Future announces 79% revenue growth to £607 million in 2021

Future Plc has announced record growth in its Full Year results for 2021, posting total revenues of £606.8m (FY 2020: £339.6m). The increase includes a 23% upturn in organic revenue, while acquisitions including GoCo Group, Marie Claire US and Mozo, alongside Dennis, have also contributed significantly.

The company’s global online audience increased 8% yr-on-yr, and now reaches half of all online adults in the UK (47%) and one in three in the US (31%). eCommerce revenue was up 36% organically and digital ads were up 27% on an organic basis, driven by improved yield.

Launched in September, Future’s first-party data platform, Aperture, has increased its addressable audience by 354%. The platform allows advertisers to reach high-intent audiences through access to rich first-party audience data, captured across Future’s portfolio of brands.  

Zillah Byng-Thorne, Future’s Chief Executive Officer said: “I am pleased to announce another set of strong results, which builds on our long-term track record of growth. Our performance reflects the diversity of our revenue streams and our global reach.”

“Looking ahead, we expect our diversified strategy to continue to deliver and are well-positioned to continue to grow strongly. As we transition from the Covid-19 boosted comparators, we expect the growth to accelerate in H2 next year. We expect our operating model to drive enhanced scalability and operating leverage, leading to further margin expansion.”

10-year Taboola partnership

Meanwhile, Future has also this week signed a new three year extension deal with recommendation based ad-network, Taboola, which will take the two companies to a relationship spanning longer than a decade. Taboola’s ad products are implemented across Future’s range of technology, entertainment and specialist sites including TechRadar, Marie Claire, Tom’s Guide, GamesRadar and others.

Nick Flood, Global Ad Product & Revenue Operations Director for Future, said: “Taboola’s products have been a valuable asset to boost engagement and audience rates for a number of years now. Extending this partnership and implementing further products, such as the desktop version of Explore More, empowers us to further share content of value with our audience and continue to grow the positive results we’ve already seen from Taboola.”

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