DIS Shareholders and Stock Info ONLY

[RivShore]

Prediction: The results won't be good, and they will admit they are in a pickle.

I agree results won't be good especially since it is their year end - time to throw every bad thing into already bad results. But they will never admit they are in a pickle, they will say they have a wonderful bunch of valuable assets and are working to make sure each one is a contributor, in one way or another (ongoing profits or sell for big cash).

 

[wabbott]

I agree results won't be good especially since it is their year end - time to throw every bad thing into already bad results. But they will never admit they are in a pickle, they will say they have a wonderful bunch of valuable assets and are working to make sure each one is a contributor, in one way or another (ongoing profits or sell for big cash).

The Q4 result last year was the straw that broke Paycheck's back and ushered in the return of Iger. Reckon he's having second (or third) thoughts/

 

[clarker99]

Prediction: The results won't be good, and they will admit they are in a pickle.

I agree results won't be good especially since it is their year end - time to throw every bad thing into already bad results. But they will never admit they are in a pickle, they will say they have a wonderful bunch of valuable assets and are working to make sure each one is a contributor, in one way or another (ongoing profits or sell for big cash).

The Q4 result last year was the straw that broke Paycheck's back and ushered in the return of Iger. Reckon he's having second (or third) thoughts/

DMED will likely post a $1b+ operating income increase vs Q4FY22 (and same again in Q1FY24 vs Q1FY23).

DPEP will likely show small growth vs Q4FY22. Things get to tougher comparables for DPEP in the next fiscal year. Tough to compare things after a blowout Q1FY23 followed by a record year.

Educated guess but TWDC should report approx $12.5B in operating income for FY23 vs $12.1B in FY22.

 

[Elijah Abrams]

https://deadline.com/2023/10/disney...streaming-practices-federal-court-1235562640/

Disney Must Face Pared-Down Antitrust Suit On Live Streaming Pay TV, Says Federal Judge​

By Jill Goldsmith
October 3, 2023 4:02pm

A federal judge in California ruled today that a class action antitrust lawsuit against Disney can go forward, though he struck down a chunk of the case, which was filed last fall.

A group of YouTube TV subscribers claimed among other things that the company’s business deals with competitors have inflated the amount consumers pay for streaming live TV services. The suit said that because Disney requires streamers, including YouTube TV and Sling TV, to include ESPN in base packages, they are paying more for their subscriptions than they should. They also alleged antitrust violation on the grounds that Disney’s control of content and distribution, including operating control of Hulu and its Hulu + Live TV, presented a barrier to entry in the market.

Judge Edward Davila of U.S. District Court in San Jose granted the barrier to entry portion of the suit, but denied the pricing claims and related damages. He said plaintiffs had not presented “cognizable injury” to competition and gave them until October 16 to refile.

“The Court agrees with Disney that, to the extent Plaintiffs rely on allegations of reduced consumer choice and increased subscription prices, these allegations are insufficient to allege an injury to competition,” he said. But, “Plaintiffs also allege that, in addition to increased prices, the infrastructure and agreements have produced barriers to entry. Detailed allegations of barriers to entry are sufficient to allege anticompetitive harm.”

Plaintiffs allege that Disney’s anticompetitive conduct has prevented “entry by potential rival because a new entrant would need to contract with Disney in order to obtain “several notable channels,” such as ESPN…Disney thus maintains a cost input into each market participant’s product, and can prevent or retard entry.”

“For the foregoing reasons, Defendant’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim is GRANTED IN PART and DENIED IN PART with leave to amend,” the court said.

Disney wasn’t immediately available to comment.

 

[wabbott]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warner-bros-discoverys-wbd-discovery-155700344.html

Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) Discovery+ Announces Price Hike

Zacks Equity Research
Wed, October 4, 2023 at 10:57 AM CDT

Warner Bros. Discovery WBD announced that it is raising the cost of a new ad-free monthly subscription for Discovery+ in the United States and Canada. From Oct 3, the price of the monthly subscription increased from $6.99 to $8.99, with applicable taxes. However, the ad-lite subscription has been unchanged at $4.99 per month.

In Canada, the price of a new ad-free monthly subscription for Discovery+ increased from CAD $6.99 to CAD $8.99. The cost of a new ad-lite subscription also increased from CAD $4.99 to CAD $5.99.

Existing subscribers will experience the price increase in their monthly billing cycle on or after Nov 2.

This is the first time that Discovery+ has raised the monthly subscriptions in these regions since its launch in January 2021. This adjustment enables the provider to consistently deliver compelling content across various genres, such as food, home, relationships, true crime and the paranormal.

Streaming Giants Increase Subscription Rates to Meet Production Costs​

In recent years, the streaming TV has become increasingly competitive, leading Hollywood companies to invest billions in creating its own streaming platforms and content libraries in order to compete with Netflix NFLX.

Consequently, the cost of participating in the streaming era has steadily risen. Streaming companies are finding it difficult to balance between making money and content spending to aid subscriber growth. Streaming giants have already increased their prices and are looking for other ways, such as merchandising and providing ad-supported tiers, to boost revenues.

Netflix has raised its subscription prices several times since its launch. Netflix raised its prices in January 2022 and has put restrictions on password sharing. Individuals who previously used streaming accounts paid by people living in different households are now required to have their own subscriptions. This change originated with NFLX, which no longer permits subscribers to share their accounts with individuals who do not reside in the same household.

Disney’s DIS streaming platforms, such as Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, have also become more expensive as DIS has focused more on streaming. Disney is set to increase the prices of its ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu once again, starting Oct 12. Disney+ will be priced at $13.99 per month and Hulu's no-ads tier will be available for $17.99 per month. The ad-supported tiers of both services will continue to be priced at $7.99 for the time being.

Paramount’s PARA online streaming service provider, Paramount+, has also increased its monthly charges like other platforms in the online streaming market. On Jun 27, Paramount+ implemented a price hike coinciding with the launch of Paramount+ with Showtime integration. This change raised the cost of the current ad-supported essential plan from $4.99 to $5.99 per month and the premium plan increased from $9.99 to $11.99 per month, now including Showtime as part of the premium offering.

Warner Bros. Discovery is set to follow the steps of other streaming services by putting a stop on password sharing. This will boost direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscribers as well as revenues in the upcoming quarters.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WBD’s 2023 total DTC subscribers is pegged at 96,562, indicating year-over-year growth of 0.48%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $41.94 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 24.01%.

Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 9.2% year to date compared with the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector’s rise of 4.5% due to steady growth in DTC subscribers and revenues in the previous quarters.

 

[clarker99]

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/warner-bros-discoverys-wbd-discovery-155700344.html

Warner Bros. Discovery's (WBD) Discovery+ Announces Price Hike

Zacks Equity Research
Wed, October 4, 2023 at 10:57 AM CDT

Warner Bros. Discovery WBD announced that it is raising the cost of a new ad-free monthly subscription for Discovery+ in the United States and Canada. From Oct 3, the price of the monthly subscription increased from $6.99 to $8.99, with applicable taxes. However, the ad-lite subscription has been unchanged at $4.99 per month.

In Canada, the price of a new ad-free monthly subscription for Discovery+ increased from CAD $6.99 to CAD $8.99. The cost of a new ad-lite subscription also increased from CAD $4.99 to CAD $5.99.

Existing subscribers will experience the price increase in their monthly billing cycle on or after Nov 2.

This is the first time that Discovery+ has raised the monthly subscriptions in these regions since its launch in January 2021. This adjustment enables the provider to consistently deliver compelling content across various genres, such as food, home, relationships, true crime and the paranormal.

Streaming Giants Increase Subscription Rates to Meet Production Costs​

In recent years, the streaming TV has become increasingly competitive, leading Hollywood companies to invest billions in creating its own streaming platforms and content libraries in order to compete with Netflix NFLX.

Consequently, the cost of participating in the streaming era has steadily risen. Streaming companies are finding it difficult to balance between making money and content spending to aid subscriber growth. Streaming giants have already increased their prices and are looking for other ways, such as merchandising and providing ad-supported tiers, to boost revenues.

Netflix has raised its subscription prices several times since its launch. Netflix raised its prices in January 2022 and has put restrictions on password sharing. Individuals who previously used streaming accounts paid by people living in different households are now required to have their own subscriptions. This change originated with NFLX, which no longer permits subscribers to share their accounts with individuals who do not reside in the same household.

Disney’s DIS streaming platforms, such as Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, have also become more expensive as DIS has focused more on streaming. Disney is set to increase the prices of its ad-free versions of Disney+ and Hulu once again, starting Oct 12. Disney+ will be priced at $13.99 per month and Hulu's no-ads tier will be available for $17.99 per month. The ad-supported tiers of both services will continue to be priced at $7.99 for the time being.

Paramount’s PARA online streaming service provider, Paramount+, has also increased its monthly charges like other platforms in the online streaming market. On Jun 27, Paramount+ implemented a price hike coinciding with the launch of Paramount+ with Showtime integration. This change raised the cost of the current ad-supported essential plan from $4.99 to $5.99 per month and the premium plan increased from $9.99 to $11.99 per month, now including Showtime as part of the premium offering.

Warner Bros. Discovery is set to follow the steps of other streaming services by putting a stop on password sharing. This will boost direct-to-consumer (DTC) subscribers as well as revenues in the upcoming quarters.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WBD’s 2023 total DTC subscribers is pegged at 96,562, indicating year-over-year growth of 0.48%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pegged at $41.94 billion, indicating year-over-year growth of 24.01%.

Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company have gained 9.2% year to date compared with the Zacks Consumer Discretionary sector’s rise of 4.5% due to steady growth in DTC subscribers and revenues in the previous quarters.

Current market caps:
PARA $7.8B
WBD $25B

Who is buying Paramount?

 

[wabbott]

Current market caps:
PARA $7.8B
WBD $25B

Who is buying Paramount?

Maybe not much value there? A TV network and cable channels.

https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/para/company-profile?mod=mw_quote_tab

Paramount Global operates as a mass media company, which creates and distributes content across a variety of platforms to audiences around the world. It operates its business through the following segments: Entertainment, Cable Networks, Publishing, and Local Media. The Entertainment segment is composed of the CBS Television Network, CBS Television Studios, CBS Studios International, CBS Television Distribution, CBS Interactive, and CBS Films, as well as the company's digital streaming services, CBS All Access and CBSN. The Cable Networks segment includes Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, and Smithsonian Networks. The Publishing segment manages Simon & Schuster's consumer book publishing business with imprints such as Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books, Scribner, and Atria Books. The Local Media segment handles CBS Television Stations and CBS Local Digital Media, with revenues generated primarily from advertising sales and retransmission fees. The company was founded by Sumner Murray Redstone in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

 

[clarker99]

Maybe not much value there? A TV network and cable channels.

https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/para/company-profile?mod=mw_quote_tab

Paramount Global operates as a mass media company, which creates and distributes content across a variety of platforms to audiences around the world. It operates its business through the following segments: Entertainment, Cable Networks, Publishing, and Local Media. The Entertainment segment is composed of the CBS Television Network, CBS Television Studios, CBS Studios International, CBS Television Distribution, CBS Interactive, and CBS Films, as well as the company's digital streaming services, CBS All Access and CBSN. The Cable Networks segment includes Showtime Networks, CBS Sports Network, and Smithsonian Networks. The Publishing segment manages Simon & Schuster's consumer book publishing business with imprints such as Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books, Scribner, and Atria Books. The Local Media segment handles CBS Television Stations and CBS Local Digital Media, with revenues generated primarily from advertising sales and retransmission fees. The company was founded by Sumner Murray Redstone in 1986 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

Paramount made $6B in licensing revenue last FY and look to be on the same $6B pace for this year. Networks are still churning profits. Their content has value.

 

[wabbott]

Paramount made $6B in licensing revenue last FY and look to be on the same $6B pace for this year. Networks are still churning profits. Their content has value.

But no net profits since 2022

https://ycharts.com/companies/PARA/net_income

 

[clarker99]

But no net profits since 2022

https://ycharts.com/companies/PARA/net_income

A familiar story in that Streaming is the problem (and to much lesser extent their Studio).

I don't really care in the end but they have lots of strong IP and sports rights (NFL rights, Big Ten rights, The Masters rights, UEFA Champions League rights etc.

 

[RivShore]

Streaming has sucked profits and cash flow from every old media company who has tried it. I've said it more than a few times on this thread - all the old media companies should have stuck with (or joined up with) Hulu (which was its original purpose). Make it the one stop shop for all linear media. How could that not have been a giant success and possibly even push Netflix into second place.

 

[wabbott]

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/04/disney-discounting-child-tickets-at-domestic-parks-.html​

Disney is discounting child tickets at U.S. parks as industry attendance lags​

Published Wed, Oct 4 2023 - 12:02 PM EDT
Sarah Whitten@sarahwhit10

Key Points

• Disney is discounting children’s tickets at its domestic theme parks for a limited time early next year.
• The price cuts come as the company’s U.S.-based parks have seen a slowdown in attendance and hotel room occupancy, and consumers have faced higher costs due to inflation.
• Still Disney’s parks are a bright spot for the company’s bottom line, and it plans to invest around $60 billion in this division over the next 10 years.

t’s about to be cheaper for families to visit Disney’s domestic theme parks.

The Walt Disney Company on Wednesday announced new, limited time discounts on children’s tickets at Disneyland and Disney World.

Starting Oct. 24, parents can purchase children’s ticket (valid for kids aged three to nine) for the California-based Disneyland resort for as low as $50 each. Tickets can be used between Jan. 8 and March 10 of next year.

As for the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, children’s tickets and dining plans will be half-off for guests who purchase a four-day, four-night vacation package at one of its resorts. The deal starts Nov. 14 and can be used from March 3 through June 30, 2024.

The price cuts come as the company’s U.S.-based parks have seen a slowdown in attendance and hotel room occupancy as consumers face higher costs due to inflation. Disney is not the only company facing these issues. Universal’s domestic parks, as well as region players like Six Flags and Sea World
, have reported lower attendance this year.

Travel agents have pointed to higher ticket prices and a rise in trips to Europe as the major factors in declining domestic theme park attendance.

This is not the first time Disney has offered limited time deals or altered pricing. Earlier this year, the company updated policies at both domestic parks, including modifications to its reservation and ticketing systems for annual pass memberships. The changes came as guests complained about rising prices and longer wait times.

Parks, experiences and products, the division that runs Disney’s parks, has remained a bright spot for the company in recent quarters. Disney has faced ad-related revenue losses within its traditional media business and has had difficulty monetizing its streaming business, as production costs and licensing fees soar.

Meanwhile, the parks division saw a 13% increase in revenue during the third quarter, reaching $8.3 billion.

The company has touted that this segment has expanded at a combined annual growth rate of 6% since 2017, and generated $32.3 billion in operating income over the last 12 months.

Disney is leaning further into the successful business. The company is expected to nearly double its investment in its parks division, with plans to spend around $60 billion over the next 10 years.

Projects already in motion include redesigning Splash Mountain at both domestic resorts with a “Princess and the Frog” theme, as well as updates to existing hotel and resort locations. Disney also plans to nearly double the capacity of its cruise line, adding two ships in fiscal 2025 and another in 2026.

The company provided “blue sky” ideas for its parks during its D23 Expo last year in Anaheim, California. These projects are still in early development and may not see the light of day. This included the possibility of revamping Dino Land at Animal Kingdom in Orlando to be themed as a “Zootopia” or “Moana” area.

At Magic Kingdom, Disney is asking the question: “What is behind Big Thunder Mountain?” The company teased that an area based on “Coco” or “Encanto,” or both, could be in that location. There were also talks about the possibility of bringing to life an area of the Magic Kingdom overrun by Disney villains.

Price points will vary for these projects, if they do come to fruition. The recent additions of the two Star Wars: Galaxy Edge lands in Disneyland and Disney World are estimated to have cost $1 billion each.

Disclosure: Comcast is the parent company of NBCUniversal and CNBC.

 

[wabbott]

https://www.ft.com/content/1a2b477d-4ea1-4411-8319-95e7e460fb01

Disney streams Cricket World Cup free in India to challenge Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema
US entertainment group has exclusive rights to broadcast the tournament

Benjamin Parkin in New Delhi - 10/4/23

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https://www.ft.com/content/1a2b477d-4ea1-4411-8319-95e7e460fb01

Disney will offer free mobile phone streaming of the upcoming Cricket World Cup in India as the US entertainment group competes for streaming supremacy with Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema.The World Cup starts this year when England meet New Zealand in Ahmedabad on Thursday and runs until November 19. It will be the first time the competition has been held in India in over a decade and is expected to attract hundreds of millions of viewers.

Disney, which exclusively holds both the World Cup broadcast and digital rights, hopes the contest will give it some momentum in India after last year losing the 2023-2027 online rights to stream the popular Indian Premier League cricket tournament to JioCinema.

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https://www.ft.com/content/1a2b477d-4ea1-4411-8319-95e7e460fb01

Mobile phones are an important viewing platform in India, where most people do not own televisions.

JioCinema, a joint venture with investors including Ambani’s Reliance Industries and James Murdoch, streamed the IPL earlier this year for free, poaching viewers and advertisers from Disney and sparking a price battle.

While Disney retained the IPL TV rights, it has been losing streaming subscribers. Chief executive Bob Iger said in July the company was open to selling TV assets, and multiple reports have indicated this could include offloading its India business. Disney declined to comment.

Disney’s decision to make the World Cup free on mobile highlights the challenges attracting a mass audience in country where purchasing power is far lower than in western markets. The group had in previous seasons experimented with making the IPL and other cricket tournaments free online.

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https://www.ft.com/content/1a2b477d-4ea1-4411-8319-95e7e460fb01

However, this year’s World Cup contest coincides with India’s festive season, a two-month period of back-to-back religious festivals including Diwali, which usually helps drive a surge in consumer spending.

“There’s no other country which is as financially sound as India in terms of supporting cricket,” said Ayaz Memon, an Indian cricket writer.

Between its free mobile streaming and TV broadcasts, Disney is hoping to reach a similar number of viewers to the roughly 800mn people who watched the most recent IPL, said a person familiar with the matter.

India, which last won a World Cup in 2011, is the clear favourite in the tournament. An early exit could be a blow to Disney and the advertisers, precipitating a sharp drop in domestic interest.

That is different from the IPL. “Irrespective of which team gets knocked out, the viewership tends to hold up,” said the person. “If, God forbid, India were to get knocked out in the early stages, that would be a big dent.”

But it will be difficult to surpass the IPL buzz. Since its launch in 2008, the IPL has become one of the world’s most lucrative sports leagues thanks largely to its shorter-format, three-hour matches. The World Cup involves a longer version of the game, with matches lasting a day each.

Media Partners Asia, a consultancy, estimates that advertisers will spend around $300mn on the World Cup, compared to around $480mn at this year’s IPL.

“So much is running on these 75 days of the festive season,” said Mihir Shah, an analyst at Media Partners Asia. “It’s almost like a carnival that will get consumer spending out.”

 

[hertamaniac]

I thought Iger mentioned there will be an announcement about re-issuing dividends by the end of this calendar year. Is that now retracted or was it just a false rumor?

 

[RivShore]

I thought Iger mentioned there will be an announcement about re-issuing dividends by the end of this calendar year. Is that now retracted or was it just a false rumor?

It has been stated by Disney execs more than once so it is not fake news. I would expect to hear more about it at the next earnings call in November. If it is reinstated, I would expect it to be a token amount to start.

They could also decide to wait another few quarters with the excuse that the strikes, continuing inflation, the Hulu purchase, etc, etc all creating new uncertainty.

 

[wabbott]

Current market caps:
PARA $7.8B
WBD $25B

Who is buying Paramount?

Your question piqued my curiosity. At such a low price, it would seem that someone could be interested in buying the company

PARA is owned by all the usual suspects as far as equity goes (Vanguard, BlackRock, Fidelity, etc.) About 10% of the equity ownership is National Amusements, which is privately owned by Shari Redstone. But National has 80% of the voting shares.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Amusements#cite_note-1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paramount_Global

So as long as she wants to run the company and has control of the voting, it likely won't change hands.

 

[Jason_V]

Paramount made $6B in licensing revenue last FY and look to be on the same $6B pace for this year. Networks are still churning profits. Their content has value.

I'm not advocating for Disney to buy Paramount, but could you see the internet's collective brain blowing up if Disney+ has a Star Wars hub right next to a Star Trek hub?

 

[OKW Lover]

Who is buying Paramount?

Apple?
Seriously, why do we see so many stories about Apple possibly buying Disney. But where are the stories about Apple being interested in buying other entertainment companies?

 

[wabbott]

https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/tyler-perry-will-not-be-buying-bet-paramount-decides-to-keep

Tyler Perry will not be buying BET, Paramount decides to keep
By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published August 18, 2023

Tyler Perry was among several bidders hoping to buy the BET Network. However, Paramount has decided to keep it.

ATLANTA - Entertainment mogul Tyler Perry, alongside a cohort of prominent contenders including Sean "Diddy" Combs and businessman Byron Allen, has found disappointment in their pursuit to acquire the BET Network. This outcome transpired after Paramount resolved not to proceed with the sale, sources reveal.

Paramount, the company at the center of this decision, reportedly communicated their verdict to the bidders earlier this week. Tyler Perry, recognized for his prolific contributions to the entertainment industry, was among the notable figures keenly interested in obtaining the B-E-T Network. His endeavors encompass an array of successful shows on the network, such as "SistAs" and "The Oval." Perry also owns a minority stake of the BET+ streaming service.

The BET Network has served as a crucial platform for Black representation and storytelling for decades. Its significance in promoting diversity and inclusion within the entertainment landscape is widely acknowledged. The decision to not proceed with the sale, while disappointing for those involved, reflects the intricate considerations surrounding the network's future.

Tyler Perry Studios, which has produced 24 feature films and 17 television shows, is based in metro Atlanta.

 

[HokieRaven5]

I'm not advocating for Disney to buy Paramount, but could you see the internet's collective brain blowing up if Disney+ has a Star Wars hub right next to a Star Trek hub?

Apple would be the one that tops the list to buy Paramount. Easy way to expand their sports exposure beyond what limited options they already have.

Paramount may still be on the larger side of their typical acquisitions, but it makes more sense than Apple trying to buy Disney