DGAP-News: Highlight Communications AG / Key word(s): Final Results Highlight Group closes fiscal year 2015 with very positive results 15.03.2016 / 18:08 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Highlight Group closes fiscal year 2015 with very positive results - Consolidated sales of CHF 346.1 million above expectations - EBIT increased by CHF 2.1 million to CHF 31.1 million - Consolidated net profit attributable to shareholders of CHF 17.5 million,corresponding to earnings per share of CHF 0.39, at the upper end of earnings forecast The Highlight Group's business performance in fiscal year 2015 was very positive on the whole, although the sales situation and results of operations were dominated by the appreciation of the Swiss franc against the euro by approximately 12%. Group development in fiscal year 2015 - Consolidated sales of CHF 346.1 million (previous year: CHF 412.6 million) exceeded the guidance. - EBIT improved by 7.2% to CHF 31.1 million (previous year: CHF 29.0 million). - The consolidated net profit for the period attributable to shareholders increased by 4.8% to CHF 17.5 million (previous year: CHF 16.7 million) and was thus at the upper end of profit expectations. - The same applies to earnings per share, which increased from CHF 0.37 to CHF 0.39; earnings per share on a euro basis improved by 19.4% to EUR 0.37 (previous year: EUR 0.31). Development of the operating segments in 2015 The Film segment achieved excellent results in the past year. The Constantin Film Group's distribution slate featured ten titles in the year under review - half of them each drew an audience of more than a million viewers in German theaters. This performance was crowned by "Fack Ju Göhte 2", which sold 7.65 million tickets and became the most seen film of the year. The TV service production business area was expanded further at a national and international level. The series "Shadowhunters" was the first major production to be realized for a US broadcaster. The global SVoD (subscription video-on-demand) rights for this production (outside the US) were sold to the streaming platform Netflix. External sales in the Film segment were down year-on-year at CHF 290.9 million (CHF 359.1 million) as no international in-house production was released in theaters in the year under review and therefore there was no income from minimum guarantees from global distribution. As a result of the excellent results of German productions, segment earnings improved significantly by 26.5% to CHF 17.2 million (previous year: CHF 13.6 million). In the Sports- and Event-Marketing segment, the TEAM Group successfully handled the marketing process for the commercial rights for the 2015/16 to 2017/18 seasons of the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. The performance targets agreed with UEFA were achieved in good time, meaning that TEAM could conclude a new agency agreement with UEFA. The new agreement covers the marketing of the rights for the 2015/16 to 2020/21 seasons. If the TEAM Group performs appropriately in this period, the agreement will be automatically Extended to the 2021/22 to 2023/24 seasons. The segment's external sales of CHF 51.7 million were slightly higher than in the previous year (CHF 49.9 million). Driven by additional project expenses and higher segment charges, segment expenses rose from CHF 29.5 million to CHF 33.1 million, which meant that segment earnings decreased from CHF 22.4 million to CHF 21.0 million. In the Other Business Activities segment, the activities of Highlight Event AG in 2015 were mainly focused on the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as some of the TV and sponsorship contracts were up for renewal. In this context, the important framework agreement with the European Broadcasting Union was extended. External sales in the Other Business Activities segment were virtually unchanged year-on-year at CHF 3.4 million (CHF 3.5 million). The segment loss was reduced from CHF 1.9 million to CHF 1.4 million. As announced in the ad-hoc disclosure of February 2, 2016, the Highlight Group will concentrate on the two segments Film and Sports- and Event-Marketing. In the framework of the reorganization and refocusing of the Group, the company will dispose of the "Other Business Activities" segment, which has not contributed significantly to the results of the Group as a whole in the past, during the current fiscal year. In this context, the investment in Highlight Event & Entertainment AG was sold in the first quarter. Targets for fiscal year 2016 For the current fiscal year, the Highlight Group is expecting consolidated sales of CHF 440 million to CHF 460 million and a consolidated net profit for the period attributable to shareholders of CHF 18 million to CHF 20 million. Key items in the theatrical slate for the current year are the promising Steven Spielberg production "The BFG - Big Friendly Giant", the bestseller adaptation "Girl on a Train" and the screen adaption of the TV classic "Timm Thaler". The first movie seen by a million people in the first quarter of 2016 was the Robert de Niro comedy "Dirty Grandpa". In the home entertainment business area, the Highlight Group will benefit from the new releases of the big theatrical successes "Fack Ju Göhte 2" and "Look Who's Back". As in the previous years, the Board of Directors of Highlight Communications AG will propose the distribution of a dividend for fiscal year 2015 at the Annual General Meeting. The ordinary Annual General Meeting for fiscal year 2015 will take place at the Hotel Courtyard by Marriott in Pratteln on June 3, 2016. The German annual report for 2015 will be available for download at www.highlight-communications.ch starting from today, and the English version from March 31, 2016 at the latest.

Highlight Group at a glance
Group figures according to IFRS

in CHF million                                 2015         2014  Change in
                                                                          %
Sales                                         346.1        412.6      -16.1
EBIT                                           31.1         29.0        7.2
Net profit for the period                      17.6         18.1       -2.8
Net profit attributable to                     17.5         16.7        4.8
shareholders
Earnings per share (in CHF)                    0.39         0.37        5.4
Segment sales
Film                                          290.9        359.1      -19.0
Sports- and Event-Marketing                    51.7         49.9        3.6
Other Business Activities                       3.4          3.5       -2.9
Segment result
Film                                           17.2         13.6       26.5
Sports- and Event-Marketing                    21.0         22.4       -6.3
Other Business Activities                      -1.4         -1.9       26.3

in CHF million                         Dec. 31, 2015    Dec. 31,  Change in
                                                            2014          %
Balance sheet total                           458.0        361.6       26.7
Equity                                        103.8        106.9       -2.9
Equity ratio (%)                               22.7         29.6       -6.9
                                                                     points
Current financial liabilities                 104.3         81.3       28.3
Cash and cash equivalents                     106.4         44.8      137.5


For more information:

Highlight Communications AG
Investor Relations
Netzibodenstrasse 23b
4133 Pratteln BL, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (0)61 816 96 91
E-mail:   [email protected]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------- 15.03.2016 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: Highlight Communications AG Netzibodenstrasse 23b 4133 Pratteln Switzerland Phone: +41 61 816 96 96 Fax: +41 61 816 67 67 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.hlcom.ch ISIN: CH0006539198 WKN: 920299 Listed: Regulated Market in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart End of News DGAP News Service --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 445459 15.03.2016