Gaia Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Results


BOULDER, Colo., March 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gaia, Inc. (NASDAQ: GAIA), a conscious media and community company, reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2022.

“After a challenging 2022, when both revenue and adjusted EBITDA only increased in the single digits due to the post COVID subscriber contraction experienced industry wide, we have started to experience member growth this year,” said Jirka Rysavy, Gaia’s CEO.  “During the last few months, we have eliminated over $5 million in annualized spending, which includes 36 headcount that were added over the past two years to offset reduced efficiency because of work-from-home mandates. We expect to see the benefits of such savings begin during the second quarter.  In 2023, we plan to launch Gaia Marketplace, an initiative focused on our existing members that we expect to increase our average revenue per member with minimal additional marketing expense. As a result, we expect to grow and generate $7-9 million of cash in 2023.”

Gaia CFO Paul Tarell commented: “The fourth quarter continued to be impacted by headwinds faced throughout the year surrounding elevated cancellations due to members that joined during the peak COVID period, as well as reduced efficacy in our online advertising efforts tied to ongoing privacy changes. Our focus is growing revenues cost effectively, including increasing the efficiency of our targeted marketing efforts that attract and retain high lifetime value members, while continuing to invest in content that keeps the high lifetime value members engaged and retained.”

2022 Financial Results

Revenues in 2022 increased 3.0% to $82.0 million from $79.6 million in 2021. The member count as of December 31, 2022 was 759,000.

Gross profit for 2022 increased to $71.1 million, or 86.7% of revenues, compared to $69.0 million, or 86.8% of revenues, in 2021.

Total operating expenses were $71.4 million, or 87% of revenues, for 2022 compared to $67.1 million or 84.3% of revenues, in the prior year. The increase is primarily related to increased operating costs of our technology platform as we continue to integrate our business continuity initiative into ongoing operations and the integration of the Yoga International platform.

Net loss from operations for 2022 was $0.3 million compared to net income of $2.0 million in 2021. Net loss from operations for 2022 was negatively impacted by elevated legal fees during 2022.

Overall net income decreased to a loss of $3.1 million, or $(0.15) per share, for 2022 compared to net income of $3.7 million or, $0.19 per share, in the prior year. When excluding the one-off impact of legal fees and the anticipated SEC settlement accrual, Gaia had slightly positive earnings for 2022.

Adjusted EBITDA increased to $17.5 million from $16.8 million in the prior year.

Fourth Quarter 2022 Financial Results

Revenues decreased 6.0% to $19.6 million from $20.8 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily driven by the member base declines we have experienced since the second quarter of 2022. The member base losses in the fourth quarter of 2022 were primarily from our third-party distribution partners.

Gross profit in the fourth quarter decreased to $17.0 million compared to $17.9 million in the year-ago quarter because of the decreased revenues. Gross margin increased to 86.7% from 85.8% in the year ago quarter. As a result of the content we have added over the past 12 months, we have seen increased viewership on the exclusive portion of our content library to over 85% of member viewing time. This shift has reduced our royalty expenses and improved gross margins from the prior year.

Total operating expenses decreased slightly to $17.5 million from $17.7 million in the year-ago quarter.

Net loss was $0.9 million, or $(0.04) per share, compared to net income of $2.1 million, or $0.11 per share, in the year-ago quarter, which included a $2.0 million benefit from income taxes.

The cash balance as of December 31, 2022, was $11.6 million.

Conference Call

Date: Monday, March 6, 2023
Time: 4:30 p.m. Eastern time (2:30 p.m. Mountain time)
Toll-free dial-in number: 1-877-269-7751
International dial-in number: 1-201-389-0908
Conference ID: 13736126

Please call the conference telephone number 5-10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization. If you have any difficulty connecting with the conference call, please contact Gateway Group at (949) 574-3860.

The conference call will be broadcast live and available for replay here and via ir.gaia.com.

A telephonic replay of the conference call will be available after 7:30 p.m. Eastern time on the same day through March 20, 2023.

Toll-free replay number: 1-844-512-2921
International replay number: 1-412-317-6671
Replay ID: 13736126

About Gaia

Gaia is a member-supported global video streaming service and community that produces and curates conscious media through four primary channels—Seeking Truth, Transformation, Alternative Healing and Yoga—in four languages (English, Spanish, French and German) to its members in 185 countries. Gaia’s library includes over 10,000 titles, over 85% of which is exclusive to Gaia, and approximately 75% of viewership is generated by content produced or owned by Gaia. Gaia is available on Apple TV, iOS, Android, Roku, Chromecast, and sold through Amazon Prime Video and Comcast Xfinity. For more information about Gaia, visit www.gaia.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. When used in this discussion, we intend the words “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “future,” “hope,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “strive,” “target,” “will,” “would” and similar expressions as they relate to us to identify such forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors set forth under “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ include, without limitation: our ability to attract new members and retain existing members; our ability to compete effectively, including for customer engagement with different modes of entertainment; maintenance and expansion of devise platforms for steaming; fluctuation in customer usage of our service; fluctuations in quarterly operating results; service disruptions; production risks; general economic conditions; future losses; loss of key personnel; price changes; brand reputation; acquisitions; new initiatives we undertake; security and information systems; legal liability for website content; failure of third parties to provide adequate service; future internet-related taxes; our founder’s control of us; litigation; consumer trends; the effect of government regulation and programs; the impact of public health threats, including the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and our response to it; and other risks and uncertainties included in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We caution you that no forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance, and you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements which reflect our views only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking information.

Non-GAAP Measures

In addition to disclosing financial results calculated in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), the financial information included in this release contains non-GAAP financial measures, including EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA. These non-GAAP measures should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, financial measures and results calculated in accordance with GAAP, including net income, and reconciliations to GAAP financial statements should be carefully evaluated.

EBITDA represents net income before interest expense, provision for income taxes, other income, depreciation and amortization.   Adjusted EBITDA is defined as EBITDA further adjusted to remove acquisition costs, share-based compensation expense, the anticipated SEC settlement and the results of discontinued operations. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not represent measures of net income, as that term is defined under GAAP, and should not be considered as an alternative to net income or as an indicator of our operating performance.

Additionally, EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not intended to be measures of free cash flow available for management or discretionary use as such measures do not consider certain cash requirements such as capital expenditures, tax payments and debt service requirements. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA as presented herein are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures.

We believe that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing our performance and when planning, forecasting and analyzing future periods. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are key performance measures management uses to assess Gaia’s operating performance and to facilitate internal comparisons to our historical performance. We believe EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are useful metrics to investors, enabling them to better assess Gaia’s operating performance in the context of current period results and provide for better comparability with Gaia’s historically disclosed EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA, as well as allowing greater transparency with respect to the key metrics used by management in its financial and operational decision-making. Additionally, investors and the analyst community use these non-GAAP financial measures to help them analyze the health of our business.

Company Contact:
Paul Tarell
Chief Financial Officer
Gaia, Inc.
Investors@gaia.com

Investor Relations:
Gateway Group, Inc.
Cody Slach
(949) 574-3860
GAIA@gatewayir.com


GAIA, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

  December 31,  December 31, 
(in thousands, except share and per share data) 2022  2021 
         
ASSETS        
Current assets:        
Cash $11,562  $10,269 
Accounts receivable  2,955   2,728 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  2,656   1,986 
Total current assets  17,173   14,983 
Media library, software and equipment, net  51,115   50,558 
Right-of-use lease asset, net  7,093   7,871 
Real estate, investment and other assets, net  30,979   31,394 
Goodwill  31,943   28,870 
Total assets $138,303  $133,676 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY        
Current liabilities:        
Accounts payable, accrued and other liabilities $12,355  $14,102 
Short-term debt and lease liability  894   860 
Deferred revenue  14,124   14,847 
Total current liabilities  27,373   29,809 
Long-term debt, net  14,958   6,109 
Long-term lease liability  6,489   7,234 
Deferred taxes  499   309 
Total liabilities  49,319   43,461 
   Total shareholders' equity  88,984   90,215 
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $138,303  $133,676 


GAIA, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations

  For the Three Months Ended
December 31,
  For the Year Ended
December 31,
 
(in thousands, except per share data) 2022  2021  2022  2021 
       
Revenues, net $19,577  $20,829  $82,035  $79,573 
Cost of revenues  2,603   2,953   10,915   10,526 
Gross profit  16,974   17,876   71,120   69,047 
Gross profit margin  86.7%  85.8%  86.7%  86.8%
Expenses:                
Selling and operating  15,958   15,757   64,155   60,577 
Corporate, general and administration  1,583   1,619   7,181   6,125 
Acquisition costs     360   49   360 
Total operating expenses  17,541   17,736   71,385   67,062 
Income (loss) from operations  (567)  140   (265)  1,985 
Interest and other expense, net  (93)  (68)  (268)  (265)
Anticipated SEC Settlement        (2,000)   
Income (loss) before income taxes  (660)  72   (2,533)  1,720 
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes  202   (2,011)  202   (2,011)
Income (loss) from continuing operations  (862)  2,083   (2,735)  3,731 
Loss from discontinued operations  (60)     (360)   
Net income (loss) $(922) $2,083  $(3,095) $3,731 
                 
Earnings (loss) per share:                
Basic                
Continuing operations $(0.04) $0.11  $(0.13) $0.19 
Discontinued operations        (0.02)   
Basic earnings (loss) per share $(0.04) $0.11  $(0.15) $0.19 
Diluted                
Continuing operations $(0.04) $0.10  $(0.13) $0.19 
Discontinued operations        (0.02)   
Diluted earnings (loss) per share $(0.04) $0.10  $(0.15) $0.19 
Weighted-average shares outstanding:                
Basic  20,806   19,441   20,716   19,307 
Diluted  20,806   19,899   20,716   19,834 
                 
EBITDA* $3,302  $3,644  $13,313  $15,130 

* See reconciliation below.

GAIA, INC.
Summary of Cash Flows

  For the Three Months Ended
December 31,
  For the Year Ended
December 31,
 
(in thousands) 2022  2021  2022  2021 
       
Net cash provided by (used in):                
Operating activities - continuing operations $3,507  $6,281  $11,880  $20,867 
Operating activities - discontinued operations  (60)     (360)   
Investing activities  (4,201)  (10,503)  (19,104)  (23,858)
Financing activities  1,475   63   8,877   655 
Net change in cash $721  $(4,159) $1,293  $(2,336)

Reconciliation of Net Income (Loss) to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

  For the Three Months Ended
December 31,
  For the Year Ended
December 31,
 
(in thousands) 2022  2021  2022  2021 
       
Net income (loss) $(922) $2,083  $(3,095) $3,731 
Interest expense, net  93   68   268   265 
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes  202   (2,011)  202   (2,011)
Depreciation and amortization expense  3,929   3,504   15,938   13,145 
EBITDA  3,302   3,644   13,313   15,130 
Acquisition costs        49    
Share-based compensation expense  554   474   1,821   1,710 
Discontinued operations  60      360    
Anticipated SEC settlement        2,000    
Adjusted EBITDA $3,916  $4,118  $17,543  $16,840