New York, NY and Haarlem, the Netherlands– April 16, 2007 –The Nielsen Company bv, a leading global information and media company, today announced its financial results for the full year ending December 31, 2006.
Pro forma* unaudited revenues for the full year 2006 were $4,174 million, an increase of 5% in constant currency** over the prior year, excluding a $90 million decrease in revenues associated with the preliminary purchase price allocation (the “deferred revenue adjustment”). Reported revenues for the Predecessor period (January 1, 2006 through May 23, 2006) were $1,626 million and for the Successor period (May 24, 2006 through December 31, 2006) were $2,548 million, an overall increase of 3% versus the prior year (including the effects of the deferred revenue adjustment).
Pro forma* unaudited operating income was $212 million for the full year 2006 compared to $373 million in 2005. The 2006 pro forma results were negatively impacted by a number of acquisition related items including the $90 million deferred revenue adjustment, $75 million in restructuring expenses, $98 million in increased amortization expense and $53 million in costs associated with recruiting and other acquisition related compensation. Operating income for 2005 was impacted by $91 million in litigation settlement costs and failed acquisition costs. Reported operating income for the Predecessor period and Successor period was $57 million and $109 million, respectively.
Covenant earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and other adjustments permitted under our senior credit facility (“Covenant EBITDA”) was $1,097 million for the full year 2006. Covenant EBITDA is a non – GAAP measure. Refer to page 4 for a reconciliation of loss from continuing operations for the twelve months ended December 31, 2006, (combined operations from January 1, 2006 to May 23, 2006 for the Predecessor period and May 24, 2006 to December 31, 2006 for the Successor period) to Covenant EBITDA.
We expect to provide our mock 10-K, which will contain our Management’s Discussion and Analysis, on or before May 2, 2007 to the lenders under our credit facility and our bond holders.
As of December 31, 2006, total debt was $8 billion, and cash balances were $631 million. Capital expenditures were $238 million in 2006 compared with $237 million in 2005.
The Nielsen Company will hold an earnings conference call, hosted by The Nielsen Company’s Chief Financial Officer Brian West and Rob Ruijter, Member of the Executive Board at 9:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Monday, April 16, 2007. The call will be audio-webcast live at www.Nielsen.com, and an archive will be available on the website after the call. In addition, the company has posted its financial report at www.Nielsen.com.
This news release includes information that could constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements may be identified by words such as ‘expect’, ‘should’, ‘could’, ‘shall’ and similar expressions. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results and events could differ materially from what presently is expected. Factors leading thereto may include without limitations general economic conditions, conditions in the markets Nielsen is engaged in, behavior of customers, suppliers and competitors, technological developments, as well as legal and regulatory rules affecting Nielsen’s business. This list of factors is not intended to be exhaustive. We assume no obligation to update any written or oral forward-looking statement made by us or on our behalf as a result of new information, future events or other factors.
Nielsen is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter) and trade shows. The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. Nielsen employs nearly 41,000 people. For more information, visit www.Nielsen.com
NOTE: Additional detail regarding results (tables, etc.), can be found in the PDF download version of this release
*Pro forma unaudited represents the sum of the results for the Predecessor period, from January 1, 2006 through May 23, 2006, preceding the acquisition of The Nielsen Company which occurred on May 23, 2006; and the Successor period, May 24, 2006 through December 31, 2006, following the acquisition. The 2006 pro forma results are adjusted to reflect the pro forma effect of the acquisition and related financing as if it had occurred on January 1, 2006. The pro forma basis amounts for the combined twelve months ended December 31, 2006 are compared to the twelve months ended December 31, 2005 on a historical basis. Management believes this is the most meaningful way to comment on the results of its operations. The pro forma financial information is not necessarily indicative of the results of operations had the acquisition occurred on January 1, 2006 or the results of operations that may be obtained in the future.
**Constant currency growth rates eliminate the impact of year-over-year foreign currency fluctuations.
# # #
Investor Relations
Peter Wortel
Phone: +31 23 546 3692
Media Relations
Jack Loftus
Phone: +1 646 654 8360