Disney reports first annual loss in 40 years, Snapchat plans to double NBA coverage, Honda will reveal its next Civic on Twitch, and NFL midseason ratings are down 6%.
Disney is facing its first annual loss in 40 years after reporting a fourth quarter loss of $710 million, its second straight down quarter. The company did beat revenue expectations, generating $14.71 billion, but was still down 23% year-over-year.
Cable revenue grew 11% year-over-year, in part because of ESPN’s added sports programming. However, the Disney-owned company accounted for a 7% year-over-year dip in cable network operating income due to the programming and production costs of the rescheduled NBA and MLB seasons.
Snapchat aims to double its NBA content heading into the company’s sixth year partnering with the league — starting with the 2020 NBA Draft. Content will include shows produced by the league, real-time highlights for every game and curated “Our Stories.”
Fans will be able to walk on the court and create content wearing team gear using augmented reality, with future potential for e-commerce additions. Advertising on Snapchat’s AR lenses and filters could be worth up to $4 billion in revenue for the company. Snap Inc. shares gained nearly 5% Thursday.
Snap Data Points:
5.5 million U.S. users watch sports content daily.
37% viewership increase per episode of NBA highlights during the restarted 2019-20 season.
20% more playtime for NBA-themed Snapchat lenses compared to benchmarks.
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Honda will reveal its next Civic model on Twitch’s “Honda Head2Head” channel, which the Japanese carmaker has sponsored for three years. A Fortnite battle and performance from rapper Cordae will also be part of the show.
Cars are traditionally unveiled at auto shows across the globe, but automakers have recently sought to reach new demographics — especially as the pandemic hindered live events. The current Civic is the No. 7 best-selling car of 2020.
This is far from the automotive company’s first foray into esports: Honda sponsors Team Liquid and the League of Legends Championship Series.
NFL ratings are down 6% year-over-year through the first half of the season. Despite the drop, 26 of the top 30 shows on TV since the season began are NFL games.
Games are averaging 15.1 million viewers. NBC’s “Sunday Night Football” is averaging 17.2 million viewers and will likely be primetime’s most-watched show for the 10th consecutive year.
The 2020 presidential election cycle apparently didn’t hurt the season as badly as four years ago — 2016 ratings were down 14% compared to 2015.
NFL Game Slot Ratings:
Fox “Thursday Night Football” — down 16%
Fox Sunday afternoon — down 6%
CBS Sunday afternoon — down 1%
NBC “Sunday Night Football” — down 16%
ESPN “Monday Night Football” — even
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