BENGALURU: Lower videogames, home entertainment and television licensing revenues pulled down Warner Bros revenue by 19.4 percent year-over-year (y-o-y) and operating income by 9.4 percent y-o-y for the quarter ended 30 June 2016 (Q2-16, current quarter). Warner Bros contributed 38.2 percent to Time Warner Inc. (Time Warner) in Q2-16, and hence pulled down its parent’s consolidated revenue by 5.4 percent y-o-y to $6,952 million from $7,348 million in the corresponding year ago quarter.
Time Warner operating income was almost flat y-o-y (declined 0.7 percent) in the current quarter at $1,846 million as compared to $1,849 million in Q2-15. Adjusted operating income in Q2-16 declined 5.5 percent y-o-y to $1,760 million from $1,862 million in Q2-15.
Company speak
Time Warner chairman and CEO Jeff Bewkes said, “We had a strong first half of 2016, which puts us ahead of our original goals for the year. Our performance reflects the creative excellence resulting from investments we’ve been making in the very best content. At the same time, we’re capitalizing on new distribution opportunities to take advantage of the growing demand for high-quality video content around the world. As an example of our creative excellence, Time Warner received 148 Primetime Emmy nominations - more than any other company - with HBO’s 94 again setting the pace for the industry. In the second quarter, TNT and TBS finished as the two highest rated ad-supported cable networks in primetime among adults 18-49, and Warner Bros. once again came out of the upfront as the leading supplier to broadcast television. Warner Bros. also gained momentum in film with recent successes, such as Central Intelligence and The Conjuring 2, and anticipation is running high for Suicide Squad, which debuts this week.”
Bewkes continued, “Today, we also announced our 10 percent investment in Hulu LLC and that Turner has separately signed an affiliate agreement for its full suite of networks to be carried on Hulu’s live-streaming service slated for launch early next year. These are just the latest examples of our commitment to supporting innovative digital services that allow consumers to access high-quality content however they want it across a variety of platforms. We’re confident the multiple investments we’re making in these types of services position the Company to benefit from growing global demand for the strongest network brands and very best video content.”
Segment numbers
Time Warner has three segments – Turner – which contributed the most to revenue (43.3 percent in Q2-16), Home Box Office – the smallest segment in terms of revenue contribution (21.1 percent in Q2-16) and Warner Bros which contributed 38.2 percent to Time Warner’s revenue Q2-16.
Turner
Turner reported 6.5 percent y-o-y increase in revenue in Q2-16 at $3,010 million as compared to $2,827 million in Q2-15. Revenues due to increases of 11 percent ($142 million) in Subscription revenue and 6 percent ($73 million) in Advertising revenue, partially offset by a decline of 15 percent ($32 million) in Content and other revenue says the company.
Turner’s operating income in Q2-16 was flat y-o-y at $1,130 million, while adjusted operating income increased marginally y-o-y (0.3 percent) to $1,133 million from $1,130 million. The company says that operating income was flat as the growth in revenues was offset by higher expenses, including increased programming and marketing costs.
Home Box Office (HBO)
HBO revenue in the current quarter increased 2 percent y-o-y to $1,467million from $1,438 million in Q2-15. Time Warner says that HBO revenue increased due to an increase of 6 percent ($72 million) in Subscription revenues partially offset by a decline of 17 percent ($43 million) in Content and other revenues.
The segment reported 5.3 percent y-o-y decline in operating income and adjusted operating income in the current quarter to $481 million from $508 million in Q2-15. Operating income declined because the growth in revenues was more than offset by higher expenses, including increased programming and restructuring and severance costs says the company.
Warner Bros
As mentioned above, Warner Bros declined 19.4 percent y-o-y to $2,658 million from $3,298 due to lower videogames, home entertainment and television licensing revenues.
The segment reported 9.7 percent y-o-y decline in operating income in Q2-16 to $308 million from $341 million. Adjusted operating income in the current quarter declined 36.9 percent to $217 million from $344 million in Q2-15. Time Warner says that operating income declined due to the decline in revenues, partially offset by lower associated costs of revenues due to the number and mix of film and videogames releases, a $90 million gain on the April 2016 sale of Flixster and lower film valuation adjustments.
