Form 10-K
Table of Contents

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the Fiscal Year Ended October 1, 2011    Commission File Number 1-11605

LOGO

 

Incorporated in Delaware

500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California 91521

(818) 560-1000

  

I.R.S. Employer Identification No.

95-4545390

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of Each Class

  

Name of Each Exchange

on Which Registered

Common Stock, $.01 par value

   New York Stock Exchange

Securities Registered Pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ü    No  

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes          No  ü

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ü    No  

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).     Yes    ü    No  

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. [ü]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act (Check one).

 

Large accelerated filer

  ü       Accelerated filer     

Non-accelerated filer (do not check if

    smaller reporting company)

          Smaller reporting company     

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).     Yes          No  ü    

The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates (based on the closing price on the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter as reported on the New York Stock Exchange-Composite Transactions) was $75.3 billion. All executive officers and directors of the registrant and all persons filing a Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission in respect to registrant’s common stock have been deemed, solely for the purpose of the foregoing calculation, to be “affiliates” of the registrant.

There were 1,796,513,187 shares of common stock outstanding as of November 15, 2011.

Documents Incorporated by Reference

Certain information required for Part III of this report is incorporated herein by reference to the proxy statement for the 2012 annual meeting of the Company’s shareholders.


Table of Contents

THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

         Page  
PART I   

ITEM 1.

  Business      1   

ITEM 1A.

  Risk Factors      16   

ITEM 1B.

  Unresolved Staff Comments      21   

ITEM 2.

  Properties      22   

ITEM 3.

  Legal Proceedings      23   

Executive Officers of the Company

     23   
PART II   

ITEM 5.

  Market for the Company’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities      24   

ITEM 6.

  Selected Financial Data      25   

ITEM 7.

  Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations      26   

ITEM 7A.

  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk      50   

ITEM 8.

  Financial Statements and Supplementary Data      51   

ITEM 9.

  Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure      51   

ITEM 9A.

  Controls and Procedures      51   

ITEM 9B.

  Other Information      52   
PART III   

ITEM 10.

  Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance      53   

ITEM 11.

  Executive Compensation      53   

ITEM 12.

  Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters      53   

ITEM 13.

  Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence      53   

ITEM 14.

  Principal Accountant Fees and Services      53   
PART IV   

ITEM 15.

  Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules      54   

SIGNATURES

     57   

Consolidated Financial Information — The Walt Disney Company

     58   


Table of Contents

 

 

 

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Table of Contents

PART I

ITEM 1. Business

The Walt Disney Company, together with its subsidiaries, is a diversified worldwide entertainment company with operations in five business segments: Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products and Interactive Media. For convenience, the terms “Company” and “we” are used to refer collectively to the parent company and the subsidiaries through which our various businesses are actually conducted. On December 31, 2009, the Company completed an acquisition of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. (Marvel). See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements. Marvel businesses are reported primarily in our Studio Entertainment and Consumer Products segments.

Information on the Company’s revenues, operating income, and identifiable assets appears in Note 1 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 hereof. The Company employed approximately 156,000 people as of October 1, 2011.

MEDIA NETWORKS

The Media Networks segment is comprised of international and domestic cable networks and our broadcasting business, which consists of a domestic broadcast television network, television production operations, domestic and international television distribution, domestic television stations, domestic and international broadcast radio networks, domestic radio stations, and publishing and digital operations.

Cable Networks

Our cable networks group operates the ESPN, Disney Channels Worldwide, ABC Family and SOAPnet networks. The cable networks group produces its own programs or acquires rights from third parties to air on our networks. The Company also has interests in joint ventures that operate programming services and are accounted for under the equity method of accounting.

Cable networks derive a majority of their revenues from fees charged to cable, satellite and telecommunications service providers (Multi-channel Video Service Providers or MVSPs) and, for certain networks (primarily ESPN and ABC Family), the sale to advertisers of time in network programs for commercial announcements. Generally, the Company’s cable networks operate under multi-year carriage agreements with MVSPs that include contractually determined fees. The amounts that we can charge to MVSPs for our cable network services are largely dependent on competition and the quality and quantity of programming that we can provide. The ability to sell time for commercial announcements and the rates received are primarily dependent on the size and nature of the audience that the network can deliver to the advertiser as well as overall advertiser demand. We also sell programming developed by our cable networks to third parties worldwide in pay and syndication markets, in DVD format and also online to third party services.

 

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The Company’s significant cable networks and our ownership percentage and estimated subscribers as of October 1, 2011 are set forth in the following table:

 

     Estimated
Subscribers

(in  millions)  (1)
     Ownership
%
 

ESPN (2)

     

ESPN

     99            80.0      

ESPN2

     99            80.0      

ESPNEWS

     73            80.0      

ESPN Classic

     33            80.0      

ESPNU

     72            80.0      

Disney Channels Worldwide

     

Disney Channel - Domestic

     99            100.0      

Disney Channels – International (3)

     141            100.0      

Disney Junior (3)

     58            100.0      

Disney XD - Domestic

     78            100.0      

Disney XD – International (3)

     91            100.0      

ABC Family

     98            100.0      

SOAPnet

     74            100.0      

A&E/Lifetime

     

A&E (2)

     99            42.1      

Lifetime Television

     99            42.1      

HISTORY

     99            42.1      

Lifetime Movie Network

     82            42.1      

The Biography Channel

     65            42.1      

History International

     64            42.1      

Lifetime Real Women (3)

     18            42.1      

 

(1) 

Estimated U.S. subscriber counts according to Nielsen Media Research as of September 2011, except as noted below

(2) 

ESPN and A&E programming is distributed internationally through other networks discussed below.

(3) 

Subscriber counts are not rated by Nielsen and are based on internal management reports.

ESPN

ESPN is a multimedia, multinational sports entertainment company that operates eight 24-hour domestic television sports networks: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPN Deportes (a Spanish language network), ESPNU (a network devoted to college sports), ESPN 3D (a 3D service), and the regionally focused Longhorn Network (a network dedicated to The University of Texas athletics). ESPN also operates five high-definition television simulcast services, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ESPNEWS HD, ESPNU HD, and ESPN Deportes HD. ESPN programs the sports schedule on the ABC Television Network, which is branded ESPN on ABC. ESPN owns, has equity interests in or has distribution agreements with 47 international sports networks reaching households in more than 200 countries and territories in 16 languages including a live sports network in the UK. ESPN holds a 50% equity interest in ESPN Star Sports, which distributes sports programming throughout most of Asia, and a 30% equity interest in CTV Specialty Television, Inc., which owns The Sports Network, The Sports Network 2, Le Réseau des Sports, ESPN Classic Canada, the NHL Network and Discovery Canada.

ESPN holds rights for various professional and college sports programming including, NFL, NBA, the SEC, ACC and Pac 12 college football and basketball conferences, NASCAR and MLB.

ESPN also operates:

 

   

ESPN.com - which delivers comprehensive sports news, information and video each month through its national hub and five local sites – ESPNBoston.com, ESPNChicago.com, ESPNDallas.com, ESPNLosAngeles.com and ESPNNewYork.com

 

   

ESPN3 - which is a broadband service available to 70 million subscribers that delivers more than 4,000 live events

 

   

ESPN Mobile Properties - which delivers content, including live game coverage, alerts and highlights, to mobile service providers

 

   

ESPN Regional Television - which is a syndicator of collegiate sports programming

 

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The ESPN Radio Network and four owned ESPN Radio stations

 

   

ESPN The Magazine

 

   

ESPN Enterprises - which develops branded licensing opportunities

The Company holds a 15% interest in The Active Network, Inc., a domestic online community and marketing platform for individuals and event organizers to participate in and promote sports and recreational activities.

The ESPN Radio Network is carried on more than 750 stations, making it the largest sports radio network in the United States. We own four of the stations and 355 are operated full-time.

Disney Channels Worldwide

Disney Channel Disney Channel is a 24-hour cable network airing original series and movie programming targeted to children and families. Shows developed and produced internally for exhibition on Disney Channel include live-action comedy series, animated programming and educational preschool series, as well as movies for the Disney Channel Original Movie franchise. Live-action comedy series include A.N.T. Farm, Good Luck Charlie, Jessie, Shake It Up, The Suite Life on Deck and Wizards of Waverly Place. Disney Channel also airs the animated programs, Phineas and Ferb and Fish Hooks. Original series for preschoolers include the animated series Disney’s Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Jake and the Never Land Pirates, and Special Agent Oso, as well as the live-action series Imagination Movers. Programming is also acquired from third parties and includes content from Disney’s theatrical film and television programming library.

On November 18, 2011, the Company acquired a 49% ownership interest in the Seven TV network from UTH Russia Limited (UTH) for $300 million. The Seven TV network will be converted to an ad-supported, free-to-air Disney Channel in Russia.

Disney Junior Disney Junior (formerly branded Playhouse Disney) provides learning-focused programming for preschoolers. In the U.S., the daily Disney Junior programming block is aired on the Disney Channel. Disney Junior is aired internationally on our channels in Latin America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. Beginning in 2012, Disney Junior will also be a dedicated 24-hour basic channel in the United States for preschool-age children, parents and caregivers, featuring animated and live-action programming which blends Disney’s storytelling and characters with learning, including early math and language skills and featuring healthy eating, lifestyle, and social skills.

Disney XD Disney XD has a mix of live-action and animated programming for kids ages 6-14, targeting boys and their quest for discovery, accomplishment, sports, adventure and humor. The programming includes original series such as Phineas and Ferb, Kick Buttowski, and the live-action series, Pair of Kings and Zeke and Luther, as well as movies and short-form content including sports-themed content developed with ESPN.

In the U.S., Disney XD is seen on a 24-hour network. We also have XD channels in Latin America, Europe and Asia that distribute programming to approximately 130 countries/territories.

Disney Cinemagic Disney Cinemagic is a premium subscription service in Europe. Disney Cinemagic shows Disney movies, classic and newer Disney cartoons and shorts as well as animated television series such as Disney’s House of Mouse, Lilo & Stitch: The Series, and Tarzan.

Hungama Hungama is a kids general entertainment cable network in India which features a mix of anime, Hindi-language series and game shows.

ABC Family

ABC Family is a U.S. television programming service that targets the 15-34 demographic. ABC Family produces original programming including the returning series The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Make It or Break It, Melissa & Joey as well as new original series Switched at Birth. ABC Family also acquires programming including the returning series Pretty Little Liars and the new series The Lying Game. Additionally, ABC Family airs content from our owned theatrical film library. ABC Family also features branded programming holiday events such as “13 Nights of Halloween” and “25 Days of Christmas”.

ABCFamily.com creates digital extensions to ABC Family programming that feature interactivity and social networking. The site also features user-generated content and online programming that can be downloaded and customized based on individual user preferences.

 

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SOAPnet

SOAPnet offers same-day episodes of daytime dramas at night and also original programming. Programming includes same-day episodes of daytime dramas such as Days of Our Lives, One Life to Live, General Hospital and The Young and the Restless and primetime series such as The O.C., One Tree Hill, Beverly Hills 90210, and The Gilmore Girls.

Content related to SOAPnet’s programming is available on SOAPnet.com, including video extras, games, blogs, community forums, photos and downloadable content.

AETN/Lifetime

The A&E Television Networks (AETN) include A&E, HISTORY, The Biography Channel and History International. A&E offers entertainment ranging from reality series to original movies, dramatic series, and justice shows. HISTORY offers original non-fiction series and event-driven specials. The Biography Channel offers original series about prominent people and their lives, including the “Biography” series. History International focuses on the culture and history of various countries throughout the world from the perspective of locals. Internationally, A&E programming is available in over 150 countries through joint ventures and distribution agreements with affiliates.

Lifetime Entertainment Services (Lifetime) includes Lifetime Television, Lifetime Movie Network and Lifetime Real Women. Lifetime Television is devoted to women’s lifestyle programming. Lifetime Movie Network is a 24-hour movie channel. Lifetime Real Women is a 24-hour cable network with programming from a woman’s point of view.

The Company’s share of the financial results of the combined entity, AETN/Lifetime, is reported as “Equity in the income of investees” in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Income.

Radio Disney

Radio Disney is a 24/7 radio network for kids, tweens and families. Radio Disney is available on 34 terrestrial radio stations, 31 of which we own, and on RadioDisney.com, SiriusXM satellite radio, iTunes Radio Tuner, XM/DIRECTV and mobile phones. Radio Disney programming can be downloaded via the iTunes Music Store. Radio Disney is also available throughout most of South America via a separate Spanish language terrestrial broadcast.

UTV

The Company holds an approximate 50% direct interest in UTV Software Communications Limited (UTV), a media company headquartered and publicly traded in India that is accounted for as an unconsolidated equity investment. Results from this investment are included in the Media Networks segment.

On July 25, 2011, the UTV board of directors approved a proposal submitted by the Company to acquire the publicly held shares of UTV through a delisting offer process. Subsequently, the UTV shareholders approved the delisting of UTV’s equity shares from the Indian stock exchanges. The delisting process is governed by Indian law and will, if completed, involve an offer by the Company to acquire shares publicly traded on the Indian stock exchanges at a price determined through the offer process. The transaction is subject to, among other things, Indian regulatory approval and the Company’s acceptance of the price per share that results from the delisting offer process. If completed, the Company’s interest in UTV would increase to at least 90% and result in a delisting of UTV’s shares. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 hereof.

Broadcasting

Domestic Broadcast Television Network

The Company operates the ABC Television Network, which as of October 1, 2011, had affiliation agreements with 238 local stations reaching 99% of all U.S. television households. The ABC Television Network broadcasts programs in the following “dayparts”: daytime, primetime, late night, news, and sports.

The ABC Television Network produces its own programs or acquires rights from third parties, as well as entities that are owned by or affiliated with the Company. The ABC Television Network derives the majority of its revenues from the sale to advertisers of time in network programs for commercial announcements. The ability to sell time for commercial announcements and the rates received are primarily dependent on the size and nature of the audience that the network can deliver to the advertiser as well as overall advertiser demand for time on network broadcasts. The ABC Television Network also receives fees for its broadcast feed from some of its affiliated stations and pays varying amounts of compensation to some of its affiliated stations.

 

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ABC.com is the official web site of the ABC Television Network and provides access to full-length episodes of ABC shows online. ABCNews.com provides in-depth worldwide news coverage online. ABCNews.com also offers broadband subscriptions to the 24-hour live internet news channel, ABC News Now and to video-on-demand news reports from all ABC News broadcasts.

Television Production

The Company produces programming under the ABC Studios and ABC Media Productions labels. Program development is carried out in collaboration with independent writers, producers, and creative teams, with a focus on half-hour comedies and one-hour dramas, primarily for primetime broadcasts. Primetime programming produced either for our networks or for third parties in the 2011/2012 television season include the returning one-hour dramas Army Wives, Body of Proof, Castle, Criminal Minds, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and Private Practice; the returning half-hour comedies Cougar Town and Happy Endings; and new primetime series that premiere in the 2011/2012 season which include the one-hour dramas Once Upon a Time and Revenge as well as the half-hour comedy Man Up!. Additionally, Good Christian Belles, Missing, Scandal, and The River are in production for mid-season. Castle entered the domestic syndication market during 2011 with the show becoming available beginning in 2012. We also produce Jimmy Kimmel Live for late night and a variety of primetime specials for network television and live-action syndicated programming. Syndicated programming includes Live! with Regis and Kelly, a daily talk show, and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, a game show. The Company also produces news programming including World News with Diane Sawyer, Good Morning America, 20/20 and Nightline and programming for Daytime such as The View and General Hospital.

We also distribute the Company’s productions worldwide in pay and syndication markets, in DVD format and also online via Company internet sites such as ABC.com and to third party services. Our distribution groups also distribute programming aired on our cable networks.

Domestic Television Stations

The Company owns eight television stations, six of which are located in the top-ten markets in the United States. The television stations derive the majority of their revenues from the sale to advertisers of time in television station programs for commercial announcements and also receive retransmission fees charged to MVSPs. All of our television stations are affiliated with the ABC Television Network and collectively reach 23% of the nation’s television households. Each owned station broadcasts three digital channels: the first consists of local, ABC Television Network, and syndicated programming; the second is the Live Well Network broadcast in standard definition; and the third is the Live Well Network broadcast in high definition.

Live Well Network provides programming focusing on lifestyle topics such as interior design, healthy cooking, and outdoor activities. Live Well Network currently reaches 42% of the nation’s households through our owned stations and affiliates.

Markets and details for the stations we own are as follows:

 

Market

  

TV Station

   Television
Market
Ranking(1)

New York, NY

   WABC-TV    1

Los Angeles, CA

   KABC-TV    2

Chicago, IL

   WLS-TV    3

Philadelphia, PA

   WPVI-TV    4

San Francisco, CA

   KGO-TV    6

Houston, TX

   KTRK-TV    10

Raleigh-Durham, NC

   WTVD-TV    24

Fresno, CA

   KFSN-TV    55

 

(1) 

Based on Nielsen Media Research, U.S. Television Household Estimates, January 1, 2011

In April 2011, the Company sold TV stations in the Flint, Michigan and Toledo, Ohio markets.

 

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Competition and Seasonality

The Company’s Media Networks businesses compete for viewers primarily with other television and cable networks, independent television stations and other media, such as DVDs, video games and the internet. With respect to the sale of advertising time, our broadcasting operations, certain of our cable networks and our television and radio stations compete with other television networks and radio stations, independent television stations, MVSPs and other advertising media such as newspapers, magazines, billboards, and the internet. Our television and radio stations primarily compete for viewers in individual market areas. A television or radio station in one market generally does not compete directly with stations in other markets.

The growth in the number of networks distributed by MVSPs has resulted in increased competitive pressures for advertising revenues for both our broadcasting and cable networks. The Company’s cable networks also face competition from other cable networks for carriage by MVSPs. The Company’s contractual agreements with MVSPs are renewed or renegotiated from time to time in the ordinary course of business. Consolidation and other market conditions in the cable and satellite distribution industry and other factors may adversely affect the Company’s ability to obtain and maintain contractual terms for the distribution of its various cable programming services that are as favorable as those currently in place.

The Company’s Media Networks businesses also compete for the acquisition of sports and other programming. The market for programming is very competitive, particularly for sports programming. The Company currently has sports rights agreements with the National Football League (NFL), college football (including college bowl games) and basketball conferences, National Basketball Association (NBA), National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), Major League Baseball (MLB), World Cup and various soccer leagues, and Golf and Tennis Associations.

The Company’s internet web sites and digital products compete with other web sites and entertainment products in their respective categories.

Advertising revenues at the Media Networks are subject to seasonal advertising patterns and changes in viewership levels. Revenues are typically somewhat higher during the fall and somewhat lower during the summer months. Affiliate revenues are typically collected ratably throughout the year. Certain affiliate revenues at ESPN are deferred until annual programming commitments are met, and these commitments are typically satisfied during the second half of the Company’s fiscal year, which generally results in higher revenue recognition during this period.

Federal Regulation

Television and radio broadcasting are subject to extensive regulation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) under federal laws and regulations, including the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. Violation of FCC regulations can result in substantial monetary forfeitures, limited renewals of licenses and, in egregious cases, denial of license renewal or revocation of a license. FCC regulations that affect our Media Networks segment include the following:

 

   

Licensing of television and radio stations. Each of the television and radio stations we own must be licensed by the FCC. These licenses are granted for periods of up to eight years, and we must obtain renewal of licenses as they expire in order to continue operating the stations. We (or the acquiring entity in the case of a divestiture) must also obtain FCC approval whenever we seek to have a license transferred in connection with the acquisition or divestiture of a station. The FCC may decline to renew or approve the transfer of a license in certain circumstances. Although we have generally received such renewals and approvals in the past, there can be no assurance that we will always obtain necessary renewals and approvals in the future.

 

   

Television and radio station ownership limits. The FCC imposes limitations on the number of television stations and radio stations we can own in a specific market, on the combined number of television and radio stations we can own in a single market and on the aggregate percentage of the national audience that can be reached by television stations we own. Currently:

 

   

FCC regulations may restrict our ability to own more than one television station in a market, depending on the size and nature of the market. We do not own more than one television station in any of the markets in which we own a television station.

 

   

Federal statutes permit our television stations in the aggregate to reach a maximum of 39% of the national audience (for this purpose, FCC regulations attribute to UHF television stations only 50% of the television households in their market). For purposes of the FCC’s rules, our eight stations reach approximately 21% of the national audience.

 

   

FCC regulations in some cases impose restrictions on our ability to acquire additional radio or television stations in the markets in which we own radio stations, but we do not believe any such limitations are material to our current operating plans.

 

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Dual networks. FCC rules currently prohibit any of the four major television networks — ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC — from being under common ownership or control.

 

   

Regulation of programming. The FCC regulates broadcast programming by, among other things, banning “indecent” programming, regulating political advertising and imposing commercial time limits during children’s programming. Broadcasters face a heightened risk of being found in violation of the indecency prohibition by the FCC because of recent FCC decisions, coupled with the spontaneity of live programming. In the past several years, the FCC increased enforcement activities with respect to indecency, and a number of significant indecency cases against various broadcasters remain pending in the courts. Moreover, the penalties for broadcasting indecent programming are a maximum of $325,000 per violation.

 

   

Federal legislation and FCC rules also limit the amount of commercial matter that may be shown on broadcast or cable channels during programming designed for children 12 years of age and younger. In addition, broadcast channels are generally required to provide a minimum of three hours per week of programming that has as a “significant purpose” meeting the educational and informational needs of children 16 years of age and younger. FCC rules also give television station owners the right to reject or refuse network programming in certain circumstances or to substitute programming that the licensee reasonably believes to be of greater local or national importance.

 

   

Cable and satellite carriage of broadcast television stations. With respect to cable systems operating within a television station’s Designated Market Area, FCC rules require that every three years each television station elect either “must carry” status, pursuant to which cable operators generally must carry a local television station in the station’s market, or “retransmission consent” status, pursuant to which the cable operator must negotiate with the television station to obtain the consent of the television station prior to carrying its signal. Under the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act and its successors, including most recently the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA), which also requires the “must carry” or “retransmission consent” election, satellite carriers are permitted to retransmit a local television station’s signal into its local market with the consent of the local television station. Under must carry, if a satellite carrier elects to carry one local station in a market, the satellite carrier must carry the signals of all local television stations that also request carriage.

 

   

Digital television. Pursuant to FCC regulations, all of the Company’s stations now operate exclusively on digital channels.

 

   

Cable and satellite carriage of programming. The Communications Act and FCC rules regulate some aspects of negotiations regarding cable and satellite retransmission consent, and some cable and satellite companies have sought regulation of additional aspects of the carriage of programming on cable and satellite systems. Litigation has been instituted against the Company, other program providers and distributors seeking among other things to achieve similar ends. New legislation, court action or regulation in this area could, depending on its specific nature, have an impact on the Company’s operations.

The foregoing is a brief summary of certain provisions of the Communications Act and other legislation and of specific FCC rules and policies. Reference should be made to the Communications Act, other legislation, FCC rules and public notices and rulings of the FCC for further information concerning the nature and extent of the FCC’s regulatory authority.

FCC laws and regulations are subject to change, and the Company generally cannot predict whether new legislation, court action or regulations, or a change in the extent of application or enforcement of current laws and regulations, would have an adverse impact on our operations.

PARKS AND RESORTS

The Company owns and operates the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, the Disneyland Resort in California, Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii, the Disney Vacation Club, the Disney Cruise Line, and Adventures by Disney. The Company manages and has effective ownership interests of 51% in Disneyland Paris, 47% in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and 43% in Shanghai Disney Resort. The Company also licenses the operations of the Tokyo Disney Resort in Japan. The Company’s Walt Disney Imagineering unit designs and develops new theme park concepts and attractions as well as resort properties.

The businesses in the Parks and Resorts segment generate revenues predominately from the sale of admissions to the theme parks; charges for room nights at the hotels; merchandise, food and beverage sales; sales and rentals of vacation club properties; and sales of cruise vacations. Costs consist principally of labor; depreciation; costs of merchandise, food and beverage sold; marketing and sales expense; repairs and maintenance; and entertainment.

 

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Walt Disney World Resort

The Walt Disney World Resort is located 22 miles southwest of Orlando, Florida, on approximately 25,000 acres of owned land. The resort includes theme parks (the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disney’s Animal Kingdom); hotels; vacation club properties; a retail, dining and entertainment complex; a sports complex; conference centers; campgrounds; golf courses; water parks; and other recreational facilities designed to attract visitors for an extended stay.

The Walt Disney World Resort is marketed through a variety of international, national and local advertising and promotional activities. A number of attractions in each of the theme parks are sponsored by other corporations through long-term agreements.

Magic Kingdom — The Magic Kingdom, which opened in 1971, consists of six themed lands: Main Street USA, Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Liberty Square, and Tomorrowland. Each land provides a unique guest experience featuring themed rides and attractions, live Disney character interaction, restaurants, refreshment areas and merchandise shops. Additionally, there are daily parades and a nighttime fireworks extravaganza, Wishes. Fantasyland is undergoing an expansion that will nearly double its size and add new attractions and other guest offerings. The project is scheduled to be completed in phases through 2014.

Epcot — Epcot, which opened in 1982, consists of two major themed areas: Future World and World Showcase. Future World dramatizes certain historical developments and addresses the challenges facing the world today through major pavilions devoted to showcasing science and technology improvements, communication, energy, transportation, using your imagination, nature and food production, the ocean environment and space. World Showcase presents a community of nations focusing on the culture, traditions and accomplishments of people around the world. Countries represented with pavilions include the United States, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Morocco, Norway and the United Kingdom. Both areas feature themed rides and attractions, restaurants and merchandise shops. Epcot also features Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, a nighttime entertainment spectacular.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios — Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which opened in 1989, consists of four themed areas: Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Animation Courtyard, and Backlot. The four areas blend together as a large movie set and provide behind-the-scenes glimpses of Hollywood-style action based on movies and TV shows. The park provides various shows, attractions, themed food service and merchandise facilities. Disney’s Hollywood Studios also features Fantasmic!, a nighttime entertainment spectacular.

Disney’s Animal Kingdom — Disney’s Animal Kingdom, which opened in 1998, consists of a 145-foot Tree of Life centerpiece surrounded by six themed areas: Dinoland U.S.A., Africa, Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Asia, Discovery Island and Camp Minnie-Mickey. Each themed area contains adventure attractions, entertainment shows, restaurants and merchandise shops. The park features more than 300 species of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians and 3,000 varieties of trees and plants. In September 2011, the Company announced an agreement with James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment and Fox Filmed Entertainment for the exclusive global theme park rights to create themed lands based on the AVATAR franchise. The Company plans to build an AVATAR themed land at Walt Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

Hotels and Other Resort Facilities – As of October 1, 2011, the Company owned and operated 17 resort hotels at the Walt Disney World Resort, with a total of approximately 22,000 rooms and 468,000 square feet of conference meeting space. In addition, Disney’s Fort Wilderness camping and recreational area offers approximately 800 campsites. In May 2010, the Company announced plans to open Walt Disney World Resort’s eighteenth hotel, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, which will add nearly 2,000 rooms by the end of 2012 including 1,120 family suites. The resort will be themed after the animated films The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Cars.

The Walt Disney World Resort also hosts a 120-acre retail, dining and entertainment complex known as Downtown Disney, which consists of the Marketplace, West Side and Pleasure Island. Downtown Disney is home to the 51,000-square-foot World of Disney retail store featuring Disney-branded merchandise, Cirque du Soleil, the House of Blues, and the Company’s DisneyQuest facility. A number of the Downtown Disney facilities are operated by third parties that pay rent and license fees to the Company. In September 2008, the Company commenced a multi-year project to enhance Pleasure Island, which will feature new shopping and dining experiences to entertain guests of all ages.

ESPN Wide World of Sports is a 220-acre sports complex providing professional caliber training and competition, festival and tournament events and interactive sports activities. The complex, which hosts over 200 amateur and professional events each year, accommodates multiple sporting events, including baseball, tennis, basketball, softball, track and field, football and soccer. Its stadium, which has a seating capacity of approximately 9,500, is the spring training site for MLB’s Atlanta Braves.

 

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In the Downtown Disney Resort area, seven independently-operated hotels are situated on property leased from the Company. These hotels include approximately 3,700 rooms. Additionally, the Walt Disney World Swan and the Walt Disney World Dolphin hotels, which have approximately 2,300 total rooms, are independently operated on property leased from the Company near Epcot.

Other recreational amenities and activities available at the Walt Disney World Resort include four championship golf courses, miniature golf courses, full-service spas, tennis, sailing, water skiing, swimming, horseback riding and a number of other noncompetitive sports and leisure time activities. The resort also includes two water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.

Disneyland Resort

The Company owns 461 acres and has the rights under long-term lease for use of an additional 49 acres of land in Anaheim, California. The Disneyland Resort includes two theme parks (Disneyland and Disney California Adventure), three hotels and Downtown Disney, a retail, dining and entertainment complex designed to attract visitors for an extended stay.

The entire Disneyland Resort is marketed as a destination resort through international, national and local advertising and promotional activities. A number of the attractions and restaurants at both of the theme parks are sponsored by other corporations through long-term agreements.

Disneyland — Disneyland, which opened in 1955, consists of eight principal areas: Adventureland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Frontierland, Main Street USA, New Orleans Square, Tomorrowland and Toontown. These areas feature themed rides and attractions, shows, restaurants, merchandise shops and refreshment stands. Additionally, Disneyland offers daily parades and a nighttime entertainment spectacular, Fantasmic!.

Disney California Adventure — Disney California Adventure, which opened in 2001, is adjacent to Disneyland and includes four principal areas: Golden State, Hollywood Pictures Backlot, Paradise Pier and “a bug’s land”. These areas include rides, attractions, shows, restaurants, merchandise shops and refreshment stands. Additionally, Disney California Adventure offers a nighttime water spectacular, World of Color, the first major element of the multi-year expansion that adds new entertainment and family-oriented attractions, including Cars Land, a 12-acre themed area inspired by the animated film Cars, which is scheduled to open in summer 2012.

Hotels and Other Resort Facilities — Disneyland Resort includes three Company-owned and operated hotels with a total of approximately 2,400 rooms, 50 vacation club units, and 180,000 square feet of conference meeting space.

Disneyland Resort also includes Downtown Disney, a themed 15-acre outdoor complex of entertainment, dining and shopping venues, located adjacent to both Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure. A number of the Downtown Disney facilities are operated by third parties that pay rent and license fees to the Company.

Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa

In August 2011 the Company opened its first mixed-use family resort outside of its theme park developments on a 21-acre oceanfront property on Oahu, Hawaii. Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa features 359 hotel rooms, an 18,000 square foot spa and 12,000 square feet of conference meeting space. The resort is also home to a 481 unit Disney Vacation Club facility that is being constructed in phases. As of October 1, 2011, 207 vacation club units had been completed.

Disneyland Paris

The Company has a 51% effective ownership interest in Disneyland Paris, a 5,510-acre development located in Marne-la-Vallée, approximately 20 miles east of Paris, France, which has been developed pursuant to a master agreement with French governmental authorities. The Company manages and has a 40% equity interest in Euro Disney S.C.A., a publicly-traded French entity that is the holding company for Euro Disney Associés S.C.A., the primary operating company of Disneyland Paris. Euro Disney S.C.A. and its subsidiaries operate Disneyland Paris, which includes two theme parks (Disneyland Park and Walt Disney Studios Park); seven themed hotels; convention centers; a shopping, dining and entertainment complex; and a 27-hole golf facility. Of the 5,510 acres comprising the site, approximately half have been developed to date, including the Val d’Europe development discussed below. An indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company is responsible for managing Disneyland Paris. Euro Disney S.C.A. is required to pay royalties and management fees to the Company based on the operating performance of the resort.

 

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Disneyland Park — Disneyland Park, which opened in 1992, consists of five principal themed areas: Adventureland, Discoveryland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, and Main Street. These areas include themed rides, attractions, shows, restaurants, merchandise shops and refreshment stands. Disneyland Park also features a daily parade.

Walt Disney Studios Park — Walt Disney Studios Park opened in March 2002 adjacent to Disneyland Park. The park takes guests into the worlds of cinema, animation and television and includes four principal themed areas: Front Lot, Toon Studios, Production Courtyard and Backlot. These areas each include themed rides, attractions, shows, restaurants, merchandise shops and refreshment stands.

Hotels and Other Facilities — Disneyland Paris operates seven resort hotels, with a total of approximately 5,800 rooms and 250,000 square feet of conference meeting space. In addition, several on-site hotels that are owned and operated by third parties provide approximately 2,400 rooms.

Disneyland Paris also includes Disney Village, a retail, dining and entertainment complex of approximately 500,000 square feet, located between the theme parks and the hotels. A number of the Disney Village facilities are operated by third parties that pay rent to a subsidiary of Euro Disney S.C.A.

Val d’Europe is a planned community that is being developed near Disneyland Paris. The completed phases of the development include: a town center, which consists of a shopping center; a 150-room hotel; office, commercial, and residential space; and a regional train station. Third parties operate these developments on land leased or purchased from Euro Disney S.C.A. and its subsidiaries.

In fiscal 2005, Euro Disney S.C.A. completed a financial restructuring, which provided for an increase in capital and refinancing of its borrowings. Pursuant to the financial restructuring, the Company agreed to conditionally and unconditionally defer certain management fees and royalties and convert them into long-term subordinated debt and provide a ten-year line of credit, with a current limit of €100 million for liquidity needs.

In fiscal 2010, Euro Disney S.C.A signed an amendment to the master agreement entered into between the Company and French governmental authorities in 1987 for the creation and operation of the resort. This amendment extends the duration of the agreement from 2017 to 2030. In addition, the amendment provides for updated land entitlements that allow Euro Disney S.C.A to develop, in partnership with Groupe Pierre & Vacances Center Parcs, Les Villages Nature de Val d’Europe, an innovative eco-tourism project.

Hong Kong Disneyland Resort

The Company owns a 47% interest in Hong Kong Disneyland Resort through Hongkong International Theme Parks Limited, an entity in which the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) owns a 53% majority interest. A separate Hong Kong subsidiary of the Company is responsible for managing Hong Kong Disneyland Resort.

Located on 311 acres on Lantau Island, the resort is in close proximity to the Hong Kong International Airport. Hong Kong Disneyland Resort includes one theme park and two themed hotels.

Hong Kong Disneyland – Hong Kong Disneyland opened in 2005 and consists of the following themed areas: Adventureland, Fantasyland, Main Street USA, Tomorrowland and Toy Story Land. These areas feature themed rides and attractions, shows, restaurants, merchandise shops and refreshment stands. Additionally, there are daily parades and a nighttime fireworks extravaganza.

Hotels – Hong Kong Disneyland Resort includes two themed hotels with a total of 1,000 rooms.

In July 2009, the Company and the HKSAR agreed to a capital realignment and expansion plan for Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The expansion, which is scheduled to be completed in phases by 2013, will bring three new themed areas to Hong Kong Disneyland: Toy Story Land, which opened in November 2011; Grizzly Gulch and Mystic Point. Pursuant to the plan, the Company converted a loan to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort into equity and to date, has made additional capital contributions of $259 million and the HKSAR has contributed like amounts of capital by converting a portion of its loan to Hong Kong Disneyland Resort into equity. This has increased the Company’s effective ownership interest from 43% to 47% as of October 1, 2011. The Company expects to make additional capital contributions to fund the expansion of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. See Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Based on the operating performance of Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, the Company is entitled to receive royalties and management fees.

 

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Shanghai Disney Resort

On April 8, 2011, the Company and Shanghai Shendi (Group) Co., Ltd (Shendi) announced that the Chinese central government in Beijing had approved an agreement to build and operate a Disney resort (Shanghai Disney Resort) in the Pudong district of Shanghai. On opening day, the Shanghai Disney Resort will be located on roughly 1,000 acres, with additional room to expand in the future, and will include the Shanghai Disneyland theme park; two themed hotels with a total of 1,220 rooms; a retail, dining and entertainment complex; and an outdoor recreational area. Shanghai Disney Resort is currently targeted to open in approximately five years.

Construction and operation of the project will be the responsibility of a joint venture in which Shendi owns a 57% interest and the Company owns 43%. Construction has commenced and we expect the total investment to be approximately 24.5 billion yuan to build the theme park and an additional 4.5 billion yuan to build other aspects of the resort, including the hotels and the retail, dining and entertainment area. The investment amounts will be funded in accordance with each partner’s equity ownership percentage. In addition, a joint venture management company has been formed which is responsible for creating, developing and operating the resort, with Disney having a 70% stake and Shendi owning 30%. The management company will be entitled to receive management fees based on project operations. In addition to the management fees and equity interest, the Company will earn royalties on revenues generated by the resort.

Tokyo Disney Resort

Tokyo Disney Resort is located on approximately 494 acres of land, six miles east of downtown Tokyo, Japan. The resort includes two theme parks (Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea); three Disney-branded hotels; six independently operated hotels; and a retail, dining and entertainment complex.

Tokyo Disneyland — Tokyo Disneyland, which opened in 1983, was the first Disney theme park to open outside the United States. Tokyo Disneyland consists of seven principal areas: Adventureland, Critter Country, Fantasyland, Tomorrowland, Toontown, Westernland and World Bazaar.

Tokyo DisneySea — Tokyo DisneySea, adjacent to Tokyo Disneyland, opened in 2001. The park is divided into seven “ports of call,” including Mediterranean Harbor, American Waterfront, Port Discovery, Lost River Delta, Mermaid Lagoon, Mysterious Island and Arabian Coast.

Hotels and Other Resort Facilities - The resort includes three Disney-branded hotels with a total of more than 1,700 rooms. The resort also includes the Disney Resort Line monorail, which links theme parks and resort hotels with Ikspiari, a retail, dining and entertainment complex, and Bon Voyage, a Disney-themed merchandise location.

The Company earns royalties on revenues generated by the Tokyo Disney Resort, which is owned and operated by Oriental Land Co., Ltd. (OLC), a Japanese corporation in which the Company has no equity interest. OLC markets the Tokyo Disney Resort through a variety of local, domestic and international advertising and promotional activities.

Disney Vacation Club

The Disney Vacation Club offers ownership interests in 11 resort facilities located at the Walt Disney World Resort; Disneyland Resort; Vero Beach, Florida; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and Oahu, Hawaii. Available units at each facility are offered for sale under a vacation ownership plan and are operated as hotel rooms when not occupied by vacation club members. The Company’s vacation club units consist of a mix of units ranging from one bedroom studios to three bedroom villas. Unit counts in this document are presented in terms of two bedroom equivalents. Disney Vacation Club has 3,267 vacation club units as of October 1, 2011 and is scheduled to open an additional 274 units at Aulani, a 21-acre oceanfront resort on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The resort, which opened its first phase in August 2011, also has a total of 359 traditional hotel rooms.

Disney Cruise Line

Disney Cruise Line, which is generally operated out of Port Canaveral, Florida and Port of Los Angeles, California, is a vacation cruise line that includes three ships: the Disney Magic, the Disney Wonder and the Disney Dream which launched in January 2011. The Company is constructing a fourth ship, the Disney Fantasy, which will launch in March 2012. The ships cater to children, families and adults, with distinctly-themed areas and activities for each group. The Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder are 85,000-ton ships which feature 877 staterooms, while the Disney Dream and the Disney Fantasy are 130,000 ton ships with 1,250 staterooms. Cruise vacations originating from Port Canaveral include a visit to Disney’s Castaway Cay, a 1,000-acre private Bahamian island.

 

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Adventures by Disney

Adventures by Disney offers all-inclusive guided vacation tour packages predominantly at non-Disney sites around the world. The Company provided 22 excursion packages during 2011.

Walt Disney Imagineering

Walt Disney Imagineering provides master planning, real estate development, attraction, entertainment and show design, engineering support, production support, project management and other development services, including research and development for the Company’s operations.

Competition and Seasonality

The Company’s theme parks and resorts as well as Disney Cruise Line and Disney Vacation Club compete with other forms of entertainment, lodging, tourism and recreational activities. The profitability of the leisure-time industry may be influenced by various factors that are not directly controllable, such as economic conditions including business cycle and exchange rate fluctuations, travel industry trends, amount of available leisure time, oil and transportation prices, and weather patterns and natural disasters.

All of the theme parks and the associated resort facilities are operated on a year-round basis. Typically, the theme parks and resorts business experiences fluctuations in theme park attendance and resort occupancy resulting from the seasonal nature of vacation travel and local entertainment excursions. Peak attendance and resort occupancy generally occur during the summer months when school vacations occur and during early-winter and spring-holiday periods.

STUDIO ENTERTAINMENT

The Studio Entertainment segment produces and acquires live-action and animated motion pictures, direct-to-video content, musical recordings and live stage plays.

The Company distributes produced and acquired films (including its film and television library) in the theatrical, home entertainment and television markets with a focus on Disney-branded films under the Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar banners and Marvel-branded films. The Company also distributes films under the Touchstone Pictures banner. Each of the market windows is discussed in more detail below.

In August 2009, the Company entered into an agreement with DreamWorks Studios (“DreamWorks”) to distribute live-action motion pictures produced by DreamWorks over the next seven years under the Touchstone Pictures banner. Under the agreement, the Company distributed I Am Number Four, The Help and Fright Night in fiscal 2011. As part of the agreement, the Company provides certain financing, which as of October 1, 2011, totaled $153 million. There is an additional $90 million available that is largely dependent on DreamWorks obtaining additional equity financing.

Prior to the Company’s acquisition, Marvel had agreements in place for third party studios to distribute its films including Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America and The Incredible Hulk, which have all been released. Under these arrangements, the Company incurs the cost to produce the films and pays the third party studio a distribution fee. Beginning with The Avengers, which is scheduled for release in May 2012, the Company will distribute all Marvel produced films. In fiscal 2011, the Company purchased the distribution rights for The Avengers and Iron Man 3 from a third party studio and will pay certain fees to that studio associated with the performance of those films, subject to a minimum guarantee.

The Company has also licensed the rights to produce and distribute feature films for certain other Marvel properties including Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and X-Men to third-party studios. Under these licensing arrangements, the third-party studio incurs the cost to produce and distribute the films and pays the Company a licensing fee. During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, the Company completed a two-way transaction to simplify our relationship with Sony Pictures. In this transaction, the Company purchased Sony Pictures participation in Spider-Man merchandising, while at the same time, Sony Pictures purchased from the Company our participation in Spider-Man films. This transaction will allow the Company to control and fully benefit from all Spider-Man merchandising activity, while Sony Pictures will continue to produce and distribute Spider-Man films.

On December 3, 2010, the Company sold Miramax Film NY, LLC (Miramax), which was one of its banners, for $663 million. Net proceeds which reflect closing adjustments, the settlement of related claims and obligations and Miramax’s cash balances at closing totaled $532 million. The sale included both Miramax and Dimension film assets.

 

 

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Theatrical Market

We generally produce and distribute live-action family films and full length animated films. During fiscal 2012, we expect to distribute domestically seven of our own produced feature films and four DreamWorks films. As of October 1, 2011, the Company had released domestically approximately 970 full-length live-action features, 90 full-length animated features, 550 cartoon shorts and 50 live action shorts.

We distribute and market our filmed products principally through our own distribution and marketing companies in the U.S. theatrical market. In the international theatrical markets, we distribute our filmed products both directly and through independent distribution companies or joint ventures. Films released theatrically in the U.S. may be released simultaneously in international territories or generally up to four months later.

The Company incurs significant marketing and advertising costs before and throughout the theatrical release of a film in an effort to generate public awareness of the film, to increase the public’s intent to view the film and to help generate consumer interest in the subsequent home entertainment and other ancillary markets. These costs are expensed as incurred; therefore, we typically incur losses on a film in the theatrical markets, including in periods prior to the theatrical release of the film.

Home Entertainment Market

In the domestic market, we distribute home entertainment releases directly under each of our motion picture banners. In the international market, we distribute home entertainment releases under each of our motion picture banners both directly and through independent foreign distribution companies. In addition, we acquire and produce original content for direct-to-video release.

Domestic and international home entertainment distribution typically starts three to six months after the theatrical release in each market. The home entertainment releases may be distributed in both physical (DVD and Blu-Ray) and electronic versions. Most titles are sold simultaneously to retailers, such as Wal-Mart and Best Buy, and also Redbox and Netflix.

As of October 1, 2011, we had approximately 1,700 active produced and acquired titles, including 1,300 live-action titles and 400 animated titles, in the domestic home entertainment marketplace and approximately 2,900 active produced and acquired titles, including 2,400 live-action titles and 500 animated titles, in the international marketplace.

Television Market

Pay-Per-View (PPV)/Video-on-Demand (VOD): Concurrently with, or up to two months after, home entertainment distribution begins, we license titles for use on a PPV/VOD basis, as well as for internet, console games, and mobile platforms. PPV/VOD services deliver one-time rentals electronically to consumers at a price comparable to that of physical media rentals.

Pay Television (Pay 1): There are generally two pay television windows. The first window is generally sixteen months in duration and follows the PPV/VOD window. The Company has licensed exclusive domestic pay television rights to substantially all films released under the Walt Disney Pictures, Pixar, and Touchstone Pictures banners to the Starz pay television service through fiscal 2016. DreamWorks titles distributed by the Company are licensed to Showtime under a separate agreement.

Free Television (Free 1): The Pay 1 window is followed by a television window with telecasts accessible to consumers without charge. This free window may last up to 84 months. Motion pictures are usually sold in the Free 1 window on an ad-hoc basis to major networks, including the ABC Television Network, and basic cable services.

Pay Television 2 (Pay 2) and Free Television 2 (Free 2): In the U.S., Free 1 is generally followed by a fourteen-month Pay 2 window under our license arrangements with Starz and Showtime, and finally by a Free 2 window. Major packages of the Company’s feature films have been licensed for broadcast under multi-year agreements within the Free 2 window. The Free 2 window is a syndication window where films are licensed both to basic cable networks and to third-party television station groups.

International Television: The Company also licenses its theatrical properties outside of the U.S. The typical windowing sequence is broadly consistent with the domestic cycle such that titles premiere on television in PPV/VOD then air in pay TV before airing in free TV. Windowing strategies are developed in response to local market practices and conditions, and the exact sequence and length of each window can vary country by country.

 

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Disney Music Group

The Disney Music Group includes Walt Disney Records, Hollywood Records (including the Mammoth Records and Buena Vista Records labels), Lyric Street Records, Buena Vista Concerts and Disney Music Publishing.

Walt Disney Records produces and distributes compact discs and music DVDs in the United States and licenses our music properties throughout the rest of the world. Music categories include infant, children’s read-along, teens, all-family and soundtracks from film and television series distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and Disney Channel. Hollywood Records develops, produces and markets recordings from talent across a spectrum of popular music.

The Music Group commissions new music for the Company’s motion picture and television programs, records the songs and licenses the song copyrights to others for printed music, records, audio-visual devices, public performances and digital distribution. Buena Vista Concerts produces live-entertainment events with artists signed to the Disney Music Group record labels.

Disney Music Publishing controls the copyrights of thousands of musical compositions derived from the Company’s motion picture, television, record and theme park properties, as well as musical compositions written by songwriters under exclusive contract. It is responsible for the management, protection, and licensing of the Disney song catalog on a worldwide basis.

Disney Theatrical Productions

Disney Theatrical Productions develops, produces and licenses live entertainment events. The Company has produced and licensed Broadway musicals around the world, including Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Elton John & Tim Rice’s Aida, Mary Poppins (a co-production with Cameron Mackintosh Ltd), and TARZAN®. Other stage musical ventures have included an Off-Broadway production of Peter and the Starcatcher and, most recently, stage adaptations of the films Aladdin and Newsies. In addition, the Company licenses musicals for local school and community theatre productions.

Disney Theatrical Productions also delivers live shows globally through its license to Feld Entertainment, producer of Disney On Ice and Disney Live!. Disney On Ice’s newest ice shows, Dare to Dream and Treasure Trove, launched in September and October 2011, respectively, for North America tours and Phineas and Ferb: The Greatest Live Tour Ever, the latest from Disney Live!, was launched in August 2011.

Competition and Seasonality

The Studio Entertainment businesses compete with all forms of entertainment. A significant number of companies produce and/or distribute theatrical and television films, exploit products in the home entertainment market, provide pay television programming services and sponsor live theater. We also compete to obtain creative and performing talents, story properties, advertiser support and broadcast rights that are essential to the success of our Studio Entertainment businesses.

The success of Studio Entertainment operations is heavily dependent upon public taste and preferences. In addition, Studio Entertainment operating results fluctuate due to the timing and performance of releases in the theatrical, home entertainment and television markets. Release dates are determined by several factors, including competition and the timing of vacation and holiday periods.

CONSUMER PRODUCTS

The Consumer Products segment engages with licensees, manufacturers, publishers and retailers throughout the world to design, develop, publish, promote and sell a wide variety of products based on existing and new characters and other Company intellectual property through its Merchandise Licensing, Publishing and Retail businesses. In addition to leveraging the Company’s film and television properties, Consumer Products also develops new intellectual property with the potential of also being used in the Company’s other businesses and operates an English language learning business (Disney English).

 

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Merchandise Licensing

The Company’s worldwide merchandise licensing operations include a diverse range of product categories, the most significant of which are: toys, apparel, home décor and furnishings, stationery, accessories, health and beauty, food, footwear, and consumer electronics. The Company licenses characters from its film, television and other properties and earns royalties, which are usually based on a fixed percentage of the wholesale or retail selling price of the products. Some of the major properties licensed by the Company include Mickey Mouse, Cars, Disney Princess, Winnie the Pooh, Toy Story, Disney Fairies, and the Marvel properties including Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man. The Company also designs individual products and creates exclusive themed and seasonal promotional campaigns for retailers based on characters, movies and TV shows.

Publishing

Disney Publishing Worldwide (DPW) publishes children’s books and magazines in multiple countries and languages. DPW businesses include: Juvenile Publishing, Digital Publishing, and Disney English. The Juvenile Publishing group creates, distributes and licenses children’s books and magazines globally in support of the Company’s Disney-, Pixar- and Marvel-branded franchises. Digital Publishing offers content on digital devices through its growing library of e-books and apps, including apps such as Disney Princess Dress-Up: My Sticker Book and Cars 2: World Grand Prix Read and Race. Disney English operates 28 English language learning centers across China.

Marvel Publishing creates and publishes comic books, and graphic novel collections of comic books, principally in North America. Marvel Publishing also licenses the right to publish translated versions of our comic books, principally in Europe and Latin America. Titles include X-Men, Spider-man, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers and the Incredible Hulk. Marvel Publishing also generates revenues from the digital distribution of its comic books.

Retail

The Company markets Disney-themed products directly through retail stores operated under the Disney Store name and through internet sites in North America (DisneyStore.com and DisneyOutlet.com), Western Europe, and Japan. The stores, which are generally located in leading shopping malls and other retail complexes, carry a wide variety of Disney merchandise and promote other businesses of the Company. The Company currently owns and operates 208 stores in North America, 103 stores in Europe, and 46 stores in Japan.

Competition and Seasonality

The Company’s merchandise licensing, publishing and retail businesses compete with other licensors, publishers and retailers of character, brand and celebrity names. Based on independent surveys, we believe the Company is the largest worldwide licensor of character-based merchandise based on retail sales. Operating results for the licensing and retail businesses are influenced by seasonal consumer purchasing behavior and by the timing and performance of animated theatrical releases and cable programming broadcasts.

INTERACTIVE MEDIA

The Interactive Media Group creates and delivers branded entertainment and lifestyle content across interactive media platforms. The primary operating businesses of the Interactive Media Group are Games which produces multi-platform games for global distribution, and Online, which produces internet websites in the United States and internationally. The Interactive Media Group derives revenues from a combination of wholesale sales, licensing, advertising, sponsorships, subscription services and online game accessories (micro transactions). The Interactive Media Group also manages the Company’s Disney-branded mobile phone business in Japan which provides mobile phone service and content to consumers.

Games

The Games business creates, develops, markets and distributes console and handheld, games worldwide based on properties created elsewhere in the Company, including 2011 titles such as LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean, and Cars 2, as well as new game properties such as Epic Mickey. The Games business also produces online games, such as Disney’s Club Penguin and Disney Fairies Pixie Hollow, interactive games for social networking websites such as Gardens of Time, and games for smartphone platforms. Certain properties are also licensed to third-party video game publishers.

On August 27, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of Playdom, Inc., a company that develops and publishes online games for social networking websites.

 

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Online

Online develops, publishes and distributes content for branded online services intended for family entertainment. Disney Online produces kids and family-targeted entertainment through a portfolio of websites including Disney.com and the Disney Family Network. Disney.com integrates many of the Company’s Disney-branded internet sites including sites for the Disney Channel, Disney Parks and Resorts, Walt Disney Pictures and Disney Consumer Products.

Competition and Seasonality

The Company’s online sites and products compete with a wide variety of other online sites and products. The Company’s video game business competes primarily with other publishers of video game software and other types of home entertainment. Operating results for the video game business fluctuate due to the timing and performance of video game releases, which are determined by several factors including theatrical releases and cable programming broadcasts, competition and the timing of holiday periods. Revenues from certain of the Company’s online and mobile operations are subject to similar seasonal trends.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION

The Company’s businesses throughout the world are affected by its ability to exploit and protect against infringement of its intellectual property, including trademarks, trade names, copyrights, patents and trade secrets. Important intellectual property includes rights in the content of motion pictures, television programs, electronic games, sound recordings, character likenesses, theme park attractions, books and magazines. Risks related to the protection and exploitation of intellectual property rights are set forth in Item 1A – Risk Factors.

AVAILABLE INFORMATION

Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports are available without charge on our website, www.disney.com/investors, as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed electronically with the SEC. We are providing the address to our internet site solely for the information of investors. We do not intend the address to be an active link or to otherwise incorporate the contents of the website into this report.

 

ITEM 1A. Risk Factors

For an enterprise as large and complex as the Company, a wide range of factors could materially affect future developments and performance. In addition to the factors affecting specific business operations identified in connection with the description of these operations and the financial results of these operations elsewhere in this report, the most significant factors affecting our operations include the following:

Changes in U.S., global, or regional economic conditions could have an adverse effect on the profitability of some or all of our businesses.

A decline in economic activity in the United States and other regions of the world in which we do business can adversely affect demand for any of our businesses, thus reducing our revenue and earnings. The most recent decline in economic conditions reduced spending at our parks and resorts, purchase of and prices for advertising on our broadcast and cable networks and owned stations, performance of our home entertainment releases, and purchases of Company-branded consumer products, and similar impacts can be expected should such conditions recur. A decline in economic conditions could also reduce attendance at our parks and resorts or prices that MVSPs pay for our cable programming. Recent instability in European economies presents risks of similar impacts in our European operations. Economic conditions can also impair the ability of those with whom we do business to satisfy their obligations to us. In addition, an increase in price levels generally, or in price levels in a particular sector such as the energy sector, could result in a shift in consumer demand away from the entertainment and consumer products we offer, which could also adversely affect our revenues and, at the same time, increase our costs. Changes in exchange rates for foreign currencies may reduce international demand for our products, increase our labor or supply costs in non-United States markets, or reduce the United States dollar value of revenue we receive from other markets.

 

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Changes in public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment and consumer products could reduce demand for our entertainment offerings and products and adversely affect the profitability of any of our businesses.

Our businesses create entertainment, travel or consumer products whose success depends substantially on consumer tastes and preferences that change in often unpredictable ways. The success of our businesses depends on our ability to consistently create and distribute filmed entertainment, broadcast and cable programming, online material, electronic games, theme park attractions, hotels and other resort facilities and travel experiences and consumer products that meet the changing preferences of the broad consumer market. Many of our businesses increasingly depend on acceptance of our offerings and products by consumers outside the United States, and their success therefore depends on our ability to successfully predict and adapt to changing consumer tastes and preferences outside as well as inside the United States. Moreover, we must often invest substantial amounts in film production, broadcast and cable programming, electronic games, theme park attractions, cruise ships or hotels and other resort facilities before we learn the extent to which these products will earn consumer acceptance. If our entertainment offerings and products do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance, our revenue from advertising sales (which are based in part on ratings for the programs in which advertisements air) or subscription fees for broadcast and cable programming and online services, from theatrical film receipts or home video or electronic game sales, from theme park admissions, hotel room charges and merchandise, food and beverage sales, from sales of licensed consumer products or from sales of our other consumer products and services may decline or fail to grow to the extent we anticipate when making investment decisions and thereby adversely affect the profitability of one or more of our businesses.

Changes in technology and in consumer consumption patterns may affect demand for our entertainment products or the cost of producing or distributing products.

The media entertainment and internet businesses in which we participate depend significantly on our ability to acquire, develop, adopt and exploit new technologies to distinguish our products and services from those of our competitors. In addition, new technologies affect the demand for our products, the time and manner in which consumers acquire and view some of our entertainment products and the options available to advertisers for reaching their desired markets. For example, the success of our offerings in the home entertainment market depends in part on consumer preferences with respect to home entertainment formats, including DVD players and personal video recorders, as well as the availability of alternative home entertainment offerings and technologies, including web-based delivery of entertainment offerings. In addition, technological developments offer consumers an expanding array of entertainment options and delivery vehicles which may include options we have not yet fully developed, or options we have developed but which entail a smaller return than we realize on traditional options. As a result, the income from our entertainment offerings may decline or increase at slower rates than our historical experience or our expectations when we make investments in products.

The success of our businesses is highly dependent on the existence and maintenance of intellectual property rights in the entertainment products and services we create.

The value to us of our intellectual property rights is dependent on the scope and duration of our rights as defined by applicable laws in the United States and abroad and the manner in which those laws are construed. If those laws are drafted or interpreted in ways that limit the extent or duration of our rights, or if existing laws are changed, our ability to generate revenue from our intellectual property may decrease, or the cost of obtaining and maintaining rights may increase.

The unauthorized use of our intellectual property rights may increase the cost of protecting these rights or reduce our revenues. New technologies such as the convergence of computing, communication, and entertainment devices, the falling prices of devices incorporating such technologies, and increased broadband internet speed and penetration have made the unauthorized digital copying and distribution of our films, television productions and other creative works easier and faster and enforcement of intellectual property rights more challenging. There is evidence that unauthorized use of intellectual property rights in the entertainment industry generally is a significant and rapidly growing phenomenon. Inadequate laws or weak enforcement mechanisms to protect intellectual property in one country can adversely affect the results of the Company’s operations worldwide, despite the Company’s efforts to protect its intellectual property rights. These developments require us to devote substantial resources to protecting our intellectual property against unlicensed use and present the risk of increased losses of revenue as a result of unlicensed digital distribution of our content and sales of unauthorized DVDs, Blu-ray discs and other products.

With respect to intellectual property developed by the Company and rights acquired by the Company from others, the Company is subject to the risk of challenges to our rights in intellectual property by third parties. Successful challenges to our rights in intellectual property may result in increased costs for obtaining rights or the loss of the opportunity to earn revenue from the intellectual property that is the subject of challenged rights. The Company is not aware of any challenges to its intellectual property rights that it currently foresees having a material effect on its operations.

 

 

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Protection of electronically stored data is costly and if our data is compromised in spite of this protection, we may incur additional costs, lost opportunities and damage to our reputation.

We maintain information necessary to conduct our business, including confidential and proprietary information as well as personal information regarding our customers and employees, in digital form. Data maintained in digital form is subject to the risk of intrusion, tampering and theft. We develop and maintain systems to prevent this from occurring, but the development and maintenance of these systems is costly and requires ongoing monitoring and updating as technologies change and efforts to overcome security measures become more sophisticated. Moreover, despite our efforts, the possibility of intrusion tampering and theft cannot be eliminated entirely, and risks associated with each of these remain. In addition, we provide confidential, proprietary and personal information to third parties when it is necessary to pursue business objectives. While we obtain assurances that these third parties will protect this information and, where appropriate, monitor the protections employed by these third parties, there is a risk the confidentiality of data held by third parties may be compromised. If our data systems are compromised, our ability to conduct our business may be impaired, we may lose profitable opportunities or the value of those opportunities may be diminished and, as described above, we may lose revenue as a result of unlicensed use of our intellectual property. If personal information of our customers or employees is misappropriated, our reputation with our customers and employees may be injured resulting in loss of business or morale, and we may incur costs to remediate possible injury to our customers and employees or to pay fines or take other action with respect to judicial or regulatory actions arising out of the incident.

A variety of uncontrollable events may reduce demand for our products and services, impair our ability to provide our products and services or increase the cost of providing our products and services.

Demand for our products and services, particularly our theme parks and resorts, is highly dependent on the general environment for travel and tourism. The environment for travel and tourism, as well as demand for other entertainment products, can be significantly adversely affected in the United States, globally or in specific regions as a result of a variety of factors beyond our control, including: adverse weather conditions arising from short-term weather patterns or long-term change or natural disasters (such as excessive heat or rain, hurricanes and earthquakes); health concerns; international, political or military developments; and terrorist attacks. For example, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in March 2011 resulted in a period of suspension of our operations and those of certain of our licensees in Japan, including Tokyo Disney Resort and resulted in a loss of revenue from those operations. These events and others, such as fluctuations in travel and energy costs and computer virus attacks, intrusions or other widespread computing or telecommunications failures, may also damage our ability to provide our products and services or to obtain insurance coverage with respect to these events. In addition, we derive royalties from the sales of our licensed goods and services by third parties and the management of businesses operated under brands licensed from the Company, and we are therefore dependent on the successes of those third parties for that portion of our revenue. A wide variety of factors could influence the success of those third parties and if negative factors significantly impacted a sufficient number of our licensees, that could adversely affect the profitability of one or more of our businesses. We obtain insurance against the risk of losses relating to some of these events, generally including physical damage to our property and resulting business interruption, certain injuries occurring on our property and liability for alleged breach of legal responsibilities. When insurance is obtained it is subject to deductibles, exclusions and limits of liability. The types and levels of coverage we obtain vary from time to time depending on our view of the likelihood of specific types and levels of loss in relation to the cost of obtaining coverage for such types and levels of loss.

Changes in our business strategy or restructuring of our businesses may increase our costs or otherwise affect the profitability of our businesses.

As changes in our business environment occur we may need to adjust our business strategies to meet these changes or we may otherwise find it necessary to restructure our operations or particular businesses or assets. In addition, external events including acceptance of our theatrical offerings and changes in macro-economic conditions may impair the value of our assets. When these changes or events occur, we may incur costs to change our business strategy and may need to write down the value of assets. We also make investments in existing or new businesses, including investments in international expansion of our business and in new business lines. In recent years, such investments have included investments in new cruise ships, expansion and repurposing of certain of our theme park attractions, and development of a resort facility in Hawaii. In addition, a joint venture in which we participate recently began construction of a theme park in Shanghai, China. Some of these investments may have short-term returns that are negative or low and the ultimate business prospects of the businesses may be uncertain. In any of these events, our costs may increase, we may have significant charges associated with the write-down of assets or returns on new investments may be lower than prior to the change in strategy or restructuring.

 

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Turmoil in the financial markets could increase our cost of borrowing and impede access to or increase the cost of financing our operations and investments.

Past disruptions in the U.S. and global credit and equity markets made it difficult for many businesses to obtain financing on acceptable terms. In addition, equity markets have recently experienced rapid and wide fluctuations in value. These conditions tended to increase the cost of borrowing and if they recur, our cost of borrowing could increase and it may be more difficult to obtain financing for our operations or investments. In addition, our borrowing costs can be affected by short and long-term debt ratings assigned by independent rating agencies which are based, in significant part, on the Company’s performance as measured by credit metrics such as interest coverage and leverage ratios. A decrease in these ratings would likely increase our cost of borrowing and/or make it more difficult for us to obtain financing. Past disruptions in the global financial markets also impacted some of the financial institutions with which we do business. A similar decline in the financial stability of financial institutions could affect our ability to secure credit-worthy counterparties for our interest rate and foreign currency hedging programs and could affect our ability to settle existing contracts.

Increased competitive pressures may reduce our revenues or increase our costs.

We face substantial competition in each of our businesses from alternative providers of the products and services we offer and from other forms of entertainment, lodging, tourism and recreational activities. We also must compete to obtain human resources, programming and other resources we require in operating our business. For example:

 

   

Our broadcast and cable networks, stations and online offerings compete for viewers with other broadcast, cable and satellite services as well as with home video products and internet usage.

 

   

Our broadcast and cable networks and stations compete for the sale of advertising time with other broadcast, cable and satellite services, and the internet, as well as with newspapers, magazines and billboards.

 

   

Our cable networks compete for carriage of their programming with other programming providers.

 

   

Our broadcast and cable networks compete for the acquisition of creative talent and sports and other programming with other broadcast and cable networks.

 

   

Our theme parks and resorts compete for guests with all other forms of entertainment, lodging, tourism and recreation activities.

 

   

Our studio operations compete for customers with all other forms of entertainment.

 

   

Our studio operations, broadcast and cable networks and publishing businesses compete to obtain creative and performing talent, story properties, advertiser support, broadcast rights and market share.

 

   

Our consumer products segment competes in the character merchandising and other licensing, publishing, and retail activities with other licensors, publishers and retailers of character, brand and celebrity names.

 

   

Our interactive game operations compete with other publishers of console, online and mobile games and other types of home entertainment.

Competition in each of these areas may divert consumers from our creative or other products, or to other products or other forms of entertainment, which could reduce our revenue or increase our marketing costs. Such competition may also reduce, or limit growth in, prices for our products and services, including advertising rates and subscription fees at our media networks, parks and resorts admissions and room rates, and prices for consumer products from which we derive license revenues. Competition for the acquisition of resources can increase the cost of producing our products and services.

 

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Sustained increases in costs of pension and postretirement medical and other employee health and welfare benefits may reduce our profitability.

With approximately 156,000 employees, our profitability is substantially affected by costs of pension benefits and current and postretirement medical benefits. We may experience significant increases in these costs as a result of macro-economic factors, which are beyond our control, including increases in the cost of health care. In addition, changes in investment returns and discount rates used to calculate pension expense and related assets and liabilities can be volatile and may have an unfavorable impact on our costs in some years. These macro-economic factors as well as a decline in the fair value of pension and post retirement medical plan assets may put upward pressure on the cost of providing pension and post retirement medical benefits and may increase future funding contributions. Although we have actively sought to control increases in these costs, there can be no assurance that we will succeed in limiting cost increases, and continued upward pressure could reduce the profitability of our businesses.

Our results may be adversely affected if long-term programming or carriage contracts are not renewed on sufficiently favorable terms.

We enter into long-term contracts for both the acquisition and the distribution of media programming and products, including contracts for the acquisition of programming rights for sporting events and other programs, and contracts for the distribution of our programming to MVSPs. As these contracts expire, we must renew or renegotiate the contracts, and if we are unable to renew them on acceptable terms, we may lose programming rights or distribution rights. Even if these contracts are renewed, the cost of obtaining programming rights may increase (or increase at faster rates than our historical experience) or the revenue from distribution of programs may be reduced (or increase at slower rates than our historical experience). With respect to the acquisition of programming rights, particularly sports programming rights, the impact of these long-term contracts on our results over the term of the contracts depends on a number of factors, including the strength of advertising markets, effectiveness of marketing efforts and the size of viewer audiences. There can be no assurance that revenues from programming based on these rights will exceed the cost of the rights plus the other costs of producing and distributing the programming.

Changes in regulations applicable to our businesses may impair the profitability of our businesses.

Our broadcast networks and television stations are highly regulated, and each of our other businesses is subject to a variety of United States and overseas regulations. These regulations include:

 

   

United States FCC regulation of our television and radio networks, our national programming networks, and our owned television stations. See Item 1 — Business — Media Networks, Federal Regulation.

 

   

Environmental protection regulations.

 

   

Federal, state and foreign privacy and data protection laws and regulations.

 

   

Regulation of the safety of consumer products and theme park operations.

 

   

Imposition by foreign countries of trade restrictions, currency exchange controls or motion picture or television content requirements or quotas.

 

   

Domestic and international tax laws or currency controls.

Changes in any of these regulatory areas may require us to spend additional amounts to comply with the regulations, or may restrict our ability to offer products and services that are profitable.

Our operations outside the United States may be adversely affected by the operation of laws in those jurisdictions.

Our operations in non-U.S. jurisdictions are in many cases subject to the laws of the jurisdictions in which they operate rather than United States law. Laws in some jurisdictions differ in significant respects from those in the United States, and these differences can affect our ability to react to changes in our business and our rights or ability to enforce rights may be different than would be expected under United States law. Moreover, enforcement of laws in some overseas jurisdictions can be inconsistent and unpredictable, which can affect both our ability to enforce our rights and to undertake activities that we believe are beneficial to our business. As a result, our ability to generate revenue and our expenses in non-United States jurisdictions may differ from what would be expected if United States law governed these operations.

 

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Labor disputes may disrupt our operations and adversely affect the profitability of any of our businesses.

A significant number of employees in various of our businesses are covered by collective bargaining agreements, including employees of our theme parks and resorts as well as writers, directors, actors, production personnel and others employed in our media networks and studio operations. In addition, the employees of licensees who manufacture and retailers who sell our consumer products, and employees of providers of programming content (such as sports leagues) may be covered by labor agreements with their employers. In general, a labor dispute involving our employees or the employees of our licensees or retailers who sell our consumer products or providers of programming content may disrupt our operations and reduce our revenues, and resolution of disputes may increase our costs.

Provisions in our corporate documents and Delaware state law could delay or prevent a change of control, even if that change would be beneficial to shareholders.

Our Restated Certificate of Incorporation contains a provision regulating the ability of shareholders to bring matters for action before annual and special meetings and authorizes our Board of Directors to issue and set the terms of preferred stock. The regulations on shareholder action could make it more difficult for any person seeking to acquire control of the Company to obtain shareholder approval of actions that would support this effort. The issuance of preferred stock could effectively dilute the interests of any person seeking control or otherwise make it more difficult to obtain control. In addition, provisions in our Restated Certificate of Incorporation require supermajority shareholder approval of some acquisition transactions and we are subject to the anti-takeover provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law, either of which could have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control in some circumstances.

The seasonality of certain of our businesses could exacerbate negative impacts on our operations.

Each of our businesses is normally subject to seasonal variations, as follows:

 

   

Revenues in our Media Networks segment are subject to seasonal advertising patterns and changes in viewership levels. In general, advertising revenues are somewhat higher during the fall and somewhat lower during the summer months. Affiliate revenues are typically collected ratably throughout the year. Certain affiliate revenues at ESPN are deferred until annual programming commitments are met, and these commitments are typically satisfied during the second half of the Company’s fiscal year, which generally results in higher revenue recognition during this period.

 

   

Revenues in our Parks and Resorts segment fluctuate with changes in theme park attendance and resort occupancy resulting from the seasonal nature of vacation travel and local entertainment excursions. Peak attendance and resort occupancy generally occur during the summer months when school vacations occur and during early-winter and spring-holiday periods.

 

   

Revenues in our Studio Entertainment segment fluctuate due to the timing and performance of releases in the theatrical, home entertainment, and television markets. Release dates are determined by several factors, including competition and the timing of vacation and holiday periods.

 

   

Revenues in our Consumer Products segment are influenced by seasonal consumer purchasing behavior and by the timing and performance of theatrical releases and cable programming broadcasts.

 

   

Revenues in our Interactive Media segment fluctuate due to the timing and performance of video game releases which are determined by several factors, including theatrical releases and cable programming broadcasts, competition and the timing of holiday periods. Revenues from certain of our internet and mobile operations are subject to similar seasonal trends.

Accordingly, if a short term negative impact on our business occurs during a time of high seasonal demand (such as hurricane damage to our parks during the summer travel season), the effect could have a disproportionate effect on the results of that business for the year.

ITEM 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

The Company has received no written comments regarding its periodic or current reports from the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission that were issued 180 days or more preceding the end of its 2011 fiscal year and that remain unresolved.

 

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ITEM 2. Properties

The Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland Resort and other properties of the Company and its subsidiaries are described in Item 1 under the caption Parks and Resorts. Film library properties are described in Item 1 under the caption Studio Entertainment. Television stations owned by the Company are described under the caption Media Networks.

The Company and its subsidiaries own and lease properties throughout the world. In addition to the properties noted above, the table below provides a brief description of other significant properties and the related business segment.

 

Location

  

Property /

Approximate Size

  

Use

    

Business Segment(1)

Burbank, CA

   Land (52 acres) & Buildings (2,000,000 ft2)    Owned Office/Production/Warehouse      Corp/Studio/Media/CP

Burbank, CA & surrounding cities (2)

   Buildings (1,900,000 ft2 )    Leased Office/Warehouse (includes 8,000 ft2 sublet to third party tenants)      Corp/Studio/Media/CP/IMG

Glendale, CA & North Hollywood, CA

   Land (148 acres) & Buildings (2,500,000 ft2)    Owned Office/Warehouse (includes 500,000 ft2 sublet to third party tenants)      Corp/Studio/Media/CP/P&R/IMG

Glendale, CA

   Buildings (160,000 ft2)    Leased Office/Warehouse      Corp

Los Angeles, CA

   Land (22 acres) & Buildings (600,000 ft2 )    Owned Office/Production/Technical      Media

Los Angeles, CA

   Buildings (315,000 ft2 )    Leased Office/Production/Technical      Media/Studio/IMG

New York, NY

   Land (6.5 acres) & Buildings (1,400,000 ft2 )    Owned Office/Production/Technical (includes 16,000 ft2 sublet to third party tenants)      Media

New York, NY

   Buildings (570,000 ft2 )    Leased Office/Production/Warehouse (includes 14,000 ft2 sublet to third party tenants)      Studio/Media /IMG

Bristol, CT

   Land (115 acres) & Buildings (720,000 ft2 )    Owned Office/Production/Technical      Media

Bristol, CT

   Buildings (465,000 ft2 )    Leased Office/Warehouse/Technical      Media

Emeryville, CA

   Land (20 acres) & Buildings (420,000 ft2 )    Owned Office/Production/Technical      Studio

Emeryville, CA

   Buildings (60,000 ft2 )    Leased Office/Storage      Studio

USA & Canada

   Land and Buildings (Multiple sites and sizes)    Owned and Leased Office/ Production/Transmitter/Retail/ Warehouse      Corp/Studio/Media/CP/ P&R/IMG

Hammersmith, England

   Land (1 acre) & Building (85,000 ft2 )    Owned Office      Corp/Studio/Media/CP/IMG

Hammersmith, England

   Building (225,000 ft2 )    Leased Office (includes 27,000 ft2 sublet to third party tenants)      Corp/Studio/Media/CP/IMG

Europe, Asia, Australia & Latin America

   Buildings (Multiple sites and sizes)    Leased Office/Retail/Warehouse/Production      Corp/Studio/Media/CP/IMG

 

(1)

Corp – Corporate, CP – Consumer Products, P&R – Parks and Resorts and IMG – Interactive Media Group

(2)

Surrounding cities include North Hollywood, CA and Sun Valley, CA

 

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ITEM 3. Legal Proceedings

Celador International Ltd. v. American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. On May 19, 2004, an affiliate of the creator and licensor of the television program, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire,” filed an action against the Company and certain of its subsidiaries, including American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. and Buena Vista Television, LLC, alleging it was damaged by defendants improperly engaging in certain intra-company transactions and charging merchandise distribution expenses, resulting in an underpayment to the plaintiff. On July 7, 2010, the jury returned a verdict for breach of contract against certain subsidiaries of the Company, awarding plaintiff damages of $269.4 million. The Company has stipulated with the plaintiff to an award of prejudgment interest of $50 million, which amount will be reduced pro rata should the Court of Appeals reduce the damages amount. On December 21, 2010, the Company’s alternative motions for a new trial and for judgment as a matter of law were denied. Although we cannot predict the ultimate outcome of this lawsuit, the Company believes the jury’s verdict is in error and is vigorously pursuing its position on appeal, notice of which was filed by the Company on January 14, 2011. On or about January 28, 2011, plaintiff filed a notice of cross-appeal. The Company has determined that it does not have a probable loss under the applicable accounting standard relating to probability of loss for recording a reserve with respect to this litigation and therefore has not recorded a reserve.

The Company, together with, in some instances, certain of its directors and officers, is a defendant or codefendant in various other legal actions involving copyright, breach of contract and various other claims incident to the conduct of its businesses. Management does not expect the Company to suffer any material liability by reason of these actions.

Executive Officers of the Company

The executive officers of the Company are elected each year at the organizational meeting of the Board of Directors, which follows the annual meeting of the shareholders, and at other Board of Directors meetings, as appropriate. Each of the executive officers has been employed by the Company in the position or positions indicated in the list and pertinent notes below. Except as noted, each of the executive officers has been employed by the Company for more than five years.

At October 1, 2011, the executive officers of the Company were as follows:

 

Name

   Age     

Title

   Executive
Officer Since

Robert A. Iger

     60       President and Chief Executive Officer(1)    2000

James A. Rasulo

     55      

Senior Executive Vice President and Chief

Financial Officer (2)

   2010

Alan N. Braverman

     63      

Senior Executive Vice President, General

Counsel and Secretary

   2003

Kevin A. Mayer

     49       Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy and Business Development(3)    2005

Christine M. McCarthy

     56      

Executive Vice President, Corporate Finance,

Corporate Real Estate, Sourcing, Alliance and Treasurer(4)

   2005

Mary Jayne Parker

     50       Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer(5)    2009

 

(1) 

Mr. Iger was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer effective October 2, 2005. On October 6, 2011, the Company entered into an amended and restated employment agreement with Mr. Iger pursuant to which Mr. Iger will become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer effective upon retirement of John Pepper, the current Chairman of the Board, at the time of the Company’s 2012 annual shareholder meeting.

 

(2) 

Mr. Rasulo was appointed Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer effective January 1, 2010. He was Chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Worldwide from 2005 to 2009, and was President, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts from 2002 to 2005.

 

(3) 

Mr. Mayer was named Executive Vice President, Corporate Strategy, Business Development and Technology of the Company in June 2005 and was designated an executive officer in October 2005.

 

(4)

Ms. McCarthy was named Executive Vice President, Corporate Finance and Real Estate in June 2005 and has been Treasurer since January 2000.

 

(5)

Ms. Parker was named Executive Vice President – Human Resources and Chief Human Resources Officer of the Company, effective September 1, 2009, and designated an executive officer of the Company October 2, 2009. Ms. Parker was previously Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts from October 2005 to July 2007 and Vice President Human Resources Administration for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts from March 2003 to October 2005.

 

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PART II

ITEM 5. Market for the Company’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “DIS”. The following table shows, for the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices per share of common stock as reported in the Bloomberg Financial markets services.

 

     Sales Price  
     High           Low  

2011

        

4th Quarter

     $   40.97                $   29.05       

3rd Quarter

     44.13                37.19       

2nd Quarter

     44.34                37.62       

1st Quarter

     38.00                33.08       

2010

        

4th Quarter

     $ 35.41                $ 31.38       

3rd Quarter

     37.98                30.72       

2nd Quarter

     35.60                28.71       

1st Quarter

     32.75                27.00       

The Company declared a $0.40 per share dividend ($756 million) on December 1, 2010 related to fiscal 2010, which was paid in the second quarter of fiscal 2011. The Board of Directors has not declared a dividend related to fiscal 2011 as of the date of this report.

As of October 1, 2011, the approximate number of common shareholders of record was 994,425.

The following table provides information about Company purchases of equity securities that are registered by the Company pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act during the quarter ended October 1, 2011:

 

Period

   Total Number
of Shares
Purchased
(1)
   Average Price
Paid per Share
     Total Number of
Shares Purchased
as Part of Publicly
Announced Plans
or Programs
   Maximum Number
of Shares that May
Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or
Programs
(2)

July 3, 2011 – August 2, 2011

       10,014,965          $  39.62                   9,932,000                353 million      

August 3, 2011 – September 2, 2011

       31,658,813          33.14                   31,538,400                321 million      

September 3, 2011 – October 1, 2011

       16,619,507          31.78                   16,518,400                305 million      
  

 

     

 

  

Total

       58,293,285          33.87                   57,988,800                305 million      
  

 

     

 

  

 

 

(1) 

304,485 shares were purchased on the open market to provide shares to participants in the Walt Disney Investment Plan (WDIP) and Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP). These purchases were not made pursuant to a publicly announced repurchase plan or program.

 

(2) 

Under a share repurchase program implemented effective June 10, 1998, the Company is authorized to repurchase shares of its common stock. On March 22, 2011, the Company’s Board of Directors increased the repurchase authorization to a total of 400 million shares as of that date. The repurchase program does not have an expiration date.

 

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ITEM 6. Selected Financial Data

(in millions, except per share data)

 

    2011 (1)     2010 (2)     2009 (3)     2008 (4)     2007 (5) (6)  

Statements of income

         

Revenues

    $     40,893          $     38,063          $     36,149          $ 37,843          $     35,510     

Income from continuing operations

    5,258          4,313          3,609          4,729          4,851     

Income from continuing operations attributable to Disney

    4,807          3,963          3,307          4,427          4,674     

Per common share

         

Earnings from continuing operations attributable to Disney

         

Diluted

    $ 2.52          $ 2.03          $ 1.76          $ 2.28          $ 2.24     

Basic

    2.56          2.07          1.78          2.34          2.33     

Dividends

    0.40          0.35          0.35          0.35          0.31     

Balance sheets

         

Total assets

    $ 72,124          $ 69,206          $ 63,117          $     62,497          $ 60,928     

Long-term obligations

    17,717          16,234          16,939          14,889          14,916     

Disney shareholders’ equity

    37,385          37,519          33,734          32,323          30,753     

Statements of cash flows

         

Cash provided (used) by:

         

Continuing operating activities

    $ 6,994          $ 6,578          $ 5,319          $ 5,685          $ 5,519     

Continuing investing activities

    (3,286)         (4,523)         (1,755)         (2,162)         (618)    

Continuing financing activities

    (3,233)         (2,663)         (3,111)         (4,208)         (3,878)    

 

 

(1) 

The fiscal 2011 results include restructuring and impairment charges that rounded to $0.00 per diluted share and gains on the sales of Miramax and BASS ($0.02 per diluted share) which collectively resulted in a net adverse impact of $0.02 per diluted share. See the discussion of the per share impacts in Item 7.

(2) 

During fiscal 2010, the Company completed a cash and stock acquisition for the outstanding capital stock of Marvel for $4.2 billion (see Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further discussion). In addition, results include restructuring and impairment charges ($0.09 per diluted share), gains on the sales of investments in two television services in Europe ($0.02 per diluted share), a gain on the sale of the Power Rangers property ($0.01 per diluted share), and an accounting gain related to the acquisition of The Disney Store Japan ($0.01 per diluted share). Including the impact of rounding, these items collectively resulted in a net adverse impact of $0.04 per diluted share.

(3) 

The fiscal 2009 results include restructuring and impairment charges ($0.17 per diluted share), a non-cash gain in connection with the AETN/Lifetime merger ($0.08 per diluted share) and a gain on the sale of our investment in two pay television services in Latin America ($0.04 per diluted share). Including the impact of rounding, these items collectively resulted in a net adverse impact of $0.06 per diluted share.

(4) 

The fiscal 2008 results include an accounting gain related to the acquisition of the Disney Stores North America and a gain on the sale of movies.com (together $0.01 per diluted share), the favorable resolution of certain income tax matters ($0.03 per diluted share), a bad debt charge for a receivable from Lehman Brothers ($0.03 per diluted share) and an impairment charge ($0.01 per diluted share). These items collectively had no net impact on earnings per share.

(5) 

During fiscal 2007, the Company concluded the spin-off of the ABC Radio business and thus reports ABC Radio as discontinued operations for all periods presented.

(6) 

The fiscal 2007 results include gains from the sales of E! Entertainment and Us Weekly (together $0.31 per diluted share), the favorable resolution of certain income tax matters ($0.03 per diluted share), an equity-based compensation plan modification charge ($0.01 per diluted share) and an impairment charge ($0.01 per diluted share). These items collectively resulted in a net benefit of $0.32 per diluted share.

 

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ITEM 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

CONSOLIDATED RESULTS

(in millions, except per share data)

 

                          % Change
Better/(Worse)
 
     2011      2010      2009      2011
vs.
2010
     2010
vs.
2009
 

Revenues

     $   40,893           $ 38,063         $ 36,149           7  %          5  %    

Costs and expenses

     (33,112)          (31,337)          (30,452)          (6) %          (3) %    

Restructuring and impairment charges

     (55)          (270)          (492)          80  %          45  %    

Other income

     75           140           342           (46) %          (59) %    

Net interest expense

     (343)          (409)          (466)          16  %          12  %    

Equity in the income of investees

     585           440           577           33 %          (24) %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Income before income taxes

     8,043           6,627           5,658           21  %          17  %    

Income taxes

     (2,785)          (2,314)          (2,049)          (20) %          (13) %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Net income

     5,258           4,313           3,609           22  %          20  %    

Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest

     (451)          (350)          (302)          (29) %          (16) %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Net income attributable to The Walt Disney Company (Disney)

     $ 4,807           $ 3,963         $ 3,307           21  %          20  %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Earnings per share attributable to Disney:

              

Diluted

     $ 2.52           $ 2.03         $ 1.76           24  %          15  %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Basic

     $ 2.56           $ 2.07         $ 1.78           24  %          16  %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding:

              

Diluted

     1,909           1,948           1,875           
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Basic

     1,878           1,915           1,856           
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

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Table of Contents

Organization of Information

Management’s Discussion and Analysis provides a narrative on the Company’s financial performance and condition that should be read in conjunction with the accompanying financial statements. It includes the following sections:

 

   

Consolidated Results

   

Business Segment Results — 2011 vs. 2010

   

Non-Segment Items — 2011 vs. 2010

   

Pension and Postretirement Medical Benefit Costs

   

Business Segment Results — 2010 vs. 2009

   

Non-Segment Items — 2010 vs. 2009

   

Liquidity and Capital Resources

   

Contractual Obligations, Commitments, and Off Balance Sheet Arrangements

   

Accounting Policies and Estimates

   

Accounting Changes

   

Forward-Looking Statements

CONSOLIDATED RESULTS

2011 vs. 2010

Revenues for fiscal 2011 increased 7%, or $2.8 billion, to $40.9 billion; net income attributable to Disney increased 21%, or $844 million, to $4.8 billion; and diluted earnings per share attributable to Disney (EPS) increased 24% to $2.52.

Net income attributable to Disney for fiscal 2011 included $55 million of restructuring and impairment charges and gains from the sales of businesses of $75 million. The table below shows the pretax and after tax impact of these items.

 

     Benefit / (Expense)  
     Pretax      Tax
Effect
     After
Tax
 

Restructuring and impairment charges

   $           (55)         $           47           $           (8)     

Gains on sales of businesses

     75             (107)           (32)     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $ 20           $ (60)         $ (40)     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Restructuring and impairment charges include an impairment of assets that had tax basis significantly in excess of book value resulting in a $47 million tax benefit on the restructuring and impairment charges. The gains on sales of businesses included the sale of Miramax which had a book value that included $217 million of allocated goodwill which is not tax deductible. Accordingly, the taxable gain on the sales of businesses exceeded the $75 million book gain resulting in tax expense of $107 million. These items collectively had a $0.02 negative impact on EPS compared to the items in fiscal 2010 that are discussed below which had a net adverse impact of $0.04 on EPS.

The increase in EPS for fiscal 2011 reflected higher operating results driven by higher revenues from MVSPs (Affiliate Fees) at our Cable Networks, increased guest spending and volumes at our domestic parks and resorts, higher advertising revenue at ESPN, lower film cost write-downs, decreased programming and production costs at the ABC Television Network, higher licensing revenue due to the strength of Cars merchandise and a full-period of results for Marvel, and higher equity income at AETN/Lifetime. These increases were partially offset by higher costs at ESPN and at our domestic parks and resorts, lower performance at our theatrical business, and the inclusion of a full-period of results for Playdom in the current year, which included the impact of acquisition accounting.

 

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Table of Contents

2010 vs. 2009

Revenues for fiscal 2010 increased 5%, or $1.9 billion, to $38.1 billion; net income attributable to Disney increased 20%, or $656 million, to $4.0 billion; and EPS increased 15% to $2.03.

Net income attributable to Disney for fiscal 2010 included restructuring and impairment charges ($0.09 per diluted share), gains on the sales of investments in two television services in Europe ($0.02 per diluted share), a gain on the sale of the Power Rangers property ($0.01 per diluted share), and an accounting gain related to the acquisition of The Disney Store Japan ($0.01 per diluted share), which, including the impact of rounding, collectively had a net adverse impact of $0.04 per diluted share. Fiscal 2009 included restructuring and impairment charges ($0.17 per diluted share), a non-cash gain in connection with the merger of Lifetime and AETN ($0.08 per diluted share) and a gain on the sale of our investment in two pay television services in Latin America ($0.04 per diluted share). Including the impact of rounding, these items collectively resulted in a net adverse impact of $0.06 per diluted share. Fiscal 2009 results also include an additional week of operations due to our fiscal period end.

The increase in EPS for fiscal 2010 reflected higher operating results due to higher Affiliate Fees at our Cable Networks, increased advertising revenues at our cable and broadcast businesses, the strong worldwide theatrical performance of Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland and Iron Man 2, and lower distribution and marketing costs at our home entertainment business, partially offset by higher costs at our cable business and at our domestic parks and resorts operations.

Restructuring and Impairment Charges

The Company recorded $55 million of charges in fiscal 2011 reflecting severance and facilities costs related to organizational and cost structure initiatives primarily at the Studio Entertainment and Interactive Media segments.

The Company recorded $270 million of charges in fiscal 2010 related to organizational and cost structure initiatives primarily at our Studio Entertainment and Media Networks segments. Restructuring charges of $138 million were primarily for severance and other related costs. Impairment charges of $132 million consisted of write-offs of capitalized costs primarily related to abandoned film projects, the closure of a studio production facility and the closure of five ESPN Zone locations.

The Company recorded charges totaling $492 million in fiscal 2009 which included impairment charges of $279 million and restructuring costs of $213 million. The most significant of the impairment charges were $142 million related to FCC radio licenses and $65 million related to our investment in UTV. The restructuring charges included severance and other related costs as a result of organizational and cost structure initiatives across our businesses.

Other Income

Other income is as follows (in millions):

 

     2011      2010      2009  

Gain on sale of Miramax

   $           64         $            —         $            —     

Gain on sale of BASS

     11           —           —     

Gain on sales of investments in television services in Europe

     —           75           —     

Gain on sale of Power Rangers property

     —           43           —     

Gain related to the acquisition of The Disney Store Japan

     —           22           —     

Gain on AETN/Lifetime transaction (1)

     —           —           228     

Gain on sale of investment in two pay television services in Latin America

     —           —           114     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Other income

   $ 75         $ 140         $ 342     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) 

On September 15, 2009, the Company and the Hearst Corporation both contributed their 50% interest in Lifetime to AETN in exchange for an increased interest in AETN. The transaction resulted in a $228 million non-cash gain. See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details of this transaction.

 

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Table of Contents

BUSINESS SEGMENT RESULTS — 2011 vs. 2010

Below is a discussion of the major revenue and expense categories for our business segments. Costs and expenses for each segment consist of operating expenses, selling, general, administrative and other expenses and depreciation and amortization. Selling, general, administrative and other costs include third party and internal marketing expenses.

Our Media Networks segment generates revenue from Affiliate Fees charged to MVSPs, advertising revenues from the sale to advertisers of time in programs for commercial announcements and other revenues which include the sale and distribution of television programming. Operating expenses include programming and production costs, technical support costs, distribution costs and operating labor.

Our Parks and Resorts segment generates revenue from the sale of admissions to theme parks, the sale of room nights at hotels, merchandise, food and beverage sales, sales and rentals of vacation club properties and the sale of cruise vacation packages. Operating expenses include labor, costs of sales, repairs and maintenance and entertainment.

Our Studio Entertainment segment generates revenue from the distribution of films in the theatrical, home entertainment and television markets. Operating expenses include film cost amortization, which consists of production cost amortization, participations and residuals, costs of sales and distribution expenses.

Our Consumer Products segment generates revenue from licensing characters from our film, television and other properties, publishing children’s books and magazines and comic books, and operating retail stores, English language learning centers and internet shopping sites. Operating expenses include costs of goods sold, distribution, operating labor and retail occupancy costs.

Our Interactive Media segment generates revenue from the development and sale of multi-platform games, online advertising and sponsorships, subscriptions to and micro transactions for online games, and content and handset revenue from our Disney-branded mobile phone business in Japan. Certain properties are also licensed to third-party game publishers. Operating expenses include product development, costs of goods sold and distribution expenses.

 

             % Change
Better/(Worse)
 

(in millions)

   2011      2010      2009      2011
vs.
2010
     2010
vs.
2009
 

Revenues:

              

Media Networks

   $     18,714         $     17,162         $     16,209           9  %          6  %    

Parks and Resorts

     11,797           10,761           10,667           10  %          1  %    

Studio Entertainment

     6,351           6,701           6,136           (5)  %          9  %    

Consumer Products

     3,049           2,678           2,425           14  %          10  %    

Interactive Media

     982           761           712           29  %          7  %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       
   $ 40,893         $ 38,063         $ 36,149           7  %          5  %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Segment operating income (loss):

              

Media Networks

   $ 6,146         $ 5,132         $   4,765           20  %          8  %    

Parks and Resorts

     1,553           1,318           1,418           18  %          (7)  %    

Studio Entertainment

     618           693           175           (11)  %          >100  %    

Consumer Products

     816           677           609           21  %          11  %    

Interactive Media

     (308)          (234)          (295)          (32)  %          21  %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       
   $ 8,825         $ 7,586         $ 6,672           16  %          14  %    
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

The Company evaluates the performance of its operating segments based on segment operating income, and management uses aggregate segment operating income as a measure of the overall performance of the operating businesses. The Company believes that information about aggregate segment operating income assists investors by allowing them to evaluate changes in the operating results of the Company’s portfolio of businesses separate from factors other than business operations that affect net income. The following table reconciles segment operating income to income before income taxes.

 

             % Change
Better/(Worse)
 

(in millions)

   2011      2010      2009      2011
vs.
2010
     2010
vs.
2009
 

Segment operating income

   $     8,825         $     7,586         $     6,672           16  %         14  %   

Corporate and unallocated shared expenses

     (459)          (420)          (398)          (9)  %         (6)  %   

Restructuring and impairment charges

     (55)          (270)          (492)          80  %         45  %   

Other income (expense)

     75           140           342           (46)  %         (59)  %   

Net interest expense

     (343)          (409)          (466)          16  %         12  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

Income before income taxes

   $ 8,043         $ 6,627         $ 5,658           21  %         17  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

       

 

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Table of Contents

Media Networks

Operating results for the Media Networks segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)    October 1,
2011
     October 2,
2010 (1)
    

Revenues

        

Affiliate Fees

    $       8,790          $       8,082           9  %     

Advertising

     7,598           7,028           8  %     

Other

     2,326           2,052           13  %     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     18,714           17,162           9  %     

Operating expenses

     (10,376)          (9,888)          (5)  %     

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (2,539)          (2,358)          (8)  %     

Depreciation and amortization

     (237)          (222)          (7)  %     

Equity in the income of investees

     584           438           33  %     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Income

    $       6,146          $       5,132           20  %     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

(1) 

Certain reclassifications have been made in the numbers presented in fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2009 to conform to the fiscal 2011 presentation

Revenues

Affiliate Fee growth of 9% was driven by increases of 6% from higher contractual rates, 1% from favorable impacts of foreign currency translation, and 1% from subscriber growth at Cable Networks and an increase of 1% from Broadcasting due to new contractual provisions.

Higher advertising revenues were due to an increase of $471 million at Cable Networks from $3,051 million to $3,522 million and an increase of $99 million at Broadcasting from $3,977 million to $4,076 million. The increase at Cable Networks of 14% was due to higher rates. The increase at Broadcasting reflected increases of 6% due to higher Network advertising rates, primarily at primetime, and 1% due to higher local television advertising, partially offset by a decrease of 4% due to lower Network ratings primarily at primetime and daytime.

The increase in other revenues was driven by a change in the transfer pricing arrangement between Studio Entertainment and Media Networks for distribution of Media Networks home entertainment product and higher sales of Disney Channel programming, partially offset by lower sales of ABC Studios productions driven by no new seasons of Lost and Ghost Whisperer.

Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses include programming and production costs which increased $249 million from $8,453 million to $8,702 million. At Cable Networks, an increase in programming and production spending of $457 million was driven by higher sports rights costs due to the addition of college football programming including Bowl Championship Series games, increased contractual costs for college and professional sports programming and more episodes of original programming at the Disney Channels, partially offset by the absence of programming costs for the FIFA World Cup which was broadcast in the prior year. At Broadcasting, programming and production costs decreased $208 million reflecting lower news and daytime production costs due to cost savings initiatives, a lower cost mix of programming in primetime due to a shift of hours from original scripted programming to reality programming, a shift of college sports programming to ESPN and lower production cost amortization due to a decrease in sales of ABC Studios productions. Operating expenses also reflected a 2% increase due to a change in the transfer pricing arrangement for distribution of Media Networks home entertainment product and a 1% increase due to higher labor costs at ESPN due to headcount growth and labor cost inflation.

The increase in selling, general and administrative and other costs and expenses was driven by higher marketing and sales costs, which included an increase due to the change in transfer pricing arrangement for distribution of Media Networks home entertainment product and higher marketing costs at ESPN.

Equity in the Income of Investees

Income from equity investees increased to $584 million in the current year from $438 million in the prior year driven by an increase at AETN/Lifetime primarily due to the absence of a $58 million charge for our share of programming write-offs at AETN/Lifetime in the prior year and higher advertising and affiliate revenues, partially offset by higher marketing costs.

 

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Table of Contents

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income increased 20%, or $1.0 billion, to $6.1 billion. The increase was primarily due to increases at ESPN, the ABC Television Network, the worldwide Disney Channels, our AETN/Lifetime joint venture and the owned television stations.

The following table provides supplemental revenue and operating income detail for the Media Networks segment:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)    October 1,
2011
     October 2,
2010
    

Revenues

        

Cable Networks

    $       12,877         $       11,475           12  %     

Broadcasting

     5,837           5,687           3  %     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    
    $ 18,714         $ 17,162           9  %     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Segment operating income

        

Cable Networks

    $ 5,233         $ 4,473           17  %     

Broadcasting

     913           659           39  %     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    
    $ 6,146         $ 5,132           20  %     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Restructuring and impairment charges

The Company recorded charges of $3 million, $95 million and $315 million related to Media Networks for fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The charges in fiscal 2010 were for severance and related costs and the closure of five ESPN Zone locations. The charges in fiscal 2009 were primarily due to $142 million of radio FCC license impairments, a $65 million impairment charge related to our investment in UTV and severance and related costs. These charges were reported in “Restructuring and impairment charges” in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Parks and Resorts

Operating results for the Parks and Resorts segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)    October 1,
2011
     October 2,
2010
    

Revenues

        

Domestic

    $       9,302         $       8,404           11  %   

International

     2,495           2,357           6  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     11,797           10,761           10  %   

Operating expenses

     (7,383)          (6,787)          (9)  %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (1,696)          (1,517)          (12)  %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (1,165)          (1,139)          (2)  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Income

    $ 1,553         $ 1,318           18  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Revenues

Parks and Resorts revenues increased 10%, or $1 billion, to $11.8 billion due to an increase of $898 million at our domestic operations and an increase of $138 million at our international operations.

Revenue growth of 11% at our domestic operations reflected a 6% increase driven by higher average guest spending and a 3% increase due to volume driven by higher passenger cruise ship days due to the launch of our new cruise ship, the Disney Dream, in January 2011, and higher attendance. Higher guest spending was primarily due to higher average ticket prices, daily hotel room rates, and food, beverage, and merchandise spending.

Revenue growth of 6% at our international operations reflected a 4% increase due to higher average guest spending, a 3% increase driven by volume due to higher attendance and hotel occupancy, and a 3% favorable impact of foreign currency translation primarily as a result of the weakening of the U.S. dollar against the Euro. These increases were partially offset by a 2% decrease due to the prior-year sale of a real estate property at Disneyland Paris and a 1% decrease due to the temporary closure of the Tokyo Disney Resort following the March 2011 earthquake in Japan.

 

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Table of Contents

The following table presents supplemental attendance, per capita theme park guest spending, and hotel statistics:

 

     Domestic      International (2)      Total  
     Fiscal Year
2011
     Fiscal  Year
2010
     Fiscal Year
2011
     Fiscal  Year
2010
     Fiscal Year
2011
     Fiscal  Year
2010
 

Parks

                 

Increase/ (decrease)

                 

Attendance

     1 %         (1) %         6 %         1 %         2 %         (1) %   

Per Capita Guest Spending

     8 %         3 %         5 %         3 %         7 %         3 %   

Hotels (1)

                 

Occupancy

     82 %         82%         88 %         85 %         83 %         82 %   

Available Room Nights

(in thousands)

     9,625              9,629            2,466              2,466             12,091             12,095       

Per Room Guest Spending

   $ 241            $ 224          $ 294            $ 273           $ 253           $ 234       

 

(1) 

Per room guest spending consists of the average daily hotel room rate as well as guest spending on food, beverages and merchandise at the hotels. Hotel statistics include rentals of Disney Vacation Club units.

(2) 

Per capita guest spending and per room guest spending include the impact of foreign currency translation. Guest spending statistics for Disneyland Paris were converted from Euros into US Dollars at weighted average exchange rates of 1.39 and 1.36 for fiscal 2011 and 2010, respectively.

Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses include operating labor which increased by $262 million from $3,278 million to $3,540 million driven by labor cost inflation and higher pension and postretirement medical expenses. Operating expenses also include cost of sales which increased $88 million from $1,110 million to $1,198 million driven by volume, partially offset by the absence of the costs related to a prior-year real estate sale at Disneyland Paris. Operating expenses also increased due to launch and operating costs in connection with the Disney Dream, enhancement and expansion costs, including new guest offerings at Disney California Adventure and investments in our systems infrastructure, and costs for Aulani, our new hotel and vacation club resort in Hawaii. In addition there was an unfavorable impact of foreign currency translation as a result of the weakening of the U.S. dollar against the Euro.

The increase in selling, general, administrative and other costs and expenses was driven by higher marketing costs at our domestic parks and resorts, costs associated with the additional cruise ship and our new resort in Hawaii, and labor cost inflation.

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income increased 18%, or $235 million, to $1.6 billion due to increases at our domestic parks and resorts and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, partially offset by costs for our new resort in Hawaii and a decrease at Tokyo Disney Resort.

Studio Entertainment

Operating results for the Studio Entertainment segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)        October 1,    
2011
         October 2,    
2010
    

Revenues

        

Theatrical distribution

     $ 1,733             $ 2,050             (15) %   

Home entertainment

     2,435             2,666             (9) %   

Television distribution and other

     2,183             1,985             10 %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     6,351             6,701             (5) %   

Operating expenses

     (3,136)            (3,469)            10 %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (2,465)            (2,450)            (1) %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (132)            (89)            (48) %   

Equity in the income of investees

     –             –             –  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Income

     $ 618             $ 693             (11) %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

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Table of Contents

Revenues

The decrease in theatrical distribution revenue reflected the prior-year success of Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland and Iron Man 2 compared to the performance of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Cars 2, Thor and Captain America in the current year.

Lower home entertainment revenue reflected an 11% decrease due to the change in the transfer pricing arrangement for Studio distribution of Media Networks home entertainment product, partially offset by a 1% increase due to higher net effective pricing internationally which benefitted from a higher Blu-ray sales mix. Net effective pricing is the wholesale selling price adjusted for discounts, sales incentives and returns.

The increase in television distribution and other revenues reflected 5% growth due to the inclusion of Marvel which was acquired at the end of the first quarter of the prior year and a 4% increase due to higher revenue share from the Consumer Products segment resulting from the strength of Cars merchandise.

Cost and Expenses

Operating expenses included a decrease of $262 million in film cost amortization, from $2,142 million to $1,880 million, driven by lower film cost write-downs. Operating expenses also include cost of sales and distribution expenses which decreased $71 million from $1,327 million to $1,256 million primarily due to the change in the transfer pricing arrangement between Studio Entertainment and Media Networks for distribution of Media Networks home entertainment product.

Selling, general, administrative and other costs were essentially flat as higher marketing for Marvel titles and an increase in technology infrastructure spending were largely offset by lower theatrical pre-release marketing expense and the change in the transfer pricing arrangement with Media Networks for home entertainment product.

The increase in depreciation and amortization was driven by higher amortization on intangible assets related to certain Marvel film properties.

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income decreased 11%, or $75 million, to $618 million primarily due to lower results at our theatrical and home entertainment businesses and higher technology infrastructure spending, partially offset by lower film cost write-downs and a higher revenue share with the Consumer Products segment.

Restructuring and impairment charges

The Company recorded charges of $33 million, $151 million and $47 million related to Studio Entertainment for fiscal 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The charges in fiscal 2011 and 2009 were primarily for severance and related costs. The charges in fiscal 2010 were primarily for the closure of a production facility, the write-offs of capitalized costs related to abandoned film projects, and severance costs. These charges were reported in “Restructuring and impairment charges” in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Consumer Products

Operating results for the Consumer Products segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)        October 1,    
2011
         October 2,    
2010
    

Revenues

        

Licensing and publishing

     $ 1,933            $ 1,725           12   %   

Retail and other

     1,116            953           17   %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     3,049            2,678           14   %   

Operating expenses

     (1,334)          (1,236)           (8)  %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (794)          (687)           (16)  %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (105)          (78)           (35)  %   

Equity in the income of investees

     –           –            –   %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Income

     $ 816            $ 677           21  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

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Revenues

The increase in licensing and publishing revenue reflected a 6% increase driven by the strong performance of Cars, Tangled and Toy Story merchandise and a 8% increase due to higher revenue from Marvel properties. Higher revenues from Marvel properties reflected the impact of acquisition accounting which reduced revenue recognition in the prior year as well as a full year of operations as Marvel was acquired at the end of the first quarter of the prior year. These increases were partially offset by a 5% decrease due to a higher revenue share to the Studio Entertainment segment resulting from the strength of Cars merchandise.

The increase in retail and other revenues was primarily due to a 9% increase from higher revenues at the Disney Store in North America and Europe driven by higher comparable store sales and a 6% increase resulting from the acquisition of The Disney Store Japan, which was acquired at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2010.

Licensing and publishing and retail and other revenues also increased by 2% and 3%, respectively, due to the benefit from a favorable impact from foreign currency translation as a result of the weakening of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies, primarily the Euro.

Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses included an increase of $57 million in cost of goods sold, from $521 million to $578 million, driven by the acquisitions of The Disney Store Japan and Marvel. Operating expenses also included a 2% increase due to higher occupancy costs driven by an increase at our retail business reflecting the acquisition of The Disney Store Japan and a 1% increase due to an unfavorable impact from foreign currency translation as a result of the weakening of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies, primarily the Euro.

The increase in selling, general, administrative and other costs was driven by an unfavorable impact from foreign currency translation as a result of the weakening of the U.S. dollar against foreign currencies, primarily the Euro; the inclusion of a full year of operations for Marvel and various promotional initiatives across multiple businesses.

The increase in depreciation and amortization was due to a full year of amortization of intangible assets for Marvel and an increase at the Disney Stores due to an increase in new stores and remodels.

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income increased 21%, or $139 million, to $816 million primarily due to increases in our Merchandise Licensing and North American retail businesses.

Restructuring and impairment charges

The Company recorded charges totaling $16 million and $19 million related to Consumer Products for fiscal years 2010 and 2009, respectively. The charges in fiscal 2010 and 2009 were for severance and related costs which were reported in “Restructuring and impairment charges” in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Interactive Media

Operating results for the Interactive Media segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)        October 1,    
2011
         October 2,    
2010
    

Revenues

        

Game sales and subscriptions

     $ 768            $ 563            36 %   

Advertising and other

     214            198            8 %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     982            761            29 %   

Operating expenses

     (732)           (581)           (26) %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (504)           (371)           (36) %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (54)           (43)           (26) %   

Equity in the income of investees

     –             –            –   %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Loss

     $ (308)           $ (234)           (32) %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

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Revenues

Game sales and subscriptions revenue growth reflected a 12% increase due to higher console game unit sales and a 10% increase due to higher net effective pricing of console games, reflecting the strong performance of Epic Mickey and Lego Pirates of the Caribbean and a shift in sales from catalog titles to new releases. Additionally, the inclusion of Playdom for a full year compared to one month in the prior year resulted in a 10% increase in game sales and subscription revenues.

Higher advertising and other revenue was driven by our mobile phone service in Japan.

Costs and Expenses

Operating expense included a $60 million increase in product development expense from $335 million to $395 million primarily due to the inclusion of Playdom for a full year. Operating expenses also included a 12% increase due to higher cost of sales driven by fees paid to the developer of Lego Pirates of the Caribbean and higher console game unit sales.

The increase in selling, general, administrative and other costs was primarily due to the inclusion of Playdom for a full year, including the impact of acquisition accounting.

Segment Operating Loss

Segment operating loss was $308 million compared to $234 million in the prior year as an improvement at our console game business was more than offset by the inclusion of Playdom for a full year, including the impact of acquisition accounting.

Restructuring and impairment charges

The Company recorded charges totaling $22 million, $2 million and $42 million related to Interactive Media for fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The charges for fiscal 2011 and fiscal 2010 were for severance and related costs. The charges in fiscal 2009 were for goodwill impairment and severance and related costs. These charges were reported in “Restructuring and impairment charges” in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

NON-SEGMENT ITEMS – 2011 vs. 2010

Corporate and Unallocated Shared Expenses

Corporate and unallocated shared expenses increased 9%, from $420 million to $459 million, primarily due to the timing of expenses and compensation related costs.

Net Interest Expense

Net interest expense is detailed below:

 

(in millions)

   2011      2010      % Change
Better/(Worse)
 

Interest expense

     $  (435)           $  (456)         %   

Interest and investment income

     92           47         96  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Net interest expense

     $  (343)           $  (409)         16  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

The decrease in interest expense for the year reflected lower effective interest rates.

The increase in interest and investment income for the year was driven by gains on sales of investments.

Effective Income Tax Rate

The effective tax rate decreased 0.3 percentage points from 34.9% in 2010 to 34.6% in 2011 as the absence of a charge related to the health care reform legislation and a benefit from an increase in the domestic production deduction rate were largely offset by a decrease in favorable resolutions of prior-year tax matters. During fiscal 2010, the Company recorded a $72 million charge related to the enactment of health care reform legislation in March 2010. Under this legislation the Company’s deductions for retiree prescription drug benefits will be reduced by the amount of Medicare Part D drug subsidies received beginning in fiscal year 2014. Under applicable accounting rules, the Company was required to reduce its existing deferred tax asset, which was established for the future deductibility of retiree prescription drug benefit costs, to reflect the lost deductions. The reduction was recorded as a charge to earnings in the period the legislation was enacted.

 

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Noncontrolling Interests

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests for the year increased $101 million to $451 million due to improved operating results at ESPN and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The net income attributable to noncontrolling interests is determined on income after royalties, financing costs and income taxes.

PENSION AND POSTRETIREMENT MEDICAL BENEFIT COSTS

Pension and postretirement medical benefit plan costs affect results in all of our segments, with approximately one-half of these costs being borne by the Parks and Resorts segment. The Company recognized pension and postretirement medical benefit plan expenses of $576 million, $482 million, and $214 million for fiscal years 2011, 2010, and 2009, respectively. The increase in fiscal 2011 was driven by a decrease in the assumed discount rate used to measure the present value of plan obligations. The assumed discount rate reflects market rates for high-quality corporate bonds currently available and was determined by considering the average of pension yield curves constructed from a large population of high quality corporate bonds. The resulting discount rate reflects the matching of plan liability cash flows to the yield curves.

We expect pension and postretirement medical costs to increase by approximately $50 million to $626 million in fiscal 2012 driven by a lower assumed discount rate, partially offset by a favorable impact due to plan amendments. The decrease in the discount rate also resulted in an increase in the underfunded status of our plans and an increase in unrecognized pension and postretirement medical expense to $4.2 billion ($2.6 billion after tax) as of October 1, 2011. If our investment performance does not improve relative to our long-term assumption and/or discount rates do not increase, we expect that pension and postretirement medical costs will continue at levels comparable to fiscal 2012 for the next few years as a result of amortizing these unrecognized expenses. See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for further details of the impacts of our pension and postretirement medical plans on our financial statements and amendments we made to our plans in fiscal 2011. During fiscal 2011, the Company contributed $935 million to its pension and postretirement medical plans including discretionary contributions above the minimum requirements for pension plans. The Company currently expects pension and postretirement medical plan contributions in fiscal 2012 to total approximately $325 million to $375 million. Final minimum funding requirements for fiscal 2012 will be determined based on our January 1, 2012 funding actuarial valuation which will be available in late fiscal 2012. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors” for the impact of factors affecting pension and postretirement medical costs.

BUSINESS SEGMENT RESULTS – 2010 vs. 2009

Media Networks

Operating results for the Media Networks segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)        October 2,    
2010
         October 3,    
2009
    

Revenues

        

Affiliate Fees

     $ 8,082            $ 7,407            9  %   

Advertising

     7,028            6,566            7  %   

Other

     2,052            2,236            (8) %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     17,162            16,209            6  %   

Operating expenses

     (9,888)           (9,464)           (4) %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (2,358)           (2,341)           (1) %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (222)           (206)           (8) %   

Equity in the income of investees

     438            567            (23) %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Income

     $ 5,132            $ 4,765            8  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Revenues

The 9% increase in Affiliate Fees, which are generally derived from fees charged on a per-subscriber basis, was primarily due to contractual rate increases and subscriber growth at Cable Networks which resulted in revenue increases of 5% and 4%, respectively, partially offset by the impact of one fewer week of operations.

 

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Higher advertising revenues were due to increases of $362 million at Cable Networks from $2,689 million to $3,051 million and of $100 million at Broadcasting from $3,877 million to $3,977 million. The increase at Cable Networks reflected an increase of 9% due to higher sold inventory. The increase at Broadcasting reflected increases of 4% due to higher network advertising rates and sold inventory and 3% due to higher local television advertising, partially offset by a 4% decrease due to lower network ratings and one fewer week of operations.

Other revenues decreased $94 million at Cable Networks and $90 million at Broadcasting. The decrease at Cable Networks was driven by the closure of five ESPN Zone restaurants in June 2010. The decrease at Broadcasting reflected lower domestic television syndication revenues due to the sales of According to Jim and Grey’s Anatomy in fiscal 2009.

Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses include an increase in programming and production costs of $377 million from $8,076 million to $8,453 million. At Cable Networks an increase in programming and production costs of $446 million was driven by higher sports rights costs due to new international sports programming rights and increased contractual costs for college and professional sports programming. At Broadcasting a decrease in programming and production costs of $69 million was driven by costs savings at news and daytime and a lower cost mix of programming in primetime.

The increase in selling, general, administrative and other costs and expenses was driven by higher pension and postretirement medical and compensation related costs, partially offset by a decrease of approximately $60 million due to the absence of a bad debt charge in connection with a bankruptcy of a syndication customer in fiscal 2009 and a decrease due to the closure of five ESPN Zone restaurants in June 2010.

Equity in the Income of Investees

Income from equity investees decreased to $438 million in fiscal 2010 from $567 million in fiscal 2009 driven by a $58 million charge for our share of programming write-offs at AETN/Lifetime in fiscal 2010.

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income increased 8%, or $367 million, to $5.1 billion. The increase was primarily due to increases at ESPN, the owned television stations and the international Disney Channels, partially offset by lower equity income.

The following table provides supplemental revenue and operating income detail for the Media Networks segment:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)    October 2,
2010
     October 3,
2009
    

Revenues

        

Cable Networks

     $       11,475             $       10,555             9  %   

Broadcasting

     5,687             5,654             1  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    
     $ 17,162             $ 16,209             6  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Segment operating income

        

Cable Networks

     $ 4,473             $ 4,260             5  %   

Broadcasting

     659             505             30  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    
     $ 5,132             $ 4,765             8  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

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Table of Contents

Parks and Resorts

    Operating results for the Parks and Resorts segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)    October 2,
2010
     October 3,
2009
    

Revenues

        

Domestic

     $       8,404             $       8,442             —   %   

International

     2,357             2,225             6  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     10,761             10,667             1  %   

Operating expenses

     (6,787)            (6,634)            (2) %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (1,517)            (1,467)            (3) %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (1,139)            (1,148)            1   %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Income

     $ 1,318             $ 1,418             (7) %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Revenues

Parks and Resorts revenues increased 1%, or $94 million, to $10.8 billion due to an increase of $132 million at our international operations, partially offset by a decrease of $38 million at our domestic operations.

The decline in revenue at our domestic operations reflected the impact of one fewer week of operations in fiscal 2010 and a 1% volume decrease reflecting lower vacation club ownership sales, lower hotel occupancy and lower passenger cruise ship days. These decreases were partially offset by higher guest spending primarily due to higher average ticket prices and higher average daily hotel room rates.

The 6% revenue increase at our international operations reflected increases of 3% due to higher guest spending and 3% due to the sale of a real estate property at Disneyland Paris as well as higher attendance and hotel occupancy. Higher guest spending was driven by higher average ticket prices and average daily hotel room rates.

The following table presents supplemental attendance, per capita theme park guest spending, and hotel statistics:

 

     Domestic      International (2)      Total  
     Fiscal Year
2010
     Fiscal Year
2009
     Fiscal Year
2010
     Fiscal Year
2009
     Fiscal Year
2010
     Fiscal Year
2009
 

Parks

                 

Increase/ (decrease)

                 

Attendance

     (1) %         2  %         1  %         1  %         (1) %         2  %   

Per Capita Guest Spending

     3  %         (6) %         3  %         (12) %         3  %         (7) %   

Hotels (1)

                 

Occupancy

     82  %         87  %         85  %         85  %         82  %         86  %   

Available Room Nights (in thousands)

     9,629              9,549              2,466              2,473              12,095              12,022        

Per Room Guest Spending

     $  224              $  214              $  273              $  261              $  234              $  223        

 

(1) 

Per room guest spending consists of the average daily hotel room rate as well as guest spending on food, beverages and merchandise at the hotels. Hotel statistics include rentals of Disney Vacation Club units.

(2) 

Per capita guest spending and per room guest spending include the impact of foreign currency translation. Guest spending statistics for Disneyland Paris were converted from Euros into US Dollars at weighted average exchange rates of 1.36 and 1.35 for fiscal 2010 and 2009, respectively.

Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses included an increase in operating labor of $173 million from $3,105 million to $3,278 million driven by labor cost inflation and higher pension and postretirement medical expenses, partially offset by a decrease in costs of sales of $57 million from $1,167 million to $1,110 million primarily due to decreased sales volume. In addition, operating expenses reflected increased costs for new guest offerings including World of Color at Disneyland Resort.

The increase in selling, general, administrative and other costs and expenses was driven by increased marketing costs in support of the Disney Cruise Line fleet expansion and also World of Color at Disneyland Resort as well as labor cost inflation.

 

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Table of Contents

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income decreased 7%, or $100 million, to $1.3 billion, due to a decrease at our domestic operations, partially offset by an improvement at our international operations.

Restructuring and impairment charges

The Company recorded charges totaling $54 million related to Parks and Resorts in fiscal 2009 for severance and related costs which were reported in “Restructuring and impairment charges” in the Consolidated Statement of Income.

Studio Entertainment

Operating results for the Studio Entertainment segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)    October 2,
2010
     October 3,
2009
    

Revenues

        

Theatrical distribution

     $        2,050             $        1,325             55   %   

Home entertainment

     2,666             2,762             (3)  %   

Television distribution and other

     1,985             2,049             (3)  %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     6,701             6,136             9   %   

Operating expenses

     (3,469)            (3,210)            (8)  %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (2,450)            (2,687)            9   %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (89)            (60)            (48)  %   

Equity in the income of investees

     –             (4)            nm         
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Income

     $          693             $          175             nm         
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Revenues

The increase in theatrical distribution revenue was due to the strong performance of Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland and Iron Man 2 in fiscal 2010, compared to Up and The Proposal in fiscal 2009.

The decrease in home entertainment revenues was primarily due to a 2% decrease reflecting lower net effective pricing and a 2% decrease driven by lower sales volume of new releases domestically. Net effective pricing is the wholesale selling price adjusted for discounts, sales incentives and returns.

The decrease in television distribution and other revenues reflected the strong performance of High School Musical 3 and Rascal Flatts CD titles in fiscal 2009 as well as the Cheetah Girls concert tour in fiscal 2009.

Cost and Expenses

Operating expenses included an increase in film cost amortization of $385 million from $1,757 million to $2,142 million driven by the strong performance of our key theatrical releases and higher film cost write-downs, partially offset by a decrease in costs of goods sold of $35 million from $384 million to $349 million driven by cost reduction initiatives at our home entertainment business.

Selling, general, administrative and other costs and expenses reflected a decrease in marketing costs at our theatrical and home entertainment businesses.

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income increased from $175 million to $693 million primarily due to the improvements in our theatrical and home entertainment businesses, partially offset by higher film cost write-downs.

 

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Table of Contents

Consumer Products

Operating results for the Consumer Products segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended      % Change
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)    October 2,
2010
     October 3,
2009
    

Revenues

        

Licensing and publishing

     $        1,725           $         1,584           9   %   

Retail and other

     953           841           13   %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     2,678           2,425           10   %   

Operating expenses

     (1,236)          (1,182)          (5)  %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

     (687)          (597)          (15)  %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (78)          (39)          nm         

Equity in the income of investees

     –           2           nm         
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Income

     $           677           $           609           11   %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Revenues

The increase in licensing and publishing revenue was primarily due to an increase of $221 million resulting from the acquisition of Marvel and the strong performance of Toy Story merchandise, partially offset by a higher revenue share with the Studio Entertainment segment of $90 million.

Higher retail and other revenues were driven by a $69 million increase due to the acquisition of The Disney Store Japan and an increase of $33 million at The Disney Store North America and Europe reflecting higher comparable store sales.

Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses included cost of goods sold of $521 million which was comparable to fiscal 2009 as increases due to the acquisitions of The Disney Store Japan and Marvel were offset by lower third-party royalties on licensing revenues and decreased costs of sales at The Disney Store North America due to an improved global purchasing strategy. Other operating costs increased due to the addition of Marvel and The Disney Store Japan.

The increase in selling, general, administrative and other was driven by the acquisitions of Marvel and The Disney Store Japan.

Segment Operating Income

Segment operating income increased 11%, or $68 million, to $677 million due to improved results at our retail business and an increase in our publishing business driven by Marvel titles.

Interactive Media

Operating results for the Interactive Media segment are as follows:

 

     Year Ended        % Change  
Better /
(Worse)
 
(in millions)        October 2,    
2010
         October 3,    
2009
    

Revenues

        

Game sales and subscriptions

     $ 563           $ 565           –   %   

Advertising and other

     198           147           35   %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Total revenues

     761           712           7   %   

Operating expenses

     (581)          (623)          7   %   

Selling, general, administrative and other

         (371)              (336)          (10)  %   

Depreciation and amortization

     (43)          (50)          14   %   

Equity in the income of investees

     –           2           nm         
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Operating Loss

     $ (234)         $ (295)         21   %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

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Table of Contents

Revenues

Game sales and subscription revenue was essentially flat as lower unit sales of self published console games were offset by higher subscription revenues at Club Penguin. Significant titles in fiscal 2010 included Toy Story 3, Split Second and Sing It 2 while fiscal 2009 included High School Musical 3, Sing It and Bolt.

Higher advertising and other revenue was driven by increases at our mobile phone service business in Japan and in online advertising.

Costs and Expenses

Operating expenses included a decrease in costs of goods sold of $70 million from $266 million to $196 million due to lower video game costs reflecting a sales mix shift from higher cost new releases, which included bundled accessories, in fiscal 2009 to lower cost catalog titles in fiscal 2010. This decrease was partially offset by increased product development expense of $24 million.

The increase in selling, general, administrative and other costs reflected higher marketing costs driven by Toy Story 3 and Split Second.

Segment Operating Loss

Segment operating loss decreased 21%, or $61 million, to $234 million driven by improved results at our games and Japan mobile phone service businesses, partially offset by the impact of purchase accounting for Playdom.

NON-SEGMENT ITEMS – 2010 vs. 2009

Corporate and Unallocated Shared Expenses

Corporate and unallocated shared expenses increased 6%, from $398 million to $420 million, primarily due to higher information technology and compensation costs.

Net Interest Expense

Net interest expense is detailed below:

 

(in millions)

   2010      2009      % Change
 Better/(Worse) 
 

Interest expense

     $     (456)           $     (588)           22 %   

Interest and investment income

     47            122            (61)%   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

Net interest expense

     $ (409)           $ (466)           12 %   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

The decrease in interest expense for fiscal 2010 was primarily due to lower effective interest rates and lower average debt balances, partially offset by expense related to the early redemption of a film financing borrowing.

The decrease in interest and investment income for fiscal 2010 was primarily due to a gain on the sale of an investment in the prior year, lower effective interest rates and lower average cash balances.

Effective Income Tax Rate

The effective income tax rate decreased 1.3 percentage points from 36.2% in 2009 to 34.9% in 2010. The lower effective income tax rate for fiscal 2010 was primarily due to favorable adjustments related to prior-year income tax matters, partially offset by a $72 million charge related to the health care reform legislation enacted in March 2010.

Noncontrolling Interests

Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests for the year increased $48 million to $350 million driven by improved operating results at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and ESPN. Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests is determined based on income after royalties, financing costs and income taxes.

 

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Table of Contents

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

The change in cash and cash equivalents is as follows:

 

(in millions)

   2011      2010      2009  

Cash provided by operations

   $ 6,994          $ 6,578          $ 5,319      

Cash used by investing activities

     (3,286)           (4,523)           (1,755)     

Cash used by financing activities

         (3,233)               (2,663)               (3,111)     

Impact of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents

     (12)           (87)           (37)     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

   $ 463          $ (695)         $ 416      
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Operating Activities

Cash provided by operating activities for fiscal 2011 increased 6% or $416 million to $7.0 billion as compared to fiscal 2010. The increase was primarily due to higher operating cash receipts driven by higher revenues at our Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Consumer Products and Interactive Media businesses, partially offset by lower revenues at our Studio Entertainment business. These increases were partially offset by higher cash payments at Corporate and at our Media Networks, Parks and Resorts, Interactive Media, and Consumer Products businesses, partially offset by a decrease in cash payments at our Studio Entertainment business. The increase in cash payments at Corporate was driven by higher contributions to our pension plans, while the increase at Media Networks was primarily due to higher investment in television programming and production. The increase in cash payments at Parks and Resorts was driven by labor cost inflation, higher promotional and operating costs from the January launch of our new cruise ship, the Disney Dream, and higher marketing and sales expenses and expansion costs for Disney California Adventure at Disneyland Resort. The increase in cash payments at Interactive Media reflects the inclusion of Playdom, while the increase in cash payments at Consumer Products was primarily due to the acquisitions of The Disney Store Japan and Marvel. The decrease in cash payments at Studio Entertainment was driven by lower film production spending.

Cash provided by operating activities for fiscal 2010 increased 24% or $1.3 billion to $6.6 billion as compared to fiscal 2009. The increase was driven by higher operating cash receipts at our Media Networks, Parks and Resorts and Studio Entertainment businesses and lower cash payments at our Studio Entertainment segment driven by a decrease in distribution and marketing expense, partially offset by higher income tax payments. The increase in cash receipts at our Media Networks and Studio Entertainment segments was driven by higher revenues, while the increase in cash receipts at Parks and Resorts was driven by the timing of advance travel deposits.

Depreciation expense is as follows:

 

(in millions)

   2011      2010      2009  

Media Networks

        

Cable Networks

     $ 134           $ 118           $ 108     

Broadcasting

     95           95           89     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Media Networks

     229           213           197     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Parks and Resorts

        

Domestic

     842           807           822     

International

     323           332           326     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total Parks and Resorts

     1,165           1,139           1,148     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Studio Entertainment

     53           56           50     

Consumer Products

     48           33           29     

Interactive Media

     16           19           28     

Corporate

     148           142           128     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total depreciation expense

     $     1,659           $     1,602           $     1,580     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

The Company’s Studio Entertainment and Media Networks segments incur costs to acquire and produce television and feature film programming. Film and television production costs include all internally produced content such as live action and animated feature films, animated direct-to-video programming, television series, television specials, theatrical stage plays or other similar product. Programming costs include film or television product licensed for a specific period from third parties for airing on the Company’s broadcast, cable networks, and television stations. Programming assets are generally recorded when the programming becomes available to us with a corresponding increase in programming liabilities. Accordingly, we analyze our programming assets net of the related liability.

 

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The Company’s film and television production and programming activity for fiscal years 2011, 2010 and 2009 are as follows:

 

(in millions)

   2011      2010      2009  

Beginning balances:

        

Production and programming assets

   $     5,451         $     5,756         $     5,935     

Programming liabilities

     (990)         (1,193)         (1,108)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     4,461           4,563           4,827     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Spending:

        

Film and television production

     3,184           3,370           3,421     

Broadcast programming

     4,588           4,316           3,896     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     7,772           7,686           7,317     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Amortization:

        

Film and television production

     (3,521)         (3,593)         (3,486)   

Broadcast programming

     (4,583)         (4,331)         (3,788)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
     (8,104)         (7,924)         (7,274)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Change in film and television production and
programming costs

     (332)         (238)         43     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Other non-cash activity

     36           136           (154)   

Ending balances:

        

Production and programming assets

     5,031           5,451           5,756     

Programming liabilities

     (866)         (990)         (1,040)   
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $     4,165        $     4,461        $     4,716     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Investing Activities

Investing activities consist principally of investments in parks, resorts, and other property and acquisition and divestiture activity. The Company’s investments in parks, resorts and other property for the last three years are as follows:

 

(in millions)

   2011      2010      2009  

Media Networks

        

Cable Networks

   $ 179         $ 132         $ 151     

Broadcasting

     128           92           143     

Parks and Resorts

        

Domestic

     2,294           1,295           1,039     

International

     429           238           143     

Studio Entertainment

     118           102           135     

Consumer Products

     115           97           46     

Interactive Media

     21           17           21     

Corporate

     275           137           75     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 
   $     3,559         $     2,110         $     1,753     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Capital expenditures for the Parks and Resorts segment are principally for theme park and resort expansion, cruise ships, new rides and attractions, recurring capital and capital improvements. The increase in capital expenditures at domestic and international parks and resorts in fiscal 2011 reflected the final payment on our new cruise ship, the Disney Dream, theme park and resort expansions and new guest offerings at Walt Disney World Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and the development of Shanghai Disney Resort. The increase in capital expenditures at domestic and international parks and resorts in fiscal 2010 as compared to fiscal 2009 reflected higher construction progress payments on the two new cruise ships, the expansions at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Disney California Adventure and the construction of Aulani, a Disney Resort & Spa in Hawaii. The increase in capital expenditures at Consumer Products from fiscal 2009 to fiscal 2011 was driven by costs at the Disney Stores for new stores and remodels.

Capital expenditures at Media Networks primarily reflect investments in facilities and equipment for expanding and upgrading broadcast centers, production facilities, and television station facilities.

 

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Capital expenditures at Corporate primarily reflect investments in corporate facilities and information technology infrastructure. The increases in fiscal 2011 and 2010 were driven by investments in equipment and corporate facilities.

Other Investing Activities

During fiscal 2011, proceeds from dispositions of $564 million primarily due to the sale of Miramax, were partially offset by acquisitions totaling $184 million which included additional payments related to the acquisition of Playdom, Inc. (See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).

During fiscal 2010, acquisitions totaled $2.5 billion and included the acquisitions of Marvel Entertainment, Inc. and Playdom, Inc., and were partially offset by net proceeds totaling $170 million from the sale of our investments in two television services in Europe and the sale of the rights and assets related to the Power Rangers property.

During fiscal 2009, acquisitions totaled $176 million and included the purchase of additional interests in UTV (See Note 4 to the Consolidated Financial Statements), offset by proceeds totaling $185 million from the sale of our investment in two pay television services in Latin America.

Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities in fiscal 2011 increased by $570 million to $3.2 billion compared to fiscal 2010 and consisted of repurchases of common stock and the payment of dividends partially offset by borrowings and proceeds from the exercise of stock options. The increase from fiscal 2010 was due to higher repurchases of common stock, partially offset by higher net borrowings. Cash used in financing activities in fiscal 2010 decreased by $448 million to $2.7 billion compared to fiscal 2009 and consisted of repurchases of common stock, repayments of borrowings, and the payment of dividends partially offset by proceeds from the exercise of stock options. The decrease from fiscal 2009 was due to lower repayments of borrowings and increased proceeds from stock option exercises, partially offset by higher share repurchases.

During the year ended October 1, 2011, the Company’s borrowing activity was as follows:

 

  (in millions)

   October 2,
2010
     Additions      Payments      Other
Activity
     October 1,
2011
 

  Commercial paper borrowings

     $     1,190           $ 393           $ –             $ –             $ 1,583     

  U.S. medium-term notes

     6,815           2,350           (750)           (15)           8,400     

  European medium-term notes

     273           –           (168)           (14)           91     

  Other foreign currency denominated debt (1)

     965           –           –             55             1,020     

  Other (2)

     651           –           (37)           (42)           572     

  Disneyland Paris borrowings

     2,113           –           (164)           32             1,981     

  Hong Kong Disneyland Resort borrowings (3)

     473           –           –             (143)           330     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

  Total

     $ 12,480           $   2,743           $   (1,119)           $   (127)           $   13,977     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) 

The other activity is primarily the impact of foreign currency translation as a result of the weakening of the U.S. dollar against the Japanese yen.

(2) 

The other activity is primarily market value adjustments for debt with qualifying hedges.

(3) 

The other activity is primarily due to the conversion of a portion of the HKSAR’s loan to equity pursuant to the capital realignment and expansion plan (See Note 7 to the Consolidated Financial Statements).

The Company’s bank facilities are as follows:

 

(in millions)

   Committed
Capacity
     Capacity
Used
     Unused
Capacity
 

Bank facilities expiring February 2013

   $ 2,250         $
 
    
–  
  
  
   $         2,250     

Bank facilities expiring February 2015

     2,250           47           2,203     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total

   $ 4,500         $ 47         $ 4,453     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

In February 2011, the Company entered into a new four-year $2.25 billion bank facility with a syndicate of lenders. This facility, in combination with the facility that matures in 2013, is used to support commercial paper borrowings. The new bank facility allows the Company to issue up to $800 million of letters of credit, which if utilized, reduces available borrowings under this facility. As of October 1, 2011, $315 million of letters of credit had been issued of which $47 million was issued under this facility. These bank facilities allow for borrowings at LIBOR-based rates plus a spread, which depends on the Company’s public debt rating and can range from 0.33% to 4.50%.

 

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The Company may use commercial paper borrowings up to the amount of its unused bank facilities, in conjunction with term debt issuance and operating cash flow, to retire or refinance other borrowings before or as they come due.

The Company paid a $0.40 per share dividend ($756 million) during the second quarter of fiscal 2011 related to fiscal 2010. The Company paid a $0.35 per share dividend ($653 million) during the second quarter of fiscal 2010 related to fiscal 2009; and paid a $0.35 per share dividend ($648 million) during the second quarter of fiscal 2009 related to fiscal 2008. As of the filing date of this report, the Board of Directors had not yet declared a dividend related to fiscal 2011.

During fiscal 2011, the Company repurchased 135 million shares of Disney common stock for $5.0 billion. During fiscal 2010, the Company repurchased 80 million shares of Disney common stock for $2.7 billion. During fiscal 2009, the Company repurchased 5 million shares of Disney common stock for $138 million. On March 22, 2011, the Company’s Board of Directors increased the amount of shares that can be repurchased to 400 million shares as of that date. As of October 1, 2011, the Company had remaining authorization in place to repurchase 305 million additional shares.

We believe that the Company’s financial condition is strong and that its cash balances, other liquid assets, operating cash flows, access to debt and equity capital markets and borrowing capacity, taken together, provide adequate resources to fund ongoing operating requirements and future capital expenditures related to the expansion of existing businesses and development of new projects. However, the Company’s operating cash flow and access to the capital markets can be impacted by macroeconomic factors outside of its control. See “Item 1A – Risk Factors”. In addition to macroeconomic factors, the Company’s borrowing costs can be impacted by short- and long-term debt ratings assigned by independent rating agencies, which are based, in significant part, on the Company’s performance as measured by certain credit metrics such as interest coverage and leverage ratios. As of October 1, 2011, Moody’s Investors Service’s long- and short-term debt ratings for the Company were A2 and P-1, respectively, with stable outlook; Standard & Poor’s long- and short-term debt ratings for the Company were A and A-1, respectively, with stable outlook; and Fitch’s long- and short-term debt ratings for the Company were A and F-1, respectively, with stable outlook. The Company’s bank facilities contain only one financial covenant, relating to interest coverage, which the Company met on October 1, 2011, by a significant margin. The Company’s bank facilities also specifically exclude certain entities, such as Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and Shanghai Disney Resort, from any representations, covenants or events of default.

Disneyland Paris has in its debt agreements certain annual financial performance objectives and limits on investing and financing activities. In fiscal 2011, Disneyland Paris did not meet its annual performance objectives and must defer €25 million of royalties and management fees payable to the Company and €20 million of interest payable to a French state bank. Additionally, as a result of the fact that the performance objectives were not met, certain of Disneyland Paris’s investment activities are further limited by the debt agreements.

Disneyland Paris is also subject to certain financial covenants and believes that it is in compliance with such covenants with the assistance of the Company’s agreement, as permitted under the debt agreements, to defer an additional €9 million of royalties payable to the Company into subordinated long-term borrowings.

The deferrals discussed above and compliance with these financial covenants are subject to final third-party review as provided in Disneyland Paris’s debt agreements.

CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS, COMMITMENTS AND OFF BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

The Company has various contractual obligations which are recorded as liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. Other items, such as certain purchase commitments and other executory contracts are not recognized as liabilities in our consolidated financial statements but are required to be disclosed in the footnotes to the financial statements. For example, the Company is contractually committed to acquire broadcast programming and make certain minimum lease payments for the use of property under operating lease agreements.

 

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The following table summarizes our significant contractual obligations and commitments on an undiscounted basis at October 1, 2011 and the future periods in which such obligations are expected to be settled in cash. In addition, the table reflects the timing of principal and interest payments on outstanding borrowings. Additional details regarding these obligations are provided in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements, as referenced in the table:

 

      Payments Due by Period  

(in millions)

   Total      Less than
1 Year
     1-3
Years
     4-5
Years
     More than
5 Years
 

Borrowings (Note 9) (1)

     $   18,352           $ 3,442           $ 4,199           $ 2,198           $ 8,513     

Operating lease commitments (Note 15)

     2,227           502           738           395           592     

Capital lease obligations (Note 15)

     786           70           110           87           519     

Sports programming commitments (Note 15)

     33,287           3,465           7,623           6,354           15,845     

Broadcast programming commitments (Note 15)

     2,785           1,959           542           202           82     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total sports and other broadcast programming commitments

     36,072           5,424           8,165           6,556           15,927     

Other(2)

     4,094           1,788           1,116           344           846     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total contractual obligations (3)

     $ 61,531           $   11,226           $   14,328           $   9,580           $   26,397     
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

 

(1) 

Amounts exclude market value adjustments totaling $284 million, which are recorded in the balance sheet. Amounts include interest payments based on contractual terms for fixed rate debt, and on current interest rates for variable rate debt.

 

(2) 

Other commitments primarily comprise contractual commitments for the construction of two new cruise ships, creative talent and employment agreements and unrecognized tax benefits. Creative talent and employment agreements include obligations to actors, producers, sports personnel, television and radio personalities and executives.

 

(3) 

Contractual commitments include the following:

 

Liabilities recorded on the balance sheet

   $   15,674     

Commitments not recorded on the balance sheet

     45,857     
  

 

 

 
   $   61,531     
  

 

 

 

The Company also has obligations with respect to its pension and postretirement medical benefit plans. See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Contingent Commitments and Contractual Guarantees

The Company has certain contractual arrangements that would require the Company to make payments or provide funding if certain circumstances occur. The Company does not currently expect that these arrangements will result in any significant amounts being paid by the Company. See Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for information regarding the Company’s contingent commitments and contractual guarantees.

Legal and Tax Matters

As disclosed in Notes 10 and 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements, the Company has exposure for certain legal and tax matters.

ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES

We believe that the application of the following accounting policies, which are important to our financial position and results of operations, require significant judgments and estimates on the part of management. For a summary of our significant accounting policies, including the accounting policies discussed below, see Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Film and Television Revenues and Costs

We expense film and television production, participation and residual costs over the applicable product life cycle based upon the ratio of the current period’s revenues to the estimated remaining total revenues (Ultimate Revenues) for each production. If our estimate of Ultimate Revenues decreases, amortization of film and television costs may be accelerated. Conversely, if estimates of Ultimate Revenues increase, film and television cost amortization may be slowed. For film productions, Ultimate Revenues include revenues from all sources that will be earned within ten years from the date of the initial theatrical release. For television series, Ultimate Revenues include revenues that will be earned within ten years from delivery of the first episode, or if still in production, five years from delivery of the most recent episode, if later.

 

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With respect to films intended for theatrical release, the most sensitive factor affecting our estimate of Ultimate Revenues (and therefore affecting future film cost amortization and/or impairment) is domestic theatrical performance. Revenues derived from other markets subsequent to the domestic theatrical release (e.g., the home entertainment or international theatrical markets) have historically been highly correlated with domestic theatrical performance. Domestic theatrical performance varies primarily based upon the public interest and demand for a particular film, the popularity of competing films at the time of release and the level of marketing effort. Upon a film’s release and determination of domestic theatrical performance, the Company’s estimates of revenues from succeeding windows and markets are revised based on historical relationships and an analysis of current market trends. The most sensitive factor affecting our estimate of Ultimate Revenues for released films is the extent of home entertainment sales achieved. Home entertainment sales vary based on the number and quality of competing home video products, as well as the manner in which retailers market and price our products.

With respect to television series or other television productions intended for broadcast, the most sensitive factor affecting estimates of Ultimate Revenues is the program’s rating and the strength of the advertising market. Program ratings, which are an indication of market acceptance, directly affect the Company’s ability to generate advertising revenues during the airing of the program. In addition, television series with greater market acceptance are more likely to generate incremental revenues through the eventual sale of the program rights in the syndication, international and home entertainment markets. Alternatively, poor ratings may result in a television series cancellation, which would require the immediate write-off of any unamortized production costs. A significant decline in the advertising market would also negatively impact our estimates.

We expense the cost of television broadcast rights for acquired movies, series and other programs based on the number of times the program is expected to be aired or on a straight-line basis over the useful life, as appropriate. Amortization of those television programming assets being amortized on a number of airings basis may be accelerated if we reduce the estimated future airings and slowed if we increase the estimated future airings. The number of future airings of a particular program is impacted primarily by the program’s ratings in previous airings, expected advertising rates and availability and quality of alternative programming. Accordingly, planned usage is reviewed periodically and revised if necessary. We amortize rights costs for multi-year sports programming arrangements during the applicable seasons based on the estimated relative value of each year in the arrangement. The estimated values of each year are based on our projection of revenues over the contract period which include advertising revenue and an allocation of affiliate revenue. If the annual contractual payments related to each season approximate each season’s relative value, we expense the related contractual payment during the applicable season. If planned usage patterns or estimated relative values by year were to change significantly, amortization of our sports rights costs may be accelerated or slowed.

Costs of film and television productions are subject to regular recoverability assessments which compare the estimated fair values with the unamortized costs. The net realizable values of television broadcast program licenses and rights are reviewed using a daypart methodology. A daypart is defined as an aggregation of programs broadcast during a particular time of day or programs of a similar type. The Company’s dayparts are: daytime, late night, primetime, news, children, and sports (includes network and cable). The net realizable values of other cable programming assets are reviewed on an aggregated basis for each cable channel. Individual programs are written-off when there are no plans to air or sublicense the program. Estimated values are based upon assumptions about future demand and market conditions. If actual demand or market conditions are less favorable than our projections, film, television and programming cost write-downs may be required.

Revenue Recognition

The Company has revenue recognition policies for its various operating segments that are appropriate to the circumstances of each business. See Note 2 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for a summary of these revenue recognition policies.

We reduce home entertainment and software product revenues for estimated future returns of merchandise and for customer programs and sales incentives. These estimates are based upon historical return experience, current economic trends and projections of customer demand for and acceptance of our products. If we underestimate the level of returns and concessions in a particular period, we may record less revenue in later periods when returns exceed the estimated amount. Conversely, if we overestimate the level of returns and concessions for a period, we may have additional revenue in later periods when returns and concessions are less than estimated.

We recognize revenues from advance theme park ticket sales when the tickets are used. For non-expiring, multi-day tickets, revenues are recognized over a four-year time period based on estimated usage, which is derived from historical usage patterns. If actual usage is different than our estimated usage, revenues may not be recognized in the periods the related services are rendered. In addition, a change in usage patterns would impact the timing of revenue recognition.

Pension and Postretirement Medical Plan Actuarial Assumptions

The Company’s pension and postretirement medical benefit obligations and related costs are calculated using a number of actuarial assumptions. Two critical assumptions, the discount rate and the expected return on plan assets, are important elements of expense and/or liability measurement which we evaluate annually. Other assumptions include the healthcare cost trend rate and employee demographic factors such as retirement patterns, mortality, turnover and rate of compensation increase.

 

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The discount rate enables us to state expected future cash payments for benefits as a present value on the measurement date. A lower discount rate increases the present value of benefit obligations and increases pension expense. The guideline for setting this rate is a high-quality long-term corporate bond rate. We decreased our discount rate to 4.75% at the end of fiscal 2011 from 5.25% at the end of fiscal 2010 to reflect market interest rate conditions at our October 1, 2011 measurement date. This decrease in the discount rate will affect net periodic pension and postretirement medical expense (benefit expense) in fiscal 2012. The assumed discount rate reflects market rates for high-quality corporate bonds currently available. The Company’s discount rate was determined by considering the average of pension yield curves constructed of a large population of high quality corporate bonds. The resulting discount rate reflects the matching of plan liability cash flows to the yield curves. A one percentage point decrease in the assumed discount rate would increase total benefit expense for fiscal 2012 by $223 million and would increase the projected benefit obligation at October 1, 2011 by $1.9 billion, respectively. A one percentage point increase in the assumed discount rate would decrease total benefit expense and the projected benefit obligation by $193 million and $1.6 billion, respectively.

To determine the expected long-term rate of return on the plan assets, we consider the current and expected asset allocation, as well as historical and expected returns on each plan asset class. A lower expected rate of return on pension plan assets will increase pension expense. Our long-term expected return on plan assets was 7.75% for both of the 2011 and 2010 actuarial valuations. A one percentage point change in the long-term asset return assumption would impact fiscal 2012 annual benefit expense by approximately $70 million.

See Note 11 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more information on our pension and postretirement medical plans.

Goodwill, Intangible Assets, Long-Lived Assets and Investments

The Company is required to test goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment on an annual basis and if current events or circumstances require, on an interim basis. Goodwill is allocated to various reporting units, which are generally an operating segment or one level below the operating segment. The Company compares the fair value of each reporting unit to its carrying amount to determine if there is potential goodwill impairment. If the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that the fair value of the goodwill within the reporting unit is less than the carrying value of the goodwill.

To determine the fair value of our reporting units, we generally use a present value technique (discounted cash flow) corroborated by market multiples when available and as appropriate. We apply what we believe to be the most appropriate valuation methodology for each of our reporting units. The discounted cash flow analyses are sensitive to our estimates of future revenue growth and margins for these businesses. We include in the projected cash flows an estimate of the revenue we believe the reporting unit would receive if the intellectual property developed by the reporting unit that is being used by other reporting units was licensed to an unrelated third party at its fair market value. These amounts are not necessarily the same as those included in segment operating results. We believe our estimates of fair value are consistent with how a marketplace participant would value our reporting units.

In times of adverse economic conditions in the global economy, the Company’s long-term cash flow projections are subject to a greater degree of uncertainty than usual. If we had established different reporting units or utilized different valuation methodologies or assumptions, the impairment test results could differ, and we could be required to record impairment charges.

The Company is required to compare the fair values of other indefinite-lived intangible assets to their carrying amounts. If the carrying amount of an indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its fair value, an impairment loss is recognized. Fair values of other indefinite-lived intangible assets are determined based on discounted cash flows or appraised values, as appropriate.

The Company tests long-lived assets, including amortizable intangible assets, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances (triggering events) indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. Once a triggering event has occurred, the impairment test employed is based on whether the intent is to hold the asset for continued use or to hold the asset for sale. The impairment test for assets held for use requires a comparison of cash flows expected to be generated over the useful life of an asset group against the carrying value of the asset group. An asset group is established by identifying the lowest level of cash flows generated by the group of assets that are largely independent of the cash flows of other assets and could include assets used across multiple businesses or segments. If the carrying value of the asset group exceeds the estimated undiscounted future cash flows, an impairment would be measured as the difference between the fair value of the group’s long-lived assets and the carrying value of the group’s long-lived assets. The impairment is allocated to the long-lived assets of the group on a pro rata basis using the relative carrying amounts, but only to the extent the carrying value of each asset is above its fair value. For assets held for sale, to the extent the carrying value is greater than the asset’s fair value less costs to sell, an impairment loss is recognized for the difference. Determining whether a long-lived asset is impaired requires various estimates and assumptions, including whether a triggering event has occurred, the identification of the asset groups, estimates of future cash flows and the discount rate used to determine fair values. If we had established different asset groups or utilized different valuation methodologies or assumptions, the impairment test results could differ, and we could be required to record impairment charges.

 

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The Company has cost and equity investments. The fair value of these investments is dependent on the performance of the investee companies, as well as volatility inherent in the external markets for these investments. In assessing potential impairment of these investments, we consider these factors, as well as the forecasted financial performance of the investees and market values, where available. If these forecasts are not met or market values indicate an other-than-temporary decline in value, impairment charges may be required.

During fiscal years 2011 and 2010, the Company tested its goodwill and other intangible assets, investments and long-lived assets for impairment, and the impairment charges recorded were immaterial. During fiscal 2009, the Company recorded non-cash impairment charges of $279 million, which included $142 million for FCC radio licenses and $65 million for our investment in UTV. The FCC radio license impairment charges reflected overall market declines in certain radio markets in which we operate. These impairment charges, which were estimated using a discounted cash flow model, were recorded in “Restructuring and impairment charges” in the Consolidated Statements of Income.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

We evaluate our allowance for doubtful accounts and estimate collectability of accounts receivable based on our analysis of historical bad debt experience in conjunction with our assessment of the financial condition of individual companies with which we do business. In times of domestic or global economic turmoil, our estimates and judgments with respect to the collectability of our receivables are subject to greater uncertainty than in more stable periods. If our estimate of uncollectible accounts is too low, costs and expenses may increase in future periods, and if it is too high, cost and expenses may decrease in future periods.

Contingencies and Litigation

We are currently involved in certain legal proceedings and, as required, have accrued estimates of the probable and estimable losses for the resolution of these claims. These estimates have been developed in consultation with outside counsel and are based upon an analysis of potential results, assuming a combination of litigation and settlement strategies. It is possible, however, that future results of operations for any particular quarterly or annual period could be materially affected by changes in our assumptions or the effectiveness of our strategies related to these proceedings. See Note 15 to the Consolidated Financial Statements for more detailed information on litigation exposure.

Income Tax Audits

As a matter of course, the Company is regularly audited by federal, state and foreign tax authorities. From time to time, these audits result in proposed assessments. Our determinations regarding the recognition of income tax benefits are made in consultation with outside tax and legal counsel where appropriate and are based upon the technical merits of our tax positions in consideration of applicable tax statutes and related interpretations and precedents and upon the expected outcome of proceedings (or negotiations) with taxing and legal authorities. The tax benefits ultimately realized by the Company may differ from those recognized in our future financial statements based on a number of factors, including the Company’s decision to settle rather than litigate a matter, relevant legal precedent related to similar matters and the Company’s success in supporting its filing positions with taxing authorities.

ACCOUNTING CHANGES

Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables

In October 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued guidance on revenue arrangements with multiple deliverables effective for the Company’s 2011 fiscal year. The guidance revises the criteria for separating, measuring, and allocating arrangement consideration to each deliverable in a multiple element arrangement. The guidance requires companies to allocate revenue using the relative selling price of each deliverable, which must be estimated if the company does not have a history of selling the deliverable on a stand-alone basis or third-party evidence of selling price. The Company adopted the provisions of this guidance at the beginning of fiscal year 2011, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Transfers and Servicing of Financial Assets

In June 2009, the FASB issued guidance on transfers and servicing of financial assets to eliminate the concept of a qualifying special-purpose entity, change the requirements for off balance sheet accounting for financial assets including limiting the circumstances where off balance sheet treatment for a portion of a financial asset is allowable, and require additional disclosures. The guidance is effective for the Company’s 2011 fiscal year. The Company adopted the provisions of this guidance at the beginning of fiscal year 2011, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

Variable Interest Entities

In June 2009, the FASB issued guidance to revise the approach to determine when a variable interest entity (VIE) should be consolidated. The new consolidation model for VIEs considers whether an entity has the power to direct the activities that most significantly impact the VIE’s economic performance and shares in the significant risks and rewards of the VIE. The guidance on VIEs requires companies to continually reassess VIEs to determine if consolidation is appropriate and provide additional disclosures. The Company adopted the provisions of this guidance at the beginning of fiscal year 2011, and the adoption did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial statements.

 

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Employee Compensation – Retirement Benefits

In September 2006, the FASB issued guidance that requires recognition of the overfunded or underfunded status of defined benefit pension and other postretirement plans as an asset or liability in the statement of financial position and changes in that funded status to be recognized in comprehensive income in the year in which the changes occur. The guidance on retirement benefits also requires measurement of the funded status of a plan as of the end of the fiscal year. The Company adopted the recognition provision in fiscal year 2007 which resulted in a $261 million charge to accumulated other comprehensive income. The Company adopted the measurement date provision by remeasuring plan assets and benefit obligations at the beginning of fiscal 2009. Adoption of the measurement date provisions resulted in a reduction of $35 million to retained earnings and a $100 million benefit to accumulated other comprehensive income.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements made by or on behalf of the Company. We may from time to time make written or oral statements that are “forward-looking,” including statements contained in this report and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and in reports to our shareholders. Such statements may, for example, express expectations or projections about future actions that we may take, including restructuring or strategic initiatives, or about developments beyond our control including changes in domestic or global economic conditions. These statements are made on the basis of management’s views and assumptions as of the time the statements are made and we undertake no obligation to update these statements. There can be no assurance, however, that our expectations will necessarily come to pass. Significant factors affecting these expectations are set forth under Item 1A – Risk Factors of this Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

The Company is exposed to the impact of interest rate changes, foreign currency fluctuations, commodity fluctuations and changes in the market values of its investments.

Policies and Procedures

In the normal course of business, we employ established policies and procedures to manage the Company’s exposure to changes in interest rates, foreign currencies, commodities, and the fair market value of certain investments in debt and equity securities using a variety of financial instruments.

Our objectives in managing exposure to interest rate changes are to limit the impact of interest rate volatility on earnings and cash flows and to lower overall borrowing costs. To achieve these objectives, we primarily use interest rate swaps to manage net exposure to interest rate changes related to the Company’s portfolio of borrowings. By policy, the Company targets fixed-rate debt as a percentage of its net debt between minimum and maximum percentages.

Our objective in managing exposure to foreign currency fluctuations is to reduce volatility of earnings and cash flow in order to allow management to focus on core business issues and challenges. Accordingly, the Company enters into various contracts that change in value as foreign exchange rates change to protect the U.S. dollar equivalent value of its existing foreign currency assets, liabilities, commitments, and forecasted foreign currency revenues and expenses. The Company utilizes option strategies and forward contracts that provide for the purchase or sale of foreign currencies to hedge probable, but not firmly committed, transactions. The Company also uses forward and option contracts to hedge foreign currency assets and liabilities. The principal foreign currencies hedged are the Euro, British pound, Japanese yen, and Canadian dollar. Cross-currency swaps are used to effectively convert foreign currency denominated borrowings to U.S. dollar denominated borrowings. By policy, the Company maintains hedge coverage between minimum and maximum percentages of its forecasted foreign exchange exposures generally for periods not to exceed four years. The gains and losses on these contracts offset changes in the U.S. dollar equivalent value of the related exposures.

Our objectives in managing exposure to commodity fluctuations are to use commodity derivatives to reduce volatility of earnings and cash flows arising from commodity price changes. The amounts hedged using commodity swap contracts are based on forecasted levels of consumption of certain commodities, such as fuel oil and gasoline.

It is the Company’s policy to enter into foreign currency and interest rate derivative transactions and other financial instruments only to the extent considered necessary to meet its objectives as stated above. The Company does not enter into these transactions or any other hedging transactions for speculative purposes.

 

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Value at Risk (VAR)

The Company utilizes a VAR model to estimate the maximum potential one-day loss in the fair value of its interest rate, foreign exchange, and market sensitive equity financial instruments. The VAR model estimates were made assuming normal market conditions and a 95% confidence level. Various modeling techniques can be used in a VAR computation. The Company’s computations are based on the interrelationships between movements in various interest rates, currencies, and equity prices (a variance/co-variance technique). These interrelationships were determined by observing interest rate, foreign currency, and equity market changes over the preceding quarter for the calculation of VAR amounts at fiscal year end. The model includes all of the Company’s debt as well as all interest rate and foreign exchange derivative contracts and market sensitive equity investments. Forecasted transactions, firm commitments, and receivables and accounts payable denominated in foreign currencies, which certain of these instruments are intended to hedge, were excluded from the model.

The VAR model is a risk analysis tool and does not purport to represent actual losses in fair value that will be incurred by the Company, nor does it consider the potential effect of favorable changes in market factors.

VAR on a combined basis increased to $58 million at October 1, 2011 from $33 million at October 2, 2010. The increase in VAR primarily reflected an increase in the amount of fixed rate debt during the year and higher volatility of interest rates.

The estimated maximum potential one-day loss in fair value, calculated using the VAR model, is as follows (unaudited, in millions):

 

Fiscal Year 2011

   Interest Rate
Sensitive
Financial
Instruments
     Currency
Sensitive
Financial
Instruments
     Equity Sensitive
Financial
Instruments
     Combined
Portfolio
 

Year end VAR

     $34             $27             $7             $58       

Average VAR

     $24             $27             $4             $44       

Highest VAR

     $34             $34             $8             $58       

Lowest VAR

     $15             $20             $1             $32       

Beginning of year VAR (year end fiscal 2010)

     $19             $22             $1             $33       

The VAR for Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland Resort is immaterial as of October 1, 2011 and accordingly, has been excluded from the above table.

ITEM 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

See Index to Financial Statements and Supplemental Data on page 58.

ITEM 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

ITEM 9A. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We have established disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and made known to the officers who certify the Company’s financial reports and to other members of senior management and the Board of Directors as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Based on their evaluation as of October 1, 2011, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Company have concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) are effective.

 

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Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

Management’s report set forth on page 59 is incorporated herein by reference.

Changes in Internal Controls

There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year ended October 1, 2011, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. Other Information

None.

 

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PART III

ITEM 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Information regarding Section 16(a) compliance, the Audit Committee, the Company’s code of ethics, background of the directors and director nominations appearing under the captions “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance,” “Committees,” “Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Ethics”, “Director Selection Process” and “Election of Directors” in the Company’s Proxy Statement for the 2012 annual meeting of Shareholders is hereby incorporated by reference.

Information regarding executive officers is included in Part I of this Form 10-K as permitted by General Instruction G(3).

ITEM 11. Executive Compensation

Information appearing under the captions “Board Compensation” and “Executive Compensation” in the 2012 Proxy Statement (other than the “Compensation Committee Report,” which is deemed furnished herein by reference) is hereby incorporated by reference.

ITEM 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Information setting forth the security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management appearing under the caption “Stock Ownership” and information in the “Equity Compensation Plans” table appearing under the caption “Equity Compensation Plans” in the 2012 Proxy Statement is hereby incorporated by reference.

ITEM 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Information regarding certain related transactions appearing under the captions “Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions” and information regarding director independence appearing under the caption “Director Independence” in the 2012 Proxy Statement is hereby incorporated by reference.

ITEM 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

Information appearing under the captions “Auditor Fees and Services” and “Policy for Approval of Audit and Permitted Non-Audit Services” in the 2012 Proxy Statement is hereby incorporated by reference.

 

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PART IV

ITEM 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules

 

  (1) Financial Statements and Schedules

See Index to Financial Statements and Supplemental Data at page 58.

 

  (2) Exhibits

The documents set forth below are filed herewith or incorporated herein by reference to the location indicated.

 

     

Exhibit

  

Location

3.1

   Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company   

Exhibit 3.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated March 10, 2010

3.2

   Bylaws of the Company   

Exhibit 3.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated March 10, 2010

4.1

   Four-Year Credit Agreement dated as of February 22, 2011   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company, filed February 25, 2011

4.2

   Three-Year Credit Agreement dated as of February 22, 2010   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed February 25, 2010

4.3

   Senior Debt Securities Indenture, dated as of September 24, 2001, between the Company and Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as Trustee   

Exhibit 4.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company, dated September 24, 2001

4.4

   Other long-term borrowing instruments are omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(4)(iii) of Regulation S-K. The Company undertakes to furnish copies of such instruments to the Commission upon request   

10.1

   Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of October 6, 2011, between the Company and Robert A. Iger   

Filed herewith

10.2

   Employment Agreement, dated as of January 1, 2010 between the Company and James A. Rasulo   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated January 8, 2010

10.3

   Amendment dated March 17, 2011, to the Amended and Restated Employment Agreement, dated as of January 1, 2010 between the Company and James A. Rasulo   

Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated March 18, 2011

10.4

   Employment Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2008 between the Company and Alan N. Braverman   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated October 8, 2008

10.5

   Amendment dated March 17, 2011, to the Employment Agreement, dated as of October 1, 2008 between the Company and Alan N. Braverman   

Exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated March 18, 2011

10.6

   Employment Agreement dated as of October 1, 2008 between the Company and Kevin A. Mayer   

Exhibit 10.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company dated October 8, 2008

10.7

   Employment Agreement dated as of September 1, 2009 between the Company and Jayne Parker   

Exhibit 10.5 to the Form 10-K of the Company for the year ended October 3, 2009

10.8

   Description of Directors Compensation   

Filed herewith

10.9

   Amended and Restated Director’s Retirement Policy   

Exhibit 10.6 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended January 2, 2010

10.10

   Form of Indemnification Agreement for certain officers and directors   

Annex C to the Proxy Statement for the 1987 annual meeting of DEI

 

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Exhibit

  

Location

10.11

   1995 Stock Option Plan for Non-Employee Directors   

Exhibit 20 to the Form S-8 Registration Statement (No. 33-57811) of DEI, dated Feb. 23, 1995

10.12

   Amended and Restated 2002 Executive Performance Plan   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company, filed March 12, 2009

10.13

   Management Incentive Bonus Program   

The section of the Proxy Statement for the 2011 annual meeting of the Company titled “Performance Based Compensation”

10.14

   Amended and Restated 1997 Non-Employee Directors Stock and Deferred Compensation Plan   

Annex II to the Proxy Statement for the 2003 annual meeting of the Company

10.15

   The Walt Disney Company/Pixar 1995 Stock Plan   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Form S-8 Registration Statement (N0. 333-133840) of the Company dated May 5, 2006

10.16

   Amended and Restated The Walt Disney Company/Pixar 2004 Equity Incentive Plan   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed December 1, 2006

10.17

   2011 Stock Incentive Plan   

Annex A to the Proxy Statement for the 2011 annual meeting of the Company

10.18

   The Amended and Restated The Walt Disney Productions and Associated Companies Key Employees Deferred Compensation and Retirement Plan   

Exhibit 10.5 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended April 2, 2011

10.19

   Amended and Restated Benefit Equalization Plan of ABC, Inc.   

Exhibit 10.6 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended April 2, 2011

10.20

   Disney Key Employees Retirement Savings Plan   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended July 2, 2011

10.21

   Group Personal Excess Liability Insurance Plan   

Exhibit 10(x) to the Form 10-K of the Company for the period ended September 30, 1997

10.22

   Family Income Assurance Plan (summary description)   

Exhibit 10(y) to the Form 10-K of the Company for the period ended September 30, 1997

10.23

   Amended and Restated Severance Pay Plan   

Exhibit 10.4 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended December 27, 2008

10.24

   Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (Time-Based Vesting)   

Exhibit 10(aa) to the Form 10-K of the Company for the period ended September 30, 2004

10.25

   Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (Bonus Related)   

Exhibit 10.3 to the Current Report on Form 8-K of the Company filed December 15, 2006

 

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Exhibit

  

Location

10.26

   Form of Performance-Based Stock Unit Award Agreement (Section 162(m) Vesting Requirement)   

Exhibit 10.2 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended April 2, 2011

10.27

   Form of Performance-Based Stock Unit Award Agreement (Three-Year Vesting subject to Total Shareholder Return/EPS Growth Tests/Section 162(m) Vesting Requirement)   

Exhibit 10.3 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended April 2, 2011

10.28

   Form of Non-Qualified Stock Option Award Agreement   

Exhibit 10.4 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the quarter ended April 2, 2011

10.29

   Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement in Lieu of Equitable Adjustment   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the period ended June 30, 2007

10.30

   Disney Savings and Investment Plan as Amended and Restated Effective January 1, 2010   

Exhibit 10.1 to the Form 10-Q of the Company for the period ended July 3, 2010

21

   Subsidiaries of the Company   

Filed herewith

23

   Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP   

Filed herewith

31(a)

   Rule 13a – 14(a) Certification of Chief Executive Officer of the Company in accordance with Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002   

Filed herewith

31(b)

   Rule 13a-14(a) Certification of Chief Financial Officer of the Company in accordance with Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002   

Filed herewith

32(a)

   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Executive Officer of the Company in accordance with Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*   

Furnished herewith

32(b)

   Section 1350 Certification of Chief Financial Officer of the Company in accordance with Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002*   

Furnished herewith

101

   The following materials from the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 1, 2011 formatted in Extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL): (i) the Consolidated Statements of Income, (ii) the Consolidated Balance Sheets, (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity and (v) related notes   

Filed herewith

 

 

* A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

        THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY
      (Registrant)
          Date: November 23, 2011     By:   /s/    ROBERT A. IGER
      (Robert A. Iger,
      President and Chief Executive Officer)

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

    Principal Executive Officer

    

/s/    ROBERT A. IGER

    (Robert A. Iger)

   President and Chief Executive Officer   November 23, 2011

    Principal Financial and Accounting Officers

    

/s/    JAMES A. RASULO

    (James A. Rasulo)

  

Senior Executive Vice President

and Chief Financial Officer

  November 23, 2011

/s/    BRENT A. WOODFORD

    (Brent A. Woodford)

  

Senior Vice President-Planning

and Control

  November 23, 2011

    Directors

    

/s/    SUSAN E. ARNOLD

    (Susan E. Arnold)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    JOHN S. CHEN

    (John S. Chen)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    JUDITH L. ESTRIN

    (Judith L. Estrin)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    ROBERT A. IGER

    (Robert A. Iger)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    FRED H. LANGHAMMER

    (Fred H. Langhammer)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    AYLWIN B. LEWIS

    (Aylwin B. Lewis)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    MONICA C. LOZANO

    (Monica C. Lozano)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    ROBERT W. MATSCHULLAT

    (Robert W. Matschullat)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    JOHN E. PEPPER, JR.

    (John E. Pepper, Jr.)

   Chairman of the Board and Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    SHERYL SANDBERG

    (Sheryl Sandberg)

   Director   November 23, 2011

/s/    ORIN C. SMITH

    (Orin C. Smith)

   Director   November 23, 2011

 

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THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTAL DATA

 

     Page  

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

     59   

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

     60   

Consolidated Financial Statements of The Walt Disney Company and Subsidiaries

  

Consolidated Statements of Income for the Years Ended October 1, 2011, October  2, 2010, and October 3, 2009

     61   

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of October 1, 2011 and October 2, 2010

     62   

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the Years Ended October 1, 2011, October  2, 2010, and October 3, 2009

     63   

Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for the Years Ended October 1, 2011,  October 2, 2010, and October 3, 2009

     64   

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

     65   

Quarterly Financial Summary (unaudited)

     106   

All schedules are omitted for the reason that they are not applicable or the required information is included in the financial statements or notes.

 

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MANAGEMENT’S REPORT ON INTERNAL CONTROL OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING

Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). The Company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements prepared for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

Under the supervision and with the participation of management, including our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on our evaluation under the framework in Internal Control — Integrated Framework, management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of October 1, 2011.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of October 1, 2011 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which is included herein.

 

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of The Walt Disney Company

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of The Walt Disney Company and its subsidiaries (the Company) at October 1, 2011 and October 2, 2010, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended October 1, 2011 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of October 1, 2011, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

As discussed in Note 3 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed its method of accounting for pension and other postretirement benefit plans in 2009.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

PRICEWATERHOUSECOOPERS LLP

Los Angeles, California

November 23, 2011

 

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CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(in millions, except per share data)

 

     2011      2010      2009  

Revenues

   $       40,893            $       38,063            $       36,149        

Costs and expenses

     (33,112)             (31,337)             (30,452)       

Restructuring and impairment charges

     (55)             (270)             (492)       

Other income

     75              140              342        

Net interest expense

     (343)             (409)             (466)       

Equity in the income of investees

     585              440              577        
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Income before income taxes

     8,043              6,627              5,658        

Income taxes

     (2,785)             (2,314)             (2,049)       
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Income

     5,258              4,313              3,609        

Less: Net Income attributable to noncontrolling interests

     (451)             (350)             (302)       
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Net Income attributable to The Walt Disney Company (Disney)

   $ 4,807            $ 3,963            $ 3,307        
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Earnings per share attributable to Disney:

        

Diluted

   $ 2.52            $ 2.03            $ 1.76        
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Basic

   $ 2.56            $ 2.07            $ 1.78        
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Weighted average number of common and common equivalent shares outstanding:

        

Diluted

     1,909              1,948              1,875        
  

 

 

    

 

 

    

 

 

 

Basic

     1,878              1,915              1,856