Paramount Global said on Tuesday it added more than six million streaming subscribers in the first quarter, but missed revenue estimates, hurt by weaker TV advertising sales in a period without the Super Bowl broadcast.
The company, formerly known as ViacomCBS (in India the company in joint venture with Reliance Industries for Viacom18), total revenue fell about 1 percent to $7.33 billion in the first quarter, below analysts’ estimates of $7.38 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.
Paramount said revenue in its TV media segment, its highest revenue generator, fell 6 percent compared to last year when CBS’ broadcast of Super Bowl LV — a championship this year carried by Comcast-owned NBC — brought more viewers and ad revenue, Reuters reported.
The results also come at a time when Wall Street has raised concerns over the long-term viability of streaming as the pandemic boom fades.
Rival streaming powerhouse Netflix Inc. said it lost 200,000 subscribers in the first quarter and expects to lose a further 2 million in the second quarter.
Still, Paramount’s investments in unscripted programming and live sports on its flagship Paramount+ platform have helped it weather some of these challenges.
Paramount+ added 6.8 million subscribers in the quarter, on the back of titles such as ‘Scream’and ‘The Lost City’.
Revenue in the company’s direct-to-consumer business, which includes Paramount+, increased 82 percent due to a 59 percent jump in ad sales and a 95 percent increase in subscription revenues.
Net earnings attributable to Paramount fell to $433 million, from $911 million a year earlier. Excluding items, the media giant earned a profit of 60 cents per share in the quarter ended March 31, above expectations of 51 cents.