Comscore To Delay Paying Preferred Stock Dividends
Share class was issued when measurement company refinanced debt
Looking to conserve cash, Comscore has asked the preferred stockholders who helped refinance the company to put off dividend payments.
The preferred stock was issued in 2021 to Charter Communications, Quarate Retail and Cerberus and enabled the media measurement company to wipe out its $204 million in debt. (Quarate later sold its stock to Liberty and Cerberus.)
The dividends on the preferred stock come to about $15.5 million annually.
During the second quarter of 2024, Comscore had a net loss of $1.05 million, Including $4.2 million in dividend payments, Comscore’s net loss available to common shareholders rose to $5.3 million.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commision each holder of Comscore’s Series B Convertible Preferred stock waived its right to receive annual dividends payable on June 30.
They waived the right at Comscore’s request, the filing said.
The deferred dividend will continue to accrue at a rate of 9.5% per year.
Broadcasting & Cable Newsletter
The smarter way to stay on top of broadcasting and cable industry. Sign up below
The dividend is now due July 31, 2024.
“The company is working with its Series B holders to resolve the outstanding dividend balance prior to the July 31 deadline,” Comscore said in a statement.
Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.