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PRIVACY
Enterprise

Future maintains profit margins despite revenue decline, announces new £55m buyback programme

The media platform, which owns Go.compare, reported a three per cent drop in revenue in the six months to 31 March

Gocompare logo(Image: Publicity Picture)

Future has unveiled a strong set of half-year results, maintaining steady profits and margins despite a slight dip in revenue.

For the six months ending 31 March, the Bath-based media platform reported an adjusted operating profit of £100.7m, marking a five per cent decrease from the corresponding period last year, as reported by .

The company's profitability remained robust with a 27 per cent adjusted margin, and statutory operating profit climbed by eight per cent to £69.1m, buoyed by lower exceptional costs.

The group, which owns Go.compare and various publishing brands, attributed the revenue decline to softer reading in March and foreign exchange pressures.

It acknowledged that direct digital advertising in the US – a significant market for Future – was affected by macroeconomic uncertainty but noted a resurgence in advertising growth in April.

Newly appointed CEO Kevin Li Ying, who assumed leadership on 31 March, stated that the firm is "building the business for tomorrow, whilst delivering on today", with a continued emphasis on monetising Future's specialist audiences through data, innovation, and agile execution.

He further commented: "Whilst the wider macroeconomic environment remains challenging, the quality of our content and intent-driven audience, and the uniqueness of our tech stack, underpinned by our strong financial characteristics, position us well to deliver long term growth in what is an ever-evolving media landscape."

Future's cash flow supports new buyback

Future's adjusted free cash flow reached £111.5m, equating to 111 per cent of the adjusted operating profit. The group returned £43.2m to shareholders in the first half of the year through buybacks and dividends.