VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BBTV Holdings Inc. (TSX: BBTV), a media tech company that uses technology enabled solutions to help content owners become more successful, provides the following updates:

• BBTV signs new international gaming partners L'étoile Noire, Acenix, Games EduUu, Mustafa GAME OVER, and VinhMC, who collectively achieve 217 million monthly YouTube views and over 23 million YouTube subscribers.
• L'étoile Noire is 6th largest YouTube gaming creator in France, Games EduUu is the 12th largest gaming creator in Brazil. In addition, BBTV has partnerships in place with three of the top 10 Gaming channels on YouTube, and five of the top 20 Gaming channels on YouTube, based on total subscribers¹.
• BBTV’s gaming content has achieved 78 Billion views LTM September 2020, with the most consumable formats like eSports (such as Fortnite and League of Legends), Casual Games (such as Minecraft, Roblox), GTA² and PUBG³ generating significant viewership and engagement from audiences.
• According to a report released this year, the global gaming market will generate $159.3 billion in revenue in 2020. Newzoo projects the industry to surpass $200 billion in revenue in 2023⁴.

"Global TAM⁵ for gaming revenues is forecasted to reach nearly $160 billion in 2020, surpassing books, music and movies,” comments Shahrzad Rafati, Chairperson and CEO, BBTV. “We are proud to grow our diversity of content, including this dynamic group of international content owners in the gaming vertical. BBTV’s Gaming content partners command some of the largest audiences globally, and we're poised to benefit from this as advertisers continue to shift their advertising dollars to this highly sought after segment.”

BBTV has partnered with L'étoile Noire (1.24M YouTube subscribers, 16.8M monthly YouTube views, 203k Instagram followers), the sixth largest gaming creator in France, and a prolific thought leader on the cult game, Fortnite. He regularly publishes thoughts and insights to his engaged community on the latest Fortnite news, Fortnite games updates, and its merch store.

Acenix (4.2M YouTube subscribers, 50.02M monthly YouTube views, 268k Instagram followers, 66k Twitter followers) is one of the most charismatic, entertaining, and fastest growing gamers in the Spanish speaking world and is the 19th largest YouTube gaming creator in Spain.

A finalist for the 2020 iBest award in the Game Content category by IGN Brazil, Games EduUu (8.75M YouTube subscribers, 54.6M monthly YouTube views, and 567k Facebook followers) one of the most dynamic, passionate and entertaining Brazilian influencers, the 12th largest gaming creator in the country, and one of the fastest growing in the category.

“International expansion is an important driver of BBTV’s overarching growth strategy and these latest partnerships demonstrate our ability to deliver value to content owners around the globe in one of the largest, and most engaging content verticals,” comments Ali Adab, VP Content and Partnerships, BBTV.

Mustafa Jamal is the largest Minecraft gaming channel in the MENA region with an average of more than 1M views per video (8.13M YouTube subscribers, 81.2M monthly YouTube views, 483k Instagram followers), with Mustafa GAME OVER. Finally, BBTV welcomes VinhMC, a popular gamer from Vietnam, known for his humorous Minecraft walkthroughs and commentary (853k YouTube subscribers, 14.09M monthly YouTube views and 3.6M TikTok followers).

Gaming is just one of a number of popular and high growth content verticals at BBTV, others include: entertainment, music, kids and family, and sports.

For more information please visit: www.bbtv.com

Footnotes

• ¹ Source SocialBlade Nov 23rd 2020, most subscribed categories; gaming: https://socialblade.com/youtube/top/category/games/mostsubscribed
• ² Grand Theft Auto
• ³ PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
• ⁴ Source Reuters May 2020, Newzoo report: https://ca.reuters.com/article/idUSFLM8jkJMl
• ⁵ TAM = Total Addressable Market

References/sources:

• Global and Country specific ranking are from: Tubular Labs - October 2020
• YouTube Monthly Views Source: SocialBlade - November 29th, 2020
• YouTube Subs Source: YouTube - November 29th, 2020
• Instagram Followers Source: Instagram - November 29th, 2020
• Twitter Followers Source: Twitter - November 29th, 2020
• Facebook Followers Source: Facebook - November 29th, 2020

About BBTV

BBTV is a media and technology company headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. BBTV is an enabling platform with a stated mission of advancing the world through the democratization of content. From individual content creators to global media companies, BBTV monetizes the media of content owners through end-to-end management, distribution and monetization solutions, powered by its innovative VISO Platform, including related proprietary technology, while allowing content owners to focus on their core competency – content creation. In August 2020, BBTV had the second most unique monthly viewers among digital platforms with 615 million globally, who consumed more than 55 billion minutes of video content, the most among media companies^*. www.bbtv.com

*Calculations and classifications made by BBTV based on data from Comscore contained in Comscore’s “Top 12 Countries = August 2020 comScore Video Metrix Media Trend - Multi-Platform - Top 100 Video Properties Report”.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation, which reflects the Company’s current expectations regarding future events including the expected continuation of content consumption and continued expansion of multiple partnerships from Base to Plus solutions. Forward looking information is based on a number of assumptions, including but not limited to assumptions regarding the changes and trends in our industry or the global economy, that are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, and which could cause actual results and events to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to the factors discussed under “Risk Factors” in the final prospectus of the Company dated October 22, 2020. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update such forward looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.

BBTV-C

Dan Gamble
Head of PR & Corporate Communications
dgamble@bbtv.com
+1778 873 0422

Ashley Buck
PR and Corporate Communications Specialist
abuck@bbtv.com
+17788751346

MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Valnet Inc., an online media publisher, today announced it has acquired Collider.com, one of the Internet’s premiere voices in entertainment news.

Collider is a recognized and trusted source for impactful entertainment content delivering the latest in movies and television. Every day, Collider covers the latest on what is happening in the industry with deep analysis and sharp commentary through insider interviews, news, insightful reviews, and thoughtful editorials. Since its founding in 2005, Collider has stayed true to its principles to provide content that is both inspired and distinct: whether it's breaking news on the latest superhero movie or a deep-dive into an iconic filmmaker's body of work, Collider truly is at the intersection of both cinephiles and fandom.

“Strengthening our reach in the entertainment and pop culture verticals is important to Valnet and we couldn’t have done this in a better way than to acquire Collider. Collider is an industry leading brand with long-standing recognition in the entertainment industry,” said VP of Publishing at Valnet, Joe Alderson. “We are thrilled to welcome editor-in-chief Steve Weintraub and the entire team of great writers, many of whom have been dedicated to Collider for many years.” Alderson added.

“We are incredibly excited to be joining the Valnet family,” said Steve Weintraub. “Over the past 15 years, Collider has gone from a website run in my bedroom to hosting refreshing, unique, and insightful articles and features from talented writers across the globe. We've reached heights I never could have dreamed of due in large part to our dedicated and insanely talented staff, and thanks to Valnet's robust cache of resources and years of experience growing a diverse range of websites, we'll be able to hit even loftier goals. I truly believe our acquisition by Valnet will make these a reality. I cannot wait to see where we go from here,” Weintraub added.

The acquisition of Collider further compliments Valnet’s successful expansion strategy of acquiring and growing digital publications, which over the last five years has included MakeUseOf, GameRant, CBR and ScreenRant.

Fabio Farina
fabio.f@valnetinc.com

Ongoing Cost Discipline and Segment Share Gains Drive Margin and Cash Flow Growth

Company Continues to Pay Down Debt, Achieving Net Debt Reduction of $95 Million Year-to-Date and $222 Million Over the Past 12 Months

SUSSEX, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quad/Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: QUAD) (“Quad” or the “Company”) today reported results for its third quarter ending September 30, 2020.

Recent Highlights

• Continued to align costs with current demand environment and achieved margin expansion while growing print segment share.
• Increased year-to-date cash from operating activities by $103 million and Free Cash Flow by $91 million compared to the first nine months of 2019.
• Reduced net debt by $95 million year-to-date and $222 million over the past 12 months, ending the quarter with a Debt Leverage Ratio of 3.22x, which was flat versus the comparable period in 2019.
• Maintained strong liquidity position as of September 30, 2020, including $93 million of cash on hand and up to $465 million in unused capacity under Quad’s revolving credit agreement.
• Completed the divestiture of Quad’s remaining Book platform on October 31 as part of the Company’s ongoing strategy to optimize its product portfolio.

“Building on our momentum from the first half of the year, we delivered a solid third quarter with strong operating and cash performance. We achieved net earnings gains through diligent cost management while continuing to focus on winning segment share and driving operational improvements. Our efforts resulted in higher Adjusted EBITDA margin both for the quarter and year-to-date, as well as increased cash flow. This enabled us to continue to pay down debt and strengthen our balance sheet, despite a significant net sales impact from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President & CEO of Quad.

“Our team has been resilient in the face of significant challenges, and continues to demonstrate the ability to skillfully navigate the unprecedented headwinds created by the pandemic,” Quadracci added. “Throughout the quarter, we continued to prioritize the health and well-being of our employees and protect Quad’s long-term financial health, all while providing great service to our clients and securing new work. We also continued to advance our strategic transformation as a marketing solutions partner through investments in talent and technology, and innovating new integrated solutions like QDMX, a suite of solutions that delivers 100% personalized direct marketing at a fraction of the cost and with greater speed-to-market – a real game-changer for our clients who use direct mail or are thinking of adding it to their portfolio. Our Quad 3.0 strategy provides us with the right tools, talent and platform to exit the pandemic from a position of strength, poised to generate the revenue and Free Cash Flow required to take advantage of value-creating opportunities that will further offset organic print decline through expansion into higher margin products and services.”

Quadracci concluded: “As we move through our seasonally busiest time of year, we continue to closely monitor the pandemic and its impacts on our clients and the worldwide economy. Client volumes remain significantly below last year – a trend we anticipate will continue through year end. We are a nimble organization that can adjust our priorities to maintain good financial health, grow segment share and support our ongoing transformation, while continuing to keep our employees safe and serving our clients well.”

Summary Results

Results for the three months ended September 30, 2020, included:

• Net Sales — Net sales were $679 million in 2020, down 28% from 2019. Sales declined 26% during the quarter, excluding the impact of the January 2020 sale of the Omaha packaging plant, primarily due to the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing print industry volume and pricing pressures.

• Net Earnings (Loss) From Continuing Operations — Net earnings from continuing operations increased $50 million from the third quarter of 2019, from a net loss of $47 million in 2019 ($0.94 diluted loss per share from continuing operations) to net earnings of $3 million in 2020 ($0.05 diluted earnings per share from continuing operations).

• Adjusted EBITDA — Adjusted EBITDA was $61 million in 2020, as compared to $80 million in 2019, while Adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 8.9% in 2020, as compared to 8.4% in 2019. The Adjusted EBITDA variance to prior year primarily reflects the impact from the sales decline, partially offset by savings from cost reduction initiatives. Adjusted EBITDA margin increased by 49 basis points in the quarter driven by cost-savings initiatives more than offsetting the relative percentage decline in sales.

Results for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, included:

• Net Sales — Net sales were $2.1 billion in 2020, down 27% in 2019. Sales declined 25% during the nine months ended September 30, 2020, after excluding the impact of the January 2020 sale of the Omaha packaging plant, primarily due to the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, and ongoing print industry volume and pricing pressures.

• Net Loss From Continuing Operations — Net loss from continuing operations improved $42 million from the first nine months of 2019, from a net loss of $63 million in 2019 ($1.26 diluted loss per share from continuing operations) to a net loss of $21 million in 2020 ($0.41 diluted loss per share from continuing operations).

• Adjusted EBITDA — Adjusted EBITDA was $196 million in 2020, as compared to $239 million in 2019, while Adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 9.4% in 2020, as compared to 8.4% in 2019. The Adjusted EBITDA variance to prior year primarily reflects the impact from the sales decline, a $13 million decrease in paper byproduct recoveries, and an $11 million increase in hourly production wages due to strategic investments made to increase starting wages, partially offset by savings from cost reduction initiatives, a $9 million net non-cash benefit from a change in vacation policy, and a $6 million net reduction in workers’ compensation reserves from improved production safety performance. Year-to-date Adjusted EBITDA margin increased by 101 basis points driven by cost savings initiatives more than offsetting the relative percentage decline in sales.

• Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities — Net cash provided by operating activities was $107 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, an increase of $103 million from 2019, primarily due to higher cash earnings and improvements in working capital.

• Free Cash Flow — Free Cash Flow was $57 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2020, an increase of $91 million from 2019, primarily due to a $48 million decrease in capital expenditures, $40 million of income tax refunds received during the third quarter of 2020 due to the CARES Tax Act and improvements in working capital. As a reminder, the Company historically generates the majority of its Free Cash Flow in the fourth quarter of the year.

Dave Honan, Executive Vice President and CFO, concluded: “We continue to generate significant cash from strong operational performance and disciplined cost management, despite the unprecedented economic impact the pandemic has had on demand. We improved the health of our balance sheet by deploying the strong cash flow performance to reduce net debt by $95 million so far this year, and have reduced net debt by a total of $222 million over the past 12 months. We possess ample liquidity to invest in our Quad 3.0 strategy, with $93 million of cash at the end of the quarter as well as up to $465 million in unused capacity under Quad’s revolving credit agreement.”

Quarterly Conference Call

Quad will hold a conference call at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, November 4, 2020, to discuss third quarter and full-year results. A slide presentation will be concurrently available on the Investors section of Quad’s website at www.quad.com/investors. Quad will conduct a question and answer session. Investors are invited to email their questions in advance to IR@quad.com.

Participants may pre-register for the webcast by navigating to https://dpregister.com/sreg/10148791/daba91cc3a. Participants will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call on November 4, bypassing the live operator. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

Alternatively, participants without internet access may dial in on the day of the call as follows:

• U.S. Toll-Free: 1-877-328-5508
• International Toll: 1-412-317-5424

An audio replay of the call will be posted on the Investors section of Quad’s website shortly after the conference call ends. In addition, telephone playback will also be available until December 4, 2020, accessible as follows:

• U.S. Toll-Free: 1-877-344-7529
• International Toll: 1-412-317-0088
• Replay Access Code: 10148791

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, our current expectations about the Company’s future results, financial condition, sales, earnings, free cash flow, margins, objectives, goals, strategies, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates, prospects, projections and outlook of the Company and can generally be identified by the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “foresee,” “project,” “believe,” “continue” or the negatives of these terms, variations on them and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company’s expectations and judgments and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control.

The factors that could cause actual results to materially differ include, among others: the negative impacts the coronavirus (COVID-19) has had and will continue to have on the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and supply chain, as well as the global economy in general (including future uncertain impacts); the impact of decreasing demand for printed materials and significant overcapacity in the highly competitive environment creates downward pricing pressures and potential underutilization of assets; the impact of digital media and similar technological changes, including digital substitution by consumers; the impact of fluctuations in costs (including labor and labor-related costs, energy costs, freight rates and raw materials) and the impact of fluctuations in the availability of raw materials; the inability of the Company to reduce costs and improve operating efficiency rapidly enough to meet market conditions; the impact of the various restrictive covenants in the Company’s debt facilities on the Company’s ability to operate its business, as well as the uncertain negative impacts COVID-19 may have on the Company’s ability to continue to be in compliance with these restrictive covenants; the impact of increased business complexity as a result of the Company’s transformation to a marketing solutions partner; the impact negative publicity could have on our business; the failure to successfully identify, manage, complete and integrate acquisitions, investment opportunities or other significant transactions, as well as the successful identification and execution of strategic divestitures; the failure of clients to perform under contracts or to renew contracts with clients on favorable terms or at all; the impact of changing future economic conditions; the fragility and decline in overall distribution channels, including newspaper distribution channels; the impact of changes in postal rates, service levels or regulations; the failure to attract and retain qualified talent across the enterprise; the impact of regulatory matters and legislative developments or changes in laws, including changes in cyber-security, privacy and environmental laws; significant capital expenditures may be needed to maintain the Company’s platforms and processes and to remain technologically and economically competitive; the impact of risks associated with the operations outside of the United States, including costs incurred or reputational damage suffered due to improper conduct of its employees, contractors or agents; the impact of an other than temporary decline in operating results and enterprise value that could lead to non-cash impairment charges due to the impairment of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets; the impact on the holders of Quad’s class A common stock of a limited active market for such shares and the inability to independently elect directors or control decisions due to the voting power of the class B common stock; and the other risk factors identified in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as such were previously supplemented and amended in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2020, and which may be further amended or supplemented by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains financial measures not prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (referred to as Non-GAAP), specifically Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA Margin, Free Cash Flow, Net Debt, Debt Leverage Ratio and Adjusted Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share From Continuing Operations. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net earnings (loss) attributable to Quad common shareholders excluding interest expense, income tax expense (benefit), depreciation and amortization, restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, (loss) earnings from discontinued operations, net of tax, net pension income, loss (gain) on debt extinguishment, equity in (earnings) loss of unconsolidated entity, the Adjusted EBITDA for unconsolidated equity method investments (calculated in a consistent manner with the calculation for Quad) and net earnings (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests. Adjusted EBITDA Margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by net sales. Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property, plant and equipment, plus LSC-related payments primarily related to incremental interest payments associated with the 2019 amended debt refinancing and transaction-related costs. Net Debt is defined as total debt and finance lease obligations less cash and cash equivalents. Debt Leverage Ratio is defined as Net Debt divided by the last twelve months of Adjusted EBITDA. Adjusted Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share From Continuing Operations is defined as earnings (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes and equity in (earnings) loss of unconsolidated entity excluding restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, loss (gain) on debt extinguishment, and adjusted for income tax expense at a normalized tax rate, divided by diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding.

The Company believes that these Non-GAAP measures, when presented in conjunction with comparable GAAP measures, provide additional information for evaluating Quad’s performance and are important measures by which Quad’s management assesses the profitability and liquidity of its business. These Non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for or superior to, net earnings (loss) as a measure of operating performance or to cash flows provided by operating activities as a measure of liquidity. These Non-GAAP measures may be different than Non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Reconciliation to the GAAP equivalent of these Non-GAAP measures are contained in tabular form on the attached unaudited financial statements.

About Quad

Quad (NYSE: QUAD) is a worldwide marketing solutions partner dedicated to creating a better way for its clients through a data-driven, integrated marketing platform that helps reduce complexity, increase efficiency and enhance marketing spend effectiveness. Quad provides its clients with unmatched scale for client on-site services and expanded subject expertise in marketing strategy, creative solutions, media deployment (which includes a strong foundation in print) and marketing management services. With a client-centric approach that drives its expanded offering, combined with leading-edge technology and single-source simplicity, Quad has the resources and knowledge to help a wide variety of clients in multiple vertical industries, including retail, financial/insurance, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, publishing and direct-to-consumer. Quad has multiple locations throughout North America, South America and Europe, and strategic partnerships in Asia and other parts of the world. For additional information visit www.Quad.com.

Investor Relations Contact
Katie Krebsbach
Investor Relations Lead, Quad
414-566-4247
kkrebsbach@quad.com

Media Contact
Claire Ho
Director of Corporate Communications, Quad
414-566-2955
cho@quad.com

Company Sells Its Two Remaining Book Plants to Berryville Graphics

SUSSEX, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quad/Graphics, Inc. (NYSE: QUAD) (“Quad” or the “Company”) today announced that it has sold its two remaining Book manufacturing facilities in Fairfield, Penn., and Martinsburg, W.Va., to Berryville Graphics, a division of Bertelsmann Printing Group USA, a leader in hard cover, mass market, trade and digest books, components and specialty finishing. The transaction closed on October 31, 2020. Quad will use proceeds from the sale to pay down debt.

With this transaction, Quad has completed the full divestiture of its Book manufacturing platform – part of a previously announced strategic decision to optimize its product portfolio. In July, the company sold its only other book manufacturing facility in Versailles, Ky., to CJK Group, Inc.

“Quad is pleased to find two great buyers for our Book business, and we thank our employees in our Book plants for their patience and professionalism throughout the entire sale process,” said Joel Quadracci, Chairman, President & CEO of Quad. “We continue our strategic focus on where we can provide the greatest value to our clients, which is through our unique integrated marketing solutions offering. Clients benefit from increased marketing spend effectiveness because of our ability to reduce the complexities of working with multiple agency partners and our process efficiencies. Truly, we are creating a better way for our clients by integrating strategy, creative and execution across all channels.”

Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren S.C. served as legal advisor to Quad.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding, among other things, our current expectations about the Company’s future results, financial condition, sales, earnings, free cash flow, margins, objectives, goals, strategies, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates, prospects, projections and outlook of the Company and can generally be identified by the use of words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “foresee,” “project,” “believe,” “continue” or the negatives of these terms, variations on them and other similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results to be materially different from those expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based largely on the Company’s expectations and judgments and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are unforeseeable and beyond our control.

The factors that could cause actual results to materially differ include, among others: the negative impacts the coronavirus (COVID-19) has had and will continue to have on the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flows, results of operations and supply chain, as well as the global economy in general (including future uncertain impacts); the impact of decreasing demand for printed materials and significant overcapacity in the highly competitive environment creates downward pricing pressures and potential underutilization of assets; the impact of digital media and similar technological changes, including digital substitution by consumers; the impact of fluctuations in costs (including labor and labor-related costs, energy costs, freight rates and raw materials) and the impact of fluctuations in the availability of raw materials; the inability of the Company to reduce costs and improve operating efficiency rapidly enough to meet market conditions; the impact of the various restrictive covenants in the Company’s debt facilities on the Company’s ability to operate its business, as well as the uncertain negative impacts COVID-19 may have on the Company’s ability to continue to be in compliance with these restrictive covenants; the impact of increased business complexity as a result of the Company’s transformation to a marketing solutions partner; the impact negative publicity could have on our business; the failure to successfully identify, manage, complete and integrate acquisitions, investment opportunities or other significant transactions, as well as the successful identification and execution of strategic divestitures; the failure of clients to perform under contracts or to renew contracts with clients on favorable terms or at all; the impact of changing future economic conditions; the fragility and decline in overall distribution channels, including newspaper distribution channels; the impact of changes in postal rates, service levels or regulations; the failure to attract and retain qualified talent across the enterprise; the impact of regulatory matters and legislative developments or changes in laws, including changes in cyber-security, privacy and environmental laws; significant capital expenditures may be needed to maintain the Company’s platforms and processes and to remain technologically and economically competitive; the impact of risks associated with the operations outside of the United States, including costs incurred or reputational damage suffered due to improper conduct of its employees, contractors or agents; the impact of an other than temporary decline in operating results and enterprise value that could lead to non-cash impairment charges due to the impairment of property, plant and equipment and intangible assets; the impact on the holders of Quad’s class A common stock of a limited active market for such shares and the inability to independently elect directors or control decisions due to the voting power of the class B common stock; and the other risk factors identified in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as such were previously supplemented and amended in the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2020, and which may be further amended or supplemented by subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or other reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

About Quad

Quad (NYSE: QUAD) is a worldwide marketing solutions partner dedicated to creating a better way for its clients through a data-driven, integrated marketing platform that helps reduce complexity, increase efficiency and enhance marketing spend effectiveness. Quad provides its clients with unmatched scale for client on-site services and expanded subject expertise in marketing strategy, creative solutions, media deployment (which includes a strong foundation in print) and marketing management services. With a client-centric approach that drives its expanded offering, combined with leading-edge technology and single-source simplicity, Quad has the resources and knowledge to help a wide variety of clients in multiple vertical industries, including retail, financial/insurance, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, publishing and direct-to-consumer. Quad has multiple locations throughout North America, South America and Europe, and strategic partnerships in Asia and other parts of the world. For additional information visit www.Quad.com.

Investor Relations Contact
Katie Krebsbach
Investor Relations Lead, Quad
414-566-4247
kkrebsbach@quad.com

Media Contact
Claire Ho
Director of Corporate Communications, Quad
414-566-2955
cho@quad.com

SUSSEX, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Quad (NYSE: QUAD) will hold a conference call at 10 a.m. ET on Wednesday, November 4, to discuss third quarter 2020 results. The call will be hosted by Joel Quadracci, Quad Chairman, President & CEO, and Dave Honan, Quad Executive Vice President & CFO.

The full earnings release and slide presentation will be concurrently available on the Investors section of Quad’s website at www.quad.com/investors. As part of the conference call, Quad will conduct a question and answer session. Investors are invited to email their questions in advance to IR@quad.com.

Participants may pre-register for the webcast by navigating to https://dpregister.com/sreg/10148791/daba91cc3a. Participants will be given a unique PIN to gain immediate access to the call on November 4, bypassing the live operator. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time.

Alternatively, participants without internet access may dial in on the day of the call as follows:

• U.S. Toll-Free: 1-877-328-5508
• International Toll: 1-412-317-5424

An audio replay of the call will be posted on the Investors section of Quad’s website shortly after the conference call ends. In addition, telephone playback will also be available until December 4, 2020, accessible as follows:

• U.S. Toll-Free: 1-877-344-7529
• International Toll: 1-412-317-0088
• Replay Access Code: 10148791

About Quad

Quad (NYSE: QUAD) is a worldwide marketing solutions partner dedicated to creating a better way for its clients through a data-driven, integrated marketing platform that helps clients reduce complexity, increase efficiency and enhance marketing spend effectiveness. Quad provides its clients with unmatched scale for client onsite services and expanded subject expertise in marketing strategy, creative solutions, media deployment and marketing management services. With a client-centric approach that drives its expanded offering, combined with leading-edge technology and single-source simplicity, Quad has the resources and knowledge to help a wide variety of clients in multiple vertical industries, including retail, financial/insurance, consumer packaged goods and publishing. Quad has multiple locations throughout North America, South America and Europe, and strategic partnerships in Asia and other parts of the world. For additional information visit www.QUAD.com.

Investor Relations Contact
Katie Krebsbach
Investor Relations Lead, Quad
414-566-4247 / kkrebsbach@quad.com

Media Contact
Claire Ho
Director of Corporate Communications, Quad
414-566-2955 / cho@quad.com

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (“Postmedia” or the “Company”) today released financial information for the three months and year ended August 31, 2020.

“We are now six months into a global pandemic and its effects on our people, our clients and our communities,” said Andrew MacLeod, President and Chief Executive Officer, Postmedia. “We continue to operate in an uncertain landscape with a focus on keeping our people safe, preserving liquidity, constraining costs and maximizing revenue while working with government programs aimed at supporting Canada’s economy during this unprecedented time. We have put significant focus and energy into supporting local businesses across Canada. Two programs were launched to support partners in the communities we serve. The Connect with Local Businesses initiative provides a directory linking customers with essential services and the Marketing Grant program provides new businesses an opportunity to apply for a matching advertising grant to supplement their investment.”

• Safety of Our People – We expect that most of our employees will continue to work from home into calendar 2021. At operations that require on-site work we continue to implement extensive safety measures. All health and safety measures are assessed on an ongoing basis and in accordance with the recommendations of health authorities.
• Preserving Liquidity – Cash management, including the waiver of payments related to first-lien debt and government assistance, has resulted in an unrestricted cash balance of $49.8 million as at August 31, 2020.
• Constraining Costs – In the quarter we realized a 15.6% reduction in operating costs¹, which includes the impact of initiatives implemented in the quarter that are expected to result in approximately $2 million of net annualized cost savings.
• Maximizing Revenue – Fourth quarter revenue was down 27.8% from the prior year and significantly impacted due to the pandemic. Our product and development teams continued to launch innovative solutions providing improvements to our overall monetization, engagement, and user experience. Circulation revenue was relatively strong, reflecting the importance of credible journalism during these unprecedented times.
• Government Support – Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (“CEWS”) of $21.0 million recognized and $13.3 million received during the quarter.

Fourth Quarter Operating Results

The Company continued to face significant business impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic. Revenue for the quarter was $105.2 million as compared to $145.6 million in the same period in the prior year, representing a decrease of $40.4 million or 27.8%. The revenue decline was primarily due to decreases in print advertising revenue of $22.1 million or 38.5% and digital revenue of $10.7 million or 34.3% with digital advertising down 40.5%. Print circulation revenue declined $5.2 million or 10.2% versus the same period in the prior year.

Excluding the impact of the adoption of the IFRS 16 – Leases accounting policy in Fiscal 2020, total operating expenses excluding depreciation, amortization, impairment and restructuring decreased $41.3 million or 31.2% for the quarter, relative to the same period in the prior year. The decrease was a result of lower compensation expense and newspaper circulation volumes as well as the implementation of various cost reduction initiatives. Included in the operating expense decreases is the impact of a compensation expense recovery of $21.0 million related to CEWS partially offset by a decrease in the compensation recovery related to journalism tax credits of $7.5 million.

Operating income before depreciation, amortization, impairment and restructuring of $16.7 million in the quarter represents a decrease of $3.4 million relative to the same period in the prior year. The increase is due to a decrease in operating expenses, partially offset by decreases in total revenue. Included in operating expenses are the impact of the change in accounting policy related to leases and the compensation expense recoveries related to CEWS and journalism tax credits.

Net earnings in the quarter ended August 31, 2020 were $13.5 million, as compared to $7.9 million in the same period in the prior year. The change was primarily the result of the increase in operating income before depreciation, amortization, impairment and restructuring, decreases in depreciation and amortization expenses, an increase in foreign exchange gains and a gain on derivative financial instruments in Fiscal 2020 partially offset by a decrease in restructuring and other items expense which includes a curtailment gain of $9.7 in Fiscal 2019 related to the Company’s employee benefit plans.

Fiscal 2020 Operating Results

Revenue for the year ended August 31, 2020 was $508.4 million as compared to $619.6 million in the same period in the prior year, a decrease of $111.2 million or 18.0%. The revenue decline was primarily due to decreases in print advertising revenue of $68.7 million or 26.5%, decreases in print circulation revenue of $15.8 million or 7.6% and decreases in digital revenue of $17.0 million or 13.6% year to date with digital advertising revenue down 16.0%.

Excluding the impact of the adoption of the IFRS 16 – Leases accounting policy in Fiscal 2020, total operating expenses excluding depreciation, amortization, impairment and restructuring decreased $121.5 million or 21.3% for the year ended August 31, 2020, relative to the prior year. The decrease was a result of lower compensation expense and newspaper circulation volumes as well as the implementation of various cost reduction initiatives. Included in the operating expense decrease is the impact of compensation expense recoveries of $40.3 million and $4.5 million recognized in Fiscal 2020 related to CEWS and journalism tax credits, respectively and $7.0 million recognized in Fiscal 2019 related to journalism tax credits.

Operating income before depreciation, amortization, impairment and restructuring of $67.7 million in the in the year ended August 31, 2020 represents an increase of $18.4 million or 37.4% relative to the prior year. The increase is due to a decrease in operating expenses, partially offset by decreases in total revenue. Included in operating expenses are the impact of the change in accounting policy related to leases and the compensation expense recoveries related to CEWS and journalism tax credits.

Net loss in the year ended August 31, 2020 was $16.2 million, as compared to $6.3 million in the same period in the prior year. The change was primarily the result of increases in impairment and interest expenses and gains on disposal of property and equipment and assets held-for-sale as well as a decrease in restructuring and other items expense which includes a curtailment gain of $9.7 in Fiscal 2019 related to the Company’s employee benefit plans partially offset by the increase in operating income before depreciation, amortization, impairment and restructuring, a decrease in depreciation expense, and foreign currency exchange gains in Fiscal 2020.

COVID-19 Update

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in governments worldwide enacting emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus including travel bans, self-imposed quarantine periods and social distancing that have caused disruption to businesses resulting in an economic slowdown. The Company is generally exempt from mandates requiring closures of non-essential businesses and therefore has been able to continue operations however advertising revenue declines have accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related government measures. The Company is continuing to address the current challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and on April 6, 2020 received a waiver of certain terms related to its 8.25% first lien notes, maturing July 2023 (the “Notes”) which provided for the cash interest payment of $3.9 million due on April 30, 2020 being satisfied through the issuance of additional Notes and the waiver in full of the Company’s obligation to make a mandatory excess cash flow redemption related to the six months ended February 29, 2020. On April 11, 2020, the Government of Canada passed CEWS to support employers facing financial hardship as measured by certain revenue declines as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company applied for CEWS for the period from March 15 to August 29, 2020 and during the three months and year ended August 31, 2020, recognized a recovery of compensation expense of $21.0 million and $40.3 million, respectively. As at August 31, 2020, the Company has an amount receivable related to CEWS of $13.0 million. On September 23, 2020, the Government of Canada announced they will extend CEWS to the summer of 2021. On April 28, 2020, the Company implemented additional cost saving measures including temporary layoffs affecting approximately 50 employees, the closure of 15 community publications in Manitoba and Ontario resulting in approximately 30 permanent layoffs and temporary salary reductions from 5% to 30% for a range of employees with salaries in excess of $60,000. On May 27, 2020 the Company implemented additional permanent layoffs impacting approximately 40 unionized employees.

Debt Repayment

Subsequent to August 31, 2020, the Company redeemed $3.3 million of Notes on October 1, 2020 and will redeem an additional $5.2 million Notes on November 5, 2020 both from the proceeds of assets sales. In addition, the Company gave notice to its first-lien noteholders of its intention to redeem $6.9 million of Notes on November 13, 2020, as required pursuant to the annual excess cash flow requirement. After these aggregate redemptions of $15.4 million the Company will have $83.8 million of first-lien debt outstanding of the original $225.0 million that was issued in October 2016.

CAAT Pension Plan

On January 29, 2019, the Company entered into an agreement with the Colleges of Applied Arts & Technology Pension Plan (the “CAAT Pension Plan”), a multi-employer defined benefit plan, to merge the Company’s defined benefit pension plans (the “Postmedia Plans”), with the CAAT Pension Plan. Effective July 1, 2019, the Company received approval from Postmedia Plan members and the Company became a participating employer under the CAAT Pension Plan and all members of the Postmedia Plans, as well as members of the Company’s defined contribution pension plan began accruing benefits under the DBplus provisions of the CAAT Pension Plan. Subsequent to August 31, 2020, the Company received approval from the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (“FSRA”) to transfer the assets from the Postmedia Plans which is anticipated will be completed in November 2020. Upon completion of the transfer of assets from the Postmedia Plans, the CAAT Pension Plan will assume defined benefit obligations accrued prior to July 1, 2019 and a cash funding obligation of $10.1 million related to the transferred Postmedia Plans deficits will be payable to the CAAT Pension Plan over a term of ten years.

Business Transformation Initiatives

During the three months ended August 31, 2020, the Company implemented initiatives including those discussed above related to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as additional compensation expense reductions, real estate rationalization, production efficiencies and other transformation programs, which are expected to result in approximately $2 million of net annualized cost savings.

The Company intends to continue to identify and undertake ongoing cost reduction initiatives in an effort to address revenue declination in the legacy print business.

Additional Information

Additional information, including financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis can be found on the Company’s website at www.postmedia.com or on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Note: All dollar amounts are expressed in Canadian dollars unless otherwise specified.

About Postmedia Network Canada Corp.

Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (TSX:PNC.A, PNC.B) is the holding company that owns Postmedia Network Inc., a Canadian newsmedia company representing more than 125 brands across multiple print, online, and mobile platforms. Award-winning journalists and innovative product development teams bring engaging content to millions of people every week whenever and wherever they want it. This exceptional content, reach and scope offers advertisers and marketers compelling solutions to effectively reach target audiences. For more information, visit www.postmedia.com.

Forward-Looking Information

This news release may include information that is “forward-looking information” under applicable Canadian securities laws. The Company has tried, where possible, to identify such information and statements by using words such as “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should” and similar expressions and derivations thereof in connection with any discussion of future events, trends or prospects or future operating or financial performance. Forward-looking statements in this news release include statements with respect to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Company’s business, the implementation and results of the Company’s transformation initiatives, continued benefits of historical results into future periods, the realization of anticipated cost savings, the completion of asset transfers related to the Company’s pension plans, the receipt of anticipated government assistance and the identification and undertaking of ongoing cost savings initiatives. By their nature, forward-looking information and statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: competition from digital and other forms of media; the effect of economic conditions on advertising revenue; the ability of the Company to build out its digital media and online businesses; the failure to maintain current print and online newspaper readership and circulation levels; the realization of anticipated cost savings; possible damage to the reputation of the Company’s brands or trademarks; possible labour disruptions; possible environmental liabilities, litigation and pension plan obligations; fluctuations in foreign exchange rates and the prices of newsprint and other commodities.

In addition, we are subject to the risk and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has resulted in governments worldwide enacting emergency measures to combat the spread of the virus including travel bans, self-imposed quarantine periods and social distancing that have caused disruption to businesses resulting in an economic slowdown. We are generally exempt from mandates requiring closures of non-essential businesses and therefore have been able to continue operations however, advertising revenues have declined as a result of COVID-19 pandemic and related government measures. The outbreak of contagious illness such as this can impact our operations in a number of ways including quarantined employees, travel restrictions, temporary closure of our facilities, a decrease in demand for advertising, as well as interruptions to our supply chain, including temporary closure of supplier facilities. Given the high level of uncertainty surrounding the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic it is difficult to reliably estimate its potential impact on the financial condition and results of our business. We are continuing to address the current challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic and monitoring these challenges as they evolve so as to minimize this risk however it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity and cash flow. For a complete list of our risk factors please refer to the section entitled “Risk Factors” contained in our annual management’s discussion and analysis for the years ended August 31, 2020 and 2019. Although the Company bases such information and statements on assumptions believed to be reasonable when made, they are not guarantees of future performance and actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and developments in the industry in which the Company operates, may differ materially from any such information and statements in this press release. Given these risks and uncertainties, undue reliance should not be placed on any forward-looking information or forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of such information or statements. Other than as required by law, the Company does not undertake, and specifically declines, any obligation to update such information or statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any such information or statements.