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Disney Earnings In-Depth: ESPN Woes Hurt Revenue

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Disney (DIS - Free Report) just reported its first-quarter 2017 earnings, and the massive media conglomerate is garnering plenty of attention today because of it. While Disney has its hands in a lot of things, perhaps the most intriguing part of today’s report is the new data from its Media Networks division.

Disney’s Media Networks, which includes all-day sports programming channel ESPN, has been the focus of investors over the past few years due to increased competition from Netflix (NFLX), Hulu, and Amazon’s (AMZN) Prime Video. ESPN and Disney’s other channels are inherently linked to cable subscriptions, meaning that the “cord-cutting” phenomenon has cut into the company’s revenues.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, Disney’s Media Networks division brought in $5.658 billion, down from $5.826 billion in the comparable quarter.

In the prior-year quarter, the Media Networks segment saw revenues of $6.332 billion. According to today’s report, Media Networks saw first-quarter 2017 revenues of $6.233 billion, which represents a 2% year-over-year decline.

Breaking this down a bit, Cable Networks, a division within Media Networks that includes channels like ESPN, saw revenues decrease 2% to $4.4 billion. In the earnings report, the company said that the decrease in operating income in this division was due to “a decrease at ESPN.”

“The decrease at ESPN was due to higher programming costs and lower advertising revenue, partially offset by affiliate revenue growth,” the company said, pointing the finger at College Football Playoff games and more expensive contracts with the NBA and NFL.

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