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WBD · Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.

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$27.99 +0.24 (+0.86%) At close · Aug 14
Market Cap
$70.27B
Shares
2.51B
All earnings calls

Earnings call · FY2026 Q1

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc. Q1 FY2026 Earnings Call

Concluded May 6, 2026 Audio replay
May 6, 2026 41:31 23 turns
Period
FY2026 Q1
Runtime
41:31
Sources
4 artifacts

Executive readout · one minute

What matters this quarter

Warner Bros. Discovery reported Q1 2026 revenues of $8.9 billion (down 3% ex-FX) and Adjusted EBITDA of $2.2 billion, while exceeding its 140 million subscriber guidance and raising its year-end target to more than 150 million. Net loss of $2.9 billion was driven by a $2.8 billion Netflix termination fee paid on WBD's behalf and $1.3 billion of acquisition-related charges.

HBO Max subscriber growth and international expansion 53 AI and operational efficiencies 36 Profitability and EBITDA targets 24 Linear networks optimization 22 Premium content slate and viewership hits 20 WB Studios turnaround and film pipeline 12

Management tone

Confident

Net tone +62 · low hedging

Grounding quotes
  • “We're excited to share the results of another strong quarter for Warner Bros. Discovery, marked by excellent progress in delivering on each pillar of our strategy and propelling our ongoing transformation.”
  • “We've now meaningfully exceeded our guidance of over 140 million total subscribers by the end of Q1. We have strong and accelerating momentum and expect to finish the year with more than 150 million subscribers globally.”
  • “HBO has never featured more active shows averaging more than 20 million global viewers than it does right now”
  • “Disruption in the linear television market has created well-known challenges.”

Forward guidance

1 guided metrics

Management's latest ranges and targets are included below.

Research coverage

4 live sources

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Revenue $8.89B -1% YoY
Diluted EPS -$1.17
Net income -$2.92B

Research materials

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Key takeaways

What improved, and what deserves a closer read.

Constructive signals

  • Exceeded 140 million subscriber guidance and now expects to finish the year with more than 150 million global subscribers
  • Adjusted EBITDA of $2.2 billion, up 5% year-over-year
  • Successfully launched HBO Max in the U.K., Germany, Italy and Ireland
  • HBO Max hit A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms averaging 36 million viewers per episode and The Pitt averaging more than 20 million per episode
  • Warner Bros. earned 11 Oscars, including first best picture winner in over a decade (One Battle After Another), the most in the studio's 103-year history
  • On track for at least $3 billion in annual WB Studios adjusted EBITDA

Risks & pressure points

  • Net loss of $2.9 billion driven by a $2.8 billion Netflix termination fee and $1.3 billion of pre-tax acquisition-related amortization, content fair value step-up, and restructuring expenses
  • Total revenues declined 3% ex-FX to $8.9 billion
  • Advertising revenue fell 8% ex-FX, with the absence of the NBA alone reducing year-over-year growth by 7% ex-FX
  • Free cash flow of negative $476 million, with management indicating a roughly $100 million separation-related cash impact in Q1 and additional advisory, interest, and tax leakage expected through the year
  • Net loss includes an obligation to refund the $2.8 billion Netflix termination fee to PSKY in certain circumstances, including termination for a superior proposal

Key moments

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“We've said consistently that we're living through a period of historic disruption in media and entertainment. How content is made, how it's distributed and how it's consumed is evolving with increasing velocity.” David Zaslav, CEO

Guidance from the call

Stated verbally and extracted from the transcript.

Metric Guided
WB Studios adjusted EBITDA
annual
$3B
Full-screen source Call document