Disney posted higher revenue during its fiscal third quarter. Sports and Experiences fueled the company’s year-over-year growth.
What We Know: The Walt Disney Company reported revenue of $25.25 billion during its fiscal third quarter, which corresponds to the second calendar quarter of 2026. Disney benefited from year-over-year gains across its Entertainment, Sports, and Experiences divisions, highlighting continued momentum in its diversified business as it expands ESPN’s direct-to-consumer strategy and invests in its streaming ecosystem.
What the Numbers Show:
| Segment | Q3 FY 2026 | Q3 FY 2025 | YoY Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | $11.3B | $10.7B | 🟢 ▲ 6.0% |
| Sports | $4.5B | $4.3B | 🟢 ▲ 4.5% |
| Experiences | $10B | $9.1B | 🟢 ▲ 9.7% |
| Total Revenue | $25.2B | $24B | 🟢 ▲ 6.8% |
What They Said: “We continue to bolster ESPN’s place as the front door for sports fans as we build out ESPN’s ‘marketplace of sports,’ creating a single destination for fans. To date, we have relationships with the NFL, MLB, FOX One, and – launched just yesterday – the CW Network, where more than 800 annual hours of CW Sports will stream live on the ESPN app for viewers with an ESPN Unlimited subscription plan. We are encouraged that a growing number of subscribers are taking advantage of these options.
“After unlocking a selection of ESPN content on Disney+ domestically in 2024 and expanding it globally since then, we plan to deliver a more robust subset of games for Disney+ subscribers beginning this fall, anchored by additional college football simulcasts, alongside the continued simulcast of our industry-leading college football pregame show, College GameDay. The strategy is to bring more live sports to more users and drive greater engagement on Disney+ and greater upsell to our trio bundle, which includes ESPN Unlimited.” -Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro
What It Means: Revenue growth in every major operating segment suggests Disney’s balanced business model continues to generate results. Meanwhile, ESPN remains central to the company’s long-term strategy. It is pushing the brand deeper into streaming, and bundles live sports with Disney+. The latest quarter also shows that Experiences continues to be Disney’s fastest-growing business, while steady Sports growth reinforces the value of premium live rights as competition for viewers intensifies.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.