Paramount Says Strikes Will ‘Significantly’ Boost Free Cash Flow in Late 2023; CEO Promises to ‘Minimize Disruptions’ to Viewers
variety.comJennifer Maas TV Business Writer Paramount Global hosted its second-quarter earnings call Tuesday amid the ongoing writers and actors strikes in Hollywood.
Just like every other major media company that has reported its Q2 results already, the CBS parent company’s execs addressed the work stoppages with hopes for a timely resolution and comments on how it will affect their business operations. “We anticipate continued delays in production for the duration of the strikes, and as such, we estimate free cash flow in the back half of the year will be significantly higher than previously expected,” Paramount CFO Naveen Chopra said.
Chopra’s projection comes a week after Warner Bros. Discovery CFO Gunnar Wiedenfels stated that the company had saved more than $100 million in Q2 as a result of delayed and scrapped productions during the Hollywood strikes.
The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2, as a result of being unable to reach a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) before the clock ran out on the previous one May 1.
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