View all newsletters
Sign up for our free email newsletters

Fighting for quality news media in the digital age.

  1. News
January 3, 2019updated 30 Sep 2022 7:18am

Revenues plunge at Vice UK Ltd but wider UK businesses post combined year-on-year revenue rise to £103m

By James Walker

Vice UK Ltd, the millennial media brand’s digital arm, saw revenue fall by £10m in 2017, but Vice’s UK businesses as a whole saw turnover rise to £103m, according to its latest full-year financial figures.

Vice UK Ltd’s accounts for the year to 31 December show it took its pre-tax losses from £9.7m in 2016 to £2.2m the following year.

Its turnover fell by 30 per cent to £25.7m for 2017 – a shift Vice UK put down to TV production revenue moving to new company Vice UK Studios.

However, revenue across all of Vice’s eight UK businesses stood at £103m in 2017, up more than £10m year-on-year, while shared earnings (EBITDA) amounted to a £169,000 profit, up from a loss of £7.6m in 2016.

Its other businesses include bi-monthly lifestyle magazine I-D, film production company Pulse and pubs and restaurant group Old Blue Last.

Total losses across Vice UK businesses in 2017 stood at £6.4m, new figures show.

In a statement, Vice Media international president Dominique Delport said: “The Vice UK business is consistently delivering year-on-year double-digit revenue growth as we continue to diversify our business model and innovate to remain the most relevant global new media company.

Content from our partners
How PA Media is helping newspapers make the digital transition
Publishing on the open web is broken, how generative AI could help fix it
Impress: Regulation, arbitration and complaints resolution

“We feel incredibly well positioned to navigate the ever-shifting sands of the current media landscape.”

Vice UK Ltd attributed its slashed losses to success “producing more projects with better margins” and £1.2m of exchange gains thanks to the weakening of the US dollar.

Before amortisation, depreciation and £2.7m of shareholder payouts, its operating profit stood at £980,000 compared to £64,000 in 2016.

The average number of employees at the company fell by 15 as a result of TV production passing over to Vice Studios.

The Vice UK Ltd staff wage bill fell by £1.3m from 2016 while overall staff costs dipped from £9.4m to £8.1m.

The firm’s overall net assets were put at £1.6m with £181,000 of cash at bank at the end of 2017.

Topics in this article :

Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog

Select and enter your email address Weekly insight into the big strategic issues affecting the future of the news industry. Essential reading for media leaders every Thursday. Your morning brew of news about the world of news from Press Gazette and elsewhere in the media. Sent at around 10am UK time. Our weekly does of strategic insight about the future of news media aimed at US readers. A fortnightly update from the front-line of news and advertising. Aimed at marketers and those involved in the advertising industry.
  • Business owner/co-owner
  • CEO
  • COO
  • CFO
  • CTO
  • Chairperson
  • Non-Exec Director
  • Other C-Suite
  • Managing Director
  • President/Partner
  • Senior Executive/SVP or Corporate VP or equivalent
  • Director or equivalent
  • Group or Senior Manager
  • Head of Department/Function
  • Manager
  • Non-manager
  • Retired
  • Other
Visit our privacy Policy for more information about our services, how New Statesman Media Group may use, process and share your personal data, including information on your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications.
Thank you

Thanks for subscribing.

Websites in our network