By Variety | Created at 2026-08-06 14:59:35 | Updated at 2026-08-06 16:50:22
4 hours ago
Fox ad sales rose 78% (108% for the TV division) during April-June due to the FIFA Men’s World Cup.
Still, overall profit for the quarter dipped 3% year over year to $696 million.
Fox’s distribution revenue was up 7% to $2.03 billion from $1.94 billion year over year. Content and other revenues dropped more than 2% to $262 million from $269 million.
Cable network programming revenue was up 9% to $1.67 billion. Ad sales for the division rose 22% to $83 million with the World Cup.
Fox’s TV division saw overall revenue rise 45% to $2.5 billion. Ad sales were up 108% to $755 million due to the World Cup, digital sales at Tubi and higher political ad spending at Fox Television Stations.
Corporate and “other” revenues came to $161 million compared to $63 million in the comparable 2025 quarter.
Though the April-June period is traditionally the second quarter for companies, this marks the fourth quarter for Fox, which has a fiscal year that runs July 1-June 30.
The company reported full-year revenue of $17.13 billion, up 5% from the prior. Year-long distribution sales were up 4%. Ad sales rose 7%, which Fox attributes to the World Cup and Tubi growth, which was offset by lower political advertising and comparison to the previous year’s results, which included Super Bowl LIX. Content and other revenue rose 4% on higher sports sublicensing revenue.
During a call with analysts Thursday, CEO Lachlan Murdoch said that Fox would not be making any changes to its current NFL deal until the pact expires after the 2029 season.
Wall Street forecast earnings per share (EPS) of $1.34 on $3.6 billion in revenue, according to analyst consensus data provided by LSEG. Fox reported adjusted EPS of $1.79 on $4.2 billion in revenue. That revenue figure was up 28% from the prior year quarter.
“Fiscal 2026 was an exceptional year for FOX, capped by our broadcast of a remarkable FIFA Men’s World Cup,” Murdoch said in a letter to shareholders. “We successfully launched our direct-to-consumer streaming service, FOX One, continued to keep America informed across a dynamic news cycle, enhanced Tubi’s position as a leading streaming service, and announced the acquisition of Roku which will transform the scope and growth profile of our company. Financially, these milestones were underpinned by the delivery of record top-line revenue which converted into record EBITDA. With strong momentum across our portfolio, we enter fiscal 2027 exceptionally well positioned to drive sustained growth and long-term shareholder value.”
