Communication Services
Entertainment
$22.53B
10.2K
Fox Corporation is a news, sports, and entertainment company that operates through Cable Network Programming and Television segments. It produces and licenses news and sports content, distributes programming through broadcast networks and digital platforms, and has a significant presence in major U.S. markets. The company differentiates itself through its iconic brands, live content focus, and broad distribution across traditional and digital platforms.
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Total revenues decreased by $933 million or 6% YoY, primarily due to a $1.2 billion decrease in advertising revenue driven by the absence of marquee events such as Super Bowl LVII and the FIFA Men's World Cup. This was partially offset by higher affiliate fee revenue.
Affiliate fee revenue increased by $273 million or 4% YoY, primarily due to higher average rates per subscriber and higher fees received from television stations affiliated with the FOX Network. This was partially offset by a lower average number of subscribers across almost all networks.
Net income increased by $301 million or 24% YoY, primarily due to the absence of the fiscal 2023 legal settlement costs and lower indemnity costs. This was partially offset by lower gains and lower Segment EBITDA.
The Company continues to focus on investing in and expanding its digital distribution offerings and direct engagement with consumers, including through Tubi, FOX Nation, FOX Weather and other offerings such as the Venu Sports streaming service expected to launch in the fall of 2024.
In fiscal 2024, Tubi expanded its content library through the premiere of over 140 new original titles. Tubi also features key FOX content, such as The Masked Singer and Next Level Chef, as well as live local and national news content and sports programming.
The Company's strategic initiatives could negatively impact our ability to renew our MVPD agreements on terms that are favorable to all our networks. If the Company and an MVPD reach an impasse in contract renewal negotiations, the Company's networks and owned and operated television stations could become unavailable to the MVPD's subscribers.
We expect our internal production capabilities and co-production arrangements will facilitate growth by enabling us to directly manage the economics and programming decisions of our broadcast network and television stations.
To remain competitive in this evolving environment, the Company must effectively anticipate and adapt to new market changes. The Company continues to focus on investing in and expanding its digital distribution offerings and direct engagement with consumers.
Operating expenses decreased $600 million or 6% for fiscal 2024, as compared to fiscal 2023, primarily due to the approximately $400 million impact of lower sports programming rights amortization and production costs principally due to the absence of the fiscal 2023 broadcasts of Super Bowl LVII and the FIFA Men's World Cup partially offset by the renewed NFL contract.
Changes in consumer behavior and evolving technologies and distribution platforms continue to challenge existing business models and may adversely affect the Company's business, financial condition or results of operations.
The Company derives substantial revenues from the sale of advertising, and declines in advertising expenditures have caused, and could continue to cause, the Company's revenues and operating results to decline significantly in any given period or in specific markets.
Because the Company derives a significant portion of its revenues from a limited number of distributors, the failure to enter into or renew affiliation and carriage agreements on favorable terms, or at all, could have a material adverse effect on the Company's business, financial condition or results of operations.
The Company competes with other companies for high-quality content to reach large audiences and generate advertising revenue. The Company also competes for advertisers' expenditures and distribution on MVPDs and other third-party digital platforms.
Acceptance of the Company's content by the public is difficult to predict, which could lead to fluctuations in or adverse impacts on revenues. Programming distribution is a speculative business since the revenues derived from the distribution of content depend primarily on its acceptance by the public, which is difficult to predict.
The inability to renew programming rights, particularly sports programming rights, on sufficiently favorable terms, or at all, could cause the Company's advertising and affiliate fee revenues to decline significantly in any given period or in specific markets.
Operating expenses decreased $600 million or 6% for fiscal 2024, as compared to fiscal 2023, primarily due to the approximately $400 million impact of lower sports programming rights amortization and production costs principally due to the absence of the fiscal 2023 broadcasts of Super Bowl LVII and the FIFA Men's World Cup partially offset by the renewed NFL contract.
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $25 million or 1% for fiscal 2024, as compared to fiscal 2023, primarily due to lower legal costs at FOX News Media, lower employee related costs and the deconsolidation of the United States Football League (the "USFL").
The Company continues to develop, implement and maintain security measures seeking to identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks, including unauthorized access to or misuse of the Systems, such efforts are costly, require ongoing monitoring and updating and may not be successful in preventing these events from occurring.
Technological developments may increase the threat of content piracy and signal theft and limit the Company's ability to protect its intellectual property rights.
Although the Company may also seek to responsibly incorporate Al into the development of new and existing products and services to enhance their value to viewers and advertisers, there can be no assurance that these efforts will be successful.
FOX Television Stations is actively building out ATSC 3.0 facilities and is participating in various ATSC 3.0 testing with other broadcasters, but it is too early to predict the impact of this technical standard on the Company's operations.
In total, the Company repurchased approximately 40 million shares of Class A Common Stock for approximately $1 billion during fiscal 2024.
We expect to continue to pay semi-annual dividends, although each dividend is subject to approval by the Company's Board of Directors.
In October 2023 and April 2020, the Company issued $1.25 billion and $1.2 billion of senior notes, respectively, and used the net proceeds for general corporate purposes.
Our Board requires that minority and female candidates are presented for consideration with each Director vacancy. We believe that the more voices in the room and the more diverse the experiences of our colleagues, the better FOX's internal culture and external programming are.
Trust begins in the workplace every single day. We are committed to fostering a working environment of trust for our colleagues, in which people do their best work. Harassment, discrimination, retaliation and threats to health and safety all undermine our working environment of trust and make it harder for people to excel.
Additionally, FOX has established and put into action numerous early career training initiatives aimed at equipping promising individuals with vital job skills and career advancement opportunities. These initiatives are instrumental in cultivating a reservoir of our future leadership, many of whom are from underrepresented backgrounds.
The Company is subject to a variety of laws and regulations in the jurisdictions in which its businesses operate. In general, the television broadcasting and traditional MVPD industries in the U.S. are highly regulated by federal laws and regulations issued and administered by various federal agencies, including the FCC.
The Company is subject to complex laws, regulations, rules, industry standards, and contractual obligations related to privacy and personal data protection, which are evolving, inconsistent and potentially costly.
The Company is exposed to risks associated with weak economic conditions and increased volatility and disruption in the financial markets.