What's going on?

Disney reported some mixed results this week � including some slipping streaming figures.

What does this mean?

The Disney+ streaming service continued to lose subscribers last quarter, with the total count falling well short of expectations. A big chunk of that dip was due to losing streaming rights for popular cricket games in India � but despite the dropoff, the service still managed to cut losses more than expected. Add to that a theme-park business that�s still chugging along nicely, and overall profit actually managed to beat expectations. Plus, Hollywood strikes mean that this year�s content spending is set to be about $3 billion lower than expected. And the firm�s planning to hike the price of its ad-free Disney+ and Hulu subscriptions too, hoping to turn a profit in that segment by next September. That news was music to investors� ears � and Disney shares jumped 6%.

Why should I care?

For markets: In need of movie magic.
Disney�s banking big on three powerhouses � parks, streaming, and film studios � to drive growth. But while parks and streaming seem on track, the studios are looking a bit iffy. Sure, they�ve scored with �Avatar: The Way of Water�, but �Indiana Jones� and �Elemental� didn�t exactly light up the box office. After all, hefty production and marketing costs make just breaking even a challenge � and that�s not to mention the thorny issue of film quality.

The bigger picture: Channel hopping.
Disney�s traditional TV networks, like ABC, Freeform, and FX, used to rake in about half of the firm�s operating income. But after they took another profit dent last quarter, they might soon be on the chopping block. The firm�s hinting that the networks might not be �core� to Disney any longer � so while the firm�s pooh-poohed ideas about a sale of the whole company to a tech giant like Apple, it�s looking like the struggling networks could be the ones set to go under the hammer.