- Record FY08 revenue of EUR 110.7 million, +16.9% vs. FY07 (+19.0% at constant exchange rate), including EUR 9.0 million rentals relating to big sporting events
- Europe up 42.0%, Asia & Pacific up 6.4%, America down 9.3% (-2.7% at constant exchange rate) compared to FY07
- EBIT margin of 61.8% for FY08 and net result of EUR 45.2 million
4Q08 sales down 49.8% to EUR 13.6 million and EBIT margin of 34.0% for 4Q08
- Healthy balance sheet, with a net cash position representing 51% of total assets
- Winter order book of EUR 17.0 million, down 51.4% vs 2008, with some improving trend in last months compared to weak October
- Very limited visibility on 2009 but focus on market share growth in studio and 2010 sporting events
- Amount of the final dividend to be determined in April
Liège (Belgium), February 19, 2009, EVS Broadcast Equipment S.A. (Euronext Brussels: EVS.BR, Bloomberg: EVS BB, Reuters: EVSB.BR) (Pinksheets: EVBEF), the leader in Professional Digital Video applications for Live, Near-Live and Studio TV Production, today reported its results for the full year ("FY08") and the fourth quarter ("4Q08") of 2008.


Key highlights

Pierre L'Hoest, CEO of EVS said: "2008 will leave us with mixed feelings: the first nine months of the year were so strong. I want to specifically thank our teams for their endless involvement, especially before and during the big events of this summer, our clients for their continued trust in our solutions, and all the EVS operators, who work daily in the field demonstrating the strengths of our products on live productions. The last quarter of 2008 was obviously hurt by the economic and financial crisis. However, we are convinced that our strategy is right, and that the structural long term drivers that have contributed to the success of EVS are still valid for the future: tapeless transition, higher TV production effectiveness requirements, high definition and more diversified TV sports. In 2009, we will focus on accelerating the development of new solutions and products to improve the workflow efficiency of our customers in the studio segment and on optimizing our organizational processes."

Commenting on the results and perspectives, Jacques Galloy, CFO added: "We have achieved a very strong 2008 with sales topping EUR 110 million and net result exceeding EUR 45 million. However, as expected, the 4th quarter was weak on the back of both some usual rebalance of the server market following big sporting events and the media industry turbulences associated with the gloomy economic environment and the financial crisis. Media and events driven customers have been very prudent with their recent investments. 2009 is an odd year without any major sporting event while 2010 should be another good year. Whether the economic downturn might affect our business over time will depend on the depth and length of the downturn. We believe that EVS should become stronger when recovery appears given both our solid balance sheet, our continued investment in R&D and our good market position."

Corporate Calendar:
April 18-23, 2009: NAB Trade Fair in Las Vegas (USA)
Thursday May 14, 2009: 1Q09 revenue & earnings
Tuesday May 19, 2009: Combined Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting
Thursday July 16, 2009: Trading update on 2Q09 revenue
Thursday August 27, 2009: 2Q09 earnings
For more information, refer to www.evs-global.com