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freenet GROUP Strong third quarter : freenet expects EBITDA and free cash flow at the upper end of guidance ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ EBITDA grows by + 3.3 % compared to 9M / 20 to 339.9 million euros Mobile Communications EBITDA remains stable , TV and Media EBITDA + 22.2 % compared to 9M / 20 Free cash flow¹ exceeds quarterly guidance at 60.8 million euros Subscriber base expands by 198.1 thousand customers compared to 9M / 20 to reach 8.705 million ( + 2.3 % ) Executive Board expects EBITDA and free cash flow to come in at the upper end of the guidance Büdelsdorf , 3 November 2021 freenet AG [ ISIN DE000A0Z2ZZ5 ] today announced its results for the past nine months and third quarter of 2021 . Group : EBITDA margin up 0.8 percentage points to 18.1 % compared to 9M / 20 In EUR millions / as indicated Revenue EBITDA Free cash flow Free cash flow without Sunrise¹ Subscriber base ( in ' 000s ) ² 9M / 21 1,880.8 339.9 172.9 172.9 8,704.8 9M / 20 Change 1,905.5 -24.7 329.2 10.7 220.2 -47.3 182.4 -9.5 8,506.7 198.1 Q3 / 21 641.8 117.6 Q3 / 20 Change 634.5 115.2 60.8 79.5 60.8 82.1 8,704.8 8,506.7 7.3 2.4 -18.8 -21.3 198.1 The restrictions on economic and social life introduced to limit the spread of coronavirus were gradually lifted during the past nine months of 2021. Cross - border travel increased during the summer months , and all mobilcom - debitel shops and GRAVIS stores have been open again since the beginning of the third quarter . Although the largely subscription - based business model has proved highly viable and is not reliant on bricks and - mortar retail , the move towards normality nonetheless represents a welcome boost to the freenet Group's operating business . The collaboration with brand ambassador Dieter Bohlen³ that was launched in September is expected to further sharpen the profile of the freenet brand world . As the new ' Chief Entertainment Officer ' ( without a seat on the Executive Board ) , his job will be to link the umbrella brand " freenet " to the diverse products and brands in the fields of Mobile Communications , Internet and TV entertainment . Although more significant catch - up effects still failed to materialise in the third quarter , the freenet Group continued what has been a very successful year so far . The number of high - value subscribers rose by 1.1 % to around 8.705 million compared to the end of 2020 ( 2020 : 8.610 million ; 9M / 20 : 8.507 million ) . The number of own customers grew by 24.0 thousand in the third quarter 2021 , an increase in growth of around 50 % compared to the prior - year quarter ( +16.3 thousand customers ) . This means that the subscriber base has risen by 198.1 thousand customers ( + 2.3 % ) over the last 12 months . On a year - on - year basis , revenue continued to be influenced by lower hardware sales caused by the temporary closure of mobilcom - debitel shops and GRAVIS stores in the first half of 2021 due to the COVID - 19 pandemic . However , there are now signs of a slight recovery that has begun to close the gap . While revenue in the first half of 2021 was still 2.5 % down on the previous year , it is now just 1.3 % lower at 1,880.8 million euros ( 9M / 20 : 1,905.5 million euros ) . The EBITDA margin rose by 0.8 percentage points to 18.1 % ( 9M / 20 : 17.3 % ) , causing EBITDA to increase by 10.7 million euros or 3.3 % year - on - year to 339.9 million euros ( 9M / 20 : 329.2 million 1 of 4