HIGHLIGHTS:USD 827.3 million total revenues and other operating income, with EBITDA of USD 81.4 million ex restructuring costs
In-depth transformation of Group operations enabling future cross-segment synergies, and delivering USD 56.8 million total reduction of Group recurring operating expenses in 2019
Good resilience of Digital TV in mature markets, further portfolio optimization, extension of key customer relationships and deployment of cloud security platforms
Shift of Cybersecurity business to high margin activities and 30% year-on-year growth in EMEA region, particularly in Germany and France
Growing recognition for the Group's offering in IoT, initial launches completed both on-premise and on leading cloud platforms, including AWS and Azure
Completed first set of restructuring measures and launching further transformation program in Public Access
Outlook for 2020: EBITDA between USD 70 and 90 million and positive net income
Proposing a cash distribution (dividend) of CHF 0.10 per bearer share
Cheseaux-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland, and Phoenix (AZ), USA - February 27, 2020 - The Kudelski Group (SIX: KUD.S), the world leader in digital security, announced today its 2019 annual results.
In 2019, total revenues and other operating income decreased from USD 919.7 million to USD 827.3 million. This evolution was mainly driven by the Digital TV segment, which posted a USD 61.3 million decline, reflecting the trend seen in emerging markets. In the Public Access segment, European sales increased by 8.8% in constant currency, while in the Americas, sales decreased 16.5% compared to the previous year. Cybersecurity revenues shifted from lower margin technology reselling to higher margin advisory services, managed security services and proprietary technology sales. IoT generated marginal revenues as the segment's primary focus continues to be the development of a secure IoT platform solution for the market.
Overall, the Group reduced 2019 operating expenses by USD 81.7 million, including USD 56.8 million of cost savings achieved with the ongoing restructuring program, net of the cost of additional investments in the Group's key growth areas. Group EBITDA, excluding restructuring costs, was USD 81.4 million, a USD 5.5 million increase over the previous year.
The Group booked a USD 38.6 million net loss for 2019, including a total of USD 45.0 million of one-off costs from restructuring and from the tax effect of such restructuring measures.
In 2019, the Group generated USD 34.2 million of cash flow from operating activities, compared with a USD -4.7 million in 2018. Cash generation significantly improved in the second half to USD 36.2 million compared to a first-half operating cash flow of USD -2.0 million. The main driver of the year-on-year improvement is the reduction of trade accounts receivable, which generated USD 58.8 million of cash in 2019.
IN-DEPTH TRANSFORMATION OF GROUP OPERATIONS
The Group continued the transformation of its Digital TV organization to further enhance its operational efficiency, lay the foundation for future growth and consolidate its position as a world leader in this sector. Several key structural changes were made to the organization, including the merger of product units into a consolidated entity to deliver a more coherent offering to the market. In June 2019, the Group appointed Nancy Goldberg as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, DTV, succeeding Pierre Roy.
The Group united its security brands for the first time at the 2020 CES, demonstrating the compelling value proposition of its end-to-end digital security ecosystem, which spans content protection, IoT and cybersecurity and leverages the strong synergies between Group entities.
The Group initiated a turnaround plan for SKIDATA in July 2019 and appointed David Luken as the new CEO of SKIDATA, with the objective of improving both cash flow generation and profitability.
The Group completed an in-depth review of SKIDATA's operations, defining a blueprint for operating improvements aimed at building an optimized operating model. A first wave of measures was completed with a focus on SKIDATA's US operations, including, in particular, the merger of formerly independent entities, the introduction of Group ERP and supply chain tools, a clean-up of the project portfolio, and the integration and streamlining of critical functions. To accelerate the implementation of its restructuring plan, the Group also replaced SKIDATA's General Manager for the US.
During 2019, Kudelski Security executed several operational changes in order to better enable the implementation of its growth strategy. Such changes include the regional alignment of management and resources for closer client relationship and support, the increased focus on the development of high added value products and increased collaboration with other Kudelski Group business entities. In August 2019, Andrew Howard was appointed as CEO of Kudelski Security.
DIGITAL TV: OPTIMIZATION OF PORTFOLIO AND EXTENSION OF KEY CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIPS
The digital TV market continues to contract, mainly in emerging markets, as a number of established pay TV operators report lower subscriber numbers. However, excluding restructuring costs, the Group's Digital TV segment generated an EBITDA of USD 114.4 million, representing a USD 2.5 million improvement from the previous year. This segment's profitability benefits from the improvement of productivity enabled by the transformation and the reduction of operating expenses driven by the Group's restructuring program.
In 2019, the Group continued to strengthen its partnerships with market-leading operators, especially in developed markets. Among the highlights:
Altice USA and the Kudelski Group expanded their partnership for both Media & Enterprise security by su
