Filmed entertainment losses drive Viacom Q4 revenue down 5%

Declines within Filmed Entertainment have hit Viacom's bottom line, as the media conglomerate saw Q4 revenues drop by 5% to US$3.788 billion. However, global initiatives are paying off, with a 45% rise in international ad revenues.
November 12, 2015

Viacom’s Q4 and fiscal year results indicate some setbacks for the global media conglomerate, with quarterly revenues dropping 5% to US$3.788 billion and 2015 revenues down 4% to US$13.268 billion.

As for its two main business segments, revenues slid 24% in Filmed Entertainment to US$1.025 billion in Q4 and declined by 23% to US$2.883 for the year. However, its Media Networks saw 5% growth to US$2.787 billion in Q4 and 3% to US$10.49 billion for the year – a new company record – driven by the success of series like Henry Danger (pictured) on Nickelodeon.

Q4 growth in Media Networks was spurred by 45% growth in international advertising revenues, thanks largely to acquisition Channel 5 in Europe. Additionally, affiliate fees increased domestically by 15% and globally by 10%. But gains were partially offset by domestic and worldwide ad revenue declines of 7% and 1%, respectively, driven by lower ratings experienced by Viacom’s linear networks.

Losses in Viacom’s Filmed Entertainment segment in Q4 were largely attributed to a 54% drop in home entertainment sales and a 20% decline in theatrical revenues, compared to the success of last year’s Transformers: Age of Extinction.

Some other bright spots for Viacom over the past 12 months include a return of US$2.1 billion to shareholders through repurchases and dividends, as well as its full-year adjusted diluted EPS increasing to an all-time high of US$5.44, despite falling by 10% in Q4 to US$1.54. Viacom also launched 21 channels internationally during its past fiscal year, including six in India.

 

About The Author
Patrick Callan is a senior writer at Kidscreen. He reports on the licensing and consumer products side of the global children's entertainment industry via daily news coverage and in-depth features. Contact Patrick at pcallan@brunico.com.

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