JOYY Q1 Revenue Reaches $555.7 Million, Announces $600 Million Buyback
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 25 2026
0mins
Ting Li, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of JOYY, commented, "We are pleased to report a strong start to 2026. Total revenues for the first quarter reached US$555.7 million, up by 12.4% year over year, our strongest year over year growth rate in recent years. Our social entertainment business returned to year over year growth, while our second growth curve, Ad Tech and Smart Commerce, continued to progress with strong momentum. In light of our solid operational performance and robust balance sheet, we announced an updated shareholder return program, under which we could repurchase up to US$600 million worth of our shares and distribute approximately US$900 million in dividends over the next three years. This underscores our strong confidence in long-term potential of our business and demonstrates our continued commitment to delivering sustainable value to our shareholders."
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Analyst Views on JOYY
Wall Street analysts forecast JOYY stock price to fall
2 Analyst Rating
1 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 69.350
Low
66.00
Averages
68.00
High
70.00
Current: 69.350
Low
66.00
Averages
68.00
High
70.00
About JOYY
JOYY Inc. is a global technology company. The Company operates several social media platforms such as Bigo Live, Likee and Hago that enable users to interact with others in real time. It operates through two segments: BIGO and All other. The BIGO segment primarily consists of several social entertainment platforms, including Bigo Live, Likee, imo, and certain audio live streaming platform, as well as its advertising platform, Bigo Ads. The All other segment primarily consist of Hago, Shopline, certain audio live streaming platforms, and others. Bigo Live enables its users to share their life moments, showcase their talents, socialize, and connect with other users. Likee enables users to easily discover, create and share short-form videos, with all-in-one video creation tools, such as filters and special effects, and AI-backed personalized feed. Hago provides casual games, audio and video multiuser chatrooms and three-dimensional (3D) avatars and 3D interactive scenes.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
BIGO Ads Wins 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award
- Industry Recognition: BIGO Ads has been awarded the 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, highlighting its leadership in the advertising technology sector, particularly in the Growth Catalyst category, which underscores its influence and competitiveness in the global market.
- Innovative Technology: The platform's AI-driven full-funnel growth system, which integrates user acquisition, real-time in-app bidding, and optimization, enables advertisers to achieve sustainable profitable growth, showcasing its technological advancement and market adaptability.
- Strategic Value: The award not only recognizes BIGO Ads' technology but also affirms its commitment to delivering measurable business value, indicating the company's determination to drive the advertising industry towards more accountable and ROI-driven growth.
- Global Business Expansion: By leveraging mature oCPC and ROAS bidding models along with cutting-edge in-app bidding technology, BIGO Ads aims to assist global clients in achieving efficient user growth and maximizing advertising revenue, further solidifying its position in the international market.
See More
BIGO Ads Wins 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award
- Industry Recognition: BIGO Ads has been awarded the 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, highlighting its leadership in the advertising technology sector, particularly in the Growth Catalyst category, which underscores its influence and innovation in the global market.
- Technological Edge: The platform utilizes deep learning-based user acquisition, real-time in-app bidding, and optimization techniques to assist advertisers in achieving profitable growth, showcasing its exceptional capabilities in advertising efficiency and monetization performance, thereby strengthening its competitive position.
- Strategic Value: The award for BIGO Ads not only recognizes its technology but also affirms its ability to connect strategy with outcomes, indicating its commitment to driving sustainable and efficient growth in line with the industry's demand for measurable business value.
- Future Outlook: BIGO Ads will continue to enhance its AI-powered optimization and monetization intelligence, aiming to help advertisers and developers achieve more efficient growth while adapting to the industry's shift towards more accountable and ROI-driven approaches, ensuring its leading position in the future market.
See More
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- Industry Recognition: BIGO Ads has been awarded the 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, highlighting its leadership in the advertising technology sector, particularly in the Growth Catalyst category, indicating its growing influence in the global advertising market.
- Innovative Technology: The platform's AI-driven full-funnel growth system, which integrates user acquisition, real-time in-app bidding, and optimization, enables advertisers to achieve profitable growth, showcasing its significant capabilities in enhancing advertising effectiveness and ROI.
- Strategic Value: The award not only recognizes BIGO Ads' technology but also validates its commitment to driving sustainable and efficient growth, underscoring the company's crucial role as the industry shifts towards more accountable and ROI-focused growth models.
- Future Outlook: BIGO Ads plans to continue enhancing its AI-powered optimization and monetization intelligence, aiming to provide global clients with more efficient user growth and advertising revenue, further solidifying its competitive edge in the advertising technology market.
See More
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- Industry Leadership: In the highly competitive Internet sector, JOYY secured top-three rankings in five categories, including Best CEO, Best CFO, Best IR Professional, Best IR Team, and Best Investor Relations, highlighting the company's outstanding performance in the industry.
- Executive Recognition: JOYY's Chairperson and CEO, Li Ting, and Vice President of Finance, Alex Liu, achieved top positions in the Best CEO and Best CFO categories, respectively, further solidifying the company's leadership in investor relations.
- Strategic Investment Commitment: Li Ting emphasized the company's focus on translating the ecosystem's compounding strengths into long-term shareholder value, while Alex Liu highlighted the importance of balancing shareholder returns with disciplined reinvestment, reflecting the strategic direction for future growth engines.
See More
U.S. Stock Futures Hit Record Highs as AI Boosts Chip Stocks
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- Chip Stock Surge: Semiconductor stocks have rebounded strongly due to AI-driven demand, with Marvell Technology rising 5.7% and Micron and Intel each gaining about 2%, highlighting the significance of tech stocks in the current market landscape and investor focus.
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See More
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- Significant Revenue Growth: In Q1 2026, JOYY reported total revenues of $555.7 million, reflecting a 12.4% year-over-year increase, indicating a recovery in the social entertainment segment and strong momentum in ad tech, thereby reinforcing the company's competitive position in the market.
- Enhanced Shareholder Return Plan: The Board approved a $1.5 billion shareholder return program, which includes a share buyback of up to $600 million and approximately $900 million in dividends over the next three years, aimed at boosting shareholder confidence and attracting more investors.
- Business Structure Adjustment: The company reported its results for the first time under three independent segments: Social Entertainment, BIGO Ads, and Shopline, marking a strategic inflection point that is expected to enhance transparency and operational efficiency across its business lines.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Management expects net revenues for Q2 2026 to be between $562 million and $581 million, with BIGO Ads and Shopline projected to achieve mid-double-digit and approximately 25% year-over-year growth, respectively, demonstrating the company's confidence in future growth prospects.
See More
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- Industry Recognition: BIGO Ads has been awarded the 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, highlighting its leadership in the advertising technology sector, particularly in the Growth Catalyst category, which underscores its influence and competitiveness in the global market.
- Innovative Technology: The platform's AI-driven full-funnel growth system, which integrates user acquisition, real-time in-app bidding, and optimization, enables advertisers to achieve sustainable profitable growth, showcasing its technological advancement and market adaptability.
- Strategic Value: The award not only recognizes BIGO Ads' technology but also affirms its commitment to delivering measurable business value, indicating the company's determination to drive the advertising industry towards more accountable and ROI-driven growth.
- Global Business Expansion: By leveraging mature oCPC and ROAS bidding models along with cutting-edge in-app bidding technology, BIGO Ads aims to assist global clients in achieving efficient user growth and maximizing advertising revenue, further solidifying its position in the international market.
See More
BIGO Ads Wins 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award
- Industry Recognition: BIGO Ads has been awarded the 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, highlighting its leadership in the advertising technology sector, particularly in the Growth Catalyst category, which underscores its influence and innovation in the global market.
- Technological Edge: The platform utilizes deep learning-based user acquisition, real-time in-app bidding, and optimization techniques to assist advertisers in achieving profitable growth, showcasing its exceptional capabilities in advertising efficiency and monetization performance, thereby strengthening its competitive position.
- Strategic Value: The award for BIGO Ads not only recognizes its technology but also affirms its ability to connect strategy with outcomes, indicating its commitment to driving sustainable and efficient growth in line with the industry's demand for measurable business value.
- Future Outlook: BIGO Ads will continue to enhance its AI-powered optimization and monetization intelligence, aiming to help advertisers and developers achieve more efficient growth while adapting to the industry's shift towards more accountable and ROI-driven approaches, ensuring its leading position in the future market.
See More
BIGO Ads Wins 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award
- Industry Recognition: BIGO Ads has been awarded the 2026 Sales and Marketing Excellence Award, highlighting its leadership in the advertising technology sector, particularly in the Growth Catalyst category, indicating its growing influence in the global advertising market.
- Innovative Technology: The platform's AI-driven full-funnel growth system, which integrates user acquisition, real-time in-app bidding, and optimization, enables advertisers to achieve profitable growth, showcasing its significant capabilities in enhancing advertising effectiveness and ROI.
- Strategic Value: The award not only recognizes BIGO Ads' technology but also validates its commitment to driving sustainable and efficient growth, underscoring the company's crucial role as the industry shifts towards more accountable and ROI-focused growth models.
- Future Outlook: BIGO Ads plans to continue enhancing its AI-powered optimization and monetization intelligence, aiming to provide global clients with more efficient user growth and advertising revenue, further solidifying its competitive edge in the advertising technology market.
See More
JOYY Recognized as Most Honored Company for Eighth Consecutive Year
- Sustained Excellence: JOYY has been recognized as a 'Most Honored Company' for the eighth consecutive year in Extel's 2026 Asia Executive Team Survey, underscoring the company's ongoing commitment to excellence in executive leadership, investor relations, and corporate governance.
- Industry Leadership: In the highly competitive Internet sector, JOYY secured top-three rankings in five categories, including Best CEO, Best CFO, Best IR Professional, Best IR Team, and Best Investor Relations, highlighting the company's outstanding performance in the industry.
- Executive Recognition: JOYY's Chairperson and CEO, Li Ting, and Vice President of Finance, Alex Liu, achieved top positions in the Best CEO and Best CFO categories, respectively, further solidifying the company's leadership in investor relations.
- Strategic Investment Commitment: Li Ting emphasized the company's focus on translating the ecosystem's compounding strengths into long-term shareholder value, while Alex Liu highlighted the importance of balancing shareholder returns with disciplined reinvestment, reflecting the strategic direction for future growth engines.
See More
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- Market Optimism: Despite tensions in the Middle East, investor optimism regarding peace negotiations has driven U.S. stock futures higher, with S&P 500 futures up 0.52% and Dow futures up 0.48%, indicating strong market confidence in future stability.
- Chip Stock Surge: Semiconductor stocks have rebounded strongly due to AI-driven demand, with Marvell Technology rising 5.7% and Micron and Intel each gaining about 2%, highlighting the significance of tech stocks in the current market landscape and investor focus.
- Strong Earnings Season: First-quarter earnings growth is expected to reach 29%, significantly higher than the 16.1% forecast a month ago, demonstrating robust corporate profitability recovery and further bolstering market confidence.
- Fed Policy Expectations: With rising oil prices fueling inflation concerns, markets anticipate the Federal Reserve will hold rates steady for the remainder of the year, with a potential 25 bps hike in December, reflecting a cautious approach to monetary policy amid economic uncertainties.
See More
JOYY Q1 2026 Earnings Show Growth and Enhanced Shareholder Return Plan
- Significant Revenue Growth: In Q1 2026, JOYY reported total revenues of $555.7 million, reflecting a 12.4% year-over-year increase, indicating a recovery in the social entertainment segment and strong momentum in ad tech, thereby reinforcing the company's competitive position in the market.
- Enhanced Shareholder Return Plan: The Board approved a $1.5 billion shareholder return program, which includes a share buyback of up to $600 million and approximately $900 million in dividends over the next three years, aimed at boosting shareholder confidence and attracting more investors.
- Business Structure Adjustment: The company reported its results for the first time under three independent segments: Social Entertainment, BIGO Ads, and Shopline, marking a strategic inflection point that is expected to enhance transparency and operational efficiency across its business lines.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: Management expects net revenues for Q2 2026 to be between $562 million and $581 million, with BIGO Ads and Shopline projected to achieve mid-double-digit and approximately 25% year-over-year growth, respectively, demonstrating the company's confidence in future growth prospects.
See More
