TEGNA Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2023 Results and Provides Third Quarter Guidance

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) today announced financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2023.

SECOND QUARTER FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS¹:

• Total company revenue was $732 million in the second quarter, down seven percent year-over-year, primarily due to the reduction of political revenue from the mid-term election cycle last year.
  • Total company revenue was flat compared to the second quarter of 2021 primarily due to growth in subscription revenue, offset by a decline in Advertising and Marketing Services (“AMS”) revenue.
• Subscription revenue was a second quarter record of $396 million, up two percent year-over-year, driven by contractual rate increases, partially offset by subscriber declines.
• AMS revenue was $318 million in the second quarter, down five percent year-over-year. Underlying advertising trends were down low-single digit percent year-over-year, adjusting for the loss of a single national Premion account. As addressed last quarter, this impact will continue to be felt throughout 2023. Overall, advertising trends in the second quarter showed sequential improvement compared to the first quarter. Automotive advertising revenue continued to show strong year-over-year growth for the fourth consecutive quarter.
  • Compared to 2021, second quarter AMS revenue was down seven percent driven by continued macroeconomic headwinds.
• TEGNA achieved net income of $200 million on a GAAP basis, or $97 million on a non-GAAP basis.
• Total company Adjusted EBITDA² was $194 million, representing a decrease of 24 percent compared to the second quarter of 2022 due to lower high-margin political revenue and an increase in programming expenses.
  • Second quarter Adjusted EBITDA was down 15 percent compared to the second quarter of 2021 reflecting macroeconomic headwinds and higher programming expenses.
• GAAP operating expenses were $450 million, down 20 percent year-over-year, driven by the merger termination fee of $136 million from Standard General, which is reflected as a reduction to operating expenses. Non-GAAP operating expenses³ were $565 million, up one percent year-over-year, with the increase driven primarily by programming costs, partially offset by operational expense management improvements.
  • Non-GAAP expenses less programming decreased two percent from the second quarter of 2022.
• GAAP and non-GAAP operating income totaled $282 million and $166 million, respectively.
• Interest expense was flat year-over-year at $43 million due to our attractively priced fixed-rate debt.
• GAAP and non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.92 and $0.44, respectively.
• Free cash flow⁴ was $112 million for the quarter.
  • For the trailing two-year period ending June 30, 2023, free cash flow as a percentage of revenue was 21.7 percent.
• Total cash and cash equivalents and net leverage at the end of the quarter were $489 million and 2.57x, respectively.

CAPITAL ALLOCATION

Following our ongoing review of capital allocation priorities and the incorporation of feedback from our engagement with shareholders over the past several months, TEGNA’s Board of Directors approved a second accelerated share repurchase (“ASR”) program of $325 million, which is expected to commence after our third quarter earnings are reported in early November. This next step in TEGNA’s capital allocation review reflects our intention to continue returning accumulated capital to shareholders and follows our $300 million ASR program and 20 percent increase to our regular quarterly dividend announced when we terminated the merger agreement in May 2023. The initial ASR program reduced shares outstanding by approximately 15.2 million shares representing 80 percent ($240 million) of the value on June 6, 2023, with final settlement of approximately 3 million shares based on current market prices expected to be completed by the end of the third quarter of 2023.

Additionally, as previously disclosed, Standard General’s $136 million termination fee was satisfied by the transfer of approximately 8.6 million shares of TEGNA common stock by Standard General to TEGNA on June 1, 2023.

Taken together, since the termination of the merger agreement, TEGNA has committed this year to more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in share repurchases with approximately 45-50 million⁵ shares that will be retired by end of March 2024, which is more than twenty percent of shares outstanding prior to these actions. As of June 30, 2023, TEGNA had retired a total of 23.8 million shares.

Additionally, in July 2023, TEGNA sold a portion of its investment in MadHive, Inc., receiving cash of approximately $26 million. These proceeds, along with other cash on hand, will be used to fund the $325 million ASR program.

DIVIDEND ANNOUNCEMENT

TEGNA’s Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of 11.375 cents per share, payable on October 2, 2023, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on September 8, 2023.

In May, TEGNA’s Board approved a 20 percent increase to the Company’s regular quarterly dividend from 9.5 to 11.375 cents per share. This increase brings TEGNA’s total dividend payout growth to 63 percent since March 2021.

CEO COMMENT

"Our ability to navigate the changing trends in our industry has been key to our success. After terminating the merger agreement, we swiftly transitioned to an offensive strategy focused on performance, operating efficiency and delivering maximum value to our shareholders. During the second quarter, we successfully met the outlook for our key financial metrics, achieved a record second quarter for subscription revenue and saw sequential improvement in advertising and marketing services revenue driven by improving trends in key verticals such as automotive,” said Dave Lougee, president and chief executive officer. “Automotive, our largest category within AMS, has steadily recovered and is generating strong year-over-year growth for the fourth consecutive quarter. Underlying advertising trends were down low-single digit percent year-over-year, adjusting for the loss of a single large Premion national account we discussed last quarter.

“Our high-margin subscription revenue remains a core driver of our cash flow, with a new second quarter record achieved. Subscription revenue was up two percent compared to the second quarter of last year. Looking ahead, we will be repricing approximately 30 percent of our traditional subscribers at the end of this year, improving multi-year visibility for a significant portion of our subscription revenue.

“Our results reflect the strength of our high-quality local station brands in large and important markets, dependable cash flows, and a healthy balance sheet with the lowest leverage levels since we became a pure-play broadcasting company. With no near-term debt maturities and attractively priced fixed-rate debt, our balance sheet is among the best in our industry, and we expect to maintain net leverage below 3.0x.

“We continue to focus on returning accumulated capital to our shareholders. The additional $325 million ASR program we are announcing today reflects our methodical approach to return capital accumulated during the pendency of the merger while re-engaging with investors to inform our actions to drive shareholder value over time. We have committed this year to more than three-quarters of a billion dollars in share repurchases through these two ASR programs and the settlement of our merger termination fee in shares.

“Our people play an essential role in our success. As we seek to attract and develop the highest caliber talent in our industry, during the quarter, we were proud to welcome our sixth group of Producer-In-Residence program participants to TEGNA. This program has grown to one of the largest entry-level producer development programs in the industry, and we actively recruit diverse candidates from major journalism schools, regional universities and colleges and historically black institutions. This is just one of the ways we are developing the next generation of talent in our newsrooms. Together with the work we continue to do as part of our Inclusive Journalism program, we remain committed to fostering new ways for our newsrooms to engage with and represent our communities even better.

“Finally, we are honored to be named a 2023 recipient of The Civic 50 by Points of Light and the Telecommunications Sector Leader. The Civic 50 honors the most community-minded companies in the United States and 2023 marks TEGNA’s fourth consecutive year on the list, and the third year as Telecommunications Sector Leader. I want to thank all our colleagues for contributing to this honor that reflects our purpose to serve the greater good of our communities.”

THIRD QUARTER AND FULL-YEAR 2023 OUTLOOK

In the third quarter of 2023, TEGNA expects to be disproportionately impacted by cyclical even-to-odd year results due to the absence of $93 million high-margin political revenue reported in the third quarter of 2022.

TEGNA has updated full-year 2023 net leverage guidance to reflect the second ASR program of $325 million expected to commence after our third quarter earnings are reported in early November.

KEY STRATEGIC UPDATES

• TEGNA Station Streaming Apps Now on Apple TV – In June, TEGNA launched Apple TV streaming apps for all stations. Previously, station streaming apps were available on Roku and Fire TV. In the second quarter, station’s streaming apps generated 580 million minutes on streaming, an 82 percent increase year-over-year. TEGNA has begun testing station streaming apps for Samsung, LG, Chromecast and additional platforms, which are expected to launch in the third quarter.
• Premion Delivers New Advertiser Innovations – Premion continues its momentum in the fast-growing streaming TV advertising space with established, proven, and unique sales channels. Premion sellers reach almost 80 percent of U.S. households driven by the breadth of TEGNA and Gray’s local salesforce and footprint of local stations, a unique advantage in selling CTV and OTT. During the quarter, Premion delivered new advertiser innovations, including the introduction of sales conversion attribution, which provides insights into the efficacy of advertising spends, as well as Premion IQ, a comprehensive customer reporting dashboard that integrates campaign delivery and outcome metrics for improved transparency. Premion garnered several industry recognitions during the quarter, including exceeding industry benchmarks for co-viewing as measured by a TVision study and earning the CYNOPSIS Measure Up! Award for Outstanding Brand Safety Strategy and the ITVI Award for Achievement in Advanced Advertising. (Press Release)
• VERIFY Growth Continues – VERIFY, TEGNA’s national brand that combats disinformation, ended the second quarter with approximately 446,000 followers across its various dedicated channels including YouTube, which has seen a 98 percent increase in subscribers over the past year. In the quarter, unique visitors to VERIFYThis.com grew 30 percent year-over-year and video views grew 33 percent year-over-year. Viewership to VERIFY’s weekly “VERIFY This” show increased for the third consecutive quarter with more than 2.18 million minutes watched across TEGNA station streaming apps during the second quarter.
• Locked On’s Audience Hits New Audio Download and Video View Record – Locked On Podcast Network exceeded 24 million monthly audio downloads and video views for the first time in May 2023. In the first six months of 2023, total views and listens grew 44 percent year-over-year. The growth in college sports, fueled by interest in shifting conference alliances and the active transfer portal, grew Locked On’s daily college podcasts by 149 percent year-over-year compared to the same period last year. The addition of video podcasts remains a significant catalyst for growth, increasing video podcast views by 134 percent year-over-year in the first half of 2023.
• TEGNA Stations Honored with 84 Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards – KARE in Minneapolis received 12 individual awards, the most given this year, and the most in its history. Three stations – KARE, KGW and WFAA – garnered overall excellence honors. KUSA, KGW and WTIC received excellence in innovation awards and six stations – KARE, KING, KUSA, KXTV, News Center Maine and WXIA – received excellence in diversity, equity and inclusion awards, more than any other station group. (Press Release)
• Producer-In-Residence Program Welcomes Sixth Class – TEGNA’s Producer-In-Residence (PIR) program welcomed its sixth class of 49 participants to TEGNA and our stations during the quarter. The program includes an eight-day producer boot camp followed by two years of training at one of our local stations. For the 2023 program, 63 percent of participants were represented by people of color. The program has attained an approximately 80 percent promotion rate to a regular producer role after completing the PIR program. 132 current or promoted PIRs are currently creating content for TEGNA stations.
• Education and Training for the Next Generation of Diverse Journalists – TEGNA’s Diversity & Inclusion office awarded grants to more than 30 TEGNA journalists to attend 2023 conferences, including Investigative Reporters & Editors (IRE), National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ), National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ), Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), NLGJA: The Association of LFBTW Journalists, Online News Association (ONA), and Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA). TEGNA Foundation has made nine Media Grants to support education and training for all journalists at the following organizations: Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA), IRE, NABJ, NAHJ, Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), NLGJA, ONA, Poynter Institute for Media Studies, Inc. and Radio Television Digital News Foundation. Grants support student scholarships and programs, FOIA and Media Lawyer sessions, professional development, NABJ’s Black Male Media Project, NAHJ’s Emerging Journalists Puerto Rico Summit and Poynter’s Leadership Academy for Diversity in Media. (Press Release)

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This communication includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions about future events and are subject to various risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from the views, beliefs, projections and estimates expressed in such statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, risks and uncertainties related to: changes in the market price of the Company's shares, general market conditions, constraints, volatility, or disruptions in the capital markets or other factors affecting share repurchases, including the Company's ASR program; the possibility that the Company's ASR program, or any future share repurchases, may not enhance long-term stockholder value; the possibility that share repurchases pursuant to the ASR program could increase the volatility of the price of the Company's common stock and diminish the Company's cash reserves; legal proceedings, judgments or settlements; the response of customers, suppliers and business partners to the termination of the merger agreement, including impacts on and modifications to the Company's plans, operations and business relating thereto; difficulties in employee retention due to the termination of the merger agreement; the Company's ability to re-price or renew subscribers; potential regulatory actions; changes in consumer behaviors and impacts on and modifications to TEGNA's operations and business relating thereto; and economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors and risks that may affect the Company's operations or financial results, which are discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Any forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated in light of these important risk factors. The Company is not responsible for updating the information contained in this communication beyond the published date, or for changes made to this press release by wire services, Internet service providers or other media.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. Each such statement speaks only as of the day it was made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or to revise any forward-looking statements. The factors described above cannot be controlled by the Company. When used in this communication, the words “believes,” “estimates,” “plans,” “expects,” “should,” “could,” “outlook,” and “anticipates” and similar expressions as they relate to the Company or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this communication may include, without limitation: anticipated growth rates and the Company's plans, objectives and expectations.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

TEGNA Inc. (NYSE: TGNA) is an innovative media company that serves the greater good of our communities. Across platforms, TEGNA tells empowering stories, conducts impactful investigations and delivers innovative marketing solutions. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA is the largest owner of top 4 network affiliates in the top 25 markets among independent station groups, reaching approximately 39 percent of all television households nationwide. TEGNA also owns leading multicast networks True Crime Network, Twist and Quest. TEGNA offers innovative solutions to help businesses reach consumers across television, digital and over-the-top (OTT) platforms, including Premion, TEGNA’s OTT advertising service. For more information, visit www.TEGNA.com.