Disney earnings

Disney got some cash back in its pocket after the OpenAI deal fell apart – but the company still plans to lean into AI.

On Wednesday, Josh D’Amaro led his first earnings call as the new CEO of Disney. The company closed last quarter with $25.2 billion in revenue, a 7% year-over-year increase. Disney Entertainment advertising revenue rose 5% YOY, but ESPN ad revenue was down 2% YOY, although subscription and affiliate revenue was up 6%.

Disney’s Q4 earnings double down on the success of sports streaming content, but the YouTube TV blackout continues.

Disney had a good quarter, with revenue on the rise and streaming on the brain. Its DTC division, which houses its streaming business, is also growing and remains profitable.

Disney’s revenue rose 5% to $24.7 billion last quarter, up from $23.5 billion this time last year. But subscriber growth at The Mouse House looks less promising.

CTV’s over-frequency problem is as real as the pressure streaming services are under to grow their average revenue per user. But you don’t have to sacrifice one to achieve the other, says Jamie Power, Disney’s SVP of addressable sales.

Disney is determined that its streaming business will be profitable by the end of its 2024 fiscal year – and it’s got an aggressive plan to make that happen … despite Disney+ losing 2.4 million subscribers globally compared to the previous quarter.

Disney’s Q3 revenue plummeted 42% to $11.8 billion, as the coronavirus pandemic wreaked havoc across its lines of business. Promising increases in its paid streaming subscriptions were far outweighed by the closure (and gradual reopening) of its parks (85% decrease) and movie theaters (65% decrease). Disney lost $3 billion in revenue directly due to the […]