Earnings results often indicate what direction a company will take in the months ahead. With Q1 behind us, let’s have a look at Warner Music Group (NASDAQ: WMG) and its peers.

The Consumer Discretionary sector, by definition, is made up of companies selling non-essential goods and services. When economic conditions deteriorate or tastes shift, consumers can easily cut back or eliminate these purchases. For long-term investors with five-year holding periods, this creates a structural challenge: the sector is inherently hit-driven, with low switching costs and fickle customers. As a result, only a handful of companies can reliably grow demand and compound earnings over long periods, which is why our bar is high and High Quality ratings are rare. Media companies create, aggregate, and distribute content—including news, entertainment, and advertising—across television, print, digital, and out-of-home channels. Tailwinds include growing digital advertising budgets, content licensing opportunities, and global audience expansion through streaming and social platforms. Headwinds are substantial: traditional advertising revenue from print and linear TV continues its structural decline as audiences migrate to digital alternatives. Content creation costs are escalating amid intense competition for talent and intellectual property. Media fragmentation makes it difficult to build sustainable audience scale, while AI-generated content threatens to commoditize production and disrupt established business models.

The 7 consumer discretionary - media stocks we track reported a strong Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.9%.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

Best Q1: Warner Music Group (NASDAQ: WMG)

Launching the careers of legendary artists like Frank Sinatra, Warner Music Group (NASDAQ: WMG) is a music company managing a diverse portfolio of artists, recordings, and music publishing services worldwide.

Warner Music Group reported revenues of $1.73 billion, up 16.7% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 7.5%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS and revenue estimates.

Warner Music Group scored the biggest analyst estimates beat of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is up 11.6% since reporting and currently trades at $34.65.

Is now the time to buy Warner Music Group? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

The New York Times (NYSE: NYT)

Founded in 1851, The New York Times (NYSE: NYT) is an American media organization known for its influential newspaper and expansive digital journalism platforms.

The New York Times reported revenues of $712.2 million, up 12% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. The business had a very strong quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS and adjusted operating income estimates.

Although it had a fine quarter compared to its peers, the market seems unhappy with the results as the stock is down 4.2% since reporting. It currently trades at $74.00.

Is now the time to buy The New York Times? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q1: Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD)

Formed from the merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery, Warner Bros. Discovery (NASDAQ: WBD) is a multinational media and entertainment company, offering television networks, streaming services, and film and television production.

Warner Bros. Discovery reported revenues of $8.89 billion, flat year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a slower quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income and EPS estimates.

The stock is flat since the results and currently trades at $27.16.

Read our full analysis of Warner Bros. Discovery’s results here.

Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL)

Creator of the legendary Scholastic Book Fair, Scholastic (NASDAQ: SCHL) is an international company specializing in children's publishing, education, and media services.

Scholastic reported revenues of $329.1 million, down 1.9% year on year. This number lagged analysts' expectations by 0.6%. It was a slower quarter as it also recorded a significant miss of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

Scholastic had the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 17.2% since reporting and currently trades at $40.14.

Read our full, actionable report on Scholastic here, it’s free.

News Corp (NASDAQ: NWSA)

Established in 2013 after a restructuring, News Corp (NASDAQ: NWSA) is a multinational conglomerate known for its news publishing, broadcasting, digital media, and book publishing.

News Corp reported revenues of $2.19 billion, up 8.8% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 3.4%. It was a strong quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ revenue and EPS estimates.

The stock is down 3.3% since reporting and currently trades at $26.16.

Read our full, actionable report on News Corp here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.