WUHAN, China, Aug. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — 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 second quarter ended June 30, 2023.

Second Quarter 2023 Financial and Operational Highlights

• Total net revenues in the second quarter of 2023 were RMB1,392.2 million (US$192.0 million), compared with RMB1,833.2 million in the same period of 2022.
• Gross profit in the second quarter of 2023 was RMB188.9 million (US$26.1 million), compared with RMB309.0 million in the same period of 2022.
• Net income in the second quarter of 2023 was RMB6.8 million (US$0.9 million), compared with net loss of RMB38.8 million in the same period of 2022.
• Adjusted net income^[1] in the second quarter of 2023 was RMB61.4 million (US$8.5 million), compared with RMB23.5 million in the same period of 2022.
• Average mobile MAUs^[2] in the second quarter of 2023 were 50.3 million, compared with 55.7 million in the same period of 2022.
• The number of quarterly average paying users^[3] in the second quarter of 2023 was 4.0 million, compared with 6.6 million in the same period of 2022.

Mr. Shaojie Chen, Chief Executive Officer of DouYu, commented, “In the second quarter of 2023, we continued to foster the sustainable health of our game-centric community ecosystem. We focused on successfully maintaining our core users, launching more high-quality, highly interactive content to boost interactions in our community and further elevated the user experience. Meanwhile, we worked more closely with game developers on mutually beneficial initiatives and reduced our marketing expenses in areas such as user acquisition and branding, which in turn improved our profitability. Driven by our regularly updated premium gaming content, diverse operational activities and revenue-generating product offerings, mobile MAUs in the second quarter were steady with the prior quarter at 50.3 million. Looking ahead, we remain committed to executing our core growth strategy of fostering a vibrant, game-centric content ecosystem. We will continue to produce high-quality content, launch innovative offerings and further explore new growth avenues. Our solid business development will enhance our competitive edge and leading position in the domestic gaming content industry.”

Mr. Hao Cao, Vice President of DouYu, commented, “In the second quarter of 2023, our financial performance remained steady. We continued to execute on our long-term sustainable growth strategy with an emphasis on ROI. The key adjustments we have made to our livestreaming revenue-generating activities are designed to invigorate the platform community. Together, with our product upgrades and innovations, we stabilized our total net revenue of RMB1.39 billion and diversified our revenue mix. We continued to optimize our costs and operating expenses in the second quarter by effectively managing our content cost, notably by reducing our marketing expenses for promotional activities and improving our operating efficiency. As a result, we generated net income of RMB6.8 million in the quarter compared with the net loss of RMB38.8 million in the same period last year. Our adjusted net income increased 160.8% year-over-year, reaching RMB61.4 million. Going forward, we plan to explore new monetization channels that support the stable operations and growth of our core business in a manner that creates long-term value for all of our stakeholders.”

Second Quarter 2023 Financial Results

Total net revenues in the second quarter of 2023 decreased by 24.1% to RMB1,392.2 million (US$192.0 million), compared with RMB1,833.2 million in the same period of 2022.

Livestreaming revenues in the second quarter of 2023 decreased by 28.8% to RMB1,258.3 million (US$173.5 million) from RMB1,768.3 million in the same period of 2022. The decrease was mainly attributable to the ongoing operational adjustments in the livestreaming business to promote a healthy and sustainable ecosystem in a more cost-effective manner, as well as the challenging macro environment.

Advertising and other revenues in the second quarter of 2023 increased by 106.5% to RMB133.9 million (US$18.5 million) from RMB64.9 million in the same period of 2022. The increase was primarily attributable to the increase in other revenues contributed by game-specific membership services.

Cost of revenues in the second quarter of 2023 was RMB1,203.3 million (US$165.9 million), a decrease of 21.1% compared with RMB1,524.2 million in the same period of 2022.

Revenue sharing fees and content costs in the second quarter of 2023 decreased by 25.4% to RMB981.3 million (US$135.3 million) from RMB1,314.7 million in the same period of 2022. The decline was primarily driven by a decrease in revenue sharing fees, which were largely aligned with the decrease in livestreaming revenues.  The decrease was partially offset by an increase in copyright costs as a result of our purchase of the LPL tournament copyright.

Bandwidth costs in the second quarter of 2023 decreased by 17.3% to RMB118.8 million (US$16.4 million) from RMB143.7 million in the same period of 2022. The decrease was mainly due to the enhanced efficiency of peak bandwidth usage caused by growing tournament viewing demand, mainly through dynamic bandwidth allocation.

Gross profit in the second quarter of 2023 was RMB188.9 million (US$26.1 million), compared with RMB309.0 million in the same period of 2022. Gross margin in the second quarter of 2023 was 13.6%, compared with 16.9% in the same period of 2022. The decrease in gross margin was mainly attributable to the increase in other costs as a percentage of revenues, which was partially offset by the decreasing percentage of revenues attributed to revenue sharing fees.

Sales and marketing expenses in the second quarter of 2023 decreased by 48.0% to RMB87.0 million (US$12.0 million) from RMB167.5 million in the same period of 2022. This was mainly attributable to a decrease in marketing expenses for user acquisition.

Research and development expenses in the second quarter of 2023 decreased by 30.2% to RMB71.0 million (US$9.8 million) from RMB101.9 million in the same period of 2022. This decrease was primarily due to a decrease in personnel-related expenses.

General and administrative expenses in the second quarter of 2023 decreased by 48.2% to RMB46.9 million (US$6.5 million) from RMB90.7 million in the same period of 2022. This decrease was primarily due to decreased share-based compensation expenses, as the shares under our share incentive plans were fully vested. 

Other operating income, net in the second quarter of 2023 was RMB8.6 million (US$1.2 million), compared with RMB20.4 million in the same period of 2022.

Loss from operations in the second quarter of 2023 was RMB7.5 million (US$1.0 million), compared with RMB30.6 million in the same period of 2022.

Net income in the second quarter of 2023 was RMB6.8 million (US$0.9 million), compared with net loss of RMB38.8 million in the same period of 2022.

Adjusted net income, which excludes share-based compensation expenses, the share of loss in equity method investments, and impairment loss of investments, was RMB61.4 million (US$8.5 million) in the second quarter of 2023, compared with RMB23.5 million in the same period of 2022.

Basic and diluted net income per ADS^[4] in the second quarter of 2023 were both RMB0.02 (US$0.003). Adjusted basic and diluted net income per ADS in the second quarter of 2023 were both RMB0.19 (US$0.03).

Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and bank deposits

As of June 30, 2023, the Company had cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term and long-term bank deposits of RMB7,055.5 million (US$973.0 million), compared with RMB6,808.8 million as of December 31, 2022.

Conference Call Information

The Company will hold a conference call on August 14, 2023, at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time (or 7:00 p.m. Beijing Time on the same day) to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers:

The replay will be accessible through August 21, 2023, by dialing the following numbers:

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available at the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.douyu.com/.

About DouYu International Holdings Limited

Headquartered in Wuhan, China, DouYu International Holdings Limited (Nasdaq: DOYU) is a leading game-centric live streaming platform in China and a pioneer in the eSports value chain. DouYu operates its platform on both PC and mobile apps to bring users access to immersive and interactive games and entertainment livestreaming, a wide array of video and graphic contents, as well as opportunities to participate in community events and discussions. By nurturing a sustainable technology-based talent development system and relentlessly producing high-quality content, DouYu consistently delivers premium content through integration of livestreaming, video, graphics, and virtual communities with a primary focus on games, especially on eSports. This enables DouYu to continuously enhance its user experience and pursue long-term healthy development. For more information, please see http://ir.douyu.com/.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Adjusted operating income (loss) is calculated as operating income (loss) adjusted for share-based compensation expenses. Adjusted net income (loss) is calculated as net income (loss) adjusted for share-based compensation expenses, share of income (loss) in equity method investments and impairment loss of investments. Adjusted net income (loss) attributable to DouYu is calculated as net income (loss) attributable to DouYu adjusted for share-based compensation expenses, share of income (loss) in equity method investments and impairment loss of investments. Adjusted basic and diluted net income per ordinary share is non-GAAP net income attributable to ordinary shareholders divided by weighted average number of ordinary shares used in the calculation of non-GAAP basic and diluted net income per ordinary share. The Company adjusted the impact of (i) share-based compensation expenses, (ii) share of loss in equity method investments, (iii) impairment loss of investments to understand and evaluate the Company’s core operating performance. The non-GAAP financial measures are presented to enhance investors’ overall understanding of the Company’s financial performance and should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of the historical non-GAAP financial measures to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. As non-GAAP financial measures have material limitations as analytical metrics and may not be calculated in the same manner by all companies, they may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures used by other companies. In light of the foregoing limitations, you should not consider non-GAAP financial measures as a substitute for, or superior to, such metrics in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned “Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Results” near the end of this release.

Exchange Rate Information

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars at a specified rate solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars are made at a rate of RMB7.2513 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on June 30, 2023, in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB amounts could have been, or could be, converted, realized or settled in U.S. dollars, at that rate on June 30, 2023 or at any other rate.

Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company’s beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward- looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and a number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company’s results of operations and financial condition; the Company’s business strategies; general market conditions, in particular the game live streaming market; the ability of the Company to retain and grow active and paying users; changes in general economic and business conditions in China; the impact of the COVID-19 to the Company’s business operations and the economy in China and globally; any adverse changes in laws, regulations, rules, policies or guidelines applicable to the Company; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. In some cases, forward-looking statements can be identified by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “target,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to” or other similar expressions. Further information regarding these and other risks, uncertainties or factors is included in the Company’s filings with the Securities Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

Investor Relations Contact

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