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IHRT · iHeartMedia, Inc.

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$2.91 -0.04 (-1.36%)
Market Cap
$456.63M
Shares
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All earnings calls

Earnings call · FY2026 Q1

iHeartMedia, Inc. Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

iHeartMedia, Inc. Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

Concluded May 11, 2026 Audio replay
May 11, 2026 39:03 37 turns
Period
FY2026 Q1
Runtime
39:03
Sources
4 artifacts

Executive readout · one minute

What matters this quarter

iHeartMedia reported Q1 2026 consolidated revenue of $884 million, up 9.6% year-over-year and in line with guidance, while Adjusted EBITDA of $93 million came in slightly below the ~$100 million guidance. The company announced a new $50 million annualized cost savings initiative and reaffirmed full-year Adjusted EBITDA guidance of ~$800 million and Free Cash Flow of ~$200 million.

Multiplatform Group Challenges 51 Podcast Business Strength 40 Tax Code Benefits 34 Programmatic Advertising Strategy 33 Strategic Partnerships 18 Macroeconomic Headwinds 16

Management tone

Positive

Net tone +25 · low hedging

Grounding quotes
  • “We are optimistic about our future there.”
  • “this latest announcement is further evidence of that commitment”
  • “we still believe that 2026 will be a significant year in terms of adjusted EBITDA and free cash flow generation for iHeartMedia, Inc.”
  • “we saw some softness in March that appeared to correlate with the start of the conflict in the Middle East”

Forward guidance

4 guided metrics

Management's latest ranges and targets are included below.

Research coverage

4 live sources

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Revenue $884.20M +9.6% YoY
Diluted EPS -$0.61
Net income -$95.22M

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Key takeaways

What improved, and what deserves a closer read.

Constructive signals

  • Q1 consolidated revenue of $884 million grew 9.6% YoY, in line with guidance of up high single digits.
  • Digital Audio Group revenue grew 18% to $327 million, slightly ahead of mid-teens guidance.
  • Podcast revenue grew 26.9% to $147 million, above low-20s guidance.
  • New $50 million annualized cost savings initiative announced, on top of previously announced $100 million in-year 2026 savings.
  • Company expects effectively eliminated cash taxes for 2026 and the next few years, with expected $150–$200 million impact over the next 3 years.
  • Full-year 2026 guidance reaffirmed at ~$800 million Adjusted EBITDA and ~$200 million Free Cash Flow.

Risks & pressure points

  • Q1 Adjusted EBITDA of $93 million missed guidance of ~$100 million and was down 11.4% YoY from $105 million.
  • Multiplatform Group Adjusted EBITDA fell to $47 million from $70 million in the prior year, down ~33%.
  • March advertising revenues came in lower than anticipated, correlated with macroeconomic uncertainty.
  • Free Cash Flow was negative $(114) million and cash used for operating activities was $93 million in Q1.
  • Q1 2026 GAAP Operating income was only $1.5 million.
  • Cash balance was $135 million as of March 31, 2026.

Key moments

Jump directly to management's words in the synchronized transcript.

“today we are announcing a new cost reduction initiative that would generate an additional $50 million of annualized savings, which we will begin realizing in the second half of the year. As a reminder, this is in addition to the $100 million of in-year 2026 savings that we have previously announced.” Bob Pittman, Chairman
“as a result of the implementation of changes to the tax code, we expect our cash taxes for 2026 to be effectively eliminated and for the next few years as long as the current tax laws remain in effect. This will materially improve our free cash flow generation moving forward.” Bob Pittman, Chairman

Forward guidance

From the 8-K filed May 11, 2026.

Metric Guided
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA
Q2 2026
$140M – $160M
Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA
Full Year 2026
$800M
Free Cash Flow
Full Year 2026
$200M
Total Programmatic Revenue
Full Year 2026
$200M

Quarter detail

How the reported period landed and where the business moved.

Revenue · segments

Multiplatform Group Segment$493.46M +4.3% YoY
Digital Audio Group Segment$327.14M +18% YoY
Audio and Media Services Group Segment$66.58M +12.2% YoY
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