Deezer’s Revenue Up 15% on Subscription Gains

French music streamer Deezer reported a nearly 15% increase in revenue for the first half of 2024 and raised a key financial target for the year, according to earnings results filed on Tuesday (July 30).

The Paris-based company generated 268 million euros ($287 million) for the six months ending June 30 — up $35 million from the year-ago period — as average revenue per user (ARPU) improved for both direct subscribers and business-to-business subscribers by 6% and 3.5%, respectively.

Deezer executives called it a strong financial performance and said the company is on track to become profitable, as it was free-cash-flow positive in the first half of the year, with around 65 million euros ($70.4 million) at the end of June.

“These positive results are [due to] strong performance throughout Deezer,” Stu Bergen, interim CEO of Deezer, said in a statement. “Deezer occupies a distinctive position within the music ecosystem,
supporting artists, songwriters and rightsholders alike through initiatives focused on transparency, fairness, and innovation.”

Available in more than 180 markets, Deezer’s roughly 10.5 million subscribers was flat from the prior quarter.

The company raised its target for adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to a 10 million euro deficit, compared to Deezer’s previous expected deficit of 15 million euros for 2024, and reiterated its target to grow revenue by 10% for the year. Deezer generated 485 million euros ($525 million) of revenue in 2023, a 7.4% increase from 2022.

Last week, Deezer announced that ex-Walmart executive and consumer goods company founder Alexis Lanternier would become the streaming company’s next CEO, taking over from Bergen, who served as interim CEO after the previous CEO, Jeronimo Folgueira, left the company in February following a nearly three-year run in the role.

Lanternier co-founded and developed Branded, a digital-first consumer goods company, and was previously an executive vp at Walmart Canada.