Gray Announces Third Quarter Financial Results, Additional Cost Containment Initiatives, and Approximately $500 Million of Full-Year 2024 Political Ad Revenue and Projected $500 Million Full-Year 2024 Net Debt Reduction
ATLANTA, Nov. 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gray Television, Inc. ("Gray," "Gray Media," "we," "us" or "our") (NYSE:GTN) today announced a strong third quarter ended September 30, 2024. Gray also projected full-year 2024 political advertising revenue of $500 million, as well as full-year 2024 Net Debt reduction of $500 million.
SUMMARY OF THIRD QUARTER RESULTS
OPERATING HIGHLIGHTS:
Total revenue in the third quarter of 2024 was $950 million, an increase of 18% from the third quarter of 2023.
Core advertising revenue in the third quarter of 2024 was $365 million, an increase of 1% from the third quarter of 2023.
Retransmission consent revenue in the third quarter of 2024 was $369 million, a decrease of 2% from the third quarter of 2023.
Political advertising revenue in the third quarter of 2024 was $173 million, an increase of 565% from the third quarter of 2023.
Total operating expenses (before depreciation, amortization and loss on disposal of assets) in the third quarter of 2024 was $617 million, which was 2% below the low end of our previously announced guidance for the quarter.
Net income attributable to common stockholders was $83 million in the third quarter of 2024, compared to a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $53 million in the third quarter of 2023.
Adjusted EBITDA was $338 million in the third quarter of 2024, an increase of 61% from the third quarter of 2023, due primarily to the cyclical increase in political advertising revenue.
OTHER KEY METRICS:
Through September 30, 2024, we reduced the principal amount of our debt by $241 million in 2024 and expect full-year 2024 Net Debt reduction of approximately $500 million.
As of September 30, 2024, calculated as set forth in our Senior Credit Agreement, our First Lien Leverage Ratio and Leverage Ratio, which are net of $69 million of cash, were 3.00 to 1.00 and 5.67 to 1.00, respectively.
Currently, we have $674 million of borrowing availability under our undrawn Revolving Credit Facility.
Non-cash stock-based compensation was $5 million during each of the third quarters ended September 30, 2024 and 2023.
FINANCIAL RESULTS AND EXPECTATIONS
Our results in the third quarter were largely in line with our guidance, with the exception of political advertising revenues, which, while strong, were slightly below our expectations. Our broadcast and corporate operating expenses were much lower than expectations.
Our total revenue and our Core advertising revenue were within our guidance range at $950 million and $365 million, respectively, with Core advertising revenue up 1% compared to the third quarter of 2023. Our local television stations in several Southeastern markets experienced reductions in Core and political advertising revenues during late September, due to their extensive, often round-the-clock and commercial-free coverage of Hurricane Helene to support those affected communities in the third quarter.
For the fourth quarter of 2024, we currently expect that Core advertising revenue will be down approximately 11% compared to the fourth quarter of 2023, due primarily to political advertising revenue displacement and the movement of SEC college football games in our Southeastern markets from the CBS Network to the ABC Network. In addition, the continuing impact of Hurricane Helene and the added impact of Hurricane Milton in the fourth quarter is expected to adversely impact Core advertising revenue in several of our Southeastern markets. We now anticipate Core advertising revenues within a range of $1.475 billion to $1.488 billion for full-year 2024, which is down approximately 3% from our earlier guidance of $1.525 billion and down approximately 2% compared to full-year 2023.
Our political advertising revenue in the third quarter of 2024 was $173 million, compared to the $190 million of political advertising revenue during the third quarter of 2020 that was recorded by our current television station portfolio. We anticipate that political advertising revenues for the fourth quarter of 2024 will be within a range of $248 million to $253 million, and for full-year 2024 within a range of $495 million to $500 million. Our political advertising revenue was impacted by fewer competitive non-presidential races in some of our markets during the second half of this year as well as the same significant factors affecting core advertising that are identified above.
Our retransmission consent revenue in the third quarter of 2024 was $369 million, which was within our guidance range. We currently expect retransmission consent revenues in the range of $355 million to $360 million for the fourth quarter of 2024 and, in a range of approximately $1.476 billion to $1.481 billion, for full-year 2024.
For the third quarter of 2024, our broadcasting operating expenses and corporate operating expenses were $14 million and $3 million below the low end of the expense guidance ranges, respectively. For full-year 2024, we currently expect broadcasting operating expenses and corporate operating expenses will be within the range of $2.324 billion to $2.334 billion, and $110 million to $115 million, respectively. These updated full-year expense estimates reflect significant decreases from the initial full-year guidance, provided in February of this year, of approximately $2.4 billion and $125 million, respectively. In addition, we currently anticipate capital expenditures for full-year 2024 of $135 million, which includes approximately $35 million, net of reimbursements, related to Assembly Atlanta. We expect additional reimbursements of approximately $18 million in the first quarter of 2025 related to 2024 capital expenditures at Assembly Atlanta.
COST CONTAINMENT INITIATIVES
Starting in August 2024, we began identifying and implementing various measures throughout the company that we expect will further reduce our operating expense run-rate by approximately $60 million on an annualized basis. As part of our routine budgeting process, we are carefully evaluating our capital expenditure needs for 2025.
We have taken several steps to reduce personnel expenses in 2025. These steps include streamlining workflows at our television stations and other business units, closing certain unfilled positions for which we were recruiting, eliminating certain positions that will not be filled following normal attrition throughout the second half of this year, and, for the first time in many years, eliminating certain positions in a handful of television stations and certain business units. Importantly, despite these staffing changes, we will continue to produce local newscasts with local journalists and local meteorologists in all of our existing local news markets, including small markets.
In terms of non-operating expenses, we anticipate a significant amount of interest savings due to lower debt balances resulting from open market debt repurchases and debt paydowns that have already occurred, and we anticipate will continue on an ongoing basis. We also anticipate that our cash income tax payments, net of refunds, for full-year 2024 will be approximately $133 million, approximately $49 million less than estimated in August of this year, due in part to interest expense deductibility in connection with Gray's real estate assets, driven primarily by our Assembly Atlanta development.
DEBT REPURCHASES AND REPAYMENTS
We continue to focus on improving our balance sheet. From January 1, 2024 through September 30, 2024, we have reduced our principal amount of debt outstanding by $241 million. During the third quarter of 2024, we:
Repurchased and retired $29 million of our outstanding 2027 Notes on the open market at an average price of approximately 92.1% of par value, thereby reducing the remaining par value of our 2027 Notes to $671 million;
Repaid all amounts outstanding under our Revolving Credit Facility; and
Repurchased and retired approximately $16 million of our outstanding 2021 Term Loan on the open market at an average price of approximately 90.8% of par value.
In addition to the amounts above, we have previously entered into agreements to further reduce our 2021 Term Loan by an additional $39 million at an average price of approximately 92.6% of par value, which transactions will close in November 2024. We anticipate that upon completion of all of the above transactions, the remaining 2021 Term Loan principal outstanding at par value will be $1.400 billion.
We project, including actions taken to date, reduction of our Net Debt (also referred to herein as Adjusted Total Indebtedness) during full-year 2024 of $500 million during full-year 2024.
On November 7, 2024, our Board of Directors approved an increase in our debt repurchase authorization to repurchase additional debt in the open market, which replenished the previous authorization, bringing the total current authorization to $250 million. The extent of such repurchases, including the amount and timing of any repurchases, will depend on general market conditions, regulatory requirements, alternative investment opportunities and other considerations. This repurchase program supersedes any previous repurchase authorization, does not require us to repurchase a minimum amount of debt, and it may be modified, suspended or terminated at any time without prior notice.
TAXES
During the nine-months ended September 30, 2024 and 2023, we made income tax payments, net of refunds, of $130 million and $43 million, respectively. During the fourth quarter of 2024, based on our current forecasts, we anticipate making income tax payments, net of refunds, of approximately $3 million.
As of September 30, 2024, we have an aggregate of $282 million of various state operating loss carryforwards, of which we expect that approximately $201 million will not be utilized.
GUIDANCE FOR THE THREE MONTHS AND TWELVE MONTHS ENDING DECEMBER 31, 2024
Based on our current forecasts for the quarter ending December 31, 2024, we anticipate the following key financial results, as outlined below in approximate ranges and as compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2023, as well as certain currently anticipated full-year financial results. As always, guidance may change in the future based on several factors and therefore may not reflect actual results:
Quarter Ending
Year Ending
December 31, 2023
December 31, 2024
December 31, 2024
(Guidance)
(Guidance)
(Actual)
Low
High
Low
High
(in millions)
Revenue (less agency commissions):
Core advertising
$
415
$
365
$
378
$
1,475
$
1,488
Political
33
248
253
495
500
Retransmission consent
365
355
360
1,476
1,481
Production companies
32
38
39
106
107
Other
19
16
17
69
70
Total revenue
$
864
$
1,022
$
1,047
$
3,621
$
3,646
Operating expenses (excluding depreciation, amortization and loss on disposal of assets):
Broadcasting:
Station expenses
$
371
$
374
$
382
$
1,388
$
1,396
Network affiliation fees
232
230
231
931
932
Non-cash stock-based compensation
1
1
2
5
6
Total broadcasting expense
$
604
$
605
$
615
$
2,324
$
2,334
Production companies
$
27
$
29
$
30
$
86
$
87
Corporate and administrative:
Corporate expenses
$
28
$
26
$
30
$
93
$
97
Non-cash stock-based compensation
5
4
5
17
18
Total corporate and administrative expense
$
33
$
30
$
35
$
110
$
115
Year Ending
December 31,
2024
Estimated supplemental information (in millions):
(Guidance)
Interest expense, excluding amortization of deferred financing costs
$470
Amortization of deferred financing costs
$14
Preferred stock dividends
$52
Common stock dividends
$32
Total capital expenditures, excluding Assembly Atlanta
$100
Capital expenditures for Assembly Atlanta, net of anticipated reimbursements
$35
Income tax payments, net of refunds
$133
Selected Operating Data (Unaudited)
Three Months Ended September 30,
% Change
% Change
2024 to
2024 to
2024
2023
2023
2022
2022
(dollars in millions)
Revenue (less agency commissions):
Core advertising
$
365
$
363
1
%
$
359
2
%
Political
173
26
565
%
144
20
%
Retransmission consent
369
378
(2
)%
368
0
%
Other
17
16
6
%
18
(6
)%
Total broadcasting revenue
924
783
18
%
889
4
%
Production companies
26
20
30
%
20
30
%
Total revenue
$
950
$
803
18
%
$
909
5
%
Operating expenses (1):
Broadcasting:
Station expenses
$
336
$
322
4
%
$
309
9
%
Retransmission expense
234
234
0
%
226
4
%
Transaction Related Expenses
-
-
0
%
1
(100
)%
Non-cash stock-based compensation
1
1
0
%
1
0
%
Total broadcasting expense
$
571
$
557
3
%
$
537
6
%
Production companies
