Basilic Fly Studio Ltd

H1 2025 Conference call Highlights:

Call was of poor quality, can not understand much. Following is prepared with copilot,as may points were repeated without adding any value.

In conclusion, company has to show numbers, only talking will not going to work. Still constructive on this space, as revenue grow possibility is high. Of course, margins will dip. As of now major monitorable is integration of ” One Of Us” and improvement in revenue as well as margin.

Industry and Strategic Moves

• Industry Recovery : The industry is gradually recovering from recent challenges.
• Acquisition : Basilic Fly acquired “One of Us,” a VFX studio based in the UK and Paris, enhancing its market position and service offerings.
• Strategic Benefits : This acquisition positions Basilic Fly as a full-service VFX studio, not just a subcontractor.
• Tax Incentives : Improved tax incentives in the UK (from 25% to 29.8%) and Paris (30% for production spend over €250K and 40% for VFX spend over €2 million) are beneficial for VFX projects.
• Future Outlook : The company is set to leverage these strategic moves and incentives for future growth and efficiency.

Financial Performance

• Net Sales : H1 FY25 net sales were 75.48 crores, including contributions from the recent acquisition of “One of Us” on July 29, 2024.
• Turnover : Excluding the acquisition, turnover for H1 FY25 was 39.8 crores, down from 49.6 crores in H1 FY24, reflecting a 15.7 crore decrease due to industry-wide slowdown.
• Positive Trends : Positive trends observed in August and September 2024 suggest potential recovery and improvement in future comparisons.
• Total Income : Recorded at 77.34 crores.
• EBITDA : Stands at 18.68 crores.
• PBT : 15.76 crores, compared to 23.3 crores in H1 FY24.
• PAT : 12.33 crores, including minority interest, down from 18.9 crores in H1 FY24.
• One of Us Contribution : Achieved a PAT close to 5% of the top line from a turnover of 39.8 crores.

Future Projections

• H2 FY25 Guidance : Expected to be twice the revenue of H2 FY24, aiming for around 100 crores. ( At one place they said 150 cr.)
  [BASILIC_21112024112530_Intimationoftranscriptofearningscall.pdf|attachment]
• One of Us Revenue : Current pipeline stands at around £20 million annually, with expectations to reach 100 crores in H2 FY25.
• Order Book : Combined order book for Basilic Fly Studio and One of Us is around 224 crores, with major projects from Amazon, Paramount, and Netflix.
• Future Projects : Active discussions and new projects expected to start from January, targeting releases in June-July.
• Artificial Intelligence : Utilizing advanced AI tools like Comfy, Wonder Dynamics, and Stable Diffusion for internal processes and efficiency improvements.

Operational Updates

• Employee Retention : “One of Us” currently has 288 artists, down from 400. Globally, Basilic Fly Studio has over 715 artists.
• Work Allocation : Some work redirected to India.
• Margins : Current PAT margin around 16% and EBITDA 24%-25%. Slight improvement anticipated due to cost optimization and government incentives.
• One-off Costs : H1 FY25 included one-off costs related to the acquisition of “One of Us.”

Synergy and Cost Savings

• Artist Relocation : 50 to 60 artists from “One of Us” now working in India.
• Cost Savings : Significant savings expected from relocating artists, with potential savings of around £400,000 to £500,000 per month.
• Synergy Implementation : Expected to improve efficiency and cost-effectiveness.

Receivables and Collections

• Receivables Increase : From 54 crores to 104 crores, with around 40 crores attributed to “One of Us.”
• Standalone Business : Receivables risen to 72 crores despite a decline in revenues.
• Impact of Writer Strike : The writer strike has slowed down collections.
• Recent Collections : Around 20-22 crores collected since September 30th.
• Future Outlook : Active efforts to collect dues, with expectations to return to normal levels by March to May.

Employee Costs

• Basilic Fly Studio : Spent around 9.5 crores on employee costs for the first 6 months, with an average headcount of 450.
• One of Us : Employee costs close to 32-33 crores for a top line of 40 crores.
• Total Employees : “One of Us” has 280 employees, including a mix of permanent and contract workers.
• Annual Salaries : Around 64 crores.
• Monthly Salary Cost : Approximately 15 crores.
• Cost Savings from Synergies : Significant savings expected from removing 50-60 employees from the payroll.

BASILIC_21112024112530_Intimationoftranscriptofearningscall.pdf (4.3 MB)

Disclosure: Invested