☰

Cultura

Disney revenue beats with lift from theme parks, media networks


    (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co's quarterly revenue beat analysts' expectations, helped by increased spending by visitors at its theme parks and higher ad sales and affiliate fees in the company's media networks business.

    Walt Disney's shares were up 2.3 percent at $113.60 in premarket trading on Tuesday.

    Revenue at theme parks rose 6 percent to $3.76 billion, pushing up the unit's operating income 24 percent, as ticket prices and hotel room rates increased and visitors spent more on food, drinks and merchandise.

    Total revenue rose 7 percent to $12.46 billion in the second quarter ended March 28.

    Walt Disney's media networks business, which includes sports powerhouse ESPN, the Disney channels and ABC, reported a 13 percent rise in revenue to $5.81 billion. Higher programming and production costs at ESPN, however, pushed operating income down 2 percent.

    The company's movie studio produced the animated super-hero hit "Big Hero 6", but couldn't keep pace with the year-ago quarter, which benefitted from box-office phenomenon "Frozen".

    Revenue at the studio dropped 6 percent to $1.69 billion.

    The studio is expected to benefit from its newest blockbuster, "The Avengers: Age of Ultron" in the current quarter. The sequel opened with $191.2 million in ticket sales in the United States and Canada ? the second-biggest of all time.

    Walt Disney's consumer products division, which contributed about 8 percent to total revenue, reported a 10 percent rise in sales, helped by higher demand for "Frozen" toys and merchandise.

    Net income attributable to Walt Disney rose to $2.11 billion, or $1.23 per share, from $1.92 billion, or $1.08 per share.

    Analysts on average had expected a profit of $1.11 per share and revenue of $12.25 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

    Up to Monday's close, Disney's stock has climbed about 38 percent in the past 12 months.

    (Reporting by Abhirup Roy in Bengaluru and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Editing by Joyjeet Das)