Tag: The White Lotus

Warner Bros. Discovery reports mixed bag in Q1 2025

MUMBAI: Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) delivered a tale of two halves in Q1 2025 — streaming surged, but studios and traditional networks struggled. The media giant reported total revenues of $9 billion, a 10 per cent dip from last year’s $10 billion.

Streaming revenues soared by nine per cent to $2.7 billion, with global subscribers hitting 122.3 million, up 5.3 million from Q4 2024. Advertising revenue in streaming shot up by 35 per cent, driven by a surge in ad-lite subscribers. Adjusted EBITDA in streaming rocketed to $339 million from just $86 million in the same period last year.

Studios revenue dropped 16 per cent to $2.3 billion, hurt by a 27 per cent plunge in box office revenues. Hits like Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire couldn’t prevent a fall in theatrical revenue. Games revenue was a washout, plummeting by 48 per cent, as 2025 saw no major game releases.

Global streaming ARPU decreased nine per cent ex-FX to $7.11, primarily attributable to growth in lower ARPU international markets and a five per cent decrease in domestic streaming ARPU to $11.15, primarily driven by a broader wholesale distribution of Max Basic with ads. Content revenue decreased seven per cent ex-FX, as the launch of Max in new international markets, including Australia in the current year quarter, resulted in lower third-party licensing. HBO’s The White Lotus had a record-setting season in the ratings and ranked among the five most streamed shows of March.

Global linear networks revenue fell seven per cent to $4.8 billion, weighed down by an eight per cent decline in distribution revenue and an 11 per cent fall in advertising. Domestic pay-TV subscribers continued to desert traditional networks, dragging the numbers down.

The company slashed debt by $2.2 billion but was left with $38 billion in gross debt and $4 billion in cash. Free cash flow took a 23 per cent hit, sliding to $302 million from $390 million in Q1 2024.

May 8, 2025
US Streaming platforms achieve record share of television viewing in Nielsen Report

MUMBAI: Nielsen’s March 2025 report on The Gauge indicates a shift towards more seasonal television viewing patterns in the US. Overall television viewing declined by six per cent compared to February, influenced by seasonal changes. However, the streaming category continued its growth, capturing 43.8 per cent of total TV usage in March, a 0.3 percentage point increase from February.

A notable finding is that for the first time in a monthly Gauge report, the top ten most-watched streaming programmes originated from seven different platforms: Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, Max, Paramount+, Netflix, and Apple TV+. Max experienced the largest month-over-month growth among streaming services, increasing by six per cent, primarily driven by viewership of The White Lotus. YouTube also achieved a new platform record for the second consecutive month, accounting for 12 per cent of total TV watch time, despite a slight decrease in viewing hours compared to the previous month.

Cable television benefited from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament in March. Cable’s share of viewing rose to 24 per cent, a 0.8 percentage point increase, supported by a 29 per cent rise in cable sports viewing and consistent viewership for cable news. The most-watched cable sports broadcasts included NCAA Elite Eight games on TBS. Cable news programmes represented seven of the top ten cable telecasts, with Fox News Channel’s coverage of the presidential address on 4 March attracting 11 million viewers on the network and over 36 million viewers in total.

The broadcast category saw strong performance with ABC’s broadcast of The Oscars on 2 March, which was the most-watched programme in March with 20.3 million viewers across ABC and Hulu. Data indicated that viewers streaming the Oscars on Hulu were significantly younger compared to those watching via traditional broadcast. Scripted dramas accounted for 28 per cent of total broadcast viewing in March, with Tracker on CBS having five of the top ten broadcasts, each averaging over 10 million viewers. However, the absence of football contributed to an overall nine per cent decrease in broadcast viewership from February, resulting in a 20.5 per cent share of total TV viewing for the month.

April 20, 2025
Succession leads the 74th Emmy Awards with 25 nominations

Mumbai: Nominations for the 74th Emmy Awards that celebrate the best of American television were announced. Succession holds this year’s top spot with 25 Emmy nominations followed by Ted Lasso and The White Lotus (20), Hacks and Only Murders in the Building (17) and Euphoria (16).

Warner Bros. Discovery got 155 total nominations and Disney got 141 nominations. Television Academy chairman & CEO Frank Scherma said, “Television continues to keep the world entertained, informed, and connected. With production at a historic high, the Academy has received a record number of Emmy submissions this season. As we prepare for the entertainment industry’s biggest night, we are thrilled to honour the innovators, creators, performers and storytellers who are propelling this platinum age of television.”

It was a year of notable achievement for women. Almost half of the directors nominated in the scripted directing categories were women. This season also saw women receive almost 40 percent of the nominations in the scripted writing categories. 34 percent of this year’s nominees for outstanding writing in all related-categories were women. In total, there were 50 first-time performer nominees across all performer categories this season including Chadwick Boseman (What If…?), Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus), Elle Fanning (The Great), Andrew Garfield (Under the Banner of Heaven), Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game) and Sydney Sweeney (two first-time nominations, Euphoria and The White Lotus).

In addition to Sweeney, individuals with multiple nominations this year include Jason Bateman (performance and directing for Ozark), Quinta Brunson (performance and writing for Abbott Elementary), Nicole Byer (host for Nailed It today).

July 13, 2022