Paramount’s Financial Turmoil: Soaring Losses, Layoffs, and Massive Impairment Charge

August 17, 2024 FilmTake Distribution Comments Off on Paramount’s Financial Turmoil: Soaring Losses, Layoffs, and Massive Impairment Charge

Amid a looming deadline to sell the once-storied studio, Paramount Global reported a staggering net loss of $5.4 billion in Q2 2024, a dramatic deterioration from the previous year.

This massive loss was primarily driven by a $5.98 billion impairment charge related to the company’s cable networks. The charge reflects a grim reality that traditional television faces an irreversible decline predicated by collapsing cash flows from its linear TV affiliates.

However, there remains a glimmer of hope for delusional stockpickers and executives from the company’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) division, which posted its first-ever profit of $26 million, a stark contrast to the $424 million loss in the same quarter last year.

Strategic Restructuring: Workforce Reductions, Cost-Cutting Measures, and Asset Sales

Amid these financial challenges, Paramount’s absurd leadership structure, which includes three co-CEOs, announced a series of cuts to put a band-aid on a mortal wound. The plan includes $500 million in cost-cutting that will see a 15% reduction in the workforce, targeting roles in marketing, communications, finance, legal, and technology. This reduction is part of a broader $2 billion cost-saving initiative linked to the upcoming $8 billion merger with Skydance, slated to close in late 2025.

The funds saved from these cuts will be spent on bankers brought in to explore asset sales, signaling a potential reshaping of its portfolio to better compete in the evolving entertainment landscape. Asset sales could include the Paramount lot itself, Pluto TV, BET, and VH1.

Paramount will also incur yet another restructuring charge of $300 million to $400 million in Q3, with the financial impact stretching into subsequent quarters.

Grasping at Straws: Streaming Hopes Amid Subscriber Declines

While Paramount’s traditional television segments, the company’s only revenue drivers, have been decimated, its streaming services have finally stopped losing money after many years.

The DTC division’s revenue rose 13% year-over-year to reach $1.88 billion, driven by a 12% increase in subscription revenue and a 16% rise in advertising revenue. While Paramount+ contributed significantly to this growth, the streamer lost 2.8 million subscribers during the quarter, an ominous development just as it reached profitability. Paramount’s streaming subscribers total 68.4 million.

Despite these subscriber losses, the company remains irrationally optimistic about the future of its streaming services. Paramount expects a return to net subscriber growth in the latter half of the year, bolstered by new content and a more consistent release schedule.

Additionally, the company has announced a price increase for Paramount+ with Showtime, which is expected to contribute to revenue growth in Q4. Beginning August 20, the cost of Paramount+ with Showtime will rise by $1 to $12.99 per month, while the Paramount+ Essential plan will see a $2 increase, bringing it to $7.99 per month for new subscribers.

Starting in the third quarter, Charter Communications will offer the ad-supported tier of Paramount+ to basic cable subscribers at no additional cost. While these users will be counted as Paramount+ subscribers, this partnership will clearly generate less revenue per subscriber. The revenue from this and future distribution deals that bundle Paramount+ will be divided between Paramount’s TV/Media and DTC segments.

Get Instant Access to How Much Streamers Like Paramount+, Netflix, and Disney+ Pay to License Films and Shows.

Worldwide Film & Television Distribution Intelligence

Get unparalleled access to market intelligence reports that draw on financial data and insights from dozens of content distribution deals worldwide between key industry participants, including — Distributors, Producers, MPVDs, and Streaming Exhibitors.

Film and Series distribution rates and terms deriving from dozens of agreements for rights to transmit films and episodic television via PayTV and SVOD.

Choose flexible options for single-user PDF downloads.

Licensing Terms & Included Programs:

Pay-1 & SVOD Rate Cards for Motion Pictures and Series Exhibited Worldwide in Multiple Availability Windows

  • Motion Pictures: Pay-1, First Run, Second Window Features, Recent Library Features (Tiers AAA,A,B,C), Library Features (Tiers AAA,A,B,C), Current and Premium Made-For-TV Films and Direct-To-Video Films, covering many license periods over the last decade
  • Episodic TV: Current, Premium, Premium Catalog (1HR & 1/2HR), Catalog Series (1HR & 1/2HR), and Catalog Miniseries + Case Studies on Current Mega Hit, Catalog Mega Hit, and Premium Catalog, covering many licensing terms from 2012-2024
  • Because most-favored-nation rates operate in practice, the rates and terms apply to a diverse range of content and distributors worldwide in multiple availability windows.

Challenges Persist in Television and Filmed Entertainment

While Paramount’s traditional television segments, the company’s only revenue drivers, have been decimated, its streaming services have finally stopped losing money after many years.

The DTC division’s revenue rose 13% year-over-year to reach $1.88 billion, driven by a 12% increase in subscription revenue and a 16% rise in advertising revenue. While Paramount+ contributed significantly to this growth, the streamer lost 2.8 million subscribers during the quarter, an ominous development just as it reached profitability. The total streaming subscribers at Paramount are 68.4 million.

Despite these subscriber losses, the company remains irrationally optimistic about the future of its streaming services. Paramount expects a return to net subscriber growth in the latter half of the year, bolstered by new content and a more consistent release schedule.

Additionally, the company has announced a price increase for Paramount+ with Showtime, which is expected to contribute to revenue growth in Q4. Beginning August 20, the cost of Paramount+ with Showtime will rise by $1 to $12.99 per month, while the Paramount+ Essential plan will see a $2 increase, bringing it to $7.99 per month for new subscribers.

Starting in the third quarter, Charter Communications will offer the ad-supported tier of Paramount+ to basic cable subscribers at no additional cost. While these users will be counted as Paramount+ subscribers, this partnership will clearly generate less revenue per subscriber. The revenue from this and future distribution deals that bundle Paramount+ will be divided between Paramount’s TV/Media and DTC segments.

FilmTake Away: Paramount’s Precipitous Declines Show No Signs of Slowing

Paramount Global is at a critical crossroads brought on by more than a decade of mismanagement. The company was largely immune to its own ineptness because it had built a robust linear television model that lived off bottomless advertising dollars.

Amid swirling buyout rumors and rampant speculation, the company’s dismal second-quarter financials highlight its entrenched problems, from the rapid collapse of traditional television to the immense pressure of trying to salvage a failing business model in an industry that’s leaving it behind.

As Paramount pushes ahead with its drastic cost-cutting measures, sweeping workforce reductions, and desperate attempts to offload assets, the company’s ability to survive these tumultuous times is in serious doubt. Paramount’s future seems precariously balanced on its ability to execute these strategies, but the odds appear stacked against it. The road ahead is riddled with obstacles, and without significant changes in leadership and vision, Paramount’s place in the future of entertainment is far from guaranteed.