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FY2026 Q1
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Paramount Skydance Corporation earnings call
Buzzberg read
UFC partnership exceeded expectations with strong engagement and demographics.
Paramount Skydance reported a strong start to the year, highlighting successes in film (Scream 7), streaming (Landman), and sports (UFC), alongside progress on its technology stack and content slate. Management is largely focused on integrating current assets and laying the groundwork for the WBD acquisition expected to close later this year. Paramount+ revenue grew 17% YoY in Q1, driven by 14% ARPU growth from price increases and a shift in subscriber mix, though overall subscriber additions were impacted by the exit of uneconomic international bundles.
Buzzberg read UFC partnership exceeded expectations with strong engagement and demographics. Paramount Skydance reported a strong start to the year, highlighting successes in film (Scream 7), streaming (Landman), and sports (UFC), alongside progress on its technology stack and content slate. Management is largely focused on integrating current assets and laying the groundwork for the WBD acquisition expected to close later this year. Paramount+ revenue grew 17% YoY in Q1, driven by 14% ARPU growth from price increases and a shift in subscriber mix, though overall subscriber additions were impacted by the exit of uneconomic international bundles. Read full analysisCollapse analysis
Paramount Skydance reported a strong start to the year, highlighting successes in film (Scream 7), streaming (Landman), and sports (UFC), alongside progress on its technology stack and content slate. Management is largely focused on integrating current assets and laying the groundwork for the WBD acquisition expected to close later this year. Paramount+ revenue grew 17% YoY in Q1, driven by 14% ARPU growth from price increases and a shift in subscriber mix, though overall subscriber additions were impacted by the exit of uneconomic international bundles.
- UFC partnership is performing well, attracting a younger demographic (15 years younger on average) and surpassing expectations on viewership and ad demand.
- The company is on track to complete the merger with Warner Brothers Discovery by the end of Q3 2026, having secured necessary financing and cleared the HSR review.
- Management is taking a 'case-by-case' approach to content licensing, selling select series to rivals like Netflix and Amazon to maximize revenue while retaining others for its own platforms.
DTC Revenue growth17%Reported
Revenue$7.347B-13% QoQ
EPS$0.23Reported
Gross margin33.92%Reported
6 grounded callouts
What matters now
The highest-signal changes from the call.
Technology & Streami
Streaming convergence on track to unify platforms by mid-2026.
AI
AI code-assist tools cut approval times by over half.
Show 3 more callouts
M&A
WBD transaction on track to close by September 2026.
Content Strategy
Film slate nearly doubling from eight to fifteen films this year.
Advertising
Company advertising expected to return to growth in H2 2026.
Reported period
Actuals
| Metric | Reported | Change |
|---|---|---|
| DTC Revenue growth | 17% | Reported |
| Revenue | $7.347B | -13% QoQ |
| EPS | $0.23 | Reported |
| Gross margin | 33.92% | Reported |
| Operating margin | 9.54% | Reported |
| Free cash flow | $0.096B | +35% QoQ |
AI, capex & demand read
Management read
Confident
Management repeatedly emphasized strong execution, momentum, and exceeding expectations, with phrases like 'off to a strong start,' 'real momentum,' and 'we could not be more pleased.'
Management AI read
Management highlighted the use of AI across the business, including the agentic data warehouse, Precision Plus targeted advertising platform, AI-driven artwork for personalization, AI-based back-office workflows, and code-assisted technology used by 80% of engineering, which has cut approval times by more than half. They are investing in AI talent to compete with industry leaders.
Investment and capacity
No explicit discussion of capital expenditure or capacity/infrastructure investment was found in the transcript, though the company is investing in technology and engineering talent, and mentions the Oracle Fusion ERP system transformation.
all 5 named companies below
Companiesreturns since call
Customers
Customers
David Ellison
Management confirms licensing content to rival streaming platforms like Netflix, citing a case-by-case approach to maximize value and reach for its studio-driven content.
Evidence
“we have... titles that we have in production that will be released on Netflix and on Prime Video.”
Partners
Partners
David Ellison
Management highlights progress on the pending acquisition, mentioning regulatory approvals secured, financing arranged, and shareholder vote passed, signaling the deal is on track for completion by September 2026.
Evidence
“we remain on track for convergence. That obviously has significant benefits across personalizations and recommendations.”
Suppliers
Suppliers
Andy Gordon
Paramount is mid-way through migrating its ERP to Oracle Fusion, signaling a large IT modernization deal with Oracle that will be a reference for future cost-saving integrations.
Evidence
“we made a major milestone in the first quarter with the remainder of that transformation to the Oracle Fusion System for Paramount standalone by early 27.”
Supply chain
Supply chain
David Ellison
UFC subscribers on Paramount+ are 15 years younger than the average viewer, and the platform saw over 100 million viewing hours, indicating the deal is driving demographic shift and engagement. — This validates the value of UFC's younger audience to a new streaming platform and could make TKO's other sports properties more attractive to streamers.
Evidence
“UFC subscribers are on average 15-year younger than the average B-plus viewer. And these subscribers are coming in for UFC and then engaging with our broader offering.”
External signals
Supply-chain alpha · 2returns since call
UFC subscribers on Paramount+ are 15 years younger than the average viewer, and the platform saw over 100 million viewing hours, indicating the deal is driving demographic shift and engagement.
Paramount's DTC revenue growth is being driven by ARPU increases, not subscriber adds, as the company churns out low-value international 'hard bundle' subscribers to optimize revenue.
Evidence
“Underneath that, we added $2 million underlying subscribers, and we exited a little over a million of international hard bundles. These are really uneconomic subscribers.”
Methodology & coverage
Management-only analysis. All 5 validated company mentions are shown. Reported actuals and forward guidance are kept separate. Public evidence is limited to eight short attributed quotes. AI-generated analysis can be incomplete or wrong; verify important claims against the original source.