WWE issued the following:
WWE REAFFIRMS FOURTH QUARTER 2016 ADJUSTED OIBDA AND OPERATING INCOME GUIDANCE
Raises Expectations for Fourth Quarter 2016 Average Subscribers
STAMFORD, Conn., December 12, 2016 – World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:WWE) today announced that the Company has raised the low end of its projected range of average paid WWE Network subscribers for the fourth quarter 2016 and reaffirmed its 2016 Adjusted OIBDA and Operating income guidance.
Specifically, the Company announced that it expects at least 1.40 million average paid subscribers to WWE Network for the fourth quarter 2016. The Company reaffirmed its projections for fourth quarter Adjusted OIBDA of approximately $20 million to $24 million (Operating income of $12 million to $16 million). For the full year, the Company anticipates 2016 Adjusted OIBDA of $80 million to $84 million (Operating income of $54 million to $58 million) and average paid subscribers to WWE Network of approximately 1.42 million representing growth of 25% for the full year.
Note: Reconciliation of Q4 2016 and full year 2016 Operating Income to Adjusted OIBDA can be found in the Supplemental Information in this release
Non-GAAP Measures:
We define OIBDA as operating income before depreciation and amortization, excluding feature film and television production asset amortization and impairments. OIBDA is a non-GAAP financial measure and may be different than similarly-titled non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. A limitation of OIBDA is that it excludes depreciation and amortization, which represents the periodic charge for certain fixed assets and intangible assets used in generating revenues for the Company’s business. OIBDA should not be regarded as an alternative to operating income or net income as an indicator of operating performance, or to the statement of cash flows as a measure of liquidity, nor should it be considered in isolation or as a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP. We believe that operating income is the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure to OIBDA.
Adjusted OIBDA, Adjusted Operating income, Adjusted Net income and Adjusted Earnings per share exclude certain non-recurring material items, which otherwise would impact the comparability of results between periods. These items include, but are not limited to, non-cash impairments of film, intangible and fixed assets, gains and losses on asset sales, as well as material restructuring charges. The adjusted measures should not be considered as an alternative to net income, cash flows from operations or any other indicator of WWE’s performance or liquidity, determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP.
The Company believes the presentation of OIBDA and Adjusted OIBDA is relevant and useful for investors because it allows investors to view our operating performance in the same primary method used by management to evaluate operating performance. Additionally, we believe they provide a meaningful representation of operating cash flows.
About WWE
WWE, a publicly traded company (NYSE: WWE), is an integrated media organization and recognized leader in global entertainment. The company consists of a portfolio of businesses that create and deliver original content 52 weeks a year to a global audience. WWE is committed to family friendly entertainment on its television programming, pay-per-view, digital media and publishing platforms. WWE programming reaches more than 650 million homes worldwide in 25 languages. WWE Network, the first-ever 24/7 over-the-top premium network that includes all live pay-per-views, scheduled programming and a massive video-on-demand library, is currently available in more than 180 countries. The company is headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Mexico City, Mumbai, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, Munich and Tokyo.
Additional information on WWE (NYSE: WWE) can be found at wwe.com and corporate.wwe.com. For information on our global activities, go to http://www.wwe.com/worldwide/.
