunger Games? in North American theatrical release which offset the impact of a significantly smaller overall theatrical slate compared to the prior year.

Lionsgate?s home entertainment revenue from both motion pictures and television was $683.5 million in the fiscal year compared to $690.0 million in the prior year. Revenue from home entertainment releases of television programming increased by 87 per cent from the prior year and, coupled with the February 2012 home entertainment release of ?The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn? Part 1?, offset declines attributable to a smaller film slate.

Television revenue included in motion picture revenue was $119.9 million in the fiscal year, a decrease of 14 per cent from the prior year. International motion picture revenue of $112.9 million (excluding Lionsgate UK) for the fiscal year decreased 11 per cent from the prior year due to a smaller overall theatrical slate. Despite a smaller number of releases compared to the prior year, Lionsgate UK revenue grew by 28 per cent to $101.5 million, driven primarily by the first eight days of ?The Hunger Games? in UK release and ?The Expendables?.

Mandate Pictures? revenue grew by 43 per cent to $55.4 million in the fiscal year on the strength of titles such as ?50/50?, ?A Very Harold And Kumar 3D Christmas? and ?Young Adult?.

Television production revenue was a record $397.3 million in the fiscal year, an increase of 13 per cent from the prior year driven by home entertainment releases of television programming, primarily the digital media revenue from the first four seasons of ?Mad Men? and digital media revenue from the first five seasons of ?Weeds?.

Digital media revenue, which is included in home entertainment revenue discussed above and includes electronic sell-through, video on demand and revenue from other digital media platforms, increased by 38 per cent in the fiscal to $193 million.

Lionsgate G&A expenses in the fiscal year were $168.9 million, a one per cent decline from the prior year as decreased costs related to shareholder activism offset one-time severance and transaction costs related to the acquisition of Summit Entertainment, higher G&A of the combined entity and increases in stock appreciation rights associated with the increase in the company?s stock price.