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SINGAPORE, Nov. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- JOYY Inc. (NASDAQ: YY) ("JOYY" or the "Company"), a global leading technology company, announced its unaudited financial results for the third quarter of 2024.
For the third quarter, JOYY's revenue reached US$558.7 million, while the Company's core business segment, BIGO, generated revenues of US$496.0 million. JOYY's GAAP and non-GAAP operating income[1] were US$16.4 million and US$34.9 million, respectively, up by 623.5% and 16.4% on a quarterly basis. JOYY recorded a net profit and non-GAAP net profit[1] of US$60.6 million and US$61.2 million, for a GAAP and non-GAAP net margin[1] of 10.8% and 10.9%, respectively. BIGO's GAAP and non-GAAP operating income[1] reached US$62.7 million and US$72.9 million, respectively, marking sequential increases of 8.2% and 5.0%. The Company sustained its positive operating cash flows, generating US$61.1 million in the third quarter.
During the third quarter, JOYY actively advanced shareholder returns by buying back an additional US$117.8 million worth of its shares. During the first three quarters of 2024, the Company has repurchased 7.31 million of its ADSs for a total of US$243.7 million, demonstrating confidence in the company's long-term prospects.
Ms. Ting Li, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of JOYY, commented, "We continued to execute effectively on our strategic priorities during the third quarter, cultivating our global social and content ecosystem, and enhancing our global operational capabilities and efficiencies, which yielded solid results. Our group's GAAP and non-GAAP operating income were US$16.4 million and US$34.9 million, respectively, up by 623.5% and 16.4% on a quarterly basis. During the third quarter, we continued to cultivate long-term initiatives that will further diversify our revenue streams. Our Group non-livestreaming revenue grew by 13.1% to US$119.2 million quarter over quarter, contributing 21.3% of total revenues. Looking ahead, we remain focused on enhancing user experiences through product innovation, further diversifying our revenue streams, and advancing operational excellence across our global footprint. Supported by our strong cash flow and healthy financial position, we are well-positioned to deliver sustainable, profitable growth and create enduring value for our shareholders."
Third Quarter 2024 Financial Highlights
Third Quarter 2024 Business Highlights
In the third quarter, Bigo Live sharpened its operational strategy by prioritizing advertising investments and operational resources toward developed countries and premium users, and simultaneously enhanced its content quality and social experiences to drive long-term user monetization potential. This targeted approach yielded strong results in core developed countries, where MAUs grew 3.4% year over year and 3.7% quarter over quarter, and paying users increased 9.1% year over year. Bigo Live also achieved encouraging momentum in the Middle East, where its revenue increased 5.6% sequentially.
To further enhance its global content and social ecosystem, Bigo Live implemented a series of upgrades to boost the creation, quality, and distribution of content on its platform. For example, Bigo Live fine-tuned its content recommendation algorithms to better facilitate content sharing within same-language regions and expand cross-regional content flow between highly interactive markets. These enhancements streamlined its cross-regional content delivery and better served users' growing appetite for global content and social connections.
In the last quarter, Bigo Live successfully hosted the third season of "BIGO's Most Talented", featuring categories in Music, Dance and Beauty Pageantry. The event attracted outstanding creators from around the world. Building on previous seasons, the third season introduced a more rounded judging system incorporating key audience engagement metrics. This allowed a seamless merger of interactive livestreaming elements with traditional talent show elements. The event resonated strongly with viewers, amassing an impressive 5.79 million audience votes. Bigo Live also strengthened bonds with its business partners and user community through a series of mid-year galas across Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines. These gatherings brought together the cornerstone members of Bigo Live's ecosystem - top creators, users and partners - to celebrate their achievements and vital contributions to the platform's progress in the first half of the year.
Bigo Live also further developed its social engagement features, prioritizing improvements to Real Match and messaging functionality. These upgrades drove deeper user connections and more efficient follow conversions. Notably, Real Match's average DAU penetration rate increased significantly to 23.4%, while the number of direct chat messages rose by 15.9% from the previous quarter. Bigo Live also achieved a 4.3% rise in average new follows per user. By directing traffic to premium hosts and upgrading interactive features, Bigo Live boosted creator participation and user engagement in multi-guest rooms. Bigo Live achieved a 3.9% sequential increase in the penetration rate of streamers in multi-guest rooms, alongside a 3.6% sequential increase in the overall rate of users going live as guest speakers.
Likee remains rooted in the Middle East and European markets, where it continues to build momentum and enhance monetization across both livestreaming and advertising. As a result, Likee's advertising revenue grew 33.4% year over year in the third quarter, and Likee maintained its profitability.
During the quarter, Likee elevated its user experience across its core markets through enhanced content quality, interactivity, and community engagement. A standout community-building initiative was its August music festival tour across five European cities, which brought together Likee's top creators, including music bloggers and dance groups, alongside established performers and celebrities. This unique event delivered an unprecedented interactive experience for the Likee community. In September, Likee served as the official media partner for Phygital Games 2024, providing eight days of livestreaming coverage to immerse users in the competitive prowess of top athletes in digital football, basketball, laser shooting, and simulated dance. Likee's expanded premium content offerings and content diversity drove a 12.3% quarter-over-quarter increase in users' video time spent.
In the third quarter, Hago's targeted incentive strategy across different paying user segments drove improved monetization metrics. This strategy resulted in positive momentum in both its paying users and ARPPU, with its revenue growing 6.1% quarter over quarter. Hago maintained a positive operating cash flow in the third quarter, and its operating losses further narrowed. Hago's social engagement metrics also remained strong, with average time spent in social channels increasing 2.5% quarter over quarter to 105.8 minutes, and next-day retention rates showing sustained improvement.
[1]. For details of the non-GAAP measures, including the reconciliations of GAAP measures to non-GAAP measures, please refer to the press release titled "JOYY Reports Third Quarter 2024 Unaudited Financial Results" issued by the Company on November 27, 2024.
