ASX-listed B2B publisher Aspermont has released an investor update for the April to June 2020 period, which charts the company’s financial performance and premium subscription metrics during the height of the COVID-19 isolation restrictions.
Aspermont’s three main revenue streams include live events, premium subscriptions, and media sales (largely display advertising, content marketing and lead generation offers).
Over the April to June period, the company recorded a 2 per cent decline in total revenue, despite its live events revenue zeroing due to the cancelation of scheduled June events due to COVID-19 social distancing restrictions.
Aspermont’s premium subscription revenue remained steady, with 2 per cent growth.
The difference in the company’s premium subscription metrics at the start of the COVID-19 lockdown, compared to the end of June are shown in the below table.
| Metric | As ta March 2020 | As at June 2020 |
| Number of subscriptions | 7,650 | 7,825 |
| Average revenue per unit | $1,041 | $1,046 |
| Web traffic (sessions) | 5.7 million | 6.1 million |
| Web traffic (users) | 3.1 million | 3.4 million |
| Renewal rate | 83 per cent | 84 per cent |
It is worth noting that Aspermont’s premium subscription options include multi-user subscriptions. The total number of paid members via its premium subscriptions is approximately 40,000 (an average of 5 users per subscription).
Aspermont said that its digital audiences on a trailing 12 months basis grew by 10 per cent over the period, and its calculated lifetime value of subscribers passed $50 million. See this article for how the company calculates the lifetime value of its subscribers.
Over the March to June 2020 period, the company also further reduced its cost base, completed a small capital raising, and prepared new digital events and exhibitions which are now set for commercial release this quarter.
Over the next quarter, the company plans to enhance Asian market penetration with new government partnerships.
Managing Director Alex Kent said “At the half-year, we stated our next set of responses to COVID-19 and our main focus for Q3. We committed to innovation as the most effective way to adapt our business model and deal effectively with the sudden and severe impacts (from COVID-19) on our live events business.
“We stated an intention to complete a small capital raise with existing shareholders while executing other measures to bolster our short-term cash position. We decided to focus on profitability while building our defensive strengths for the remainder of COVID-19 whilst remaining well poised to accelerate as economies recover.
“At the end of Q3, I can report that as a business we have done exactly what we set out to, and because of some great product innovation and difficult decisions taken, we look forward to reporting a positive year-end set of results despite the extreme conditions.”
Headquartered in the UK, Aspermont publishes for the mining, agriculture, energy and technology sectors, and has offices in Australia, UK, Brazil, North America and the Philippines.
Aspermont’s investor update an be accessed here.
