Exhibit 99.3

 

Pop Culture Group Co., Ltd Reports First Six Months of Fiscal Year 2022
Unaudited Financial Results

 

XIAMEN, China, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pop Culture Group Co., Ltd (“Pop Culture” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: CPOP), a hip-pop culture company in China, today reported its unaudited financial results for the first six months of fiscal year 2022.

 

First Six Months of Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Highlights

 

Total revenue was $20.15 million, an increase of 46% from $13.84 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2021.

 

Revenue from event hosting was $11.97 million, an increase of 73% from $6.93 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2021.

 

Revenue from event planning and execution was $6.72 million, an increase of 9% from $6.18 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2021.

 

Revenue from brand promotion was $1.46 million, an increase of 169% from $0.54 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2021.

 

Gross profit was $4.12 million, an increase of 6% from $3.88 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2021.

 

Net profit was $0.45 million, compared with $2.37  million in the first six months of fiscal year 2021.

 

Basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.02, compared with $0.13 in the first six months of fiscal year 2021.

 

First Six Months of Fiscal Year 2022 Operational Highlights

 

The Company’s concerts and hip-hop events generated an aggregate attendance of 203,233 during the six months ended December 31, 2021.

 

The Company’s online hip-hop programs generated over 156.86 million views during the six months ended December 31, 2021.

 

The Company served 11 clients and 23 events with respect to event planning and execution during the six months ended December 31, 2021.

 

Mr. Zhuoqin Huang, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Pop Culture, commented, “The global COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably affected our offline events related to our intellectual property portfolio. Under the unfavorable circumstances, our revenue still increased by $6.31 million, or 46%, to $20.15 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022. We continued to make progress in the street dance business by improving our existing events and expanding the scale of events, which is in line with the strong development of the street dance culture worldwide. As the result, we have achieved a 73% year-over-year growth in revenue from our event hosting business, indicating the popularity of street dance is rising among Chinese consumers and sponsors, which drives the rapid development of the street dance industry. We also have achieved a 169% year-over-year revenue growth from brand promotion business.”

 

 

 

 

Mr. Huang continued, “As a public company that focuses on hip-hop culture, our intellectual properties are the core of our business development. We will maintain our competitive advantages in the industry and improve our business model, which will enable us to achieve revenue growth in the short and medium term and strategic development in the long term. In addition, our customers and partners’ recognition and support have laid a solid foundation for our future business growth, and we are incredibly grateful to them. Looking forward, we are committed to focusing on the operation and promotion of Chinese trendy culture and will strive to maintain our role as the pioneer of the hip-pop culture industry.”

 

First Six Months of Fiscal Year 2022 Financial Results  

 

Revenue

 

Following table presents the Company’s revenue by revenue source and by proportion:

 

   For the Six Months Ended December 31,   Change 
   2021   %   2020   %   Amount   % 
Event Hosting  $11,966,659    59%  $6,932,911    50%  $5,033,748    73%
Event Planning and Execution   6,724,615    33%   6,177,834    45%   546,781    9%
Brand Promotion   1,456,929    7%   542,179    4%   914,750    169%
Other services   -    -%   188,278    1%   (188,278)   (100)%
Total revenue  $20,148,203    100%  $13,841,202    100%  $6,307,002    46%

 

Total revenue increased by $6.31 million, or 46%, to $20.15 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $13.84 million for the same period of last year. Revenue from event hosting increased by $5.03 million, or 73%, to $11.97 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $6.93 million for the same period of last year. The increase was primarily caused by the increased number of live events (dance competitions, musical festivals, and promotional parties) for the Company’s PRC operating entities as well as increased in average sponsorship fees.

 

Revenue from event planning and execution increased by $0.54 million, or 9%, to $6.72 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $6.18 million for the same period of last year. The increase was primarily attributable to the size of the events the Company’s PRC operating entities undertook.

 

Revenue from brand promotion increased by $0.91 million, or 169%, to $1.46 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $0.54 million for the same period of last year. The increase was primarily caused by a brand promotion business contract undertaken by the Company’s PRC operating entities.

 

No other revenue from other services occurred in the first six months of fiscal year 2022.

 

Cost of Revenue

 

The cost of revenue increased by $6.07 million, or 61%, to $16.03 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $9.96 million for the same period of last year. Event hosting costs mainly include staff costs, venue rental fees, stage construction costs, actor performance compensations, online program production costs, and other miscellaneous expenses. The increase was proportionate to the rise in revenue due to the increased number of clients and more events executed.

 

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The cost of revenue was derived from the following sources:

 

   For the Six Months Ended December 31,   Change 
   2021   %   2020   %   Amount   % 
Event Hosting  $8,956,898    56%  $4,718,706    47%  $4,238,192    90%
Event Planning and Execution   5,778,554    36%   4,972,303    50%   806,251    16%
Brand Promotion   1,295,843    8%   250,713    3%   1,045,130    417%
Other services   -    -%   17,043    0%   (17,043)   (100)%
Total Cost of revenue  $16,031,295    100%  $9,958,765    100%  $6,072,530    61%

 

Gross Profit and Gross Margin

 

Gross profit increased by $0.23 million, or 6%, to $4.12 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $3.88 million for the same period of last year. Gross margin was 20% in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, compared with 28% for the same period of last year. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was the primary cause of the slight decrease in gross margin. The Company had to outsource part of the events to a third party.

 

The following table displays the gross profit:

 

   For the Six Months Ended December 31,   Change 
   2021   %   Gross Margin   2020   %   Gross Margin   Amount   % 
Event Hosting  $3,009,761    73%   25%  $2,214,205    57%   32%  $795,556    36%
Event Planning and Execution   946,061    23%   14%   1,205,531    31%   20%   (259,470)   (22)%
Brand Promotion   161,086    4%   11%   291,466    8%   54%   (130,380)   (45)%
Other services   -    -%   -%   171,235    4%   91%   (171,235)   (100)%
Total gross profit  $4,116,908    100%   20%  $3,882,437    100%   28%  $234,471    6%

 

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Operating Expenses

 

Total operating expenses increased by $2.26 million, or 289%, to $3.04 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $0.78 million for the same period of last year. Operating expenses as a percentage of total revenue increased to 15.1% in the first six months of fiscal year 2022 from 5.6% in the same period of last year.

 

Selling and marketing expenses increased by $0.09 million, or 85%, to $0.19 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $0.10 million for the same period of last year. The increase was primarily due to the domain service fee of approximately $0.04 million, salary and bonus growth in 2021 of approximately $0.06 million, and increased travel expenses, which aligned with the increased revenue.

 

General and administrative expenses increased by $2.17 million, or 321%, to $2.84 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, from $0.68 million for the same period of last year. The increase was mainly due to the Company’s salary and bonus growth in 2021 of approximately $0.1 million, the relevant expense for IPO of approximately $0.6 million, and the increase of bad debt provisions of $0.9 million.

 

Operating Profit for the Period

 

Operating profit was $0.96 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, compared to $3.05 million for the same period of last year.

 

Income Tax Expenses

 

Income tax expenses were $512,259 and $686,102 for the first six months of fiscal year 2022 and 2021, respectively. The decrease resulted from the decreased taxable income.

 

Net Profit for the Period

 

Net profit was $0.45 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, compared with $2.37 million for the same period of last year. Net profit attributable to the Company’s shareholders was $0.45 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, compared with $2.20 million for the same period of last year.

 

Basic and Diluted Earnings per Share

 

Basic and diluted earnings per share were $0.02 in the first six months of fiscal year 2022, compared with basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.13 for the same period of last year.

 

Cash Flows

 

Net cash used in operating activities was $5.49 million for the first six months of fiscal year 2022, compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $0.08 million for the same period of last year. The decrease in operating cash flow was primarily attributable to net profit decrease from $2.4 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2021 to $0.4 million in the first six months of fiscal year 2022 primarily due to the combined impact of significant increases in both operating costs and expenses. Net cash used in investing activities was $0.07 million for the first six months of fiscal year 2022, compared to $nil for the same period of last year, primarily attributable to a vehicle purchase. Net cash provided by financing activities was $32.39 million for the first six months of fiscal year 2022, compared to $2.27 million for the same period of last year. The increase in cash provided by financing activities was primarily attributable to the proceeds received in amount of $34.1 million from the Class A ordinary shares issued in July 2021.

 

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Cash, Cash Equivalents, Term Deposits and Short-term Investments

 

As of December 31, 2021, the combined balance of the Company’s cash, cash equivalents, term deposits, and short-term investments amounted to $28.51 million, compared to $1.32 million as of June 30, 2021. Cash injection by selling ordinary shares of the Company drove the increase.

 

Exchange Rate

 

This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars (“US$”) at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to US$ were made at the rate of RMB6.3726 to $1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on December 31, 2021, in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or US$ amounts referred could be converted into US$ or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. For analytical presentation, all percentages are calculated using the numbers presented in the financial statements contained in this earnings release.

 

Recent Developments

 

Regular Season of 2021 China Battle Championships Completed

 

The preseason of 2021 China Battle Championships was completed in September 2021. A total of 294 outstanding street dancers from eight regions, namely Guangxi autonomous region, Shaanxi province, Fujian province, Yunnan province, Sichuan province, Shandong province, Chongqing city, and Hubei province, participated in this online competition.

 

The regular season was divided into a northern division and a southern division and was held during the China National Day holidays. Four teams representing Guangxi autonomous region, Yunnan province, Fujian province and Hubei province competed in the southern division and four teams representing Sichuan province, Chongqing city, Shaanxi province and Shandong province competed in the northern division.

 

Established Joint Venture Shenzhen Jam Box Technology Co., Ltd

 

On November 18, 2021, the Company established a joint venture with Shenzhen HipHopJust Information Technology Co., Ltd. (“HIT”), Shenzhen Jam Box Technology Co., Ltd (“JBT”). The Company owns a 60% controlling interest in JBT, while HIT owns a 20% interest and a third-party the investor owns a 20% interest.

 

The Company believes that JBT will be the first-ever software-as-a-service(“SaaS”) platform provider that focuses on street dance chain in China, and it will enable the Company to scale its business and to support the growing number of dance organizations. JBT is expected to provide comprehensive services on its SaaS platform, covering event intellectual property services, educational services, teaching and research services, sales services, and management services.

 

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Organizational Structure Upgraded

 

The Company has upgraded its organizational structure and determined its growth strategies, which center on three core business groups: POPIDEA, POPSPORTS, and POPFUN. As a result of the organizational structure upgrade, the Company now has businesses in Northeast, North, Central, East, and South China, which are expected to establish an efficient operating system and abundant resource reserves.

 

The POPIDEA business includes marketing strategic consulting services, creative design services, implementation of offline brand promotion activities, and online marketing promotion activities. In the future, this business portfolio will be strategy-oriented to provide customers with a variety of one-stop services.

 

The POPSPORTS business is dedicated to find excellent hip-hop dancers and coaches through the promotion and use of SaaS system of hip-hop dance training institutions and the holding of the China Battle Championships and other hip-hop dance events, to transport excellent hip-hop dance talents for the local and national hip-hop dance team, and cooperate to establish a hip-hop dance vocational education system, and to build a hip-hop dance industry base, to seek the business opportunities for the Company.

 

The POPFUN business includes the strategic cooperation of multiple hip-hop music labels, the entertainment and performing arts brokerage services, the Chinese cultural and hip-hop relative commodities e-commerce, and the business development in metaverse about the digital contents of hip-hop, to further develop the Company’s business in the field of digital content copyright.

 

Won the Tender for Hanfu Cultural Festival

 

On October 22, 2021, the Company won the tender for Hanfu Cultural Festival (the “Festival”) put out by Migu Comic Co., Ltd., a digital content provider that operates the app Migu Quanquan. Migu Quanquan promotes Hanfu (traditional styles of clothing worn by the Han people in China) culture and provides Hanfu fans with a one-stop service of various Hanfu culture related activities. The Company expects to provide customized services for the Festival, including online and offline special event planning, event execution, and app promotion.

 

According to a report by iiMedia Research, the sales of Hanfu in China surged from RMB190 million (approximately US$29.7 million) in 2015 to RMB6.36 billion in 2020 (approximately US$1 billion). The Hanfu market is projected by iiMedia Research to grow significantly, as the sales are expected to exceed RMB10 billion (approximately US$1.6 billion) in 2021. As of the end of 2020, the number of Hanfu merchandizers had grown to over 1,500 in China, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The “2020 Hanfu Consumer Trend Insight Report” released by CBNData and Tmall.com shows that the number of consumers who had purchased Hanfu on Tmall.com reached 18 million in 2020.

 

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About Pop Culture Group Co., Ltd

 

Headquartered in Xiamen, China, Pop Culture Group Co., Ltd is a hip-hop culture company. The Company aims to promote hip-hop culture and its values of love, peace, unity, respect, and having fun, and to promote cultural exchanges with respect to hip-hop between the United States and China. With the values of hip-hop culture at its core and the younger generation as its primary target audience, the Company hosts entertainment events, operates hip-hop related online programs, and provides event planning and execution services and marketing services to corporate clients. The Company has in recent years focused on developing and hosting its own hip-hop events. For more information, visit the Company’s website at http://ir.cpop.cn/.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

Certain statements made in this announcement are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, including the further spread of the COVID-19 virus or new variants thereof, or the occurrence of another wave of cases and the impact it may have on the Company’s operations and the demand for the Company’s services, and are based on current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that the Company believes may affect its financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, and financial needs. Investors can identify these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “potential,” “continue,” “is/are likely to,” or other similar expressions. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that such expectations will turn out to be correct, and the Company cautions investors that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results and encourages investors to review other factors that may affect its future results in the Company’s registration statement and its other filings with the SEC. 

 

For more information, please contact:

 

Pop Culture Group Co., Ltd

Investor Relations Department

Email: ir@cpop.cn

 

Ascent Investors Relations LLC

Tina Xiao 

President

Phone: 917-609-0333

Email: tina.xiao@ascent-ir.com  

 

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POP CULTURE GROUP CO., LTD AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(UNAUDITED)

(In U.S. dollars, except share data)

 

   As of
December 31
   As of
June 30
 
   2021   2021 
ASSETS        
CURRENT ASSETS:        
Cash  $28,510,993   $1,319,977 
Accounts receivable, net   26,566,497    25,537,236 
Advance to suppliers   6,452,036    1,999,876 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   1,384,074    3,553,028 
TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS   62,913,600    32,410,117 
Property and equipment, net   105,068    48,393 
Intangible asset, net   1,545,488    1,635,321 
Operating right-of-use asset   155,359    194,747 
Deferred tax assets   403,302    140,757 
Other non-current assets   740,197    - 
TOTAL ASSETS  $65,863,014   $34,429,335 
           
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY          
CURRENT LIABILITIES:          
Short-term bank loans  $3,985,814   $5,140,990 
Accounts payable   1,238,992    1,900,883 
Deferred revenue   393,874    1,648,847 
Taxes payable   4,544,132    4,232,391 
Due to a related party   -    225,000 
Accrued liabilities and other payables   262,447    77,567 
Operating lease liability - current   96,227    98,427 
TOTAL CURRENT LIABILITIES   10,521,486    13,324,105 
Long-term bank loans   1,506,449    1,672,370 
Operating lease liability - non-current   50,583    104,755 
TOTAL LIABILITIES   12,078,518    15,101,230 
           
Commitments and contingencies        - 
           
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY          
Ordinary Shares (par value $0.001 per share; 44,000,000 Class A Ordinary Shares authorized as of December 31, 2020 and 2021; 11,021,834 and 18,286,923 Class A Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding as of December 31, 2020 and 2021, respectively; 6,000,000 Class B Ordinary Shares authorized, 5,763,077 Class B Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding as of December 31 2020 and 2021, respectively)    24,050    17,850 
Subscription receivable   (15,441)   (15,441)
Additional paid-in capital   40,706,356    6,643,118 
Statutory reserve   1,391,770    1,241,573 
Retained earnings   10,794,621    10,498,183 
Accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income   883,140    942,822 
TOTAL POP CULTURE GROUP CO., LTD SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY   53,784,496    19,328,105 
Non-controlling interests   -    - 
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY   53,784,496    19,328,105 
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY  $65,863,014   $34,429,335 

 

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POP CULTURE GROUP CO., LTD AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In U.S. dollars, except share data)

(UNAUDITED)

 

   For the Six Months Ended
December 31,
 
   2021   2020 
REVENUE, NET  $20,148,203   $13,841,202 
Cost of revenue   16,031,295    9,958,765 
GROSS PROFIT   4,116,908    3,882,437 
           
Selling and marketing   193,720    104,961 
General and administrative   2,844,154    675,325 
Total operating expenses   3,037,874    780,286 
           
INCOME FROM OPERATIONS   1,079,034    3,102,151 
           
Other (expenses) income:          
Interest expenses, net   (194,616)   (99,126)
Other (expenses) income, net   74,476    49,704 
Total other expenses, net   (120,140)   (49,422)
           
INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX PROVISION   958,894    3,052,729 
           
PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES   512,259    686,102 
           
NET INCOME   446,635    2,366,627 
Less: net income attributable to non-controlling interests   -    164,468 
NET INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO POP CULTURE GROUP CO., LTD SHAREHOLDERS   446,635    2,202,159 
           
Other comprehensive (loss) income:          
Foreign currency translation adjustment   (59,682)   1,223,994 
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME   386,953    3,590,621 
Less: comprehensive income attributable to non-controlling interest   -    240,471 
COMPREHENSIVE INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO POP CULTURE GROUP CO., LTD SHAREHOLDERS  $386,953   $3,350,150 
           
Net income per share          
Basic and diluted  $0.02   $0.13 
           
Weighted average shares used in calculating net income per share   20,950,000    16,784,911 
Basic and diluted          

 

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POP CULTURE GROUP CO. LTD AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

 

  

For the Six Months Ended

December 31

 
   2021   2020 
Cash flows from operating activities:        
Net Income  $446,635   $2,366,627 
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:          
Allowance for doubtful accounts   1,038,762    147,505 
Depreciation and amortization   129,203    117,086 
Deferred tax benefit   39,388    (38,797)
Non-cash lease expense   (1,105)   62,813 
Loss from disposal of property and equipment   (262,545)   - 
Changes in assets and liabilities:          
Accounts receivable   (2,093,244)   (3,285,638)
Advance to suppliers   (4,452,160)   1,178,486 
Amounts due from related parties   -    - 
Prepaid expenses and other current assets   2,111,735    (1,196,329)
Other non-current assets   (740,197)   257,493 
Accounts payable   (661,891)   317,130 
Deferred revenue   (1,254,973)   (419,123)
Taxes payable   311,741    665,261 
Accrued liabilities and other payables   184,880    (32,207)
Due to a related party   (225,000)   - 
Operating lease liability   (56,372)   (63,208)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities   (5,485,143)   77,099 
           
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:          
Purchase of property and equipment   (74,411)   - 
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities   (74,411)   - 
           
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:          
Proceeds from short-term bank loans   1,569,218    4,200,348 
Repayments of short-term bank loans   (2,981,515)   (1,448,396)
Proceeds from long-term bank loans   (351,740)   - 
Contribution from shareholders   34,069,438    - 
Payment for deferred offering costs   82,440    (478,953)
Net cash provided by financing activities   32,387,841    2,272,999 
           
Effect of exchange rate changes   362,729    190,760 
           
Net increase (decrease) in cash   27,191,016    2,540,858 
Cash at beginning of year   1,319,977    1,359,137 
Cash at end of year  $28,510,993   $3,899,995 
           
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:          
Income tax paid  $418,718   $8,883 
Interest expense paid  $56,771   $98,163 

 

 

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