Disney Returns to Profit: Streaming Makes Money, Inside Out 2 Hits Big

New York, Aug 7 (AP) Disney returned to a profitable third quarter as its combined streaming business started making money for the first time and the movie Inside Out 2 did well in theatres.

Operating income for the entertainment segment nearly tripled to USD 1.2 billion thanks to better performances from its direct-to-consumer and content sales/licensing and Other segments.

The Walt Disney Co. said Wednesday that its direct-to-consumer business, which includes Disney+ and Hulu, reported a quarterly operating loss of USD 19 million, which was smaller than its loss of USD 505 million a year earlier. Revenue climbed 15 per cent to USD 5.81 billion.

For the period ended June 29, Disney earned USD 2.62 billion, or USD 1.43 per share. A year earlier it lost USD 460 million, or 25 cents per share.

Stripping out one-time gains, earnings were USD 1.39 per share, easily topping the USD 1.20 analysts polled by Zacks Investment Research expected.

Revenue for the Burbank, California, company rose 4 per cent to USD 23.16 billion, beating Wall Street's estimate of USD 22.91 billion.

The company made USD 254 million in operating income from content sales and licensing helped by the strong performance of Inside Out 2 at movie theatres, which is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time.

Disney said Wednesday that the original Inside Out, which came out in 2015, helped drive more than 1.3 million Disney+ sign-ups and generated over 100 million views worldwide since the first Inside Out 2 teaser trailer dropped.

The combined streaming businesses, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+, achieved profitability for the first time thanks to a strong three months for ESPN+ and a better-than-expected quarterly performance from the direct-to-consumer unit.

Disney said in May that it expected its overall streaming business to soften in the third quarter due to its platform in India, Disney+Hotstar. The company also said at the time that it anticipated its combined streaming businesses to be profitable in the fourth quarter, so the money-making quarter was a surprise.

In the Experiences division, which includes theme parks, revenue climbed 3 per cent in the third quarter. International rose 5 per cent. Domestic parks and experiences operating income fell 6 per cent, while international operating income edged up 2 per cent.

Disney said that the decline in operating revenue for domestic parks and experiences was because of increased costs driven by inflation, technology spending and new guest offerings.

The company cautioned that the moderation in demand it saw in its domestic parks in the third quarter could linger for the next few quarters. It anticipates fourth-quarter Experiences operating income falling by mid single digits compared with the prior-year period due to the domestic parks moderation as well as cyclical softening in China and less people at Disneyland Paris due to the impact the Olympics had on normal consumer travel.

Disney now anticipates full-year adjusted earnings per share growth of 30 per cent.

In April shareholders rebuffed efforts by activist investor Nelson Peltz to claim seats on the company board, standing firmly behind Iger as he tries to energize the company after a rough stretch.

In June Disney asked a federal appellate court to dismiss its lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after his appointees approved a deal with the company on how Walt Disney World will be developed over the next two decades, ending the last piece of conflict between the two sides.

As part of the 15-year deal, Disney agreed to invest USD 17 billion into Disney World over the next two decades and the district committed to making infrastructure improvement on the theme park resort's property.

Shares dipped slightly before the opening bell Wednesday.