Paramount Skydance Corporation (PSKY) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Access earnings results, analyst expectations, report, slides, earnings call, and transcript.

Overview

The earnings call highlighted significant investments in content and technology, partnerships to enhance digital advertising, and strategic focus on long-term value creation. Despite some vagueness in responses, the optimistic guidance and strategic initiatives, like increasing movie output and leveraging UFC for subscriber growth, suggest positive market sentiment. However, the lack of specific financial projections and clarity on investment-grade metrics slightly tempers the outlook.

Key Financial Performance

Total Revenue $30 billion, driven by strong growth in D2C revenue and global profitability.

Adjusted OIBDA $3.5 billion, reflecting operational priorities and efficiency measures.

Run Rate Efficiency Target Increased from $2 billion to at least $3 billion, indicating enhanced cost-saving measures.

Incremental Programming Investments In excess of $1.5 billion across theatrical and direct-to-consumer platforms, aimed at expanding premium content pipeline.

Paramount+ Subscribers 79 million, with an addition of 1.4 million new subscribers in Q3, reflecting the largest U.S. subscription growth among major streamers since 2023.

You have reached the limit Upgrade to access full content

Get started

Operating Highlights

Theatrical Output: Plan to grow theatrical output to at least 15 movies per year starting in 2026.

Programming Investments: Incremental programming investments exceeding $1.5 billion planned across theatrical and direct-to-consumer platforms to expand premium content pipeline.

Creative Partnerships: Major partnerships include South Park, UFC, Duffer Brothers, James Mangold, and Activision for Call of Duty adaptation.

Direct-to-Consumer Business: Paramount+ added 1.4 million new subscribers in Q3, reaching a total of 79 million. Achieved largest U.S. subscription growth among major streamers since 2023 (excluding bundles).

Global Expansion: Scaling direct-to-consumer business globally with a focus on subscriber engagement and revenue growth.

Efficiency Target: Increased run rate efficiency target from $2 billion to at least $3 billion.

Studio Operations: Streamlining operations and elevating performance at Paramount Pictures.

Technology Innovation: Positioning as the most technologically capable media company to enhance performance and consumer experience.

North Star Priorities: Focus on growth businesses, scaling direct-to-consumer globally, and driving enterprise-wide efficiency for long-term growth.

You have reached the limit Upgrade to access full content

Get started

Risk or Challenges

Integration of two companies: The integration of two companies to form the new Paramount is still in its early stages, which may pose operational and strategic challenges as the company works to align resources and processes.

Efficiency and cost management: The company has increased its efficiency target from $2 billion to $3 billion, which may involve significant cost-cutting measures that could disrupt operations or impact employee morale.

Film slate adjustments: Adjustments to the film slate and plans to grow theatrical output to 15 movies per year by 2026 may face execution risks, including delays, budget overruns, or underperformance of films.

Incremental programming investments: The planned $1.5 billion in incremental programming investments carries financial risks, particularly if the content fails to attract or retain audiences.

Direct-to-consumer business scaling: Efforts to scale the direct-to-consumer business, including Paramount+, may face competitive pressures, subscriber churn, or challenges in achieving profitability.

Technological innovation: The push to make technology a core competency may require significant investment and carries the risk of falling behind competitors or failing to deliver the intended enhancements.

You have reached the limit Upgrade to access full content

Get started

Guidance & Outlook

2026 Revenue Guidance: Total revenue of $30 billion, driven by strong growth in direct-to-consumer (D2C) revenue and global profitability.

2026 Adjusted OIBDA: Expected to reach $3.5 billion.

Efficiency Target: Run rate efficiency target increased from $2 billion to at least $3 billion.

Theatrical Output: Plan to grow theatrical output to at least 15 movies per year starting in 2026.

Programming Investments: Incremental programming investments exceeding $1.5 billion planned across theatrical and direct-to-consumer platforms over the next year.

Direct-to-Consumer Business: Focus on scaling subscribers, engagement, revenue, and profitability. Paramount+ added 1.4 million new subscribers in Q3, reaching a total of 79 million. Aim to aggressively build on this momentum.

Technology and Innovation: Plans to strengthen technology as a core competency to enhance performance, elevate consumer experience, and support creative teams.

You have reached the limit Upgrade to access full content

Get started

Shareholder Return Plan

The selected topic was not discussed during the call.

You have reached the limit Upgrade to access full content

Get started

Key Q&A

Q:Can you talk more about your confidence for Paramount+ to gain global scale? And what role does growing your overall content spend play into better competing with the other large SVOD platforms in the future? How do you balance growing the overall subscriber base while reducing investments in select international markets?

A:David Ellison highlighted a strong quarter for the DTC business with 75 million total subscribers and 24% revenue growth for Paramount+. To achieve scale, the company is increasing investments in high-quality content, sports, and technology. They are unifying their three streaming services into one platform to improve user experience and ad tech capabilities. Jeffrey Shell added that content and platform investments are global, with a focus on scaling studio output and leveraging assets like Pluto in low ARPU international markets.

Q:Is there any way you can help us think about how much investment you plan to put into Paramount Skydance over the next several years? What did you learn from your experience at Skydance that you can now apply to the studio?

A:David Ellison emphasized the company's focus on long-term value creation and outlined an additional $1.5 billion in content investments to achieve global streaming scale. He highlighted lessons from Skydance, such as prioritizing quality storytelling, which led to successes like 'Top Gun: Maverick.' The studio plans to increase its movie output from 8 to 15 films per year starting next year. Andrew Warren added that all investments are evaluated for their return on investment and alignment with long-term goals.

Q:With the TV Media segment, how are you thinking about advertising and cord-cutting trends from here and within your 2026 forecast? How are you investing into or optimizing these brands?

A:Jeffrey Shell explained the differences between broadcast and cable, noting that broadcast declines are modest compared to cable. CBS remains a cornerstone asset, driving both reach and streaming engagement. Investments will focus on CBS and transforming cable brands like Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, and BET into digital assets to align with the global streaming strategy. The company does not plan to spin off cable assets but will optimize them internally.

Q:Can you give us your vision of how tech and entertainment interrelate and how you drive growth? What tools will the partnership with IPG and Publicis bring to help drive revenue growth?

A:David Ellison outlined the company's goal to become the most technologically capable media company, with initiatives like unifying streaming platforms, deploying Oracle Fusion for operational efficiency, and leveraging AI for content creation and platform improvements. Jeffrey Shell added that partnerships with IPG and Publicis will lower marketing costs, bring significant revenue commitments, and enhance digital advertising capabilities. A new head of advertising, Jay Askinasi, was brought in to lead these efforts.

Q:What is Paramount's broader M&A philosophy and how do you think about industry consolidation? What are your balance sheet goals for achieving investment-grade metrics by 2027?

A:David Ellison stated that the company focuses on building rather than acquiring, with M&A considered only if it accelerates core principles. The company has the balance sheet to be opportunistic but remains disciplined. Jeffrey Shell mentioned divesting non-core assets like over-the-air businesses in Latin America. Andrew Warren clarified that achieving investment-grade metrics involves improving leverage ratios and focusing on long-term shareholder value.

Q:How do you think about earning a return on the UFC strategy? How will you use the UFC assets across Paramount+, CBS, and cable networks? Why did the financial projections for 2025 and 2026 change?

A:David Ellison described UFC as a unique sports property that will drive subscriber growth and engagement on Paramount+ and CBS. The UFC's accessibility will increase without a double paywall, and it offers significant value to consumers. Andrew Warren explained that financial projections changed due to increased content investments and greater efficiencies, which are expected to drive long-term value. Content write-downs were also adjusted to align with the company's strategy.

Q:How should we think of the long-term profitability of the D2C business? What are the major levers to get there? How should we think of free cash flow trends over the next couple of years?

A:Andrew Warren stated that the D2C segment will be profitable next year and increasingly so by 2026. Free cash flow will be positive on an adjusted basis in 2026, with improvements in working capital and cash tax rates. David Ellison emphasized scaling the D2C business profitably through investments in content and operational efficiencies.

Q:What does the $1.5 billion incremental programming investment in 2026 look like across various categories? How are you approaching the decision-making process and ROI analysis of these investments?

A:David Ellison explained that the $1.5 billion investment will span sports, originals, licensing, DTC, and theatrical content. Examples include UFC, Zuffa Boxing, South Park, and films with high-profile talent. The company evaluates all investments for long-term value creation and profitability, with a unified review process across all content spending.

Q:Review of Unclear Management Responses

A:Management avoided directly addressing the specific amount of investment planned for Paramount Skydance over the next several years, providing only general statements about long-term value creation and content investments. Additionally, they did not specify the exact leverage level required to achieve investment-grade metrics by 2027, offering only broad goals for improving leverage ratios.

You have reached the limit Upgrade to access full content

Get started

Earnings Word Cloud

The most frequently occurring keywords in this quarter's earning call

PSKY Transcript

Paramount Skydance Corporation (PSKY) Q3 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Positive11-10

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does this earnings call transcript come from?

All transcripts are sourced directly from the official live webcast or the company’s official investor relations website. We use the exact words spoken during the call with no paraphrasing of the core discussion.

How soon is the transcript available after the earnings call ends?

Full verbatim transcripts are typically published within 4–12 hours after the call ends. Same-day availability is guaranteed for all S&P 500 and most mid-cap companies.

Is the transcript edited or altered in any way?

No material content is ever changed or summarized in the “Full Transcript” section. We only correct obvious spoken typos (e.g., “um”, “ah”, repeated 10 times”, or clear misspoken ticker symbols) and add speaker names/titles for readability. Every substantive sentence remains 100% as spoken.

Why do some answers appear as “Unclear” or “Inaudible”?

When audio quality is poor or multiple speakers talk over each other, we mark the section instead of guessing. This ensures complete accuracy rather than introducing potential errors.

Who creates the AI Summary and Key Q&A highlights shown above the transcript?

They are generated by a specialized financial-language model trained exclusively on 15+ years of earnings transcripts. The model extracts financial figures, guidance, and tone with 97%+ accuracy and is regularly validated against human analysts. The full raw transcript always remains available for verification.