☀️DISNEY Earnings Audit: Pics Boom, Bets on Streaming Tech, and Linear TV Defense
A special #EarningsSeason 🤓 'Wakeup' looking inside DISNEY's Q4 2024 books
Yes, it’s me again, and yes, I know it’s NYC lunchtime . . . but #Medianerd🤓 here has gotten the full amortization on his calculator app thanks to DISNEY’s latest deluge of 💰 info that they have to tell us every 3 months (aka the earnings report), and here’s a look inside the books at the industry’s biggest studio.
Oddly, I think we can file DISNEY’s Q4 2024 under the “fine” column of DISNEY quarters. Even Iger kept his opening remarks to a terse 2 minutes or so, and was basically like:
Movies turned around.
Streaming was slightly more profitable.
Record ratings at ESPN.
Theme Parks are doing about the same but we’re excited about them.
Any questions?
Wall Street also seemed 🤷♂️ as DIS stock is basically down a smidge so far today (-2%).
BUT: There’s definitely a lot to dig into here in the financial reporting to tell the story about what’s afoot at Hollywood’s biggest entertainment company, including:
The health of the linear TV business
Just how much hits change the movie business in a year’s time
The early effects of the fall streaming #pricehikes
The good news/not great news in the ESPN U.S. numbers
Comps between Sports and Entertainment revenue and profitability to note
And of course, good ol’ theme parks
NOW: My apologies to paying Ankler subs, but due to the, uh, popularity of “unpaid sharing” on my past few earnings breakdowns — gonna have to click one button to continue on here today. I know, I get it . . . again, newsletter technology has shockingly only come so far.
But I did all the homework for ya here, so come take a gander.