FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (January 28, 1999) -- SportsLine USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLN), the publisher of CBS SportsLine (cbs.sportsline.com), today announced record revenues of $9.3 million for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 1998, an increase of 90% over total revenue of $4.9 million reported for the same quarter in 1997.
The Company's net loss for the quarter was $10.2 million or $0.51 per share, compared to a net loss of $10.1 million, or $0.77 per share in the same period of the previous year. EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) for the fourth quarter of 1998 was a loss of $6.0 million compared to a loss of $6.5 million in the same quarter of the previous year. The Company's 1997 financial results have been restated to include the results of GolfWeb, which SportsLine USA acquired in January 1998 in a pooling-of-interests transaction.
Fourth quarter traffic to the Company's Web sites grew 95% over the same period last year, averaging approximately 5.5 million page views per day. According to Media Metrix, SportsLine USA's combined reach among users at home and at work was 4.5% in December, 1998, up from 4.3% in November.
"During the fourth quarter, our strategic relationships with key partners like CBS and AOL, combined with award-winning sports content and the launch of The Sports Store, led to strong revenue growth, despite the longevity of the NBA lockout," said Michael Levy, SportsLine USA's president and CEO. "We are extremely well positioned for the long haul with multiple revenue sources that allowed us to surpass $30 million in total 1998 revenue, another important milestone for the Company."
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Financial Highlights |
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(In thousands except per-share and member data) |
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|
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
|||||||||
|
December 31, |
December 31, |
|||||||||
|
1998 |
1997(1) |
1998 |
1997(1) |
|||||||
|
Revenue |
$ 9,318 |
$ 4,915 |
$ 30,551 |
$ 12,014 |
||||||
|
Net Loss |
$ (10,177) |
$ (10,105) |
$ (35,509) |
$ (34,177) |
||||||
|
Net loss per share |
$ (0.51) |
$ (0.77) |
$ (1.94) |
$ (3.08) |
||||||
|
Pro forma net loss(2) |
N/A |
N/A |
$ (34,409) |
$ (34,177) |
||||||
|
Pro forma net loss per share(2) |
N/A |
N/A |
$ (1.88) |
$ (3.08) |
||||||
|
Weighted average shares outstanding |
19,802 |
13,050 |
18,306 |
11,108 |
||||||
|
EBITDA,excluding non-recurring charge(2) |
$ (6,014) |
$ (6,525) |
$ (21,634) |
$ (23,282) |
||||||
|
Average page views per day |
5,530 |
2,832 |
-- |
-- |
||||||
|
Average visits per day |
489 |
457 |
-- |
-- |
||||||
|
Members at end of period |
58,068 |
49,484 |
-- |
-- |
||||||
Advertising revenue for the fourth quarter of 1998 was $4.9 million, an increase of 88% over fourth quarter 1997. Buoyed by holiday shopping and the launch of the Company's new Sports Store (www.TheSportsStore.com) in November, e-commerce revenue for the fourth quarter grew to $1.4 million, which represents a 275% increase over the same period last year. Additionally, the Company generated more e-commerce revenue in the fourth quarter of 1998 than in all of 1997. The balance of the Company's fourth quarter 1998 revenue was derived from membership and premium services, and content licensing.
SportsLine USA Expands Distribution Agreement with America Online, Inc.
SportsLine USA and America Online, Inc., the world's leader in interactive services, announced last October a major expansion of their online partnership to provide SportsLine USA-produced sports news and statistics, special features, major event coverage and merchandise on key AOL brands around the world, and to give AOL prominent CBS Sports television promotion.
The Company recently began programming sports news for AOL's Sports Channel in January as part of that multi-year global content and commerce partnership. Additionally, SportsLine USA is an anchor tenant in the Sports Web Center on AOL.COM, America Online's Website and the most visited site in Cyberspace from home, and in the Sports Channel on CompuServe, America Online Inc.'s online service for busy adults. SportsLine USA is also the premier national sports partner with a presence on all 28 of AOL's Digital City local services, and the premier provider of country-specific sports content to AOL's International services.
The Company is also the premier provider of licensed sports equipment, apparel and golf equipment within the AOL Sports Channel, and accordingly, The Sports Store receives branded presence throughout the AOL Sports Channel. In addition, the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, International Golf Outlet, is a premier provider of golf clubs, equipment and accessories.
SportsLine USA and Excite, Inc. Team to Program the Excite Sports Channel
The Company announced a strategic partnership last October with Excite, Inc. for SportsLine USA to become the exclusive provider of sports content on the Excite Sports Channel. This week, Excite Sports by SportsLine USA was officially launched, providing Excite and Web Crawler users with a co-branded, comprehensive edition of all SportsLine USA content, including scores, news, analysis, columns, editorials, fantasy sports leagues, and other premium services, including Vegas Insider.
The Excite Sports Channel also offers a co-branded version of The Sports Store, SportsLine USA's comprehensive online retail service, that features an extensive selection of sports apparel, merchandise, memorabilia and golf equipment appealing to a wide range of fans. Excite users also have access to SportsLine USA's membership programs including Vegas Insider (www.vegasinsider.com) subscription-based products.
SportsLine USA Launches Innovative "SportsLine Rewards" Program
"SportsLine Rewards," a free program that rewards members for every CBS SportsLine page they view, was recently launched in January. Members earn points for viewing pages and can earn additional bonus points for viewing highlighted areas within the site and for purchasing fantasy products or merchandise. Members can redeem their points for everything from merchandise to private online chats with sports celebrities to preferred seating at special events. The launch is also supported by a Million-Dollar sweepstakes, allowing members an exclusive opportunity to earn sweepstakes entries throughout 1999, for a $1 million cash prize, for viewing pages on CBS SportsLine.
The Company is also offering a premium program, "SportsLine Rewards Plus," for $39.95 per year. The premium program provides additional benefits, including bonus points for signing up, double points for page views, exclusive columns, discounts on merchandise and big savings on fantasy sports products.
SportsLine USA Signs E-Commerce Agreement with Amazon.com
In a new partnership announced in early January, Amazon.com, the Internet's number one book and music retailer, became CBS SportsLine's online retail partner for books, videos and music in a co-branded store on the CBS SportsLine site (www.cbs.sportsline.com/u/ptl/amazon). In keeping with SportsLine USA's commitment to offer sports fans the most comprehensive sports experience available, sports-related books, videos and music are highlighted in the new co-branded store, in addition to Amazon.com's complete catalog of more than 4.7 million titles.
The New Sports Store Launches on CBS SportsLine
In November, the Company announced the grand opening of The Sports Store (www.TheSportsStore.com), an extensive online sports super store, featuring a wide array of sports-related merchandise. Later that month, the Company announced a partnership with The Upper Deck Co. LLC, to make the world's largest assortment of Upper Deck sports collectibles and memorabilia available via the Upper Deck Store, located within The Sports Store. The Sports Store was launched with the innovative Microsoft Site Server Commerce software, representing the latest in electronic consumer technology, allowing The Sports Store to offer consumers a convenient and rich shopping experience.
About SportsLine USA
SportsLine USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLN) is a leading Internet-based sports media company that provides branded, interactive information and programming as well as merchandise to sports enthusiasts worldwide. SportsLine USA publishes CBS SportsLine, which features more than 400,000 pages of multimedia sports information, entertainment and merchandise covering all major professional, collegiate and international sports and includes exclusive content from sports teams, organizations and superstars such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Shaquille O'Neal. SportsLine USA was founded in 1994, and its Internet sports service was renamed CBS SportsLine in March of 1997 as part of an exclusive five-year promotional and content agreement with CBS Sports.
Contact:
Kenneth Sanders
Senior Vice President/
Chief Financial Officer
SportsLine USA, Inc.
(954) 351-2120, ext. 7900
or
Larry Wahl
Director, Investor Relations and
Corporate Communications
SportsLine USA, Inc.
(954) 351-2120, ext. 7225
(Tables Follow)
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SportsLine USA, Inc. |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
(in thousands except per-share data) |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Three Months Ended |
Year Ended |
||||||||||||||||||
|
December 31, |
December 31, | ||||||||||||||||||
|
1998 |
1997(1) |
1998 |
1997(1) |
||||||||||||||||
|
Revenue: |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Advertising |
$ 4,946 |
$ 2,636 |
$ 17,698 |
$ 6,329 |
|||||||||||||||
|
E-commerce |
1,418 |
378 |
3,601 |
1,049 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Membership and premium services |
1,619 |
969 |
5,032 |
2,701 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Licensing and other |
1,335 |
932 |
4,220 |
1,935 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Total revenue |
9,318 |
4,915 |
30,551 |
12,014 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Cost of revenue |
4,766 |
3,429 |
17,231 |
10,431 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Gross margin |
4,552 |
1,486 |
13,320 |
1,583 |
|||||||||||||||
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Operating expenses: |
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Product development |
295 |
559 |
1,313 |
2,541 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Sales and marketing |
6,711 |
4,734 |
20,482 |
14,019 |
|||||||||||||||
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General and administrative |
3,560 |
2,718 |
13,159 |
8,305 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Depreciation and amortization |
5,453 |
3,862 |
17,104 |
11,689 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Other - non-recurring charge for settlement of litigation |
-- |
-- |
1,100 |
-- |
|||||||||||||||
|
Total operating expenses |
16,019 |
11,873 |
53,158 |
36,554 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Loss from operations |
(11,467) |
(10,387) |
(39,838) |
(34,971) |
|||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Net interest income |
1,290 |
282 |
4,329 |
794 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Net loss |
$ (10,177) |
$ (10,105) |
$ (35,509) |
$ (34,177) |
|||||||||||||||
|
Net loss per share |
$ (0.51) |
$ (0.77) |
$ (1.94) |
$ (3.08) |
|||||||||||||||
|
Average shares outstanding |
19,802 |
13,050 |
18,306 |
11,108 |
|||||||||||||||
|
Pro forma net loss(2) |
N/A |
N/A |
$ (34,409) |
$ (34,177) |
|||||||||||||||
|
Pro forma net loss per share(2) |
N/A |
N/A |
(1.88) |
(3.08) |
|||||||||||||||
|
EBITDA, excluding non-recurring charge |
$ (6,014) |
$ (6,525) |
$ (21,634) |
$ (23,282) |
|||||||||||||||
(1) Amounts have been restated to include the results of GolfWeb, which the Company acquired on January 29, 1998 in a pooling-of-interests transaction.
(2) Amounts for the year ended December 31, 1998 exclude the effect of a non-recurring charge of $1.1 million associated with the settlement of a trademark lawsuit in the quarter ended September 30, 1998.|
SportsLine USA, Inc. |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets |
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|
(in thousands) |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
December 31, 1998 |
December 31, 1997(1) |
|
|||||||||||||||||
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Assets: |
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Cash and short-term marketable securities |
$ 59,075 |
$ 33,988 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Other current assets |
15,645 |
5,579 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Non-current marketable securities |
39,205 |
138 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Property and equipment, net |
5,367 |
4,170 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Other assets |
18,363 |
1,851 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
$ 137,655 |
$ 45,726 |
||||||||||||||||||
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Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity: |
|||||||||||||||||||
|
Current liabilities |
$ 10,211 |
$ 8,283 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Other liabilities |
8,481 |
458 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
Shareholders' equity |
118,963 |
36,985 |
|||||||||||||||||
|
|
$ 137,655 |
$ 45,726 |
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(1)
Amounts have been restated to include the results of GolfWeb, which the Company acquired in January 1998 in a pooling-of-interests transaction.