Service Performance Consistently Strong Across All Mail Categories

DEPARTURES®, the leading voice of luxury and experiences published by Meredith Corporation for American Express Platinum Card® Members, today revealed its September 2020 special Visionaries issue celebrating individuals across fashion, media, food, technology, sports, wellness, and beyond whose work is positively impacting society and driving meaningful change. This second annual special issue has five separate covers, along with candid interviews with six standout visionaries. Elsewhere in the issue, DEPARTURES delves into innovation with reporting on the future of architectural design as the world adapts to new realities, takes a look at the future of fashion from the perspectives of notable photographers, highlights big thinkers on what's next in the field of wellness, shares top chefs' views on how we'll be dining out in the months and years to come, and much more.

Unit sales of print books fell by less than 1% in the week ended May 13, 2018, compared to the similar week in 2017, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Gains in nonfiction largely offset declines in fiction in the week. Units increased 4% in the adult nonfiction category over the week ended May 14, 2017, as the segment had the industry’s two biggest-selling books: Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines sold more than 171,000 copies, while The Soul of America by Jon Meacham sold nearly 39,000 copies in its first week, landing it in the second spot on both the category and overall bestseller lists. Print unit sales in juvenile nonfiction rose 7% over 2017; a number of new books helped give the segment a boost. Click Read More below for additional information.

Fiscal 2021 second quarter revenues grew 11 percent to a record $902 million from the prior-year period. Highlights from the second quarter of fiscal 2021 included: A 22 percent increase in National Media Group digital advertising revenues from the prior-year period. Sessions to Meredith's owned and operated and network sites grew 16 percent from the prior-year period, led by the PEOPLE, Allrecipes, Martha Stewart Living, and InStyle brands. A 96 percent increase in Local Media Group political spot and digital advertising from the prior election cycle two years ago. Performance was led by the Phoenix and Atlanta markets, which combined accounted for approximately 60 percent of total political advertising revenues. A 34 percent increase in National Media Group digital consumer/licensing revenues from the prior-year period. Performance was driven by Apple News+, strong sales of Better Homes & Gardens-branded products at Walmart stores across the United States and at Walmart.com, and ecommerce via other retail partners. Continued sequential year-over-year improvement in Meredith's magazine and non-political television advertising platforms. Both comparable National Media Group magazine advertising and Local Media Group non-political advertising revenues declined in the mid-teens from the prior-year period. As a result of this performance, fiscal 2021 second quarter earnings from continuing operations more than doubled to $149 million from the prior-year period. Adjusted EBITDA grew 57 percent to $304 million.