Substantial Efficiency Gains from Cost Optimization, Unlocking New Growth via AI Empowerment and Industrial Services

Rhea-AI Summary

36Kr Holdings (NASDAQ:KRKR), a leading New Economy platform in China, reported significant financial improvements for H1 2025. The company achieved total revenues of RMB93.2 million, with RMB74.5 million from online advertising. Notable highlights include a 54.4% gross profit margin (up 10 percentage points YoY), and a dramatic 95% reduction in net loss to RMB4.8 million.

The company's AI initiatives showed strong growth, with advertising revenue from AI/large-model offerings growing over 50% YoY. User engagement metrics were robust, with 36.57 million followers (up 9.9% YoY) and significant growth in WeChat Channels. 36Kr has launched several AI tools and strengthened its industrial services, focusing on global expansion and key sectors including low-altitude economy and commercial aerospace.

Positive

• Net loss improved dramatically by 95% year-over-year to RMB4.8 million
• Gross profit margin increased by 10 percentage points to 54.4%
• Operating expenses reduced by 52.3% year-over-year
• AI/large-model advertising revenue grew over 50% year-over-year
• Total follower base increased 9.9% to 36.57 million
• WeChat Channels followers surged 69% year-over-year

Negative

• Company still operating at a loss with RMB4.8 million net loss in H1 2025
• Total revenue of RMB93.2 million indicates relatively small scale of operations

Insights

Financial Analyst

36Kr shows impressive 95% reduction in losses with substantial margin improvements, suggesting imminent profitability.

36Kr's H1 2025 results reveal a company approaching an inflection point in profitability. The 95% year-over-year reduction in net losses to just RMB4.8 million signals that break-even operations are within reach. This dramatic improvement stems from two key factors: enhanced revenue quality and rigorous cost discipline.

The most impressive metric is the 10% year-over-year expansion in gross margins to 54.4%, bucking industry headwinds. This margin enhancement comes alongside a 52.3% reduction in operating expenses compared to H1 2024. The company has effectively halved its cost structure while maintaining RMB93.2 million in total revenue, with RMB74.5 million from higher-quality advertising streams.

The revenue mix improvement is particularly noteworthy. AI-related advertising revenue grew by over 50% year-over-year, while younger audience sub-vertical channels expanded 30%. The company has stabilized partnerships with premier clients like Alibaba, ByteDance, and Huawei, establishing more predictable revenue streams.

User growth metrics reinforce this positive trajectory. The follower base increased 9.9% year-over-year to 36.57 million, marking 17 consecutive quarters of growth. More impressive are the 69% surge in WeChat Channels followers and 44% growth in "Waves" account followers – indicating stronger engagement on platforms where monetization opportunities are expanding.

36Kr is transitioning from a traditional media business to a technology-enabled services provider. Their AI tools demonstrate commercial potential, with "AI Media Coverage" already generating 993 reports and "36Kr Corporate Omni-Intelligence" engaging 25,000 users. The industrial services division shows promise in connecting enterprises with government entities.

With these fundamentals, 36Kr's stated goal of reaching break-even appears realistic in the near term, potentially creating significant shareholder value if the current trajectory continues.

BEIJING, Sept. 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- 36Kr Holdings Inc. ("36Kr" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: KRKR), a prominent brand and pioneering platform dedicated to serving New Economy participants in China, today highlighted significant progress on its path to profitability, based on its performance in the six months ended June 30, 2025. The Company’s performance highlights significant strides in cost optimization, profitability, and strategic growth initiatives.

Key achievements for the first half of 2025 include:

1. Outperforming on Cost Optimization and Efficiency Improvements, Profitability Inflection Point Accelerated

In the first half of 2025, 36Kr continued to focus on the dual priorities of “quality enhancement” and “cost optimization,” achieving breakthrough improvements in financial performance with notable gains across key metrics.

The first half of 2025 featured stronger revenue quality with an improved mix. 36Kr achieved total revenues of RMB93.2 million, including RMB74.5 million from online advertising. Empowered by stable partnerships with leading clients including Alibaba, ByteDance, JD.com, Huawei, and Lenovo, advertising revenue from AI/large-model offerings expanded by over 50% year-over-year, while revenue from sub-vertical media channels for younger audiences grew 30% year-over-year. With a continued focus on high-margin businesses, gross profit margin increased to 54.4%, up 10 percentage points year-over-year, bucking industry headwinds.

36Kr also achieved significant success in expense control. Operating expenses nearly halved compared to the same period in 2024, dropping 52.3% to RMB55.86 million. Net loss narrowed sharply with an impressive 95% improvement year-over-year, reaching just RMB4.8 million, marking the Company’s strongest performance in recent years.

2. Strengthening Content Ecosystem Moats, AI and Industrial Services Driving New Growth

For its content ecosystem, 36Kr remained committed to omnichannel content dissemination and a multi-format approach, achieving new highs in user scale, content engagement, and event IP visibility. As of June 2025, 36Kr had over 36.57 million followers, up 9.9% year-over-year, marking 17 consecutive quarters of growth. The Company’s WeChat Channels followers surged by 69% year-over-year, while followers of the “Waves” official account expanded by 44% year-over-year. “WAVES” and the 2025 AI Partner Summit each achieved over 100 million views. During this year’s World Artificial Intelligence Conference in July, 36Kr served as a Special Supporting Media partner, offering full-spectrum content coverage and multi-dimensional reporting, opening new avenues for commercialization.

On AI technology, 36Kr has realized a commercialization closed loop from content empowerment to product implementation. Multiple AI tools, including "AI Media Coverage" and “36Kr Corporate Omni-Intelligence,” have been launched, with the former generating 993 AI-driven reports and the latter engaging 25,000 users in total. As the only tech media outlet worldwide to have exclusively interviewed DeepSeek’s founder twice, 36Kr launched the “Disruptors Program,” further strengthening its leading edge in AI content coverage density and sophisticated expertise.

Regarding industrial services, 36Kr’s service model for global expansion gained a strong foothold. The Company supported the operations of the “Chinese Enterprise International Service Center Operations Project” for Hangzhou Qiantang New Area, hosted over 10 events on global expansion in the first half of the year, and collaborated with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade Beijing Sub-council to tap into additional resources overseas. Through the “36Kr Industry Future” channel, 36Kr focused on key sectors including low-altitude economy, commercial aerospace, and advanced manufacturing etc., connecting over 200 enterprises across the industrial chain and local government entities.

3. Advancing Toward Break-Even with a Three-Pronged Strategy

In the second half of 2025, 36Kr will build on its core advantages to drive “profitable growth,” prioritizing three strategic initiatives: upgrading original content, commercializing AI products, and scaling industrial services, decisively sprinting to break even.

Mr. Dagang Feng, Co-chairman and CEO of 36Kr, commented, “The operational results in the first half of 2025 have validated the effectiveness of our ‘content + technology + industrial services’ strategy. Going forward, we will continue to leverage AI technology as the engine, deepen content ecosystem moats, propel the Company to break-even and advance toward sustained profitability, creating greater value for New Economy enterprises and investors.”

About 36Kr Holdings Inc.

36Kr Holdings Inc. is a prominent brand and pioneering platform dedicated to serving New Economy participants in China with the mission of empowering New Economy participants to achieve more. The Company started its business with high-quality New Economy-focused content offerings, covering a variety of industries in China's New Economy with diverse distribution channels. Leveraging traffic brought by high-quality content, the Company has expanded its offerings to business services, including online advertising services, enterprise value-added services and subscription services to address the evolving needs of New Economy companies and the upgrading needs of traditional companies. The Company is supported by a comprehensive database and strong data analytics capabilities. Through diverse service offerings and significant brand influence, the Company is well-positioned to continuously capture the high growth potential of China's New Economy.

For more information, please visit: http://ir.36kr.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "confident" and similar statements. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: the Company's goal and strategies; the Company's future business development, results of operations and financial condition; relevant government policies and regulations relating to our business and industry; the Company's expectations regarding the use of proceeds from this offering; the Company's expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, its services; the Company's ability to maintain and enhance its brand; the Company's ability to provide high-quality content in a timely manner to attract and retain users; the Company's ability to retain and hire quality in-house writers and editors; the Company's ability to maintain cooperation with third-party professional content providers; the Company's ability to maintain relationship with third-party platforms; general economic and business condition in China; possible disruptions in commercial activities caused by natural or human-induced disasters; and assumptions underlying or related to any of the foregoing. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in the Company's filings with the SEC. All information provided in this press release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, except as required under applicable law.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China:

36Kr Holdings Inc.
Investor Relations
Tel: +86 (10) 8965-0708
E-mail: ir@36kr.com 

Piacente Financial Communications
Jenny Cai
Tel: +86 (10) 6508-0677
E-mail: 36Kr@tpg-ir.com 

In the United States:

Piacente Financial Communications
Brandi Piacente
Tel: +1(212) 481-2050
E-mail: 36Kr@tpg-ir.com

FAQ

What were 36Kr Holdings (KRKR) key financial metrics for H1 2025?

36Kr reported total revenues of RMB93.2 million, with RMB74.5 million from online advertising. The company achieved a gross profit margin of 54.4% and reduced its net loss by 95% to RMB4.8 million.

How much did 36Kr Holdings (KRKR) reduce its operating expenses in H1 2025?

36Kr reduced its operating expenses by 52.3% year-over-year to RMB55.86 million in H1 2025.

What was 36Kr's (KRKR) AI-related revenue growth in H1 2025?

36Kr's advertising revenue from AI/large-model offerings grew by over 50% year-over-year in H1 2025.

What is 36Kr Holdings' (KRKR) current user base and growth?

As of June 2025, 36Kr had 36.57 million followers, representing a 9.9% year-over-year increase. Their WeChat Channels followers grew by 69% year-over-year.

What are 36Kr Holdings' (KRKR) strategic priorities for H2 2025?

36Kr is focusing on three strategic initiatives: upgrading original content, commercializing AI products, and scaling industrial services, with the goal of reaching break-even point.