Highlights (July – September)
Financial highlights
- Streaming sales up 19% from Q3 2020 to 583 (490) MSEK, +20% with constant exchange rates
- Subscriber base up 27% from Q3 2020 to 1,724,000 (1,360,300) on average
- Storytel Books sales up 20% YoY in Q3 2021, EBIT margin 24.7% (16.1%), driven by strong organic growth and the acquisition of Lind & Co.
- Net turnover including Streaming and Books increased by 17.3% from Q3 2020 to 714 (609) MSEK
- Earnings per share, after taxes amounted to -0.92 (-0.38) SEK in Q3 2021, before and after dilution
Other highlights
- An Extra General Meeting was held on September 23. Stefan Blom was elected chairman of the Board and Joakim Rubin, representing EQT was elected new director of the Board. Nils Janse stepped down from the Board, and the rest of the Board remained the same.
- Completed the acquisition of the Finnish publisher Aula & Co, strengthening Storytel’s position on the Finnish market.
Highlights After the End of the Quarter
- Storytel joined the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest sustainability initiative, emphasizing the company’s commitment to investing in, and making a meaningful contribution to, a resilient society.
Table 1: Key Performance Indicators for Streaming and Books
| TSEK | Q3 2020 | Q4 2020 | Q1 2021 | Q2 2021 | Q3 2021 | Q4 2021 |
| Streaming Total1 | Forecast | |||||
| Revenue | 490,234 | 503,449 | 517,075 | 545,451 | 583,084 | 604,000-608,000 |
| Contribution Profit | 113,663 | 107,074 | 97,592 | 105,933 | 94,655 | |
| Contribution Margin | 23.2% | 21.3% | 18.9% | 19.4% | 16.2% | |
| Avg. Paying Subscribers | 1,360,300 | 1,442,000 | 1,540,600 | 1,626,900 | 1,724,000 | 1,789,000-1,796,000 |
| ARPU | 120 | 116 | 112 | 112 | 113 | 113 |
| Streaming Nordics1 | ||||||
| Revenue | 394,453 | 399,639 | 401,834 | 423,323 | 447,199 | 459,000-461,000 |
| Contribution Profit | 125,534 | 134,166 | 119,418 | 127,010 | 135,684 | |
| Contribution Margin | 31.8% | 33.6% | 29.7% | 30.0% | 30.3% | |
| Avg. Paying Subscribers | 902,000 | 926,000 | 957,500 | 983,600 | 1,024,000 | 1,044,000-1,047,000 |
| ARPU | 146 | 144 | 140 | 143 | 146 | 147 |
| Streaming Non-Nordics | ||||||
| Revenue | 95,781 | 103,810 | 115,240 | 122,128 | 135,885 | 145,000-147,000 |
| Contribution Profit | -11,872 | -27,092 | -21,826 | -21,078 | -41,030 | |
| Contribution Margin | -12.4% | -26.1% | -18.9% | -17.3% | -30.2% | |
| Avg. Paying Subscribers | 458,300 | 516,000 | 583,100 | 643,300 | 700,000 | 745,000-749,000 |
| ARPU | 70 | 67 | 66 | 63 | 65 | 65 |
| Books | ||||||
| Revenue | 150,391 | 197,346 | 125,189 | 149,962 | 180,116 | |
| Contribution Profit | 63,667 | 81,774 | 52,852 | 66,479 | 83,436 | |
| Contribution Margin | 42.3% | 41.4% | 42.2% | 44.3% | 46.3% | |
1. Storytel Norway is included in the figures @ 100%. In the consolidated accounts, Norway is reported in accordance with the principle of proportional consolidation.
The full report can be found as attachment.
For more information, please contact:
Andreas Lindblom, Head of FP&A and Investor Relations: +46 72 506 14 22
Dan Panas, Head of Global PR & Communications: +46 70 186 52 90
This information is such that Storytel AB (publ) is obliged to disclose in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU nr 596/2014). The information was provided, through the agency of the above contact person, at the time stated in this press release, by Cision.
FNCA Sweden AB is the company’s certified adviser. FNCA can be reached at info@fnca.se or +46 8 528 00 399.
About Storytel
Storytel is one of the world’s largest subscribed audiobook and e-book streaming services and offers listening and reading of more than 700,000 titles on a global scale. Our vision is to make the world a more empathetic and creative place with great stories to be shared and enjoyed by anyone, anywhere and anytime. Storytel’s streaming business is conducted under the brands Storytel and Mofibo. Storytel’s publishing business area is carried out through the audiobook publisher StorySide and acclaimed Nordic publishing houses such as Norstedts Förlagsgrupp, People’s and Gummerus. Storytel operates in 25 markets around the globe and is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.