Paramount Global (NASDAQ:PARA) Q2 2023 Earnings Call Transcript

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Operator: Thank you. Our final question goes to Bryan Kraft of Deutsche Bank. Bryan, please go ahead. Your line is open.

Bryan Kraft: Thank you. Good afternoon. I wanted to ask you on the film side, I realize we don’t know at this point when the strikes will end, but if we were to assume it ends at the end of the third quarter, I was curious how you are thinking about your upcoming Paramount film releases for the remainder of the year and next year and maybe even into ‘25. Would you expect any disruption or delays? And on the Paramount+ side, assuming that same timing, would you expect any disruption to sub growth at some point from the strike, or do you think based on producing in advance and being able to kind of catch up, you can make up for that five months’ disruption in production? Thank you.

Bob Bakish: Yes, sure, Bryan. So look, I think we are all of sound as an industry that we could not get deals done with the writers and actors to avoid the situation we are in. And I would reiterate that our partnership with the creative community is critical to the health of the industry. So, we remain hopeful for a timely resolution. That said, with respect to our film fleet, the good news is we have a significant number of films, of which production is complete. That includes Killers of The Flower Moon, Bob Marley, John Krasinski’s IF, as well as A Quiet Place Day One and Dear Santa with Jack Black. We also have a Mean Girls musical for Paramount+. Strikes do present some marketing challenges, something we are working to assess with respect to our lease strategy.

But again, we are well stocked. And you heard the commentary on the CBS alternate schedule. That too draws from our global multi-platform asset base and is very strong. So, from a content perspective, we are in pretty good shape. Again, it all comes down to duration. And I want to reiterate that we are hopeful that we can solve this as an industry sooner rather than later because we would all like to get back in the content production business. But in the near-term, we are working to mitigate the impact to our consumers and other constituents.

Naveen Chopra: And then I will just jump in on the P+ impact specifically. It’s similar in the sense that we actually feel pretty good about our slate. Our back half plan does include a number of formats that are either unaffected by the strike or things that were already in the can that include shows like Special Ops: Lioness, which is now on the service, the next season of Billions as well as our next Taylor Sheridan original women [ph]. We will continue, obviously, to get the benefit of NFL Football, the SEC and Big Ten, all three of which will be in full swing during the fall. And then we will still have our theatrical movies coming to the slate. Transformers is doing well right now and then both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and PAW Patrol will be on the service later this year.

So, we still feel good about the slate. There will be some originals that were previously planned to hit Paramount+ in Q4 that will move into 2024 due to strike-related production delays. But it’s really too early to sort of estimate what the impact of that will be. But we feel pretty good about our distribution plan and the slate in general.

Bob Bakish: Yes. And I would just add in closing, I want to emphasize that we remain focused on executing our strategy, and that means continuing to scale streaming while maximizing our traditional business to deliver significant total company earnings growth in ‘24 and create a more sustainable growth model in the process. Through it all, we will be nimble in navigating the current environment in the near-term, while focusing on creating shareholder value for the long-term. And with that, thank you, everyone, be well, and we will talk to you soon.

Operator: Thank you. This now concludes today’s call. Thank you all for joining. You may now disconnect your lines.

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