Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Reports Q2 2022 Results

Strong year-over-year revenue growth of 70%

Expanded scale driven by continued successful implementation of well-timed strategy

Closed acquisition of Redbox Entertainment Inc., creating the most complete entertainment platform for value-conscious consumers

Management to host a live webcast on August 11, 2022, at 4:30pm ET

COS COB, Conn.--()--Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE), one of the largest operators of advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) streaming services, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.

“We delivered outstanding results in our last quarter ahead of the transformational acquisition of Redbox, with 70% revenue growth and 77% Adjusted EBITDA growth on a year-over-year basis,” said William J. Rouhana Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment. “Our growth reflects terrific execution by our ad sales team, supported by strong viewership growth, increased time spent on our new tech platform, and our growing pipeline of original and exclusive programming across our services.”

“Now we move forward with Redbox, which gives us immediate scale, growing our film and television library to over 51,000 titles, establishing a broad complement of AVOD, TVOD and FAST channel services reaching millions of viewers across dozens of platforms, and adding Redbox’s 36,000 kiosks nationwide, supported by a customer loyalty program with over 40 million members. These collective assets create an entertainment company for value-conscious consumers that will generate over $500 million in revenue and $100-$150 million in Adjusted EBITDA on an annualized basis exiting this year, with multiple opportunities to accelerate our growth in 2023 and beyond.”

Second Quarter 2022 Financial Summary

  • Net revenue of $37.6 million, compared to $29.2 million in the first quarter of 2022, and $22.1 million in the year-ago period, an increase of 70% year-over-year
  • Net loss of $20.8 million compared with a net loss of $14.1 million in the first quarter of 2022, and a net loss of $11.1 million in the year-ago period; $18.4 million net loss before dividends, compared with $11.8 million net loss in the first quarter 2022, and $8.8 million net loss in the year-ago period
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $5.6 million, compared with $3.7 million in the first quarter of 2022, and $3.2 million in the year-ago period; an increase of 77% year-over-year

Recent Business Highlights

  • Closed acquisition of Redbox and began integrating key assets into Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment operations
  • Announced leadership appointments, including Galen Smith, former CEO of Redbox, as executive vice chairman of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment and Redbox, and Jonathan Katz, former CEO of Scripps Networks, as president of Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
  • Sold out ad inventory again in the second quarter, grew connected TV ad inventory, and expanded ad sales effort which now includes 12 ad rep partners in addition to the company’s in-house sales operation
  • Rapidly grew viewership through additional touchpoint rollouts, now on track to reach 110 by year-end (excluding Redbox)

Gross profit for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, was $6.0 million, or 16% of net revenue, compared with $6.6 million in the first quarter of 2022, or 23% of net revenue, and compared with $6.7 million, or 30% of net revenue for the year-ago period.

Operating loss for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, was $16.8 million, compared with an operating loss of $10.8 million in the first quarter of 2022, and $7.8 million in the year-ago period.

Net loss was $20.8 million, or $1.39 per share, compared with a net loss of $14.1 million, or $0.92 per share, in the first quarter of 2022, and a net loss of $11.1 million, or $0.79 per share in the prior-year period. Excluding preferred dividends, the net loss in the second quarter of 2022 would have been $18.4 million, or $1.23 per share, compared with a net loss of $8.8 million, or $0.63 per share last year.

Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter ended June 30, 2022, was $5.6 million, compared with $3.7 million in the first quarter of 2022, and $3.2 million in the same period last year.

As of June 30, 2022, the company had $23.5 million of cash and cash equivalents compared with $44.3 million as of December 31, 2021, and outstanding debt of $87.0 million as of June 30, 2022, compared with $56.7 million as of December 31, 2021.

For a discussion of the financial measures presented herein which are not calculated or presented in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), see “Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below and the schedules to this press release for additional information and reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures.

The company presents non-GAAP measures such as Adjusted EBITDA to assist in an analysis of its business. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered an alternative to GAAP measures as an indicator of the company's operating performance.

Conference Call Information

  • Date, Time: Thursday, August 11, 2022, 4:30 p.m. ET.
  • A webcast of the event will also be available in the “Event Calendar” section under the “News & Events” tab of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment investor relations website at http://ir.cssentertainment.com.
  • To access a dial-in number, the company encourages participants to register in advance by visiting the following pre-registration link here.
  • Please note the format has changed, and a dial-in option is no longer available without pre-registering at the provided link.

Conference Call Replay Information

About Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) operates video-on-demand (VOD) streaming services. The company owns Crackle Plus, which owns and operates a variety of ad-supported VOD streaming services including Crackle, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. The company also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media and 1091 Pictures subsidiaries and produces original video content through the Chicken Soup for the Soul Television Group. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.

Note Regarding Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (“U.S. GAAP”). We use a non-GAAP financial measure to evaluate our results of operations and as a supplemental indicator of our operating performance. The non-GAAP financial measure that we use is Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted EBITDA (as defined below) is considered a non-GAAP financial measure as defined by Regulation G promulgated by the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Due to the significance of non-cash and non-recurring expenses recognized during the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, and the likelihood of material non-cash, non-recurring, and acquisition related expenses to occur in future periods, we believe that this non-GAAP financial measure enhances the understanding of our historical and current financial results as well as provides investors with measures used by management for the planning and forecasting of future periods, as well as for measuring performance for compensation of executives and other members of management. Further, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA enables our board of directors and management to analyze and evaluate financial and strategic planning decisions that will directly affect operating decisions and investments. We believe this measure is an important indicator of our operational strength and performance of our business because it provides a link between operational performance and operating income. It is also a primary measure used by management in evaluating companies as potential acquisition targets. We believe the presentation of this measure is relevant and useful for investors because it allows investors to view performance in a manner similar to the method used by management. We believe it helps improve investors’ ability to understand our operating performance and makes it easier to compare our results with other companies that have different capital structures or tax rates. In addition, we believe this measure is also among the primary measures used externally by our investors, analysts and peers in our industry for purposes of valuation and comparing our operating performance to other companies in our industry.

The presentation of Adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an inference that our future results will be unaffected by unusual, infrequent or non-recurring items or by non-cash items. This non-GAAP financial measure should be considered in addition to, rather than as a substitute for, our actual operating results included in our condensed consolidated financial statements.

We define Adjusted EBITDA as consolidated operating income (loss) adjusted to exclude interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization (including tangible and intangible assets), film library amortization and related costs (film library amortization, film library revenue shares and participation costs, theatrical release costs) as well as amortization for certain program rights, acquisition-related costs, consulting fees related to acquisitions, dividend payments, non-cash share-based compensation expense, and adjustments for other unusual and infrequent in nature identified charges, including transition related expenses. Adjusted EBITDA is not an earnings measure recognized by U.S. GAAP and does not have a standardized meaning prescribed by GAAP; accordingly, Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. We believe Adjusted EBITDA to be a meaningful indicator of our performance that management uses and believes provides useful information to investors regarding our financial condition and results of operations. The most comparable GAAP measure is operating income (loss).

A reconciliation of net loss to Adjusted EBITDA will be provided in the company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 to be filed on August 12, 2022, under the section thereof entitled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Reconciliation of Unaudited Historical Results to Adjusted EBITDA.”

Forward-Looking Statements and Available Information

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of management and are not predictions of actual performance. Such assumptions involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to our core strategy, operating income and margin, seasonality, liquidity, including cash flows from operations, available funds, and access to financing sources, free cash flows, revenues, net income, profitability, stock price volatility, future regulatory changes, price changes, the ability of the Company’s content offerings to achieve market acceptance, the Company’s success in retaining or recruiting officers, key employees, or directors, the ability to protect intellectual property, the ability to complete strategic acquisitions, the ability to manage growth and integrate acquired operations, the ability to pay dividends, regulatory or operational risks, and general market conditions impacting demand for the Company’s services. For a more complete description of these and other risks and uncertainties, please refer the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2022, and the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, filed with the SEC on May 11, 2022. On May 10, 2022, the Company entered into a merger agreement to acquire Redbox Entertainment, Inc. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with respect thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based. Information regarding Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s acquisition of Redbox is qualified by reference to the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed on May 11, 2022 and amended on May 12, 2022 and June 6, 2022, and its Registration Statement on Form S-4 declared effective by the SEC on July 15, 2022, the risk factors described therein, and all exhibits filed with respect to such reports and registration statement. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment will file a Current Report on Form 8-K disclosing consummation of the acquisition of Redbox and related transactions and other information on or about August 12, 2022.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

June 30,

 

December 31,

2022

 

2021

(unaudited)

 

 

ASSETS
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash

$

23,483,187

 

 

$

44,286,105

 

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $817,395, and $786,830, respectively

 

67,522,346

 

 

 

60,213,807

 

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

 

2,591,236

 

 

 

1,904,273

 

Operating lease right-of-use assets

 

10,900,297

 

 

 

 

Content assets, net

 

114,880,908

 

 

 

63,645,396

 

Intangible assets, net

 

17,827,323

 

 

 

18,035,091

 

Indefinite lived intangible assets

 

12,163,943

 

 

 

12,163,943

 

Goodwill

 

45,463,240

 

 

 

39,986,530

 

Other assets, net

 

5,441,580

 

 

 

5,190,954

 

Total assets

$

300,274,060

 

 

$

245,426,099

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND EQUITY

 

 

 

Accounts payable and accrued other expenses

$

49,373,363

 

 

$

34,984,226

 

Due to affiliated companies

 

3,145,536

 

 

 

489,959

 

Programming obligations

 

17,547,500

 

 

 

1,641,250

 

Film library acquisition obligations

 

38,738,033

 

 

 

24,673,866

 

Accrued participation costs

 

19,689,040

 

 

 

12,323,329

 

Film acquisition advances

 

19,121,686

 

 

 

6,196,909

 

Revolving loan

 

22,993,443

 

 

 

17,585,699

 

9.50% Notes due 2025, net of deferred issuance costs of $2,005,118 and $1,402,880, respectively

 

42,850,782

 

 

 

31,493,020

 

Contingent consideration

 

4,709,556

 

 

 

9,764,256

 

Put option obligation

 

11,400,000

 

 

 

11,400,000

 

Operating lease liabilities

 

12,724,357

 

 

 

 

Other liabilities

 

5,046,142

 

 

 

3,274,432

 

Total liabilities

 

247,339,438

 

 

 

153,826,946

 

 

 

 

Equity

 

 

 

Stockholders' Equity:

 

 

 

Series A cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred stock, $.0001 par value, liquidation preference of $25.00 per share, 10,000,000 shares authorized; 3,943,148 and 3,698,318 shares issued and outstanding, respectively; redemption value of $98,578,700 and $92,457,950, respectively

 

394

 

 

 

370

 

Class A common stock, $.0001 par value, 140,000,000 shares authorized; 9,608,332 and 8,964,330 shares issued, 7,253,794 and 8,019,828 shares outstanding, respectively

 

964

 

 

 

899

 

Class B common stock, $.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized; 7,654,506 shares issued and outstanding, respectively

 

766

 

 

 

766

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

250,874,126

 

 

 

240,609,345

 

Deficit

 

(171,372,394

)

 

 

(136,462,244

)

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

 

(11,314

)

 

 

571

 

Class A common stock held in treasury, at cost (2,354,538 and 944,502 shares, respectively)

 

(27,158,429

)

 

 

(13,202,407

)

Total stockholders’ equity

 

52,334,113

 

 

 

90,947,300

 

Noncontrolling interests

 

600,509

 

 

 

651,853

 

Total equity

 

52,934,622

 

 

 

91,599,153

 

Total liabilities and equity

$

300,274,060

 

 

$

245,426,099

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations
(unaudited)
 

Three Months Ended June 30,

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

2022

 

2021

 

2022

 

2021

Net revenue

$

37,636,947

 

 

$

22,134,934

 

 

$

66,843,144

 

 

$

45,331,776

 

Cost of revenue

 

31,596,524

 

 

 

15,433,719

 

 

 

54,171,932

 

 

 

31,676,653

 

Gross profit

 

6,040,423

 

 

 

6,701,215

 

 

 

12,671,212

 

 

 

13,655,123

 

Operating expenses:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selling, general and administrative

 

17,373,018

 

 

 

10,964,362

 

 

 

30,189,538

 

 

 

20,199,181

 

Amortization and depreciation

 

1,680,443

 

 

 

1,337,678

 

 

 

3,328,701

 

 

 

2,575,705

 

Management and license fees

 

3,763,695

 

 

 

2,213,493

 

 

 

6,684,315

 

 

 

4,533,177

 

Total operating expenses

 

22,817,156

 

 

 

14,515,533

 

 

 

40,202,554

 

 

 

27,308,063

 

Operating loss

 

(16,776,733

)

 

 

(7,814,318

)

 

 

(27,531,342

)

 

 

(13,652,940

)

Interest expense

 

2,022,770

 

 

 

1,141,044

 

 

 

3,333,229

 

 

 

2,228,988

 

Other non-operating income, net

 

(279,405

)

 

 

(144,569

)

 

 

(481,197

)

 

 

(145,139

)

Loss before income taxes and preferred dividends

 

(18,520,098

)

 

 

(8,810,793

)

 

 

(30,383,374

)

 

 

(15,736,789

)

Provision for income taxes

 

14,000

 

 

 

15,000

 

 

 

34,000

 

 

 

29,000

 

Net loss before noncontrolling interests and preferred dividends

 

(18,534,098

)

 

 

(8,825,793

)

 

 

(30,417,374

)

 

 

(15,765,789

)

Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests

 

(142,350

)

 

 

 

 

 

(180,735

)

 

 

 

Net loss attributable to Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.

 

(18,391,748

)

 

 

(8,825,793

)

 

 

(30,236,639

)

 

 

(15,765,789

)

Less: preferred dividends

 

2,391,442

 

 

 

2,253,385

 

 

 

4,673,511

 

 

 

4,506,770

 

Net loss available to common stockholders

$

(20,783,190

)

 

$

(11,079,178

)

 

$

(34,910,150

)

 

$

(20,272,559

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss per common share:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted

$

(1.39

)

 

$

(0.79

)

 

$

(2.30

)

 

$

(1.46

)

Weighted-average common shares outstanding:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted

 

14,950,458

 

 

 

14,059,211

 

 

 

15,152,222

 

 

 

13,848,655

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.
Adjusted EBITDA
(unaudited)

Three Months Ended March 31,

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

2022

 

2021

 

2022

 

2021

Net loss available to common stockholders

$

(20,783,190

)

 

$

(11,079,178

)

 

$

(34,910,150

)

 

$

(20,272,559

)

Preferred dividends

 

2,391,442

 

 

 

2,253,385

 

 

 

4,673,511

 

 

 

4,506,770

 

Provision for income taxes

 

14,000

 

 

 

15,000

 

 

 

34,000

 

 

 

29,000

 

Other taxes

 

178,403

 

 

 

103,854

 

 

 

258,775

 

 

 

188,347

 

Interest expense

 

2,022,770

 

 

 

1,141,044

 

 

 

3,333,229

 

 

 

2,228,988

 

Film library amortization and related costs

 

14,666,992

 

 

 

6,841,349

 

 

 

24,354,016

 

 

 

13,770,016

 

Share-based compensation expense

 

957,859

 

 

 

231,844

 

 

 

1,954,656

 

 

 

463,688

 

Expense for bad debt and video returns

 

692,295

 

 

 

907,837

 

 

 

1,274,129

 

 

 

1,602,049

 

Amortization and depreciation

 

2,674,893

 

 

 

1,721,011

 

 

 

4,678,966

 

 

 

3,342,371

 

Other non-operating income, net

 

(279,405

)

 

 

(144,569

)

 

 

(481,197

)

 

 

(145,139

)

Transitional expenses

 

255,615

 

 

 

192,054

 

 

 

363,400

 

 

 

192,054

 

All other nonrecurring costs

 

2,777,637

 

 

 

967,848

 

 

 

3,698,069

 

 

 

1,807,898

 

Adjusted EBITDA

$

5,569,311

 

 

$

3,151,479

 

 

$

9,231,404

 

 

$

7,713,483

 

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc.
Adjusted Earnings Per Share
(unaudited)

Three Months Ended June 30,

2022

2021

Basic and diluted loss per share

$

(1.39

)

 

$

(0.79

)

Amortization related to acquired intangible assets

 

0.11

 

 

 

0.09

 

Adjusted basic and diluted loss per share

$

(1.28

)

 

$

(0.70

)

 

 

 

Six Months Ended June 30,

2022

 

2021

Basic and diluted loss per share

$

(2.30

)

 

$

(1.46

)

Amortization related to acquired intangible assets

 

0.21

 

 

 

0.18

 

Adjusted basic and diluted loss per share

$

(2.09

)

 

$

(1.28

)

 

Contacts

Investor Relations
Taylor Krafchik
Ellipsis
CSSE@ellipsisir.com
(646) 776-0886

Media Contact
Peter Binazeski
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
pbinazeski@chickensoupforthesoul.com

Release Summary

Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment Reports Q2 2022 Results

Contacts

Investor Relations
Taylor Krafchik
Ellipsis
CSSE@ellipsisir.com
(646) 776-0886

Media Contact
Peter Binazeski
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment
pbinazeski@chickensoupforthesoul.com