The Walt Disney Company Reports Second Quarter and Six Months Earnings for Fiscal 2024

BURBANK, Calif.–The Walt Disney Company (NYSE: DIS) today reported earnings for its second quarter ended March 30, 2024.

Financial Results for the Quarter:

• Revenues for the quarter increased to $22.1 billion from $21.8 billion in the prior-year quarter.
• Diluted earnings per share (EPS) was a loss of $0.01 for the current quarter compared to income of $0.69 in the prior-year quarter. Diluted EPS decreased to a nominal loss due to goodwill impairments in the quarter, partially offset by higher operating income at Entertainment and Experiences.
• Excluding certain items⁽¹⁾, diluted EPS for the quarter increased to $1.21 from $0.93 in the prior-year quarter.

Key Points:

• In the second fiscal quarter of 2024, we achieved strong double digit percentage growth in adjusted EPS⁽¹⁾, and met or exceeded our financial guidance for the quarter.
• As a result of outperformance in the second quarter, our new full year adjusted EPS⁽¹⁾ growth target is now 25%.
• We remain on track to generate approximately $14 billion of cash provided by operations and over $8 billion of free cash flow⁽¹⁾ this fiscal year.
• We repurchased $1 billion worth of shares in the second quarter and look forward to continuing to return capital to shareholders.
• The Entertainment Direct-to-Consumer business was profitable in the second quarter. While we are expecting softer Entertainment DTC results in Q3 to be driven by Disney+ Hotstar, we continue to expect our combined streaming businesses to be profitable in the fourth quarter, and to be a meaningful future growth driver for the company, with further improvements in profitability in fiscal 2025.
• Disney+ Core subscribers increased by more than 6 million in the second quarter, and Disney+ Core ARPU increased sequentially by 44 cents.
• Sports operating income declined slightly versus the prior year, reflecting the timing impact of College Football Playoff games at ESPN, offset by improved results at Star India.
• The Experiences business was also a growth driver in the second quarter, with revenue growth of 10%, segment operating income growth of 12%, and margin expansion of 60 basis points versus the prior year. Although the third quarter’s segment operating income is expected to come in roughly comparable to the prior year, we continue to expect robust operating income growth at Experiences for the full year.

Message From Our CEO:

“Our strong performance in Q2, with adjusted EPS⁽¹⁾ up 30% compared to the prior year, demonstrates we are delivering on our strategic priorities and building for the future,” said Robert A. Iger, Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “Our results were driven in large part by our Experiences segment as well as our streaming business. Importantly, entertainment streaming was profitable for the quarter, and we remain on track to achieve profitability in our combined streaming businesses in Q4.

“Looking at our company as a whole, it’s clear that the turnaround and growth initiatives we set in motion last year have continued to yield positive results. We have a number of highly anticipated theatrical releases arriving over the next few months; our television shows are resonating with audiences and critics alike; ESPN continues to break ratings records as we further its evolution into the preeminent digital sports platform; and we are turbocharging growth in our Experiences business with a number of near- and long-term strategic investments.”

SUMMARIZED FINANCIAL RESULTS

The following table summarizes second quarter results for fiscal 2024 and 2023:

SUMMARIZED SEGMENT FINANCIAL RESULTS

The following table summarizes second quarter segment revenue and operating income for fiscal 2024 and 2023:

DISCUSSION OF SECOND QUARTER SEGMENT RESULTS

Entertainment

Revenue and operating income for the Entertainment segment are as follows:

The increase in Entertainment operating income in the current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter was due to improved results at Direct-to-Consumer, partially offset by declines at Linear Networks and Content Sales/Licensing and Other.

Linear Networks

Linear Networks revenues and operating income are as follows:

Domestic

The decrease in domestic operating income in the current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter was due to:

• Lower affiliate revenue primarily due to a decrease in subscribers including the impact of the non-renewal of carriage of certain networks by an affiliate, partially offset by higher contractual rates
• A decline in advertising revenue attributable to a decrease in impressions reflecting lower average viewership, partially offset by higher rates

International

Lower international operating income was due to a decrease in affiliate revenue primarily attributable to fewer subscribers and contractual rate decreases.

Equity in the Income of Investees

Income from equity investees decreased due to lower income from A+E Television Networks (A+E) attributable to decreases in advertising and affiliate revenue.

Direct-to-Consumer

Direct-to-Consumer revenues and operating income (loss) are as follows:

The improvement in operating results in the current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter was due to:

• Subscription revenue growth attributable to higher rates due to increases in retail pricing across our streaming services, and subscriber growth at Disney+ Core
• Lower distribution costs
• An increase in advertising revenue due to higher impressions, partially offset by lower rates
• Higher marketing costs
• An increase in programming and production costs due to more programming on our services and higher subscriber-based fees for programming the Hulu Live TV service, partially offset by lower average costs per hour of content available on our services
  • The increase in Hulu Live TV subscriber-based fees was due to rate increases and more subscribers

Second Quarter of Fiscal 2024 Comparison to First Quarter of Fiscal 2024

In addition to revenue, costs and operating income, management uses the following key metrics to analyze trends and evaluate the overall performance of our Disney+ and Hulu direct-to-consumer (DTC) product offerings⁽¹⁾, and we believe these metrics are useful to investors in analyzing the business. The following tables and related discussion are on a sequential quarter basis.

Paid subscribers⁽¹⁾ at:

Average Monthly Revenue Per Paid Subscriber⁽¹⁾ for the quarter ended:

Domestic Disney+ average monthly revenue per paid subscriber decreased from $8.15 to $8.00 due to a higher mix of wholesale subscribers, partially offset by increases in retail pricing.

International Disney+ (excluding Disney+ Hotstar) average monthly revenue per paid subscriber increased from $5.91 to $6.66 due to increases in retail pricing and a lower mix of subscribers to promotional offerings.

Disney+ Hotstar average monthly revenue per paid subscriber decreased from $1.28 to $0.70 due to lower advertising revenue.

Hulu SVOD Only average monthly revenue per paid subscriber decreased from $12.29 to $11.84 due to lower advertising revenue, partially offset by increases in retail pricing.

Hulu Live TV + SVOD average monthly revenue per paid subscriber increased from $93.61 to $95.01 due to increases in retail pricing and a lower mix of subscribers to promotional offerings, partially offset by lower advertising revenue.

Content Sales/Licensing and Other

Content Sales/Licensing and Other revenues and operating income (loss) are as follows:

The decrease in operating results was due to:

• Lower theatrical distribution results as there were no significant titles released in the current quarter compared to Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania in the prior-year quarter. The prior-year quarter also included the benefit of the ongoing performance of Avatar: The Way of Water, which was released in December 2022.
• Higher film cost impairments in the current quarter

Sports

Sports revenues and operating income (loss) are as follows:

Domestic ESPN

Lower domestic ESPN operating results in the current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter were due to:

• An increase in programming and production costs attributable to higher costs for College Football Playoff (CFP) programming as a result of airing an additional game in the current quarter due to timing. In the current quarter, we aired the championship game, two semi-final games and one host game compared to the airing of the championship game and two host games in the prior-year quarter.
• Lower affiliate revenue driven by fewer subscribers, partially offset by contractual rate increases
• Advertising revenue growth primarily due to increases in rates and, to a lesser extent, average viewership. These increases include benefits from the additional CFP game and an additional NFL playoff game in the current quarter.
• Growth in ESPN+ subscription revenue due to higher rates

Star India

The decrease in operating loss at Star India was due to lower programming and production costs attributable to the non-renewal of Board of Control for Cricket in India rights, partially offset by an increase in costs for Indian Premier League matches due to more matches aired in the current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter.

Second Quarter of Fiscal 2024 Comparison to First Quarter of Fiscal 2024

In addition to revenue, costs and operating income, management uses the following key metrics to analyze trends and evaluate the overall performance of our ESPN+ DTC product offering⁽¹⁾, and we believe these metrics are useful to investors in analyzing the business. The following table and related discussion are on a sequential quarter basis.

The increase in ESPN+ average monthly revenue per paid subscriber was due to increases in retail pricing and higher advertising revenue.

Experiences

Experiences revenues and operating income are as follows:

Domestic Parks and Experiences

The increase in operating income at our domestic parks and experiences was due to higher results at Walt Disney World Resort and Disney Cruise Line, partially offset by lower results at Disneyland Resort.

• At Walt Disney World Resort, higher results in the current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter were due to:
  • Increased guest spending attributable to higher average ticket prices
  • Higher costs due to inflation, partially offset by lower depreciation and cost saving initiatives
• Growth at Disney Cruise Line was due to an increase in average ticket prices, partially offset by higher costs
• The decrease in operating results at Disneyland Resort was due to:
  • Higher costs driven by inflation
  • An increase in guest spending attributable to higher average ticket prices and daily hotel room rates
  • Higher volumes due to attendance growth, partially offset by lower occupied room nights

International Parks and Experiences

Higher international parks and experiences’ operating results were due to:

• An increase in operating results at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort attributable to:
  • Guest spending growth due to increases in average ticket prices and food, beverage and merchandise spending
  • Higher volumes resulting from increases in attendance and occupied room nights. Volume growth benefitted from additional days of operations in the current quarter as well as the opening of World of Frozen in November 2023
  • Increased costs driven by inflation and new guest offerings

Consumer Products

The increase in consumer products operating results was driven by higher games licensing revenue.

OTHER FINANCIAL INFORMATION

DTC Streaming Businesses

Revenue and operating loss for our combined DTC streaming businesses, which consist of the Direct-to-Consumer line of business at the Entertainment segment and ESPN+ at the Sports segment, are as follows:

Corporate and Unallocated Shared Expenses

Corporate and unallocated shared expenses increased $112 million for the quarter, from $279 million to $391 million, primarily attributable to:

• Higher costs related to our proxy solicitation and annual shareholder meeting
• Increased compensation costs
• Other cost inflation

Restructuring and Impairment Charges

In the current quarter, the Company recorded charges of $2,052 million due to goodwill impairments related to Star India and entertainment linear networks. The impairment at Star India was a result of the Company entering into a binding agreement in the current quarter to contribute our Star India operations into a new joint venture. In the prior-year quarter, the Company recorded charges of $152 million primarily for severance.

Other Income, net

In the prior-year quarter, the Company recorded a $149 million gain to adjust its investment in DraftKings, Inc. to fair value.

Interest Expense, net

Interest expense, net was as follows:

Equity in the Income of Investees

Equity in the income of investees was as follows:

Income from equity investees decreased $32 million, to $141 million from $173 million, due to lower income from A+E.

Income Taxes

The effective income tax rate was as follows:

The increase in the effective income tax rate was due to an unfavorable impact from the goodwill impairments recognized in the current quarter, which are not tax deductible, partially offset by the benefit from adjustments related to prior years, which were favorable in the current quarter and unfavorable in the prior-year quarter.

Noncontrolling Interests

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests was as follows:

The increase in net income attributable to noncontrolling interests was primarily due to improved results at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, partially offset by the comparison to the accretion of NBC Universal’s interest in Hulu in the prior-year quarter with no accretion in the current quarter as we had fully accreted to the amount paid in December 2023.

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests is determined on income after royalties and management fees, financing costs and income taxes, as applicable.

Cash Flow

Cash provided by operations and free cash flow were as follows:

Cash provided by operations increased $3.6 billion to $5.9 billion in the current period from $2.3 billion in the prior-year period. The increase was due to lower film and television production spending and the timing of payments for sports rights. The increase also reflected lower collateral payments related to our hedging program, a payment in the prior-year period related to the termination of content licenses in fiscal 2022 and higher operating income at Experiences. These increases were partially offset by payment in the current period of fiscal 2023 federal and California income taxes, which were deferred pursuant to relief provided by the Internal Revenue Service and California State Board of Equalization as a result of 2023 winter storms in California.

Capital Expenditures and Depreciation Expense

Investments in parks, resorts and other property were as follows:

Capital expenditures increased to $2.6 billion from $2.4 billion due to higher spend on new attractions and cruise ship fleet expansion at the Experiences segment.

Depreciation expense was as follows:

DTC PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS AND KEY DEFINITIONS

Product offerings

In the U.S., Disney+, ESPN+ and Hulu SVOD Only are each offered as a standalone service or together as part of various multi-product offerings. Hulu Live TV + SVOD includes Disney+ and ESPN+. Disney+ is available in more than 150 countries and territories outside the U.S. and Canada. In India and certain other Southeast Asian countries, the service is branded Disney+ Hotstar. In certain Latin American countries, we offer Disney+ as well as Star+, a general entertainment SVOD service, which is available on a standalone basis or together with Disney+ (Combo+). Depending on the market, our services can be purchased on our websites or through third-party platforms/apps or are available via wholesale arrangements.

Paid subscribers

Paid subscribers reflect subscribers for which we recognized subscription revenue. Subscribers cease to be a paid subscriber as of their effective cancellation date or as a result of a failed payment method. Subscribers to multi-product offerings in the U.S. are counted as a paid subscriber for each service included in the multi-product offering and subscribers to Hulu Live TV + SVOD are counted as one paid subscriber for each of the Hulu Live TV + SVOD, Disney+ and ESPN+ services. In Latin America, if a subscriber has either the standalone Disney+ or Star+ service or subscribes to Combo+, the subscriber is counted as one Disney+ paid subscriber. Subscribers include those who receive an entitlement to a service through wholesale arrangements, including those for which the service is available to each subscriber of an existing content distribution tier. When we aggregate the total number of paid subscribers across our DTC streaming services, we refer to them as paid subscriptions.

International Disney+ (excluding Disney+ Hotstar)

International Disney+ (excluding Disney+ Hotstar) includes the Disney+ service outside the U.S. and Canada and the Star+ service in Latin America.

Average Monthly Revenue Per Paid Subscriber

Hulu and ESPN+ average monthly revenue per paid subscriber is calculated based on the average of the monthly average paid subscribers for each month in the period. The monthly average paid subscribers is calculated as the sum of the beginning of the month and end of the month paid subscriber count, divided by two. Disney+ average monthly revenue per paid subscriber is calculated using a daily average of paid subscribers for the period. Revenue includes subscription fees, advertising (excluding revenue earned from selling advertising spots to other Company businesses) and premium and feature add-on revenue but excludes Pay-Per-View revenue. Advertising revenue generated by content on one DTC streaming service that is accessed through another DTC streaming service by subscribers to both streaming services is allocated between both streaming services. The average revenue per paid subscriber is net of discounts on offerings that carry more than one service. Revenue is allocated to each service based on the relative retail or wholesale price of each service on a standalone basis. Hulu Live TV + SVOD revenue is allocated to the SVOD services based on the wholesale price of the Hulu SVOD Only, Disney+ and ESPN+ multi-product offering. In general, wholesale arrangements have a lower average monthly revenue per paid subscriber than subscribers that we acquire directly or through third-party platforms.

NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES

This earnings release presents diluted EPS excluding certain items (also referred to as adjusted EPS), total segment operating income, free cash flow, and DTC streaming businesses operating income (loss), all of which are important financial measures for the Company, but are not financial measures defined by GAAP.

These measures should be reviewed in conjunction with the most comparable GAAP financial measures and are not presented as alternative measures of diluted EPS, income before income taxes, cash provided by operations, or Entertainment and Sports segment operating income (loss) as determined in accordance with GAAP. Diluted EPS excluding certain items, total segment operating income, free cash flow, and DTC streaming businesses operating income (loss) as we have calculated them may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Our definitions and calculations of diluted EPS excluding certain items, total segment operating income, free cash flow, and DTC streaming businesses operating income (loss), as well as quantitative reconciliations of each of these historical measures and the forward-looking measure of free cash flow to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure are provided below.

The Company is not providing the forward-looking measure for diluted EPS, which is the most directly comparable GAAP measure to diluted EPS excluding certain items, or a quantitative reconciliation of forward-looking diluted EPS excluding certain items to that most directly comparable GAAP measure. The Company is unable to predict or estimate with reasonable certainty the ultimate outcome of certain significant items required for such GAAP measure without unreasonable effort. Information about other adjusting items that is currently not available to the Company could have a potentially unpredictable and significant impact on future GAAP financial results.

Diluted EPS excluding certain items

The Company uses diluted EPS excluding (1) certain items affecting comparability of results from period to period and (2) amortization of TFCF and Hulu intangible assets, including purchase accounting step-up adjustments for released content, to facilitate the evaluation of the performance of the Company’s operations exclusive of these items, and these adjustments reflect how senior management is evaluating segment performance.

The Company believes that providing diluted EPS exclusive of certain items impacting comparability is useful to investors, particularly where the impact of the excluded items is significant in relation to reported earnings and because the measure allows for comparability between periods of the operating performance of the Company’s business and allows investors to evaluate the impact of these items separately.

The Company further believes that providing diluted EPS exclusive of amortization of TFCF and Hulu intangible assets associated with the acquisition in 2019 is useful to investors because the TFCF and Hulu acquisition was considerably larger than the Company’s historic acquisitions with a significantly greater acquisition accounting impact.

The following table reconciles reported diluted EPS to diluted EPS excluding certain items for the second quarter:

The following table reconciles reported diluted EPS from continuing operations to diluted EPS excluding certain items for the six-month period:

Total segment operating income

The Company evaluates the performance of its operating segments based on segment operating income, and management uses total segment operating income as a measure of the performance of operating businesses separate from non-operating factors. The Company believes that information about total segment operating income assists investors by allowing them to evaluate changes in the operating results of the Company’s portfolio of businesses separate from non-operational factors that affect net income, thus providing separate insight into both operations and other factors that affect reported results.

The following table reconciles income before income taxes to total segment operating income:

Free cash flow

The Company uses free cash flow (cash provided by operations less investments in parks, resorts and other property), among other measures, to evaluate the ability of its operations to generate cash that is available for purposes other than capital expenditures. Management believes that information about free cash flow provides investors with an important perspective on the cash available to service debt obligations, make strategic acquisitions and investments and pay dividends or repurchase shares.

The following table presents a summary of the Company’s consolidated cash flows:

The following table reconciles the Company’s consolidated cash provided by operations to free cash flow:

The following table reconciles the Company’s consolidated estimated forward-looking cash provided by operations to estimated forward-looking free cash flow for full year fiscal 2024:

DTC Streaming Businesses

The Company uses combined DTC streaming businesses operating income (loss) because it believes that this measure allows investors to evaluate the performance of its portfolio of streaming businesses and track progress against the Company’s goal of reaching profitability in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 at its combined streaming businesses.

The following tables reconcile Entertainment and Sports segment operating income (loss) to the DTC streaming businesses operating loss: