• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’

2

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

3

Trump's 'American Flag Blue' in the Lincoln Memorial pool is already gray — and the Olympic canoer 'vandal' is fighting his arrest

1

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’

2

26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave

3

Trump's 'American Flag Blue' in the Lincoln Memorial pool is already gray — and the Olympic canoer 'vandal' is fighting his arrest
FinanceDisney

Disney tops streaming subscriber estimates, but a tepid outlook sends its shares tumbling

By
Christopher Palmeri
Christopher Palmeri
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Christopher Palmeri
Christopher Palmeri
and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 11, 2022, 6:15 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Walt Disney reported subscriber gains for its flagship streaming service that exceeded analysts’s estimates, but tempered its outlook for the balance of the fiscal year and said it will trim spending on movies and TV shows.

“We’re very carefully watching” content spending, Chief Executive Officer Bob Chapek said Wednesday on a call with investors after the entertainment giant reported fiscal second-quarter results. The company lowered its projection for overall film and TV spending by $1 billion to $32 billion this year.

Shares of Burbank, California-based Disney initially rose after the company reported better-than-expected growth in its flagship Disney+ streaming service. The service finished the quarter with 137.7 million subscribers globally, up 33% from a year ago, the company said. Although the gain was smaller than the growth the service saw in the prior three months, it was higher than Wall Street estimates of 134.4 million.

But the stock reversed after management said growth in the second half of the year may not be as fast as previously expected. Disney tumbled as much as 4.8% to $100.20. The stock was down 32% this year through the market’s close on Wednesday, making it one of the biggest losers in the Dow Jones industrial average.

Investors were expecting slower growth after Netflix Inc. shocked Wall Street by reporting a surprise drop in subscribers and forecasting an even steeper loss in the current quarter. That led the company, the streaming industry leader, to tear up its playbook and announce plans for a lower-priced version of the service that includes advertising.

Disney’s other streaming services, Hulu and ESPN+, posted total subscribers of 45.6 million and 22.3 million respectively.

The gain in streaming coincided with a complicated quarter for the company. Disney’s earnings rose to $1.08 a share, but missed the $1.17 average estimate of analysts due in part to sharply higher taxes paid in international markets. Sales in the period ended April 2 jumped to $19.2 billion, but trailed the $20.1 billion forecast on Wall Street after the company lost $1 billion in licensing revenue as it focuses on its own streaming business.

Theme parks were strong as expected. Earnings at the company’s resort division increased to $1.76 billion from a loss last year as guests returned in force to its hotels and theme parks. Among the new attractions opening in the quarter were the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser, an all-inclusive hotel with Star Wars characters that costs $4,800 for a two-night stay for two guests.

In February, Chapek warned of a challenging first half but predicted streaming subscriber growth would accelerate in the second half of the year, when new film and TV projects are ready and new markets are added. Streaming video is a key growth area for Disney, which like other media companies is seeing a dwindling audience for traditional TV. 

Executives on the call said the company plans to introduce Disney+ in 53 new markets by the end of the current quarter, but some places, like Poland, are seeing disruption due the war in Ukraine.

Profit in the company’s traditional TV division fell 1% to $2.82 billion as higher sports programming costs offset advertising gains. 

The loss at the company’s direct-to-consumer unit more than doubled to $887 million, due to higher investments in film and TV content, partly offset by higher advertising and subscriber revenue.

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.

About the Authors
By Christopher Palmeri
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

How Apollo-owned Michaels turned two rivals’ bankruptcies into a growth strategy
Healthchief executive officer (CEO)
How Apollo-owned Michaels turned two rivals’ bankruptcies into a growth strategy
By Phil WahbaJuly 17, 2026
2 hours ago
Trump sits in the Oval Office, speaking and gesturing with both his hands.
EconomyTariffs
U.S. companies have finally gotten $71 billion in tariff refunds, but they’re using it to offset inflation caused by the Iran war
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 17, 2026
2 hours ago
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s X account was hijacked in an AI slop hack pushing crypto tokenization
CybersecurityTech
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s X account was hijacked in an AI slop hack pushing crypto tokenization
By Rachel VentrescaJuly 16, 2026
10 hours ago
t
North AmericaTariffs
Tariff Man’s money machine broke. Now he’s trying to fix it with a forced‑labor crusade
By Paul Wiseman and The Associated PressJuly 16, 2026
13 hours ago
cars
EnvironmentAutos
Over 120 million car trips, study finds speeding only saved drivers 54 seconds on average
By Alexa St. John and The Associated PressJuly 16, 2026
13 hours ago
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is boosting employee pay to compete with SpaceX—but an advisor warns of ‘golden handcuffs’
Personal FinanceWealth
Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is boosting employee pay to compete with SpaceX—but an advisor warns of ‘golden handcuffs’
By Sydney LakeJuly 16, 2026
13 hours ago

Most Popular

FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
C-Suite
FedEx CEO says we are in the middle of the biggest supply chain shift he’s seen in 35 years: ‘We are the referendum’
By Fortune EditorsJuly 15, 2026
2 days ago
26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
Law
26 Meta employees accuse Mark Zuckerberg of using AI to target 8,000 layoffs against workers on medical, parental or family leave
By Barbara Ortutay, Alexandra Olson and The Associated PressJuly 15, 2026
2 days ago
Trump's 'American Flag Blue' in the Lincoln Memorial pool is already gray — and the Olympic canoer 'vandal' is fighting his arrest
Politics
Trump's 'American Flag Blue' in the Lincoln Memorial pool is already gray — and the Olympic canoer 'vandal' is fighting his arrest
By Matthew Daly and The Associated PressJuly 16, 2026
20 hours ago
Buffett says AI giants are ‘playing a game they don’t want to play’ in the AI race, reveals he was behind Berkshire’s $31 billion bet on Google
Big Tech
Buffett says AI giants are ‘playing a game they don’t want to play’ in the AI race, reveals he was behind Berkshire’s $31 billion bet on Google
By Mia OsmonbekovJuly 16, 2026
13 hours ago
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says 300,000 workers are needed to rebuild American shipbuilding—with jobs paying $100,000 without a college degree
Success
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says 300,000 workers are needed to rebuild American shipbuilding—with jobs paying $100,000 without a college degree
By Preston ForeJuly 16, 2026
17 hours ago
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
Innovation
He sold his last company to Palantir. Now he's betting $32 million that robots can fix construction's labor crisis
By Lily Mae LazarusJuly 15, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.