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Feb 6 - Feb 12, 2012 Edition

Bertelsmann Reports Slight Gain in Revenues

Gütersloh/AUTHORLINK NEWS/February 9, 2012 – The international media company Bertelsmann, which owns Random House in the US, released preliminary unaudited performance figures for 2011. The company showed revenues increased to €15.3 billion (previous year: €15.1 billion) in the 2011 fiscal year. Organic growth, adjusted for portfolio and currency effects, came to about two percent.

At a good €1.7 billion, Operating EBIT was slightly below the previous year’s €1.8 billion. A good performance of the advertising-driven businesses and rapidly growing e-book sales were offset by planned start-up losses for new growth platforms and the weak business performance of some of the printing operations, as well as declines in the replication and direct-marketing businesses. The Group’s Return on Sales, at around 11 percent (previous year: 12.1 percent), clearly exceeded the 10-percent mark.

Operating EBITDA totaled approximately €2.2 billion (previous year: €2.4 billion). Net financial debt remained unchanged at €1.9 billion (December 31, 2011) despite increased investment, and is well balanced with the company's profitability and cash flow. All prior-year figures were adjusted for the discontinued club and bookselling businesses of the former Direct Group.

Based on the preliminary figures, the company expects to pay out a dividend of 15 percent of par value (previous year: 15 percent)  in May 2012.

The figures cited here are preliminary, unaudited figures. The full and audited annual financial statement will be published on March 28, 2012.

About Bertelsmann AG

Bertelsmann is an international media company whose core divisions encompass television (RTL Group), book publishing (Random House), magazine publishing (Gruner + Jahr), and outsourcing services (Arvato) in 50 countries. In 2011, the company’s businesses, with their 100,000 employees, generated revenues of €15.3 billion*. Bertelsmann stands for a distinctive combination of creativity and entrepreneurship that empowers the creation of first-rate media, communications, and service offerings to inspire people around the world and to provide innovative solutions for customers.

*based on preliminary, unaudited figures