q3 Fy17 Earnings
q3 Fy17 Earnings
q3 Fy17 Earnings
August 8, 2017
BURBANK, Calif. The Walt Disney Company today reported quarterly earnings for its third fiscal
quarter ended July 1, 2017. Diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter decreased 5% to $1.51 from
$1.59 in the prior-year quarter. Excluding certain items affecting comparability(1), EPS for the quarter
decreased 2% to $1.58 from $1.62 in the prior-year quarter. Diluted EPS for the nine months ended July 1,
2017 decreased to $4.55 from $4.63. Excluding certain items affecting comparability(1), EPS for the nine
months increased to $4.63 from $4.61.
Today we announced a strategic shift in the way we distribute our content. The media landscape is
increasingly defined by direct relationships between content creators and consumers, and our control of
BAMTechs full array of innovative technology will give us the power to forge those connections, along
with the flexibility to quickly adapt to shifts in the market, said Robert A. Iger, Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. This acquisition and the launch of our direct-to-consumer
services mark an entirely new growth strategy for the Company, one that takes advantage of the incredible
opportunity that changing technology provides us to leverage the strength of our great brands.
Our results for the quarter reflect the underlying strength of our brands and franchises, and our
continued investment in high-quality content. Our ability to successfully execute on our core strategy,
coupled with our plans for new direct-to-consumer offerings, give us continued confidence in our ability
to drive shareholder value, said Christine M. McCarthy, Senior Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer, The Walt Disney Company.
The following table summarizes the third quarter and nine-month results for fiscal 2017 and 2016 (in
millions, except per share amounts):
Quarter Ended Nine Months Ended
July 1, July 2, July 1, July 2,
2017 2016 Change 2017 2016 Change
Revenues $ 14,238 $ 14,277 % $ 42,358 $ 42,490 %
Segment operating income (1) $ 4,011 $ 4,456 (10) % $ 11,963 $ 12,545 (5) %
Net income (2)(3) $ 2,366 $ 2,597 (9) % $ 7,233 $ 7,620 (5) %
Diluted EPS (2)(3) $ 1.51 $ 1.59 (5) % $ 4.55 $ 4.63 (2) %
EPS excluding certain items
affecting comparability (1)(3) $ 1.58 $ 1.62 (2) % $ 4.63 $ 4.61 %
Cash provided by operations $ 4,133 $ 3,630 14 % $ 8,831 $ 9,615 (8) %
Free cash flow (1) $ 3,328 $ 2,495 33 % $ 6,103 $ 5,924 3 %
(1)
EPS excluding certain items affecting comparability, segment operating income and free cash flow are non-GAAP
financial measures. See the discussion on pages 7 through 9. For the quarter and nine month periods ended July 1, 2017,
items affecting comparability related to a charge, net of committed insurance recoveries, incurred in connection with the
settlement of litigation ($177 million).
(2)
Reflects amounts attributable to shareholders of The Walt Disney Company, i.e. after deduction of noncontrolling interests.
(3)
Includes an income tax benefit related to the adoption of new accounting rules for the tax effects of employee share-based
awards (see further discussion under Income Taxes on page 5).
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SEGMENT RESULTS
The following table summarizes the third quarter and nine-month segment operating results for fiscal
2017 and 2016 (in millions):
Quarter Ended Nine Months Ended
July 1, July 2, July 1, July 2,
2017 2016 Change 2017 2016 Change
Revenues:
Media Networks $ 5,866 $ 5,906 (1) % $ 18,045 $ 18,031 %
Parks and Resorts 4,894 4,379 12 % 13,748 12,588 9 %
Studio Entertainment 2,393 2,847 (16) % 6,947 7,630 (9) %
Consumer Products &
Interactive Media 1,085 1,145 (5) % 3,618 4,241 (15) %
$ 14,238 $ 14,277 % $ 42,358 $ 42,490 %
Segment operating income:
Media Networks $ 1,842 $ 2,372 (22) % $ 5,427 $ 6,083 (11) %
Parks and Resorts 1,168 994 18 % 3,028 2,599 17 %
Studio Entertainment 639 766 (17) % 2,137 2,322 (8) %
Consumer Products &
Interactive Media 362 324 12 % 1,371 1,541 (11) %
$ 4,011 $ 4,456 (10) % $ 11,963 $ 12,545 (5) %
Media Networks
Media Networks revenues for the quarter decreased 1% to $5.9 billion and segment operating income
decreased 22% to $1.8 billion.
The following table provides further detail of the Media Networks results (in millions):
Quarter Ended Nine Months Ended
July 1, July 2, July 1, July 2,
2017 2016 Change 2017 2016 Change
Revenues:
Cable Networks $ 4,086 $ 4,200 (3) % $ 12,576 $ 12,676 (1) %
Broadcasting 1,780 1,706 4 % 5,469 5,355 2 %
$ 5,866 $ 5,906 (1) % $ 18,045 $ 18,031 %
Segment operating income:
Cable Networks $ 1,462 $ 1,893 (23) % $ 4,117 $ 4,714 (13) %
Broadcasting 253 325 (22) % 976 922 6 %
Equity in the income of
investees 127 154 (18) % 334 447 (25) %
$ 1,842 $ 2,372 (22) % $ 5,427 $ 6,083 (11) %
Cable Networks
Cable Networks revenues for the quarter decreased 3% to $4.1 billion and operating income
decreased 23% to $1.5 billion. Lower operating income was due to a decline at ESPN.
The decrease at ESPN was due to higher programming costs, lower advertising revenue and
severance and contract termination costs, partially offset by affiliate revenue growth. The programming
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cost increase was due to a contractual rate increase for NBA programming, partially offset by a decrease
in the cost of time for ESPN programming aired on the ABC Television Network. Lower advertising
revenue was due to a decrease in average viewership and lower units delivered including the impact of
two fewer NBA finals games, partially offset by higher rates. Affiliate revenue growth was due to
contractual rate increases, partially offset by a decline in subscribers.
Broadcasting
Broadcasting revenues for the quarter increased 4% to $1.8 billion and operating income decreased
22% to $253 million. The decrease in operating income was due to lower advertising revenue, a decrease
in the cost charged to ESPN for programming aired on the ABC Television Network and higher
programming costs. These decreases were partially offset by affiliate revenue growth. The decrease in
advertising revenues reflected lower network impressions, partially offset by higher network rates. Lower
network impressions reflected a decrease in average viewership, partially offset by an increase in units
delivered. Higher programming costs were due to a higher cost mix of programming aired in the current
quarter. Affiliate revenue growth was due to contractual rate increases.
Equity in the Income of Investees
Equity in the income of investees decreased 18% to $127 million due to a loss from our investment in
BAMTech, which we acquired in August 2016 and January 2017, and higher losses from Hulu, partially
offset by higher income at A+E Television Networks (A+E). The loss at BAMTech reflected investments
in their technology platform and the launch of new clients. The decrease at Hulu was due to higher
marketing and labor costs, partially offset by higher subscription revenue. The increase at A+E was due to
lower programming costs, partially offset by lower advertising revenue.
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Studio Entertainment
Studio Entertainment revenues for the quarter decreased 16% to $2.4 billion and segment operating
income decreased 17% to $639 million. Lower operating income was due to decreased theatrical and
home entertainment distribution results, partially offset by growth in TV/SVOD distribution and lower
film cost impairments.
The decrease in theatrical distribution results was due to the performance of our releases in the
current quarter compared to the prior-year quarter. This decrease was partially offset by the impact of
marketing costs in the prior-year quarter for DreamWorks The BFG, which released at the end of the third
quarter of fiscal 2016. There was no comparable title in the current quarter as the Company stopped
distributing new DreamWorks releases after the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016. Significant releases in the
current quarter included Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No
Tales and Cars 3, while the prior-year quarter included Captain America: Civil War, The Jungle Book,
Finding Dory and Alice Through the Looking Glass.
The decrease in home entertainment results was due to lower unit sales driven by the performance of
Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the prior-year quarter compared to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in the
current quarter. Other significant titles in the current quarter included Beauty and the Beast and Moana,
whereas the prior-year quarter included Zootopia.
Higher TV/SVOD distribution results were primarily due to an increase in domestic rates,
international growth and the timing of domestic title availabilities.
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Interest expense, net
Interest expense, net was as follows (in millions):
Quarter Ended
July 1, July 2,
2017 2016 Change
Interest expense $ (134) $ (88) (52) %
Interest and investment income 17 18 (6) %
Interest expense, net $ (117) $ (70) (67) %
The increase in interest expense was due to higher average debt balances, lower capitalized interest
and higher average interest rates. Capitalized interest was lower due to the completion of the majority of
construction at Shanghai Disney Resort in the prior-year quarter.
Income Taxes
The effective income tax rate was as follows:
Quarter Ended
July 1, July 2,
2017 2016 Change
Effective income tax rate 31.6% 35.2% 3.6 ppt
The decrease in the effective income tax rate for the quarter was primarily due to a favorable impact
from a change in our estimated full year effective income tax rate, a decrease in foreign losses for which
we are not recognizing a tax benefit and a benefit from the adoption of a new accounting pronouncement.
The change in our estimated full year effective income tax rate was driven by an increase in our
estimated benefit related to qualified domestic production activities. The estimated full year effective rate
is used to determine the quarterly income tax provision and is adjusted each quarter based on information
available at the end of that quarter.
In the first quarter of the current year, the Company adopted new accounting guidance, which
requires that excess tax benefits or tax deficiencies on employee share-based awards be included in
Income taxes in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Income. These amounts were previously
recorded in Common stock in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. An excess tax benefit arises
when the value of an employee share-based award on the exercise or vesting date is higher than the fair
value on the grant date. A tax deficiency arises when the value on the exercise or vesting date is lower
than the grant date fair value.
Noncontrolling Interests
Quarter Ended
July 1, July 2,
(in millions) 2017 2016 Change
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests $ 108 $ 115 6%
The decrease in net income attributable to noncontrolling interests for the quarter was driven by the
impact of lower net income at ESPN, partially offset by the impact of improvements at Shanghai Disney
Resort and Disneyland Paris.
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests is determined on income after royalties and
management fees, financing costs and income taxes.
5
Cash Flow
Cash provided by operations and free cash flow were as follows (in millions):
Nine Months Ended
July 1, July 2,
2017 2016 Change
Cash provided by operations $ 8,831 $ 9,615 $ (784)
Investments in parks, resorts and other property (2,728) (3,691) 963
Free cash flow (1) $ 6,103 $ 5,924 $ 179
(1)
Free cash flow is not a financial measure defined by GAAP. See the discussion on pages 7 through 9.
Cash provided by operations for the first nine months of fiscal 2017 decreased by $0.8 billion from
$9.6 billion in the prior-year period to $8.8 billion in the current period. The decrease was due to lower
segment operating results, higher film and television production spending and higher pension plan
contributions.
Capital expenditures decreased by $963 million to $2.7 billion due to lower spending at Shanghai
Disney Resort.
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Depreciation expense was as follows (in millions):
Nine Months Ended
July 1, July 2,
2017 2016
Media Networks
Cable Networks $ 105 $ 111
Broadcasting 67 68
Total Media Networks 172 179
Parks and Resorts
Domestic 983 949
International 500 283
Total Parks and Resorts 1,483 1,232
Studio Entertainment 36 36
Consumer Products & Interactive Media 46 46
Corporate 189 185
Total depreciation expense $ 1,926 $ 1,678
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The following table reconciles reported EPS to EPS excluding certain items affecting comparability
for the quarter.
Pre-Tax Tax After-Tax Change vs.
Income/ Benefit/ Income/ prior year
(in millions except EPS) Loss Expense (1) Loss (2) EPS (3) period
Quarter Ended July 1, 2017:
As reported $ 3,618 $ (1,144) $ 2,474 $ 1.51 (5)%
Exclude(4):
Other expense 177 (65) 112 0.07
Excluding certain items affecting
comparability $ 3,795 $ (1,209) $ 2,586 $ 1.58 (2)%
(1)
Tax benefit/expense adjustments are determined using the tax rate applicable to the individual item affecting comparability.
(2)
Before noncontrolling interest share.
(3)
Net of noncontrolling interest share, where applicable. Total may not equal the sum of the column due to rounding.
(4)
Items affecting comparability during the quarter and nine month period ended July 1, 2017 related to a charge, net of
committed insurance recoveries, incurred in connection with the settlement of litigation ($177 million).
(5)
For the quarter ended July 2, 2016, items effecting comparability included restructuring and impairment charges ($44
million) in connection with shutting down certain international film production operations.
(6)
For the nine-month period ended July 2, 2016, items affecting comparability included the Companys share of a net gain
recognized by A+E Television Networks in connection with their acquisition of an interest in Vice Group Holding, Inc.
(Vice Gain) ($332 million), a charge in connection with the discontinuation of our Infinity console game business (Infinity
Charge) ($147 million) and restructuring and impairment charges ($125 million) due to an investment impairment, charges
in connection with shutting down certain international film production operations and contract termination and severance
costs.
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Free cash flow The Company uses free cash flow (cash provided by operations less investments in
parks, resorts and other property), among other measures, to evaluate the ability of its operations to
generate cash that is available for purposes other than capital expenditures. Management believes that
information about free cash flow provides investors with an important perspective on the cash available to
service debt obligations, make strategic acquisitions and investments and pay dividends or repurchase
shares.
Aggregate segment operating income The Company evaluates the performance of its operating segments
based on segment operating income, and management uses aggregate segment operating income as a
measure of the performance of operating businesses separate from non-operating factors. The Company
believes that information about aggregate segment operating income assists investors by allowing them to
evaluate changes in the operating results of the Companys portfolio of businesses separate from non-
operational factors that affect net income, thus providing separate insight into both operations and the
other factors that affect reported results.
A reconciliation of segment operating income to net income is as follows (in millions):
Quarter Ended Nine Months Ended
July 1, July 2, July 1, July 2,
2017 2016 2017 2016
Segment operating income $ 4,011 $ 4,456 $ 11,963 $ 12,545
Corporate and unallocated shared expenses (99) (159) (392) (457)
Restructuring and impairment charges (44) (125)
Other expense (177) (177)
Interest expense, net (117) (70) (300) (161)
Vice Gain 332
Infinity Charge (147)
Income before income taxes 3,618 4,183 11,094 11,987
Income taxes (1,144) (1,471) (3,593) (4,089)
Net income $ 2,474 $ 2,712 $ 7,501 $ 7,898
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Management believes certain statements in this earnings release may constitute forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements
are made on the basis of managements views and assumptions regarding future events and business
performance as of the time the statements are made. Management does not undertake any obligation to
update these statements.
Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied. Such differences may result
from actions taken by the Company, including restructuring or strategic initiatives (including capital
investments or asset acquisitions or dispositions), as well as from developments beyond the Companys
control, including:
changes in domestic and global economic conditions, competitive conditions and consumer
preferences;
adverse weather conditions or natural disasters;
health concerns;
international, political, or military developments; and
technological developments.
Such developments may affect entertainment, travel and leisure businesses generally and may,
among other things, affect:
the performance of the Companys theatrical and home entertainment releases;
the advertising market for broadcast and cable television programming;
demand for our products and services;
expenses of providing medical and pension benefits; and
performance of some or all company businesses either directly or through their impact on those
who distribute our products.
Additional factors are set forth in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
October 1, 2016 under Item 1A, Risk Factors, and subsequent reports.
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THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(unaudited; in millions, except per share data)
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THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(unaudited; in millions, except per share data)
July 1, October 1,
2017 2016
ASSETS
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents $ 4,336 $ 4,610
Receivables 9,636 9,065
Inventories 1,300 1,390
Television costs and advances 1,214 1,208
Other current assets 665 693
Total current assets 17,151 16,966
Film and television costs 6,798 6,339
Investments 4,141 4,280
Parks, resorts and other property
Attractions, buildings and equipment 52,934 50,270
Accumulated depreciation (28,335) (26,849)
24,599 23,421
Projects in progress 1,889 2,684
Land 1,245 1,244
27,733 27,349
Intangible assets, net 6,797 6,949
Goodwill 27,835 27,810
Other assets 2,297 2,340
Total assets $ 92,752 $ 92,033
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THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(unaudited; in millions)
INVESTING ACTIVITIES
Investments in parks, resorts and other property (2,728) (3,691)
Acquisitions (557) (400)
Other (5) (135)
Cash used in investing activities (3,290) (4,226)
FINANCING ACTIVITIES
Commercial paper repayments, net (112) (216)
Borrowings 4,053 4,046
Reduction of borrowings (1,736) (672)
Dividends (1,237) (1,168)
Repurchases of common stock (5,944) (5,908)
Proceeds from exercise of stock options 256 216
Other (1,072) (618)
Cash used in financing activities (5,792) (4,320)
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Contacts:
Zenia Mucha
Corporate Communications
818-560-5300
Lowell Singer
Investor Relations
818-560-6601
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