Company registration number: 13185436
COMPANY INFORMATION
CONTENTS
STRATEGIC REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
The directors present their strategic report for the year ended 31 December 2024.
The results for the year, which are set out in the profit and loss account, show an operating loss of £1,863,000 (2023: £211,000). At 31 December 2024, the company had net assets of £4,853,000 (2023: £6,716,000). The directors consider the performance for the year and the financial position at the year end to be satisfactory.
The Company has no significant risks other than price and liquidity risks.
As a holding company, the directors do not consider the inclusion of financial key performance indicators to be necessary to assist users of the financial statements in their understanding of the financial performance or position of the Company.
As stated above, the directors do not consider the inclusion of other key performance indicators to be necessary or additive.
This report was approved by the board and signed on its behalf.
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DIRECTORS' REPORT
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
The directors present their report and the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.
The directors are responsible for preparing the Strategic report, the Directors' report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:
∙select suitable accounting policies for the Company's financial statements and then apply them consistently;
∙make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
∙prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the Company and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
The loss for the year, after taxation, amounted to £1,863 thousand (2023 - loss £211 thousand).
The directors who served during the year were:
There are no future developments relevant to the Company as a holding company.
On 4 April 2025, BG Bidco 5 Limited acquired 100% of the ordinary share capital of Newsdirect (UK) Limited and Newsdirect Wales Limited to broaden its monitoring coverage into the devolved nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. To fund the acquisition, further capital was raised from existing secured lenders.
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DIRECTORS' REPORT (CONTINUED)
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
The auditor, Menzies LLP, will be proposed for reappointment in accordance with section 485 of the Companies Act 2006.
This report was approved by the board and signed on its behalf.
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INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF BG BIDCO 5 LIMITED
We have audited the financial statements of BG Bidco 5 Limited (the 'Company') for the year ended 31 December 2024, which comprise the Statement of comprehensive income, the Statement of financial position, the Statement of changes in equity and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the Company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council's Ethical Standard and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors' use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the Company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
The other information comprises the information included in the Annual Report other than the financial statements and our Auditor's report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information contained within the Annual Report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
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INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF BG BIDCO 5 LIMITED (CONTINUED)
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
∙the information given in the Strategic report and the Directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
∙the Strategic report and the Directors' report have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the Company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the Strategic report or the Directors' report.
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INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF BG BIDCO 5 LIMITED (CONTINUED)
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an Auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
The Company is subject to laws and regulations that directly affect the financial statements including financial reporting
legislation. We determined that the following laws and regulations were most significant:
∙Companies Act 2006
∙FRS 102
∙Tax legislation
We assessed the extent of compliance with these laws and regulations as part of our procedures on the related financial statement items.
We understood how the company is complying with those legal and regulatory frameworks by, making inquiries to management, those responsible for legal and compliance procedures. We corroborated our inquiries through our review of board minutes.
The engagement partner assessed whether the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence and capabilities to identify or recognize non-compliance with laws and regulations. The assessment did not identify any issues in this area.
We assessed the susceptibility of Company’s financial statements to material misstatement, including how fraud might occur. We considered the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud and identified the greatest potential for fraud in the following areas:
∙Posting of unusual journal entries; and
∙Management bias in accounting estimates.
Audit procedures performed by the Company engagement team included:
∙Identifying and assessing the design effectiveness of controls management has in place to prevent and detect fraud;
∙Understanding how those charged with governance considered and addressed the potential for override of controls or other inappropriate influence over the financial reporting process;
∙Challenging assumptions and judgments made by management in its significant accounting estimates; and
∙Identifying and testing journal entries, in particular any journal entries posted with unusual account combinations
Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council's website at: www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our Auditor's report.
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INDEPENDENT AUDITOR'S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF BG BIDCO 5 LIMITED (CONTINUED)
This report is made solely to the Company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the Company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an Auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the Company and the Company's members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
for and on behalf of
Chartered Accountants
Statutory Auditor
95 Gresham Street
EC2V 7AB
28 May 2025
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STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
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STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2024
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the board and were signed on its behalf by:
The notes on pages 11 to 18 form part of these financial statements.
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STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
BG Bidco 5 Limited ("the Company") is a company limited by shares and incorporated in England and Wales. The principal place of business is 20 St. Thomas Street, London, SE1 9RS.
2.Accounting policies
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention unless otherwise specified within these accounting policies and in accordance with Financial Reporting Standard 102, the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and the Republic of Ireland and the Companies Act 2006.
The preparation of financial statements in compliance with FRS 102 requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also requires management to exercise judgment in applying the Company's accounting policies (see note 3).
The following principal accounting policies have been applied:
The Company has taken advantage of the following disclosure exemptions in preparing these financial statements, as permitted by the FRS 102 "The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland":
∙the requirements of Section 7 Statement of Cash Flows;
∙the requirements of Section 3 Financial Statement Presentation paragraph 3.17(d).
This information is included in the consolidated financial statements of BG Topco 5 Limited as at 31 December 2024 and these financial statements may be obtained from Companies House.
The Company is a parent company that is also a subsidiary included in the consolidated financial statements of a larger group by a parent undertaking established under the law of any part of the United Kingdom and is therefore exempt from the requirement to prepare consolidated financial statements under section 400 of the Companies Act 2006.
The directors have a 3 year business plan and maintain 3 year rolling forecasts to monitor financial performance of the Company and Group, they have carried out sensitivity analysis on the forecast model to take account of all reasonably possible scenarios. The forecasts indicate that the Company will have sufficient funds to meet its liabilities as they fall due. The directors therefore believe that financial statements should be prepared on a going concern basis.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
2.Accounting policies (continued)
Functional and presentation currency
Transactions and balances
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
2.Accounting policies (continued)
The Company only enters into basic financial instrument transactions that result in the recognition of financial assets and liabilities like trade and other debtors and creditors, loans from banks and other third parties, loans to related parties and investments in ordinary shares.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
There were no factors that may affect future tax charges.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
Bank loans are secured by a fixed and floating charge over the assets of the Company.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
Share premium account
Profit and loss account
The Group has a facility of £15.8 million and a revolving facilities agreement of £0.5 million. Group companies are guarantors to the Facilities Agreement.
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NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2024
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