DouYu Reports Unaudited Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2021
DouYu International Holdings Limited (“DouYu” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: DOYU), a leading game-centric live streaming platform in China and a pioneer in the eSports value chain, today announced its unaudited financial results for the fourth quarter and the full year ended December 31, 2021.
Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial and Operational Highlights
- Total net revenues in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 2.6% to RMB2,327.9 million (US$365.3 million) from RMB2,269.2 million in the same period of 2020.
- Gross profit in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 34.3% to RMB244.7 million (US$38.4 million), from RMB182.2 million in the same period of 2020.
- Net loss in the fourth quarter of 2021 was RMB193.2 million (US$30.3 million), compared with RMB228.7 million in the same period of 2020.
- Adjusted net loss[1] in the fourth quarter of 2021 was RMB112.0 million (US$17.6 million), compared with RMB176.9 million in the same period of 2020.
- Average mobile MAUs[2] in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 7.2% to 62.4 million from 58.2 million in the same period of 2020.
- Quarterly average paying user[3] count in the fourth quarter of 2021 was 7.3 million, compared with 7.6 million in the same period of 2020.
Full Year 2021 Financial Highlights
- Total net revenues for the full year of 2021 were RMB9,165.3 million (US$1,438.2 million), compared with RMB9,601.9 million in the same period of 2020.
- Gross profit for the full year of 2021 was RMB1,089.9 million (US$171.0 million), compared with RMB1,560.3 million in the same period of 2020.
- Net loss for the full year of 2021 was RMB620.2 million (US$97.3 million), compared with net income of RMB404.7 million in the same period of 2020.
- Adjusted net loss for the full year of 2021 was RMB400.6 million (US$62.9 million), compared with adjusted net income of RMB541.6 million in the same period of 2020.
Mr. Shaojie Chen, Chief Executive Officer of DouYu, commented, “2021 was a year full of challenges. Facing a complex macro environment, we continued to implement our core strategy to further develop our game-centric content ecosystem for a wide array of game genres, invest in our premium quality content, and further refine our game operations. During the fourth quarter, we continued to grow our core operating metrics, as mobile MAU increased by 7.2% year over year to 62.4 million. Going forward, we will leverage our innovative interactive operations, as well as rich content across various formats including livestreaming, videos, graphics, and communities, to continue exploring new growth initiatives as we build on our leading position in the gaming livestreaming industry.”
Mr. Hao Cao, Vice President of DouYu, commented, “In the fourth quarter of 2021, our total revenues were RMB2.33 billion and our gross profit was RMB244.7 million. During the quarter, we continued to develop synergies across our various content formats including livestreaming, video, text, graphics, and social communities. We maintained our investment in research and development as well as our production capabilities to continue generating high-quality content. Looking ahead, we will remain proactive in exploring additional avenues for growth and monetization to deliver greater long-term returns for our shareholders.”
Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial Results
Total net revenues in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 2.6% to RMB2,327.9 million (US$365.3 million) from RMB2,269.2 million in the same period of 2020.
Livestreaming revenues in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 6.7% to RMB2,209.4 million (US$346.7 million) from RMB2,070.7 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily due to organic growth in average revenues per paying user which benefited from the Company’s implementation of more effective operational strategies.
Advertising and other revenues in the fourth quarter of 2021 were RMB118.5 million (US$18.6 million), compared with RMB198.5 million in the same period of 2020. The decrease was primarily due to the continued exploration of new commercialization models by using a portion of advertising traffic that could have been directly monetized, as well as the challenging macro environment.
Cost of revenues in the fourth quarter of 2021 was RMB2,083.2 million (US$326.9 million), compared with RMB2,087.0 million in the same period of 2020.
Revenue sharing fees and content costs in the fourth quarter of 2021 decreased to RMB1,846.9 million (US$289.8 million) from RMB1,850.2 million in the same period of 2020. The decrease was primarily due to the decreased cost of broadcasting rights. Such decrease was partially offset by the increase in revenue sharing fees which is in line with the Company’s increased livestreaming revenues.
Bandwidth costs in the fourth quarter of 2021 decreased by 1.7% to RMB167.9 million (US$26.3 million) from RMB170.7 million in the same period of 2020. The decrease was mainly due to lower bandwidth costs per unit as a result of improved procurement efficiency.
Gross profit in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased by 34.3% to RMB244.7 million (US$38.4 million) from RMB182.2 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily due to higher revenues generated during the quarter.
Sales and marketing expenses in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased 34.3% to RMB229.2 million (US$36.0 million) from RMB170.7 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was mainly attributable to the increased cost of promotional channels for user acquisition.
Research and development expenses in the fourth quarter of 2021 increased 11.5% to RMB132.6 million (US$20.8 million) from RMB118.9 million in the same period of 2020. The increase was primarily attributable to increased technical staff costs as the Company continues to invest in product upgrades to support its game-centric content strategy.
General and administrative expenses in the fourth quarter of 2021 decreased 16.1% to RMB98.8 million (US$15.5 million) from RMB117.7 million in the same period of 2020, mainly due to decreased professional service fees.
Other operating income, net in the fourth quarter of 2021 was RMB13.9 million (US$2.2 million), compared with other operating loss of RMB7.3 million in the same period of 2020.
Loss from operations in the fourth quarter of 2021 was RMB201.9 million (US$31.7 million), compared with RMB232.4 million in the same period of 2020.
Adjusted loss from operations in the fourth quarter of 2021, which adds back share-based compensation expenses, was RMB168.7 million (US$26.5 million), compared with RMB199.1 million in the same period of 2020.
Income tax expenses in the fourth quarter of 2021 and 2020 were nil due to the Company’s cumulative net losses and the resulting tax loss carry forward.
Net loss in the fourth quarter of 2021 was RMB193.2 million (US$30.3 million), compared with RMB228.7 million in the same period of 2020.
Adjusted net loss in the fourth quarter of 2021, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, share of income in equity method investments, impairment loss of investments, and expenses in connection with settlement of class action lawsuits, was RMB112.0 million (US$17.6 million), compared with RMB176.9 million in the same period of 2020.
Basic and diluted net loss per ADS[4] in the fourth quarter of 2021 were RMB0.53 (US$0.08) and RMB0.53 (US$0.08), respectively. Adjusted basic and diluted net loss per ADS in the fourth quarter of 2021 were RMB0.29 (US$0.05) and RMB0.29 (US$0.05), respectively.
Full Year 2021 Financial Results
Total net revenues for the full year of 2021 were RMB9,165.3 million (US$1,438.2 million), compared with RMB9,601.9 million in the same period of 2020. The decrease was primarily driven by the year-over-year decrease in livestreaming revenues and advertising and other revenues.
Gross profit for the full year of 2021 was RMB1,089.9 million (US$171.0 million), compared with RMB1,560.3 million in the same period of 2020.
Loss from operations for the full year of 2021 was RMB648.7 million (US$101.8 million), compared with income from operations of RMB262.1 million in the same period of 2020.
Adjusted operating loss for the full year of 2021, which adds back share-based compensation expenses, was RMB516.5 million (US$81.1 million), compared with adjusted operating income of RMB404.2 million in the same period of 2020.
Net loss for the full year of 2021 was RMB620.2 million (US$97.3 million), compared with net income of RMB404.7 million in the same period of 2020.
Adjusted net loss for the full year of 2021, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, share of loss (income) in equity method investments, impairment loss of investments, and settlement of class action lawsuits, was RMB400.6 million (US$62.9 million), compared with adjusted net income of RMB541.6 million in the same period of 2020.
Basic and diluted net loss per ADS for the full year of 2021 were RMB1.55 (US$0.24) and RMB1.55 (US$0.24), respectively. Adjusted basic and diluted net loss per ADS in the full year of 2021 were RMB0.88 (US$0.14) and RMB0.88 (US$0.14), respectively.
Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and bank deposits
As of December 31, 2021, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, short-term and long-term bank deposits of RMB6,643 million (US$1,043 million), compared with RMB7,622 million as of December 31, 2020.
Share Repurchase Program
On August 30, 2021, the Company announced that its board of directors had authorized a share repurchase program under which the Company may repurchase up to US$100 million of its ordinary shares in the form of ADSs during a period of up to 12 months commencing on August 30, 2021. The Company expects to utilize existing funds to make repurchases under this program. As of December 31, 2021, the Company had repurchased an aggregate of US$16.7 million (RMB107 million) worth of its ADSs under this program.
