Just hours after the studios and streamers made public their latest “comprehensive package” towards a deal with the WGA, the guild has responded – and its seems the AMPTP and top CEOs may have strategically overplayed their hand.
03.08.2023 - 11:21 / deadline.com
Warner Bros. Discovery reported spotty financial results in the second quarter, but delivered better-than-expected free cash flow.
The company posted a loss per share of 51 cents, which was worse than the 42 cents expected by Wall Street analysts. Revenue dipped 4% from the prior-year quarter to come in at $10.358 billion, a shade less than the Street’s number. Ditto streaming subscriber numbers, which showed a loss of 1.8 million subscribers and a tally of 95.8 million.
The disappointing release of The Flash and ongoing struggles in the ad sales marketplace and the challenged linear TV business weighed on results in the networks and studio divisions. The meteoric success of Barbie in July did not count in the second quarter, but that didn’t stop the company from shading its second-quarter release bright pink in celebration of the Mattel breakout.
Free cash flow was by far the standout financial metric, reaching $1.7 billion, more than double the $789 million of the year-ago quarter.
Management had been signaling that the Max rebrand unveiled in the spring would result in churn as a number of subscribers to both HBO Max and Discovery+ cut their subscriptions to the latter in favor of the combined service. Marketing costs related to the Max launch in May also took a toll on the quarterly results. Discovery+ is still offered as a cheaper stand-alone offering, but a lot of its programming can be found on Max.
In terms of the bottom line, streaming turned a corner in the first quarter and the company updated its outlook to project it would become profitable by the end of this year. Previously, it had guided to profit by 2025. CEO David Zaslav, long an outspoken critic of scripted streaming when he was running Discovery,
Just hours after the studios and streamers made public their latest “comprehensive package” towards a deal with the WGA, the guild has responded – and its seems the AMPTP and top CEOs may have strategically overplayed their hand.
writers strike. The CEOs of the major studios — including Ted Sarandos of Netflix and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery — are also expected to hold a joint call on Friday to discuss the next move in the talks.
dropped on Tuesday, the reality star formerly known as Raquel revealed that she gave Tom Sandoval a key to her apartment in the fallout of last year’s “Scandoval.”The moniker was coined in March 2023 when “Vanderpump Rules” stars Leviss and Sandoval were caught in an affair that had been going on for months. Sandoval was then in a nearly-decade-long relationship with “Vanderpump” co-star Ariana Madix.Leviss has stayed out of the limelight recently in an attempt to move on from the scandal, but on “Just B,” she dished so much drama that listeners’ cup runneth over.Leviss revealed that she gave Sandoval a key to her apartment while she was staying at a mental health facility so that he could escape the arctic climate of an apartment shared with an ex.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Layoffs have hit the streaming marketing team at HBO and Max. A source close to the situation told Variety Wednesday that the cuts are in the double digits, but no specific number was available at the time of publication. The insider says the content division is not impacted by these layoffs.
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Bleacher Report has a new type of game to analyze. Surf on over to the sports-commentary site that has been part of the Warner Bros. Discovery stable since 2012, and you’ll see the usual stuff: a ranking of the best superstar duos in the NBA; speculation over whether the Atlanta Hawks will trade for the Toronto Raptors’ Shams Chanria; and an aggregation of a story about the Kansas City Chiefs and defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Ariana Madix and Tom Sandoval have reunited. On Aug. 8, the exes were photographed together for the first time since filming for season 11 of started in late June.
K.J. Yossman Andrew Georgiou upped to head of Warner Bros. Discovery’s media business in the U.K.
More change at Warner Bros. Discovery, with UK and Ireland boss Antonio Ruiz exiting to be replaced by Andrew Georgiou.
Toby Jones & David Morrissey Board ITV Yorkshire Ripper Drama
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Adam Devine appeared on Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast during his press tour for Netflix’s “The Out-Laws” and shared his theory that Marvel movies and other superhero films killed the traditional Hollywood comedy. The “Workaholics” and “Pitch Perfect” alum noted that because Marvel movies rely so much on humor (see the “Ant-Man” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchises, for instance), they ended up becoming Hollywood’s new de facto comedy films. “You watch comedies nowadays and you’re like, this is not a fucking comedy,” Devine said.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Paramount Global hosted its second-quarter earnings call Tuesday amid the ongoing writers and actors strikes in Hollywood. Just like every other major media company that has reported its Q2 results already, the CBS parent company’s execs addressed the work stoppages with hopes for a timely resolution and comments on how it will affect their business operations. “We anticipate continued delays in production for the duration of the strikes, and as such, we estimate free cash flow in the back half of the year will be significantly higher than previously expected,” Paramount CFO Naveen Chopra said.
In a just-released clip from his Peacock show Hart to Heart, Kevin Hart asks Dwayne Johnson why, given what Hart sees as a successful opening and “an appetite from your fan base,” Black Adam didn’t get a sequel.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros Discovery’s long-serving exec Alyson Jackson has exited after 14 years in David Zaslav’s stable.
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery appears to have bigger digital plans for Charles Barkley and Anderson Cooper. Warner Bros.
Sports and news programming will be coming “soon” to Max, according to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav.
Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Warner Bros. Discovery lost 1.8 million streaming subscribers from April 1-June 30, the quarter during which it launched new combined streamer Max. Streaming subscribers across WBD’s HBO, Max and Discovery+ now total 95.8 million, per the company’s Q2 earnings report released Thursday.
Brian Steinberg Senior TV Editor Warner Bros. Discovery trimmed its losses in its second quarter but saw revenue fall in key areas such as advertising and content production as the company, built from a merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery Communications, continues to navigate shifting terrain in the media sector.
As the SAG-AFTRA strike enters its second month with no end in sight, joining the WGA strike that began in May, some of Hollywood’s biggest stars have been taking to picket lines to support the unions.
R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has revisited his cover of Sinéad O’Connor‘s ‘The Last Day Of Our Acquaintance’ in tribute to the late star.The acclaimed Irish singer and activist died this week (July 26) at the age of 56, her family announced.
Could an October surprise be coming to Hollywood’s picket lines and C-suites?