euro adhoc: feratel media technologies AG
Quarterly or Semiannual
Financial Statements
feratel reports result from ordinary
activities of EUR 1.6 million for third quarter of 2003/04, with EBT
for the first nine months turning positive and improving
Disclosure announcement transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer is responsible for the content of this announcement.
"For the first nine months of financial 2003/2004, we can report a very satisfactory performance in all business groups," says a pleased Markus Schröcksnadel, CEO at feratel media technologies AG.
Group sales totaled approx. EUR 11.2 million after EUR 12.7 million* for the same period of the previous year. This downturn is due primarily to the withdrawal of ticketing business following deconsolidation of Tourismus Service GmbH at 31.1.2003.
The result from ordinary activities in the third quarter was EUR 1.6 million. "That compensates our performance in the first half year with a negative result as planned. Earnings in the Telecommunications Division always peak in the third and fourth quarters of the financial year. The EBT for the first nine months of the financial year turned positive as expected, improving to TEUR 116.7.
83% familiarity rating for weather cam TV "In January 2004 a poll conducted by Linzer Market Institut in Austria, Germany and the German-speaking cantons of Switzerland produced some highly positive results," Schröcksnadel continues. In the Alpine regions of Bavaria, Switzerland and Austria, there is a very high level of awareness for feratels weather cams in all social and demographic groups. In the rest of Germany, two thirds of the population are familiar with the weather cams. Almost half of the positive responders make use of these weather cams at least once a week, and almost two thirds of them are motivated by the images to travel to a destination for a holiday or excursion. A quarter of the positive responders subsequently obtain additional information on the locations shown. To that extent, weather cam TV now has the role of the initial source of information for a significant proportion of viewers and triggers a subsequent visit to the website or telephone call to the relevant tourist information office.
Buoyant bookings from the information kiosks in Zurich The feratel information kiosks located at Zurichs airport and railway station delivered very impressive results in terms of total bookings in the period under report. 210 businesses in the local hotel and catering trade use the kiosks to communicate their offerings. This convenient service permits arrivals to find accommodation 24 hours a day. From April to December 2003 the two kiosks generated online bookings worth a total of CHF 700,000 at an average value of CHF 195 per booking. In the same period, approximately 10,000 telephone calls were made from the kiosks to affiliated hotels and restaurants.
Weather cams via mobile phone With regard to content marketing, feratel signed partnership agreements with the German mobile telephony provider E-Plus and the Austrian One company. feratel weather cams and data will also be available shortly via the Austrian provider T-Mobile.
Outlook All international tourism experts are now taking a positive view of developments in the industry for the next few months. "On the basis of the latest scenarios for the economy in general, we anticipate positive business developments for financial 2003/2004 as a whole and a satisfactory overall situation with regard to earnings and results. The latest terrorist attacks in Europe do constitute an element of uncertainty, however, which makes accurate predictions difficult with regard to future performance."
"It continues to be our goal to achieve further improvements in terms of results in all business groups, and to pay shareholders a dividend for financial 2003/04," concludes Markus Schröcksnadel.
* For reasons of economy and practicability, the quarterly financial statements were drawn up pursuant to the provisions of the Austrian Commercial Code (HGB). For that reason no direct comparisons can be made with the figures presented for the same period of the previous year on an IAS basis.
Extract from the income statement (in TEUR) ~ Q3 2003/2004 Q3 2002/2003 öHGB IAS
Sales 5,432.4 5,584.3 Income from operations 5,614.4 6,000.0 EBITDA 1,358.4 1,064.1 EBIT 940.2 382.4 EBT 1,558.7 283.6
Q1-3 2003/2004 Q1-3 2002/2003 öHGB IAS
Sales 11,188.3 12,679.2 Income from operations 11,686.5 14,244.6 EBITDA 812.7 935.3 EBIT -526.5 -987.0 EBT 116.7 -1,094.8 ~
end of announcement euro adhoc 31.03.2004
Further inquiry note:
Herr Fritsch Martin
Branche: Tourism & Leisure
ISIN: AT0000737804
WKN: 073780
Index: Standard Market Auction
Börsen: Wiener Börse AG / official dealing
Berliner Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Bayerische Börse / free trade
Baden-Württembergische Wertpapierbörse / free trade
Frankfurter Wertpapierbörse / free trade