Q2 FY2026
Filed Aug 4, 2026Paramount+ growth, improved TV Media profitability, and a raised full-year adjusted EBITDA outlook underpin a solid Q2.
Paramount+ revenue grew 16% year-over-year, subscribers reached 81.6 million worldwide, TV Media profitability increased despite lower year-to-date revenue, and the company raised its full-year 2026 adjusted EBITDA outlook.
Key metrics
as reported| Metric | Value | q/q | y/y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramount+ subscribersother | 81.6 million worldwide | – | – |
| Paramount+ subscriber additionsother | ~2 million new Paramount+ subscribers | – | – |
| Paramount+ revenue growthother | 16% year-over-year | – | 16% year-over-year |
| TV Media revenueother | + revenue is down 7% year-to-date | – | down 7% year-to-date |
| TV Media profitabilityother | increased 14% compared with the first half of 2025 | – | increased 14% compared with the first half of 2025 |
| Dutton Ranch first-week viewersother | 12.9 million viewers | – | – |
| Dutton Ranch average views per episodeother | 13.4 million average views per episode | – | – |
| UFC Freedom 250 viewersother | 17 million viewers | – | – |
| UFC programming viewershipother | more than 23 times the average pay-per-view event over the past two years | – | – |
full-year 2026 outlook
- Note$3.8-$3.9 billion in adj. EBITDA (12.8% margin)
- Notefree cash flow conversion of at least 10%
What drove it
- Q2 was Paramount+'s best quarter for retention in the service's history.
- Dutton Ranch, UFC, and the FIFA World Cup non-exclusively across six countries in Latin America supported subscriber additions and retention.
- Paramount+ reported double-digit growth in view hours in Q2.
- The Upfront delivered double-digit growth in commitments across the company and was the company's strongest since the CBS-Viacom merger.
- CBS held seven of the top 10 broadcast series in the most recent broadcast season.
- The company is expanding theatrical output from 8 releases in 2025 to 15 in 2026 and is on track to release 15+ in 2027.
- The company has greenlit 40 new or returning DTC series and expects over 90 series and 800+ episodes from its TV studios in 2026.
Concerns
- TV Media revenue is down 7% year-to-date.
- The company cited 3 million subscriber exits in 1H'26 as part of selective strategic exits.
- The company said there is still significant work to be done on its transformation and streaming product ambitions.
- The proposed combination with Warner Bros. Discovery remains subject to completion.
What to watch
- Whether digital advertising growth accelerates in the back half of the year as expected.
- Execution against the full-year 2026 adjusted EBITDA range of $3.8-$3.9 billion and free cash flow conversion of at least 10%.
- Retention and engagement following Paramount+'s expanded sports and programming slate.
- The impact of continued platform unification of Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
- Progress toward completing the proposed combination with Warner Bros. Discovery.
Analysis
The reported quarter showed improving Direct-to-Consumer momentum. Paramount+ gained ~2 million new subscribers in the quarter to reach 81.6 million worldwide, while Paramount+ revenue grew 16% year-over-year. Management attributed the result to marquee programming and sports, including Dutton Ranch, UFC, and the FIFA World Cup across six Latin American countries. The company also described Q2 as the best retention quarter in Paramount+'s history and reported double-digit growth in view hours.
Content investment is being positioned as the core demand driver. Paramount Skydance said it has nearly doubled theatrical output from 8 releases in 2025 to 15 in 2026, has greenlit 40 new or returning DTC series since August 2025, and expects over 90 series and 800+ episodes from its TV studios in 2026. Dutton Ranch reached 12.9 million viewers in its first week and averaged 13.4 million views per episode for the season, while UFC Freedom 250 drew 17 million viewers across the U.S. and Latin America.
TV Media presents a mixed but improving profitability picture. Revenue is down 7% year-to-date, but profitability increased 14% compared with the first half of 2025. Management tied the improvement to creative execution and efficiency, noting that CBS held seven of the top 10 broadcast series in the most recent broadcast season. The reported double-digit increase in Upfront commitments supports management's expectation for digital advertising growth to accelerate in the back half of the year.
The principal financial update was a higher full-year 2026 outlook. The company raised expected adjusted EBITDA to $3.8-$3.9 billion at a 12.8% margin and now expects free cash flow conversion of at least 10%. The outlook places emphasis on translating subscriber, content, advertising, and efficiency initiatives into cash generation. The filing does not provide the underlying quarterly GAAP income statement, cash flow statement, balance sheet, segment revenue amounts, or prior outlook needed to evaluate the full financial bridge.
Not in the filing
stated, not guessed- Period-end date
- Total revenue
- Total revenue prior-year comparison
- Total revenue prior-quarter comparison
- GAAP gross margin
- Non-GAAP gross margin
- GAAP operating income
- Non-GAAP operating income
- GAAP net income
- Non-GAAP net income
- GAAP diluted EPS
- Non-GAAP diluted EPS
- Operating cash flow
- Free cash flow actual reported for the quarter
- Cash balance
- Debt balance
- Share repurchases
- Dividends
- Segment revenue amounts for Direct-to-Consumer, Studios, and TV Media
- Segment operating income or profitability amounts
- Prior full-year guidance figures
- Previous-release outlook for comparison
- Named executive quotes
- Revenue guidance
- Gross margin guidance
- Operating expense guidance
- Tax-rate guidance
AlphaAI analysis generated from the company’s SEC earnings filing (Form 8-K Item 2.02, or Form 6-K for a foreign private issuer). Every figure was cross-checked against the filing text; consensus estimates, price targets and share-price reactions are not shown because they are not in the filing. AI-generated research, not investment advice.