SeaChange International Issues Business Update in Response to Global Impact of COVID-19 Download as PDF May 21, 2020 4:45pm EDT WALTHAM, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 21, 2020 / SeaChange International Inc. (NASDAQ:SEAC), a leading provider of cloud and on-premise video delivery platforms worldwide, has provided an update on the impact of recent macro events on its operations, as well as actions the Company has taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Fiscal First Quarter 2021 Financial Impact
Similar to the majority of global industries, the video delivery technology industry has been meaningfully impacted by the effects of COVID-19. The intensifying COVID-19 crisis during March and April 2020 significantly slowed customer engagement due to customers working from home, and many customers focusing their resources on remote networking support and servicing the growing demand for bandwidth due to higher network usage caused by COVID-19 confinement. This has caused a number of SeaChanges potential customers to delay making a final decision regarding their Framework engagements. Based on the foregoing, management currently expects total revenue for the fiscal first quarter ended April 30, 2020 to be lower than the comparable period in fiscal 2020. Management believes a majority of the Companys customers have simply delayed making a final decision regarding their originally planned engagements, pending the return to a more normal operating environment.
Company Response and Measures to Improve Financial Resiliency
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely impacted SeaChanges customers ability to conduct business, and as set forth above, its customers have delayed making technology decisions regarding their delivery infrastructure. As a result, SeaChange has shifted its business operations to further reduce our operating expenses and to align its strategy with current market conditions. In late April and May, the Company instituted additional cost-optimization measures. These measures are in addition to the actions the Company took in fiscal 2020 that resulted in more than $12 million in annualized cost savings.
In line with these measures, the Company is continuing to take actions to improve its working capital position and to ensure the business is positioned to not only mitigate the present macro risks but also to capitalize on the anticipated demand for its solutions during the second half of fiscal 2021. Management expects to see stronger demand for the Framework solution in the second half of fiscal 2021 as TV providers look to leverage SeaChanges technology to reduce operating expenses and monetize their growing unsold advertising capacity.
Business Outlook
As indicated in the Companys full year fiscal 2020 earnings call on April 6, 2020, management anticipated to be in a position to provide more clarity regarding its full year fiscal 2021 guidance by this time. Unfortunately, the effects of COVID-19 have been longer lasting than we initially expected, with many of the countries in which SeaChanges prospective customers are based continuing to be in various stages of government-mandated lockdown, causing the Company to be unable to provide more detailed guidance at this time. The Company intends to provide fiscal 2021 guidance when management has more visibility with respect to returning to a more normal operating environment.
Management Commentary
The effects of COVID-19 across the global economy, including the TV and video technology industry specifically, had a pronounced impact on our ability to finalize the closure of new engagements during the first quarter, as customers are focused on their internal operations and supporting work-from-home enablement tasks, said CEO Yossi Aloni. Recognizing the ongoing uncertainty from the current crisis and its related effects on the commercial activity, we have enacted several precautionary measures to further ensure our business remains financially secure and our long-term viability remains intact. In late April, we implemented a new plan to reduce our operating costs and further optimize our organization. We will continue pursuing the necessary measures to ensure SeaChange emerges from this situation in a strong financial and operational position.
About SeaChange International, Inc.
SeaChange International (NASDAQ:SEAC) powers hundreds of cloud and on-premises platforms with live TV and video on demand (VOD) for more than 50 million subscribers worldwide. SeaChanges end-to-end solution, the Framework, enables operators and content owners to cost-effectively launch a direct-to-consumer video service. This includes back-office, media asset management, ad management, analytics and a client application for set-top boxes (STB), Smart-TVs and mobile devices. Framework is available as a product, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) or managed service, and can be deployed on-premises, in the cloud or as a hybrid. For more information, please visit www.seachange.com.
Safe Harbor Provision
Certain statements in this press release may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended to date. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as may, might, will, should, could, expects, plans, anticipates, believes, seeks, intends, estimates, predicts, potential or continue, the negative of these terms and other comparable terminology. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make regarding our ability to grow our revenue and gross margins; actual annualized cost savings to be realized as a result of our recent cost-saving measures; the timing and outcome of potential and current customers decision-making regarding future engagements with the Company in light of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the future predictability of d
