Business earnings calls EARNINGS CALL Fox’s News, Sports Strategy Is Shielding It From Economic Headwinds Feb 4, 2026 | Paige Albiniak | Add comment Facebook Tweet Save this article for later! Login or create a Free Member Profile to bookmark it. Republican dominance and a strong sports portfolio keep Fox attractive for advertisers of all stripes. Fox kept its head above water in the second quarter of its 2026 fiscal year as it comes off of 2024’s year of wild political spending. Sustaining Fox is its commitment to live sports and news. Overall revenue at the company improved 2% to $5.18 billion compared to the same quarter last year. Distribution revenue increased 4% to $2 billion, driven by 5% growth of Fox’s cable networks, which include Fox News, Fox Business, and Fox Sports 1 and 2. Overall advertising revenue ticked up 1% to $2.46 billion, managing to improve even against direct comparisons to election spending in October and November 2024. Republicans’ dominance on the political stage is keeping viewers glued to Fox News, which finished the quarter as the most-watched cable network in total day as well as the most-watched cable news network with the top 11 cable news programs, Lachlan Murdoch, Fox executive chair and CEO, said on Wednesday’s earnings call. In total, Fox’s cable networks saw increased revenue of 5% to $2.28 billion, with distribution revenue up 5% and advertising revenue up 7%. That viewer commitment has allowed Fox to capitalize on Fox News’ success both on cable platforms as well as on its new Fox One streaming product. Fox News turned in the channel’s highest second-quarter advertising revenue in its history, Murdoch said. He also noted that Fox News has added 200 new advertisers in the first half of FY2026 on top of the 350 new advertisers it added last year. “Demand for the product and for the audience remains strong,” Murdoch said. “That’s also reflected in our scatter pricing for news, which is up 46%-47% year on year.” Fox News’ success also extended to Fox’s advertising-supported video on demand (AVOD) product, Tubi, which saw its most streamed quarter ever and increased total view time 27% year over year, Murdoch said. That performance led to Tubi “achieving EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] profitability for the second quarter in a row.” Fox’s sports portfolio also was set up to shine in Q2, with a seven-game World Series and a strong NFL and collegiate football calendar. More than 27 million viewers tuned in for game seven of the World Series, Murdoch said, in which the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Toronto Blue Jays to win the championship for the second straight year. Murdoch also noted that 46 million viewers tuned into the NFC Championship game between the Super Bowl-bound Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. That led to more than 11 million viewers checking out Fox’s new drama, Memory of a Killer , starring Patrick Dempsey and Michael Imperioli, although that game took place in January 2026 and outside of the Q2 window. In general, Fox is just coming off its best launch season in more than 14 years, Murdoch said, with Memory of a Killer , the revival of Fear Factor: House of Fear and Best Medicine all scoring more than 11 million multiplatform viewers in their first week and driving a 21% year-over-year increase in total minutes watched. Still, Fox Entertainment contributes only 6% to Fox’s overall revenue, Murdoch said. “If you look at Fox’s portfolio of brands and businesses, about 94% of our national advertising sales come from sports news and streaming, while 6% comes from entertainment,” he said. “What we know is live news, live sports and streaming are the segments where there is growth and great advertiser appetite.” About Paige Albiniak Paige Albiniak has been covering the business of entertainment for more than 25 years. At TVNewsCheck, she has reported on local television, spot TV, advertising, metrics, measurement, syndication, regulation and more, along with frequently moderating panels and webinars on these topics for the organization. She has written for several publications — including Broadcasting & Cable, Multichannel News, the New York Post and Variety — throughout her career. She concurrently serves as editorial director for the Global Entertainment Marketing Academy of Arts & Sciences (G.E.M.A.), formerly known as Promax. She resides outside of Denver with her husband and two dogs. Follow her on X: @PaigeA or LinkedIn: palbiniak View Posts
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: tvnewscheck.com