Global Biz

Disney's rare revenue miss hurts shares

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-05-11 11:17

Kimono-clad Japanese women pose with Disney characters Mickey and Minnie Mouse on the country's "Coming of Age Day", at Tokyo Disneyland in this January 13, 2003 file photo. [Photo/Agencies]

NEW YORK - Walt Disney Co reported a rare results miss after "Mars Needs Moms" capped a disappointing quarter at the US box office, sending its shares down 3 percent.

Strong advertising growth at sports network ESPN and a rise in theme park sales and attendance - despite a closure at its Tokyo resort after Japan's earthquake -- could not make up for a 13 percent plummet in studio entertainment revenue in the fiscal second quarter.

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Disney's popular parks and resorts like Disneyland also took a hit due to the timing of Easter holidays, which a year ago fell in its fiscal second quarter, but this year falls in the fiscal third quarter.

The company also recorded accounting charges from its acquisition of social gaming developer Playdom for $563 million last July.

But analysts say the largest US media conglomerate, smarting from the disappointment of the heavily promoted but poorly attended animated film "Mars Needs Moms," can look forward to a strong summer with the fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" installment and "Captain America."

"While I expect the stock to take somewhat of a hit, I would buy on the dip since they will have a strong summer with these blockbuster movies and the TV networks are still experiencing good advertising demand," said Miller Tabak analyst David Joyce.

Executives also dismissed fears that a National Football League walk-out - killing the 2011 season - would drive viewers and advertisers away from ESPN, saying any impact would be "negligible".

Chief Executive Bob Iger said the coming 'upfronts' negotiation season, during which media networks and corporate sponsors hammer out ad prices for the months ahead, promised to be strong with a rebound in both pricing and demand.

US media firms are riding a rebound in TV advertising as corporate budgets recover from the recession. This month, Time Warner Inc beat Wall Street's expectations on quarterly profit, joining Viacom and CBS Corp in benefiting from a stronger advertising market.