Outbrain Inc (OB) Q1 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Strong CTV Growth and Successful Merger ...

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Release Date: May 09, 2025

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

  • Outbrain Inc (NASDAQ:OB) achieved its Q1 guidance for ex-tech gross profit and adjusted EBITDA, indicating strong financial performance.

  • The merger with Teds has been successfully integrated, leading to significant milestones and synergies.

  • The company has exclusive media relationships, providing access to a massive global inventory and proprietary data.

  • Outbrain Inc (NASDAQ:OB) has a diverse balance of advertiser segments and geographies, with a healthy mix of branding and performance campaigns.

  • The CTV revenue grew over 100% year over year, showcasing strong growth in this segment.

Negative Points

  • Despite the acquisition, there was a year-over-year decline of approximately 7% on a pro forma basis for the full quarter.

  • The company incurred $16 million in acquisition-related costs and $16 million from the impairment of intangible assets.

  • There is uncertainty in the macroeconomic environment, leading to shortened planning and buying cycles for advertisers.

  • Free cash flow was negatively impacted by acquisition-related costs and restructuring charges, resulting in a use of cash of approximately $7 million.

  • The company has a significant amount of long-term debt, with a net debt balance of $471 million.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Can you expand on the macro environment, particularly regarding the shortening of planning and buying cycles? Are you seeing any differences in advertiser focus between brand and performance? A: Jason, CFO, explained that while there is a shortening of planning and buying cycles, there hasn't been a significant pullback in demand. Advertisers are scrutinizing budgets more, which is seen as an opportunity for Outbrain. The company maintains a balanced approach, with 70% of their business in performance and 30% in branding, focusing on delivering measurable outcomes for both segments.

Q: How much of the strong JVP wins are a direct result of the new combination, and what is the opportunity from cross-selling? A: David, CEO, highlighted that the JVP wins are partly due to the combined value proposition of the merger. The company is excited about the potential for cross-selling, which has already begun to show positive results. The combination allows Outbrain to offer both branding and performance capabilities, which is attractive to large clients.

Q: Can you discuss the improvement in the legacy Teads business and the opportunity with larger clients? A: Jason, CFO, noted that the legacy Teads business has seen month-over-month improvement since the merger's closing, with the overhang of uncertainty now lifted. David, CEO, added that there is a significant opportunity to gain more share of wallet from large clients by delivering better outcomes with their platform.