Catena Media, an affiliation marketing services provider, has reported a decline its full-year revenue for 2024. The company posted annual revenue of €49.6 million ($53.5 million), marking a 35 percent year-over-year decline. This marked another quarter of revenue decline for the affiliate company.
For the year, the company reported adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) of €5.4 million, which reflected a 79 percent drop compared to 2023. In addition, its EBITDA swung to a loss of €0.3 million from a previous gain of €23.6 million. The revenue drop was felt most acutely in the North American market, which accounted for 88 percent of the company’s total group revenue, amounting to €43.9 million.
Company focused on streamlining operations
New Depositing Customers (NDCs) are a crucial metric for online marketing companies, particularly those like Catena Media that rely on affiliate marketing and lead generation. In 2024, Catena saw a 30 percent decrease in NDCs, falling to 1.29 million. Despite these figures, Catena emphasised the importance of 2024 as a year of strategic transformation. The company focused on streamlining operations and addressing various challenges, which resulted in a 39% reduction in costs.
This transformation took place under a new leadership team, which Catena described as a major milestone. “The new leadership quickly identified key challenges, including declining revenues, lower CPA rates, high operating costs and challenging organic search conditions,” reads Catena’s 2024 annual report.
Streamlining its workforce, ended underperforming media partnerships
To address these challenges, Catena streamlined its workforce and ended underperforming media partnerships. The company also adopted a product-led structure that positively impacted its core brands. By leveraging various assets, Catena worked on reducing its debt and improving its financial flexibility.
Catena’s CEO, Manuel Stan, discussed the challenges the company faced in 2024, and the improvements made despite those hurdles. He noted how the company focused on development of core brands despite the setbacks, which ultimately led to profit margins. He concluded, “With our new structure in place, we are better positioned to pursue a return to growth.”
Looking ahead, Catena aims to diversify its revenue streams and strengthen its market presence in North America this year by exploring innovative strategies and partnerships in regulated regions. The company also plans to focus on sustainable revenue growth through the development of new products while continuing its efforts to reduce debt.
Last quarter, Catena reported a dip in its third-quarter revenue. The company registered a revenue of €10.7 million, down from €15.9 million from a year ago. This marked a trend of revenue decline which the company aimed to combat with strategic restructuring and further operational cuts.
