ANT ships 1.6 million units in 1H09

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009
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ANT plc (LSE AIM: ANTP), a leading provider of software and services for the delivery of digital TV, is pleased to announce its unaudited interim results for the six months ended 30 June 2009.

Turnover rose by 26% to £2.0m in the six months to 30 June 2009 (H1 2008: £1.6m). The Group’s licence and royalty revenue increased by 36% to £1.6m (H1 2008: £1.2m) and professional services revenue remained steady at £0.4m (H1 2008: £0.4m).

Shipments increased 8% to 1.6 million units (H1 2008: 1.5 million units) during the period and the total number of shipping customers increased marginally to 27 (H1 2008: 26). The number of customers shipping over 50,000 units in the period remained the same as the previous period (H1 2008: 7).

Operating costs increased by 11% to £2.6m (H1 2008: £2.3m) due to the impact of foreign exchange and additional headcount, whilst the loss from operations was reduced to £0.9m (H1 2008: £1.0m).

Operational Review

During the period, ANT signed 7 new licence deals for elements of the ANT Galio platform with some of the world’s leading players in the digital TV market. These device manufacturers and TV operators will utilise Galio to enable the delivery of advanced digital TV services to their subscriber bases. These include Coship, China’s largest set-top box manufacturer, Humax Co. Ltd., one of the world’s largest manufacturers of digital set-top boxes and Kaonmedia, the Korea-based digital multimedia device manufacturer.

The period also saw the signing of a landmark deal with the Group’s first satellite TV operator. Arab Media Corporation has licensed ANT’s products for the development of hybrid (broadband and satellite) TV services. The services are expected to launch in 2010 with an extensive roll out to 26 countries in the Middle East and North Africa. This is the first such deal for ANT within the large satellite sector of the digital TV market, complementing the Group’s activity in IPTV.

The Group continues to be actively involved in the evolution of the standards underpinning its industry. During the period these standards have increased their influence over the development of products in the market. ANT’s adherence to these standards maximises its commercial opportunity.

More: Interim Results