Tencent Achieves Strong Profit Despite Gaming Challenges

In the first quarter, the Chinese tech giant Tencent exceeded analyst expectations for both revenue and profit. This was driven by modest gains in its core gaming sector and enhanced profitability in its advertising and business services divisions.

The company, known for operating the world's largest messaging app WeChat, has been on a recovery path after experiencing its first annual revenue decline in 2022. This was due to economic slowdowns induced by the pandemic and a more challenging gaming market.

Tencent reported a revenue of $22 billion, surpassing the anticipated $21 billion. The profit attributable to equity holders reached $5.8 billion, significantly higher than the forecast $5 billion. Adjusted net profit surged by 62% year-on-year, marking the fastest growth since the first quarter of 2021, while revenue increased by 6% compared to the previous year.

In response to its 2022 revenue decline, Tencent implemented a cost-cutting strategy and exited non-core businesses to concentrate on its primary gaming sector and expand in advertising and cloud computing. Investors welcomed these efforts, with Tencent’s shares appreciating by 30% this year.

Despite the positive overall financial performance, Tencent's China gaming revenue fell by 2% year-on-year in the first quarter, an improvement from the 3% decline in the previous quarter. The company attributed the decrease to high year-on-year comparison bases, such as the Chinese New Year impact on its popular game "Honour of Kings," and limited monetizable content from "Peacekeeper Elite." 

While growth in Tencent’s gaming division remains subdued, the robust performance in advertising and business services has led to the company's fastest profit growth in three years.