18Annual Report Contents 4 Foreword 88 Report of the Supervisory Board 6 Executive Board 97 Consolidated Financial Statements 98 Consolidated Statement of 8 The Axel Springer share Financial Position 10 Combined Management Report 100 Consolidated Income Statement 101 Consolidated Statement of 13 Fundamentals of the Axel Springer Group Comprehensive Income 24 Economic Report 102 Consolidated Statement of 43 Economic Position of Axel Springer SE Cash Flows 47 Report on risks and opportunities 103 Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity 60 Forecast Report 104 Consolidated Segment Report 67 Disclosures and explanatory report on the Executive Board pursuant to takeover law 105 Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements 72 Corporate Governance Report 179 Responsibility Statement 180 Independent Auditor’s Report 187 Boards 2 Group Key Figures in € millions Change yoy 2018 2017 Group Revenues1) 4.1 % 3,180.7 3,055.5 Digital revenue share1) 2) 70.6 % 66.7 % EBITDA, adjusted3) 4) 14.3 % 737.9 645.8 EBITDA margin, adjusted1) 3) 23.2 % 21.1 % Digital EBITDA share2) 84.3 % 80.0 % EBIT, adjusted3) 4.7 % 527.9 504.0 EBIT margin, adjusted 1) 3) 16.6 % 16.5 % 5) Net income – 44.9 % 208.4 378.0 Net income, adjusted3) 5) 2.5 % 335.7 327.5 Segments Revenues Classifieds Media 20.3 % 1,212.5 1,007.7 News Media – 0.9 % 1,496.2 1,509.8 1) Marketing Media – 12.4 % 418.3 477.3 Services/Holding – 11.5 % 53.7 60.7 EBITDA, adjusted3) Classifieds Media 17.9 % 487.2 413.2 News Media 4.3 % 228.2 218.8 Marketing Media – 6.3 % 89.6 95.6 Services/Holding − – 67.0 – 81.7 EBIT, adjusted3) Classifieds Media 12.7 % 406.7 361.0 News Media – 13.6 % 158.2 182.9 Marketing Media – 14.7 % 66.0 77.4 Services/Holding − – 103.0 – 117.4 Liquidity and financial position 3) Free cash flow (FCF) – 30.3 % 346.9 497.4 FCF excl. effects from headquarter real estate transactions3) 6) 23.0 % 419.6 341.1 7) Capex − – 225.3 – 200.9 6) 7) Capex excl. effects from headquarter real estate transactions − – 149.3 – 152.5 3) 8) 9) Net debt/liquidity − – 1,249.2 – 1,020.2 Share-related key figures Earnings per share, adjusted (in €)3) 5) 10) 5.1 % 2.73 2.60 5) 10) Earnings per share (in €) – 47.4 % 1.68 3.19 Dividend (in €)11) 5.0 % 2.10 2.00 12) Closing price (in €) – 24.2 % 49.38 65.13 12) 13) Market capitalization – 24.2 % 5,327.9 7,027.2 Average number of employees 3.2 % 16,350 15,836 1) Adjustments of prior-year figures due to the retrospective application of IFRS 15, see section 3(o) in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. 2) Based on the operating business (without the segment Services/Holding). 3) Explanations regarding relevant key performance indicators on page 37 et seq. Regarding the first-time application of IFRS 16, see section 3(o) in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. 4) Including the increase in adjusted EBITDA of € 45.1 million from the first-time application of IFRS 16, see section 3(o) in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. 5) For 2017 continuing operations, for the portion attributable to discontinued operations see section 2(d) in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. 6) Referring to the new building in Berlin as well as the sale of the new building and the Axel-Springer-Passage as well as the sale of the office building complex in Hamburg. 7) Capital expenditures for intangible assets and property, plant and equipment. 8) As of December 31, 2018, and December 31, 2017, respectively. 9) Incl. leasing liabilities in the amount of € 379.6 million (PY: € 0.3 million), see section 3(o) in the notes to the consolidated financial statements. 10) Calculation based on average weighted shares outstanding in the reporting period (107.9 million; PY: 107.9 million). 11) The dividend for the financial year 2018 is subject to the condition of approval by the annual shareholders´ meeting. 12) Quotations based on XETRA closing prices. 13) Based on shares outstanding as of December 31, 2018, excluding treasury shares (107.9 million; PY: 107.9 million). Annual Report 2018 Foreword Foreword Axel Springer SE in case of Business Insider in the second half of the year to break even and finally to boost further potential in the Technology and Data segment. All of these goals have been achieved. First of all, we were able to meet our forecast for the past financial year. Revenues increased by 4.1 % to € 3.2 billion, while adjusted EBITDA increased by 14.3 % to € 737.9 million and adjusted earnings per share increased by 5.1 % to € 2.73. Axel Springer is a digital company. By now, 70.6 % of revenue and 84.3 % of adjusted EBITDA come from digital activities. Revenues of digital activities increased organically by 9.6 %. We will continue this successful path. The Classifieds Media segment continued its excellent 2018 started with a very good message. After more than development. The key drivers are the job portals of the a year in Turkish custody, most of the time in solitary StepStone Group, which have enjoyed pleasant growth, confinement, innocent and without indictment, the especially in continental Europe. At almost 17 %, organic WORLD correspondent Deniz Yücel was finally released revenue growth in the jobs segment reached the high in February. However, only a few days later our great joy level of the previous year. In the UK, StepStone's leading and relief about it were replaced with sadness and job boards Totaljobs and Jobsite have started a close horror: Ján Kuciak, the investigative journalist working for cooperation. Customers can now benefit from the bun- actuality.sk, the news portal belonging to Ringier Axel dled reach of the two already strong job platforms. An Springer Slovakia, and his partner were cruelly murdered. excellent example of how our brands can profit from Probably purely because of his critical investigations. one another. Overall, StepStone continues with strong These cases, of which only one ended well, show how investments in brand, traffic, products and technology to necessary it is to defend the rule of law every day, to further expand its strong market position. defend freedom. And they make it clear in a terrible way how important the work of our journalists is. As a Real Estate also performed excellently during the company, we do everything to protect our journalists past financial year. In January 2018, the acquisition of and strengthen their work. Logic-Immo was approved. The successful French real estate portal will now be merged with SeLoger, the Economically, Axel Springer is in a strong position. For first integration steps have already been successfully the past year, we had planned to follow the course we completed in 2018. Together, the two portals hold a had set and to continue on it. Concrete, related projects strong position in the French real estate market. There is were: also good news from the German market: Immowelt was able to reach the target of 40 % EBITDA margin a year continuing two-digit growth in the Classifieds ahead of schedule. In addition, we are now active in the Business, area of transaction-based digital real estate platforms. In the first step, through the investment in innovation leader a stable adjusted EBITDA in the News Media segment, Purplebricks, and in the second step, by acquiring 4 Annual Report 2018 Foreword Axel Springer SE shares in Homeday, in turn in strategic partnership with The Technology and Data segment is becoming Purplebricks. This shows: We will not rest on our increasingly important. For this reason, since last year, achievements in the Real Estate segment, and instead Dr. Stephanie Caspar as a member of the Executive will invest in further growth potential. Board is engaged in this topic and is driving it forward with all her strengths. In the News Media segment, as announced, we succeeded in keeping adjusted EBITDA stable despite At the end of the upcoming Annual General Meeting, the structural challenges. In 2018, our traditional core our long-serving Chairman of the Supervisory Board, brands BILD and WELT took a decisive step forward: Dr. Giuseppe Vita, will retire from the Board of which he In the meantime, both titles together have over half a has been a member since 2001 and its Chairman since million paying subscribers. BILDplus is thereby the 2002. An extraordinary Chairman in every respect. largest journalistic paid-content offering in continental Although initially from outside the industry, he was an Europe and is now in the fifth place worldwide. This expert in the field from the start, who intuitively recog- shows that the way we have chosen to rely on digital nised the sensitivities of the media world and encorpo- paid offers is the right one. rated them into his thinking and actions. At the same time, he always remained apolitical, and acted exclusive- The following is also very satisfying: The success story of ly on the matters at hand, with composure, confidence Business Insider continues. After an extremely strong and a vast wealth of experience. He accompanied the prior year, Insider Inc., as the company is now called, company through decisive years of transformation. For achieved very good growth in the past fiscal year. The his work, his commitment and his wise and far-sighted average annual growth since the acquisition of Business advice the Executive Board is very grateful to him. Insider in 2015 was around 33 % and is higher than expected at the time of the acquisition.