Box office smash “Barbie” helped Warner Bros Discovery top core quarterly profit estimates but the effects of two Hollywood strikes and a weak advertising market could hamper earnings into next year, company executives said on Wednesday.
The dour outlook sent the company’s shares tumbling over 14%.
Although Hollywood’s film and television writers ratified a new three-year contract in September, ending their 148-day work stoppage, members of the SAG-AFTRA actors union have been on strike since July, roiling the industry’s 2024 film slate and depriving media companies of new content to sell.
Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels on a call with investors said there’s a “real risk” that the financial hit from the strike will linger into 2024.
“It is becoming increasingly clear now that much like 2023, 2024 will have its share of complexity, particularly as it relates to the possibility of continued sluggish advertising trends,” Wiedenfels said. “We don’t see when this is going to turn.”
Chief Executive David Zaslav said the company saw its lightest original content slate in years and had to delay some releases, leading to a drop in third-quarter streaming subscriber numbers.
Wiedenfels said that for full-year 2023 there will likely be a few hundred million dollars of a negative impact on EBITDA due to strike impacts, and several hundred million dollars of positive cash flow as a result of not being able to spend on production.
“The extreme success of the Barbie movie may be a one-off for them that won’t be repeated for at least a few years,” said Michael Schulman, chief investment officer at Running Point Capital.
The media company, forged by the union of WarnerMedia and Discovery, posted third-quarter adjusted core earnings of $2.97 billion, above estimates of $2.92 billion, according to LSEG data. Overall revenue of $9.98 billion was in line with estimates.
The company reported free cash flow of $2.06 billion, compared with $1.72 billion in the prior quarter. This surpassed expectations for $1.74 billion, according to Visible Alpha.
The company posted a net loss of $417 million, narrowing from a $2.3 billion net loss from a year-ago period.
“The market is not thrilled with the fact that even with the unparalleled blockbuster success of Barbie, they still found a way to lose $417 million in the quarter. Not ideal,” Great Hill Capital Chairman Thomas Hayes said.
Advertising revenue at its networks segment declined 12% to $1.71 billion as global conflicts and inflation created an uncertain climate for marketers.
The company’s streaming unit posted an adjusted core profit of $111 million, compared with a loss of $634 million a year ago. Global average revenue per user in the segment rose 6%.
Warner Bros Discovery had 95.1 million global direct-to-consumer customers at the end of the quarter, down from 95.8 million in the previous quarter.
In May, it launched its Max streaming service — combining HBO Max’s scripted entertainment with Discovery’s reality shows.
The company lost 17 cents per share, larger than estimates for a loss of 6 cents.
Donald Trump has hit out at the Ukrainian president once again, just four days after an explosive on-camera spat between the pair.
The US president posted on Truth Social saying Volodymyr Zelenskyy made “the worst statement that could have been made” when he said the end of the war with Russia is “very, very far away”.
“America will not put up with it for much longer!” Mr Trump posted.
“It is what I was saying, this guy doesn’t want there to be peace as long as he has America’s backing,” the president added.
Mr Zelenskyy then posted on X saying Ukraine is “working together with America and our European partners and very much hope on US support on the path to peace”.
“Peace is needed as soon as possible,” he posted.
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Mr Trump also appeared to attack Mr Zelenskyy and Europe after yesterday’s Ukraine summit in London at which leaders, according to Mr Trump: “stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.”
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3:52
The Ukraine summit: How the day unfolded
“What are they thinking?” Mr Trump asked.
Hours later, however, during a press conference at the White House, Mr Trump praised Europe, saying its leaders have “acted very well”.
“We’re going to make deals with everybody… including Europe and European nations – and they’ve acted very well… they’re good people,” he said.
He told reporters the deal with Ukraine wasn’t dead despite the ongoing disagreements between himself and Mr Zelenskyy.
Image: Donald Trump speaking to reporters on Monday night. Pic: Reuters
“It’s a great deal for us,” he said.
“I just think he [President Zelenskyy] should be more appreciative.”
A deal to end the war was still “very, very far away”, Mr Zelenskyy said earlier, adding he expects to keep receiving US support despite the two leaders’ public spat.
“I think our relationship [with the US] will continue because it’s more than an occasional relationship,” the Ukrainian president added.
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Sky News meets Zelenskyy: The key moments
Despite the confrontation leading to Mr Zelenskyy being told to leave the White House, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage told Sky News’s chief political correspondent Jon Craig the argument may have been a “blessing”.
“Zelenskyy needed to wake up and smell the coffee,” said Mr Farage.
“And since that meeting, he’s done so, by the way, I’m told from people inside the White House that before they left the building, Zelenskyy wanted to go back in and sign the deal.”
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0:57
Pro-Ukrainian protesters gather in London
Mr Zelenskyy was in London over the weekend to meet with Sir Keir Starmer and King Charles and took part in a European summit on Ukraine convened by the UK.
Following the summit, Sir Keir announced a “coalition of the willing” to potentially provide boots on the ground in Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
US secretary of state Marco Rubio today thanked Foreign Secretary David Lammy for “the UK’s role in encouraging Europe to provide for its own defence and push for peace in Ukraine”, according to US state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
“The secretary confirmed the United States is ready to negotiate to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict and will continue working with the UK towards peace in Ukraine,” she said.
Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and chief executive officer of 23andme Inc., during the South by Southwest (SXSW) festival in Austin, Texas, US, on Friday, March 10, 2023.
Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty Images
23andMe‘s special committee of independent directors on Monday rejected CEO Anne Wojcicki’s proposal to take the distressed genetic testing company private.
Wojcicki submitted a proposal to the committee on Sunday, offering to acquire all of the company’s outstanding shares for 41 cents each, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
The stock plunged 33% on Monday to close at $1.47, down more than 99% from its peak in 2021.
Wojcicki and New Mountain Capital submitted a prior bid in February to take the company private for $2.53 per share. Days later, New Mountain told Wojcicki it was no longer interested in participating in a potential acquisition and would discontinue discussions, the filing said.
23andMe’s special committee said that Wojcicki’s proposal represented an 84% decrease from the prior offer and determined not to go forward, according to a release on Monday.
“The Special Committee has reviewed Ms. Wojcicki’s acquisition proposal in consultation with its financial and legal advisors, and has unanimously determined to reject the proposal,” the directors said.
23andMe didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
Following a turbulent 2024, 23andMe announced plans in January to explore strategic alternatives, which could include a sale of the company or its assets, a restructuring or a business combination.
Wojcicki previously submitted a proposal to take the company private for 40 cents per share in July, but it was rejected by the special committee, in part because the members said it lacked committed financing and did not provide a premium to the closing price at the time.
The Huawei booth at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 2025.
Arjun Kharpal | CNBC
BARCELONA — Huawei is dipping its toes back into the international smartphone market, but analysts warn the lingering effects of U.S. sanctions is likely to hamper the Chinese company’s ability to compete with leaders Apple and Samsung.
Over the past few months, Huawei has launched two key devices outside of China. The first in December was the Mate X6, a foldable smartphone, followed by the Mate XT, Huawei’s 3,499 euros ($3,660) trifold phone.
Huawei was looking to stand out from the crowd of similar-looking smartphones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, the world’s biggest telecoms trade show. The Chinese firm had a large stand showing off its wares, including the Mate XT.
These expensive devices and Huawei’s presence at a global tech show, underscore the tech giant’s targeted approach, attempting to maintain its brand image as an innovative company while selling high-end smartphones.
“Huawei is still very cautious and conservative with what it believes it can achieve outside China with its smartphone business,” Runar Bjørhovde, an analyst at Canalys told CNBC.
“Bringing Mate XT and X6 abroad is no sign that it will make an international comeback with its smartphone business in the next years. Both of these are priced exceptionally and is instead to maintain its desired brand perception of being a cutting-edge innovator with smartphones and still sell devices to its most wealthy super-fans.”
Signage shows the Huawei Mate X6 at Huawei’s booth at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, 2025.
While Huawei has scaled back some of the glitzier aspects of its attendance, its stand remains very large as it shows off other parts of its business, in particular its telecommunications equipment which helped turn it into one of the world’s biggest tech companies.
In the consumer space, Huawei has maintained some presence outside of China with devices such as smartwatches but its smartphone business remains very limited. The firm is using 2025’s MWC to show off the Mate XT, the first of its kind device with a screen that folds twice.
However, its success in China is unlikely to be replicated with the biggest challenge being Huawei’s lack of access to Google’s Android software, analysts said.
“I don’t think they will be able to return to international markets without the full Google services,” Francisco Jeronimo, vice president for data and analytics at International Data Corporation, told CNBC.
A Huawei Technologies Mate XT smartphone arranged in Hong Kong on Sep. 24, 2024.
Lam Yik | Bloomberg | Getty Images
“They haven’t managed to grow market share in the international markets,” he said.
Google’s Android operating system is run by 80% of the world’s smartphones, according to Counterpoint Research. Outside of China, Android device users rely on the Google Play Store, which is Google’s app store, as well as the various apps from the Chrome browser to Gmail.
While Huawei has its own operating system called HarmonyOS, it still does not have the ability to offer Google apps, which the majority of users rely on.
“Expanding the smartphone business outside China will be a huge challenge,” Canalys’ Bjørhovde said.
“Not only because Harmony barely has any active users outside China, limiting its user feedback and app availability, but also because it needs the right device portfolio, operations team, marketing resources, etc. This will take years to rebuild, even with strong success in other device categories.”