Walt Disney 10-Q 2023-04-01

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

☒ QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended April 1, 2023

or

☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from __________ to __________.

Commission File Number 001-38842

500 South Buena Vista Street

Burbank, California 91521

Address of Principal Executive Offices and Zip Code

(818) 560-1000

Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒

There were 1,827,304,988 shares of common stock outstanding as of May 3, 2023.

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events or our future financial or operating performance and may include statements concerning, among other things, financial results, business plans (including statements regarding new services and products and future expenditures, costs and investments), future liabilities, impairments and amortization, competition, and the impact of COVID-19 on our businesses and results of operations. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements because they contain words such as “may,” “will,” “would,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “potential,” “continue” or “assumption” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern our expectations, strategy, plans or intentions. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions as of the date of this report. These statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from expectations or results projected or implied by forward-looking statements.

Such differences may result from actions taken by the Company, including restructuring or strategic initiatives (including capital investments, asset acquisitions or dispositions, new or expanded business lines or cessation of certain operations), our execution of our business plans (including the content we create and IP we invest in, our pricing decisions, our cost structure and our management and other personnel decisions) or other business decisions, as well as from developments beyond the Company’s control, including:

• further deterioration in domestic and global economic conditions;

• deterioration in or pressures from competitive conditions, including competition to create or acquire content and competition for talent;

• consumer preferences and acceptance of our content, offerings, pricing model and price increases and the market for advertising sales on our direct-to-consumer services and linear networks;

• health concerns and their impact on our businesses and productions;

• international, political or military developments;

• regulatory and legal developments;

• technological developments;

• labor markets and activities, including work stoppages;

• adverse weather conditions or natural disasters; and

• availability of content.

Such developments may further affect entertainment, travel and leisure businesses generally and may, among other things, affect (or further affect, as applicable):

• our operations, business plans or profitability;

• demand for our products and services;

• the performance of the Company’s content;

• our ability to create or obtain desirable content at or under the value we assign the content;

• the advertising market for programming;

• income tax expense; and

• performance of some or all Company businesses either directly or through their impact on those who distribute our products.

Additional factors include those described in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K, including under the captions “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and “Business,” in our subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, including under the captions “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and in our subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A forward-looking statement is neither a prediction nor a guarantee of future events or circumstances. You should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Unless required by federal securities laws, we assume no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated, to reflect circumstances or events that occur after the statements are made.

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(unaudited; in millions, except per share data)

(1)Total may not equal the sum of the column due to rounding.

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(unaudited; in millions)

See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(unaudited; in millions, except per share data)

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SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS

Leadership Change and Restructuring

On November 20, 2022, Robert A. Iger returned to the Company as Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Director. Mr. Iger previously spent more than four decades at the Company, including 15 years as CEO. Mr. Iger agreed to serve as CEO through the end of calendar 2024, with a mandate from the Company’s Board of Directors “to set the strategic direction for renewed growth and to work closely with the Board in developing a successor to lead the Company at the completion of his term.”

Mr. Iger formed a committee to advise him on a new organizational structure and operational changes within the Company to address the Board’s goals. In February 2023, the Company announced that it will be reorganized into three business segments: Disney Entertainment, ESPN and Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. We anticipate reporting under the new structure by the end of the fiscal year, at which time we will have implemented changes to our financial processes to reflect the reorganization. The new organizational structure and operational changes have resulted in restructuring and impairment charges and may result in additional charges.

The Company is also in the process of reviewing content, primarily on our DTC services, for alignment with a strategic change in our approach to content curation and, as a result, will remove certain content from our platforms. We currently expect to take an impairment charge of approximately $1.5 billion to $1.8 billion, which will largely be recognized in the third quarter of fiscal 2023 as we complete the review and remove the content. The Company does not expect any material cash expenditures in connection with this content impairment charge.

ORGANIZATION OF INFORMATION

Management’s Discussion and Analysis provides a narrative of the Company’s financial performance and condition that should be read in conjunction with the accompanying financial statements. It includes the following sections:

• Consolidated Results

• Current Quarter Results Compared to Prior-Year Quarter

• Current Six-Month Period Results Compared to Prior-Year Six-Month Period

• Seasonality

• Business Segment Results

• Corporate and Unallocated Shared Expenses

• Financial Condition

• Supplemental Guarantor Financial Information

• Commitments and Contingencies

• Other Matters

• Market Risk

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF

FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS — (continued)

CONSOLIDATED RESULTS

CURRENT QUARTER RESULTS COMPARED TO PRIOR-YEAR QUARTER

Revenues for the quarter increased 13%, or $2.6 billion, to $21.8 billion; net income attributable to Disney increased to $1.3 billion from $0.5 billion; and diluted earnings per share from continuing operations attributable to Disney (EPS) increased to $0.69 from $0.26 in the prior-year quarter. The EPS increase resulted from the comparison to a revenue reduction for the Content License Early Termination in the prior-year quarter, growth in operating income at DPEP, and an investment gain in the current quarter compare

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See Item 2, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and Note 15 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures – We have established disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and made known to the officers who certify the Company’s financial reports and to other members of senior management and the Board of Directors as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Based on their evaluation as of April 1, 2023, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) are effective.

Changes in Internal Controls – There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the second quarter of fiscal 2023 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

ITEM 1. Legal Proceedings

As disclosed in Note 13 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company is engaged in certain legal matters, and the disclosure set forth in Note 13 relating to certain legal matters is incorporated herein by reference.

For an enterprise as large and complex as the Company, a wide range of factors could materially affect future developments and performance. In addition to the factors affecting specific business operations identified in connection with the description of these operations and the financial results of these operations elsewhere in our filings with the SEC, the most significant factors affecting our business include the factors discussed in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K under the Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and the following additional factors:

BUSINESS, ECONOMIC, MARKET and OPERATING CONDITION RISKS

Changes in technology, in consumer consumption patterns and in how entertainment products are created may affect demand for our entertainment products, the revenue we can generate from these products or the cost of producing or distributing products.

The media entertainment and internet businesses in which we participate increasingly depend on our ability to successfully adapt to new technologies, including shifting patterns of content consumption and how entertainment products are generated. New technologies affect the demand for our products, the manner in which our products are distributed to consumers, ways we charge for and receive revenue for our entertainment products and the stability of those revenue streams, the sources and nature of competing content offerings, the time and manner in which consumers acquire and view some of our entertainment products and the options available to advertisers for reaching their desired audiences. These developments have impacted the business model for certain traditional forms of distribution, as evidenced by the industry-wide decline in ratings for broadcast television, the reduction in demand for home entertainment sales of theatrical content, the development of alternative distribution channels for broadcast and cable programming and declines in subscriber levels for traditional cable channels, including for a number of our networks. In addition, theater-going to watch movies currently is, and may continue to be, below pre-COVID-19 levels. Declines in linear viewership have resulted in decreased advertising revenue. Rules governing new technological developments, such as developments in generative AI, remain unsettled, and these developments may affect aspects of our existing business model, including revenue streams for the use of our IP and how we create our entertainment products. In order to respond to the impact of new technologies on our businesses, we regularly consider, and from time to time implement, changes to our business models, most recently by developing, investing in and acquiring DTC products, initiating plans to again reorganize our media and entertainment businesses to advance our DTC strategies, and developing new media offerings. There can be no assurance that our DTC offerings, new media offerings and other efforts will successfully respond to technological changes. In addition, declines in certain traditional forms of distribution may increase the cost of content allocable to our DTC offerings, negatively impacting the profitability of our DTC offerings. We expect to forgo revenue from traditional sources, particularly as we expand our DTC offerings. To date we have experienced significant losses in our DTC businesses. There can be no assurance that the DTC model and other business models we may develop will ultimately be profitable or as profitable as our existing or historic business models.

The success of our businesses is highly dependent on the existence and maintenance of intellectual property rights in the entertainment products and services we create.

The value to us of our IP is dependent on the scope and duration of our rights as defined by applicable laws in the U.S. and abroad and the manner in which those laws are construed. If those laws are drafted or interpreted in ways that limit the extent or duration of our rights, or if existing laws are changed, our ability to generate revenue from our IP may decrease, or the cost of obtaining and maintaining rights may increase. The terms of some copyrights for IP related to some of our products and services have expired and other copyrights will expire in the future. For example, in the United States and countries that look to the United States copyright term when shorter than their own, the copyright term for early works such as the short film Steamboat Willie (1928), and the specific early versions of characters depicted in those works, expires at the end of the 95th calendar year after the date the copyright was originally secured in the United States. As copyrights expire, we expect that revenues generated from such IP will be negatively impacted to some extent.

The unauthorized use of our IP may increase the cost of protecting rights in our IP or reduce our revenues. The convergence of computing, communication and entertainment devices, increased broadband internet speed and penetration, increased availability and speed of mobile data transmission and increasingly sophisticated attempts to obtain unauthorized access to data systems have made the unauthorized digital copying and distribution of our films, television productions and other creative works easier and faster and protection and enforcement of IP rights more challenging. The unauthorized distribution and access to entertainment content generally continues to be a significant challenge for IP rights holders.

Inadequate laws or weak enforcement mechanisms to protect entertainment industry IP in one country can adversely affect the results of the Company’s operations worldwide, despite the Company’s efforts to protect its IP rights. COVID-19 and distribution innovation in response to COVID-19 has increased opportunities to access content in unauthorized ways. Additionally, negative economic conditions coupled with a shift in government priorities could lead to less enforcement. These developments require us to devote substantial resources to protecting our IP against unlicensed use and present the risk of increased losses of revenue as a result of unlicensed distribution of our content and other commercial misuses of our IP. The legal landscape for some new technologies, including some generative AI, remains uncertain, and development of the law in this area could impact our ability to protect against infringing uses.

With respect to IP developed by the Company and rights acquired by the Company from others, the Company is subject to the risk of challenges to our copyright, trademark and patent rights by third parties. In addition, the availability of copyright protection and other legal protections for IP generated by certain new technologies, such as generative AI, is uncertain. Successful challenges to our rights in IP may result in increased costs for obtaining rights or the loss of the opportunity to earn revenue from or utilize the IP that is the subject of challenged rights. From time to time, the Company has been notified that it may be infringing certain IP rights of third parties. Technological changes in industries in which the Company operates and extensive patent coverage in those areas may increase the risk of such claims being brought and prevailing.

Regulations applicable to our businesses may impair the profitability of our businesses.

Each of our businesses, including our broadcast networks and television stations, is subject to a variety of U.S. and international regulations. Some of these regulations include:

• U.S. FCC regulation of our television and radio networks, our national programming networks and our owned television stations. See our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K under Item 1 — Business — Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution, Federal Regulation.

• Federal, state and foreign privacy and data protection laws and regulations.

• Regulation of the safety and supply chain of consumer products and theme park operations, including potential regulation regarding the sourcing, importation and the sale of goods.

• Environmental protection regulations.

• U.S. and international anti-corruption laws, sanction programs, trade restrictions and anti-money laundering laws.

• Restrictions on the manner in which content is currently licensed and distributed, ownership restrictions or film or television content requirements, investment obligations or quotas.

• Domestic and international labor laws, tax laws or currency controls.

New laws and regulations, as well as changes in any of these current laws and regulations or regulator activities in any of these areas, or others, may require us to spend additional amounts to comply with the regulations, or may restrict our ability to offer products and services in ways that are profitable, and create an increasingly unpredictable regulatory landscape. In addition, ongoing and future developments in international political, trade and security policy may lead to new regulations limiting international trade and investment and disrupting our operations outside the U.S., including our international theme parks and resorts operations in France, mainland China and Hong Kong. For example, in 2019 India implemented regulation and tariffs impacting certain bundling of channels; in 2022 the U.S. and other countries implemented a series of sanctions against Russia in response to events in Russia and Ukraine; U.S. agencies have enhanced trade restrictions, and legislation is currently under consideration that would prohibit importation of goods from certain regions; U.S. state governments have become more active in passing legislation targeted at specific sectors and companies; and in many countries/regions around the world (including but not limited to the EU) regulators are requiring us to broadcast on our linear (or display on our DTC streaming services) programming produced in specific countries as well as invest specified amounts of our revenues in local content productions. In Florida, steps directed at the Company (including the passage of legislation) have been taken and future actions have been threatened, which collectively could negatively impact (and may have already impacted) our ability to execute on our business strategy, our costs and the profitability of our operations in Florida.

Public health and other regional, national, state and local regulations and policies impacted most of our businesses as a result of COVID-19. Government requirements may continue to be extended or be reinstated and new government requirements may be imposed to address COVID-19 or future health outbreaks or pandemics.

A variety of uncontrollable events may disrupt our businesses, reduce demand for or consumption of our products and services, impair our ability to provide our products and services or increase the cost or reduce the profitability of providing our products and services.

The operation and profitability of our businesses and demand for and consumption of our products and services, particularly our parks and experiences businesses, are highly dependent on the general environment for travel and tourism. In

addition, we have extensive international operations, including our international theme parks and resorts, which are dependent on domestic and international regulations consistent with trade and investment in those regions. The operation of our businesses and the environment for travel and tourism, as well as demand for and consumption of our other entertainment products, can be significantly adversely affected in the U.S., globally or in specific regions as a result of a variety of factors beyond our control, including: health concerns (including as it has been by COVID-19 and could be by future health outbreaks and pandemics); adverse weather conditions arising from short-term weather patterns or long-term climate change, catastrophic events or natural disasters (such as excessive heat or rain, hurricanes, typhoons, floods, droughts, tsunamis and earthquakes); international, political or military developments, including trade and other international disputes and social unrest; a decline in economic activity; and terrorist attacks. These events and others, such as fluctuations in travel and energy costs and computer virus attacks, intrusions or other widespread computing or telecommunications failures, may also damage our ability to provide our products and services or to obtain insurance coverage with respect to some of these events. An incident that affected our property directly would have a direct impact on our ability to provide goods and services and could have an extended effect of discouraging consumers from attending our facilities. Moreover, the costs of protecting against such incidents, including the costs of protecting against the spread of COVID-19, reduces the profitability of our operations.

For example, hurricanes, including Hurricane Ian in late September 2022, which caused Walt Disney World Resort parks in Florida to close for two days, have impacted the profitability of Walt Disney World Resort and may do so in the future. The Company has paused certain operations in certain regions, including in response to sanctions, trade restrictions and related developments and the profitability of certain operations has been impacted as a result of events in the corresponding regions.

In addition, we derive affiliate fees and royalties from the distribution of our programming, sales of our licensed goods and services by third parties, and the management of businesses operated under brands licensed from the Company, and we are therefore dependent on the successes of those third parties for that portion of our revenue. Third-party suppliers also provide products and services essential to the operation of a number of our businesses. A wide variety of factors could influence the success of those third parties and if negative factors significantly impacted a sufficient number of those third parties or materially impacted a supplier of a significant product or service, the profitability of one or more of our businesses could be adversely affected. In specific geographic markets, we have experienced delayed and/or partial payments from certain affiliate partners due to liquidity issues.

We obtain insurance against the risk of losses relating to some of these events, generally including certain physical damage to our property and resulting business interruption, certain injuries occurring on our property and some liabilities for alleged breach of legal responsibilities. When insurance is obtained it is subject to deductibles, exclusions, terms, conditions and limits of liability. The types and levels of coverage we obtain vary from time to time depending on our view of the likelihood of specific types and levels of loss in relation to the cost of obtaining coverage for such types and levels of loss and we may experience material losses not covered by our insurance. For example, many losses related to impacts of COVID-19 have not been covered by insurance.

Environmental, social and governance matters and any related reporting obligations may impact our businesses.

U.S. and international regulators, investors and other stakeholders are increasingly focused on environmental, social and governance matters. For example, new domestic and international laws and regulations relating to environmental, social and governance matters, including environmental sustainability and climate change, human capital management and cybersecurity, are under consideration or being adopted, which may include specific, target-driven disclosure requirements or obligations. Our response will require additional investments and implementation of new practices and reporting processes, all entailing additional compliance risk. In addition, we have announced a number of related initiatives and goals, which will require ongoing investment, and there is no assurance that we will achieve any of these goals or that our initiatives will achieve their intended outcomes. Consumers’, government and other stakeholders’ perceptions of our efforts to achieve these goals often differ widely and present risks to our reputation and brands. In addition, our ability to implement some initiatives or achieve some goals is dependent on external factors. For example, our ability to meet certain environmental sustainability goals or initiatives may depend in part on third-party collaboration, mitigation innovations and/or the availability of economically feasible solutions at scale.

Labor disputes may disrupt our operations and adversely affect the profitability of one or more of our businesses.

A significant number of employees in various parts of our businesses, including employees of our theme parks, and writers, directors, actors, and production personnel for our productions are covered by collective bargaining agreements. In addition, some of our employees outside the U.S. are represented by works councils, trade unions or other employee associations. Further, the employees of licensees who manufacture and retailers who sell our licensed consumer products, and employees of providers of programming content (such as sports leagues) may be covered by labor agreements with their employers. From time to time, collective bargaining agreements and other labor agreements expire, requiring renegotiation of their terms. In general, labor disputes and work stoppages involving our employees; persons employed on our productions; or

the employees of our licensees or retailers who sell our licensed consumer products or providers of programming content may disrupt our operations and reduce our revenues. For example, on May 2, 2023, members of the Writers Guild of America commenced a work stoppage. If this or another work stoppage by unions involved in production is prolonged, we may be unable to produce, distribute or license programming and theatrical releases, which could result in reduced revenue and have an adverse effect on our profitability. Resolution of disputes or negotiation of new agreements, including rate increases and other changes to employee benefits, has in the past increased our costs and may increase our costs in the future.

ITEM 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

(a)The following table provides information about Company purchases of equity securities that are registered by the Company pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act during the quarter ended April 1, 2023:

(1)83,990 shares were purchased on the open market to provide shares to participants in the Walt Disney Investment Plan. These purchases were not made pursuant to a publicly announced repurchase plan or program.

(2)Not applicable as the Company no longer has a stock repurchase plan or program.

INDEX OF EXHIBITS

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

May 10, 2023

Burbank, California