Disney shares sink as streaming business falls shy of profitability

Disney’s combined streaming business of Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ came close to making money in the second quarter.

The entertainment giant said Tuesday that its combined streaming business saw revenues of $6.19 billion and an operating loss of just $18 million in the second quarter. That operating loss represented a decrease of 97% from the same period last year.

Shares were lower during midday trading.

Things were rosier for Disney’s entertainment streaming business of Disney+ and Hulu. They “achieved an important milestone” of notching an operating income of $47 million in the quarter, CEO Bob Iger said.

“That is particularly noteworthy when you consider we reported peak losses only 18 months ago,” Iger said in a statement.

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Iger noted that Disney’s path to streaming profitability “will not be linear.”

“While we’re anticipating a softer third quarter due in large part to the seasonality of our India sports offerings, we fully expect streaming to be a growth driver for the company in the future, and we have prioritized the steps necessary to achieve this,” he added.

Attendees are reflected in Disney+ logo during the Walt Disney D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, on Sept. 9, 2022.  (PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)

Both Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said they anticipate profitability at Disney’s combined streaming business in the fourth quarter, plus “further improvements in profitability” for the following year. Executives at the entertainment giant have been saying for some time that its streaming services, which now collectively have 228.6 million subscribers, would hit that milestone in 2024.

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The company has several streaming initiatives in the pipeline. 

For Disney+, it will start cracking down on subscribers lending their accounts to non-household members, with the company planning a global password crackdown rollout “in earnest” in September, Iger said. The streaming service will also start offering an in-platform ESPN tile in the U.S. “by the end of this calendar year.”

The addition of ESPN content to Disney+ comes after Disney already incorporated the “Hulu on Disney+” feature in the U.S. in late March for bundle subscribers. Iger said the company was “encouraged by the early results” of the Hulu tile.

Disney CEO Bob Iger and CFO Hugh Johnston said they anticipate profitability at Disney’s combined streaming business in the fourth quarter, plus “further improvements in profitability” for the following year.  ((Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney) / Getty Images)

Disney has previously said it envisions its streaming business eventually turning double-digit profit margins.

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Johnston declined to give a specific timeline for achieving that while speaking with analysts and investors during the earnings call Tuesday morning. Instead, he said the streaming business “is in great shape and we feel good about the growth prospects.”

Overall, Disney generated $22.08 billion in revenue in the second quarter, up from $21.82 billion in the same three-month period last year but below Wall Street estimates.

It reported adjusted earnings per share excluding certain items of $1.21, above the $1.10 estimate.