The Artful Dodger Season 2: Latest updates on release date, cast and plot details
Fans of The Artful Dodger have been eagerly awaiting news about the second season of this captivating Australian historical drama. This sequel to Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist took the streaming world by storm with its blend of cunning heists, witty humor, and heartfelt romance. Set in 1850s Australia, the series follows Jack Dawkins, the titular Artful Dodger, as he navigates his dual life as a skilled surgeon and a former pickpocket. With Season 2 officially in production, here's everything known so far about the release date, cast, and plot details. Release Date: When to Expect The Artful Dodger Season 2
As of August 2025, no official release date has been confirmed for The Artful Dodger Season 2. However, production updates provide some clues. Filming began in February 2025 and wrapped in May 2025 at Callan Park in Sydney, Australia. Given that Season 1 took roughly a year from the start of filming to its premiere on November 29, 2023, a similar timeline suggests a potential release in early to mid-2026. Posts on X have echoed this speculation, with fans anticipating a launch around spring or summer 2026. While Disney+ and Hulu have remained tight-lipped about an exact date, the show's strong fanbase and critical acclaim—boasting a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes—make it a priority for the streaming platforms. Cast: Who's Returning and Who's New?
The heart of The Artful Dodger lies in its stellar cast, and Season 2 promises to bring back the beloved trio that made the first season a hit. Thomas Brodie-Sangster will reprise his role as Jack Dawkins, the Artful Dodger, whose charm and internal conflict between his criminal past and surgical aspirations keep viewers hooked. David Thewlis returns as the cunning Fagin, whose complex relationship with Jack adds depth to the story. Maia Mitchell is also back as Lady Belle Fox, the governor's daughter determined to become the first female surgeon, bringing both romance and ambition to the mix.
Joining the main cast are several new faces, adding fresh dynamics to the series. Luke Bracey steps in as Inspector Henry Boxer, a character likely to stir up trouble for Jack and Fagin. Jeremy Sims will play Uncle Dickie, and Zac Burgess joins as Phineas Golden, though details about their roles remain under wraps. The ensemble will also include returning Australian and New Zealand actors like Damon Herriman, Miranda Tapsell, Tim Minchin, and Susie Porter, whose performances added richness to Season 1. While it's unclear if Oliver Twist himself will make another appearance, the chemistry among the core cast remains a cornerstone of the show's appeal. Plot Details: What to Expect in Season 2
Season 1 of The Artful Dodger left fans on a cliffhanger, with Jack arrested for stealing gold after heroically saving Belle's life with groundbreaking surgery. Fagin, ever the schemer, betrayed Jack to secure a pardon but later joined him in jail after a dramatic turn involving the murder of Captain Gaines. Season 2 will pick up where these 'heart's desires' left off, promising more 'cunning thievery, snappy humor, life-and-death surgeries, and romance with a twist,' according to Disney+ Australia.
The reversed roles of Jack and Fagin set the stage for an intriguing dynamic. Jack, now behind bars, must navigate his tarnished reputation, while Fagin's newfound freedom and wealth could pull him deeper into the criminal underworld. Belle, having survived her heart surgery, is likely to fight for Jack's release while pursuing her surgical ambitions in a male-dominated field. Posts on X suggest fans are excited about the potential for more heists, with one user speculating about a daring prison break orchestrated by Fagin. The addition of new characters like Inspector Henry Boxer hints at increased tension, possibly with law enforcement closing in on the duo's schemes.
The series will continue to blend historical drama with modern flair, exploring themes of reinvention, betrayal, and redemption. Filming locations like Callan Park and Elizabeth Farm will maintain the show's immersive 19th-century Australian setting, with its sandstone buildings and rugged landscapes. Writers James McNamara, Kate Mulvany, Dan Knight, and Miranda Tapsell are crafting the scripts, ensuring the sharp dialogue and emotional depth that defined Season 1.
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Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at BusinessUpturn.com
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Buzz Feed
16 minutes ago
- Buzz Feed
43 Items To Transform Your Home Into A Personal Haven
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This little device simulates the sunrise (a big win for basement dwellers), and it functions as a night-light (with color-changing options), an alarm clock, and a white noise machine so that you can get a peaceful night's sleep. A sleek, whisper-quiet air purifier so you're not having to pick up a duster every single week (which totally messes with your relaxation time, dammit). This machine has a HEPA filter, so it'll help collect the rogue dust, pollen, and pet dander that your mom keeps finding clumps of in the corner of your room after you literally just cleaned. A mini projector with a 200-inch projection screen and built-in stereo speakers to turn your home into a personal movie theater. Now, you don't have to brave crowds or *shudders* other people just to comfortably watch your favorite Disney movie on the big screen. Oh yeah, your home just became the talk of the whole neighborhood. A cool bed tray so you never have to leave your bed to clock into your WFH job. 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A set of insulated blackout curtains to protect your room from the bane of your slumber existence: heat, light, and noise. Parents have even claimed that it's helped their toddlers sleep for longer! You're basically gonna feel like Sleeping Beauty with these. A string light curtain you can layer with some sheer curtains so your room can look like a cozy wonderland. These will really set the ambiance and make every night at home a ✨fancy✨ one — you won't ever want to leave the house. A tea sampler box with up to eight different flavors (48 bags total!!!) so you can have the proper warm cuppa when you're spending a night cozying up at home. These have both caffeinated *and* decaffeinated options, so you can have the perfect, flavorful brew no matter the time of day. And an electric gooseneck kettle that is both pretty, practical, and oh-so-similar to the fast-boiling Fellow Stagg kettle. This has five easy-to-use temperature presets to get the perfect amount of heat, perfect for making that pristine brew you're so reliant on, and a gooseneck design that allows you to control the flow of water more precisely. AND it even keeps water warm for up to an hour?!?! Tea connoisseurs, beware, you're bound to fall in love at the very sight of this kettle. Some silicone soup cubes so you can freeze up perfectly proportioned nightly dinners in bulk, and always have a cozy meal ready to go. Meal prep just got a whole lot easier — this tray can store soups, stews, sauces, and more. A silicone popcorn maker to elevate your home movie nights by delivering gourmet-level popcorn straight to your eager hands. Say bye-bye to the days of having to buy expensive pre-made, store-bought popcorn, and hello to kernel customization! *AND* you can't forget the ~cult-favorite~ popcorn salt because the taste of movie theatre popcorn is elite, and you want that same buttery-salty-goodness without having to actually exit your home. Netflix movie nights just got a whole lot better. A roll of LED strip lights so your simple Netflix movie nights turn into a cinematic experience Every. Single. Time. A "Cup Cozy Pillow" you can place on your couch to hold all of your most important movie night snacks and drinks. It has expandable cup holes to perfectly fit everything from your favorite mug to your remotes that are always getting lost, as well as an insulating foam that keeps your drinks cool or hot for longer periods. A Bluetooth galaxy light projector to create the perfect ambiance and transport you to a galaxy far, far away. This device combines an Aurora projector, night light, Bluetooth speaker, and white noise machine all into one. Why limit yourself to plain painted walls when your house can be transformed into the perfect oasis? Or a sunset lamp that can cast a warm glow around your room and make it feel like you're watching the rays of that precious sunset all day long. This is the true definition of a cozy ~aesthetic~. A splurge-worthy towel warmer because you deserve the spa feel of having a warm towel draped over your face while you relax, especially on those days when going to an actual spa is just not in the cards, and you really need some extra pampering. A swoon-worthy plush blanket that many reviewers say is just as good as the popular (and much pricier) Barefoot Dreams one. It's incredibly comfortable, supremely soft, and completely aesthetically pleasing (so it won't throw off your home decor at all). Or a bestselling cotton weighted blanket if you wanna cocoon yourself on your couch and never ever leave again. It contains cooling glass beads for enhanced temperature regulation, so you can have the comfort of the weight without getting too hot. Or a giant 10x10 blanket the whole family can snuggle under, so you're not playing tug-of-war for the fluffy comfort that only a supremely cozy blanket like this can provide. A set of electric logs so your home can be as cozy as Christmas morning — even on a random summer day. It produces *actual heat*, and even has a realistic crackle sound that is sure to transport you to the depths of a cozy haven. Or a more modern wall-mounted electric fireplace to bring warmth, comfort, and serious cottage vibes to your home without having to shell out thousands on actually building a chimney. It has various brightness and flame speed options, as well as 12 color options for the flames and flame bed, touch screen buttons, and a remote control — so you never need to leave the warm spot you've claimed on the couch to switch up the customization options. A 3-in-1 convertible "reading chair" you can curl into at the end of the day with your favorite book and cup of hot cocoa. It has an outlet so you can charge your Kindle before it dies in the middle of a great chapter, a side pocket you can use to stash all your fave snacks, hidden storage in the bottom to hold your coziest blanket, AND it pulls into a full sleeper bed so you can reach ultimate levels of relaxation! A pair of cooling pillowcases so you don't overheat in the middle of the night and wake up covered in buckets of sweat. You'll feel like you're living in a 5-star hotel because they are that comfortable. An Ember temperature-control smart mug for slow sippers who don't feel like getting up every 30 minutes to warm up their coffee for the millionth time. Sit back, relax, and don't fret about remembering to turn off the heat pad before going to sleep — it'll automatically turn off based on motion detection! An Amazon Echo Dot because it'll basically be your personal assistant. As you lounge like a royal on your couch, it'll answer almost any random questions you have, look up the weather, play music, turn on your podcast, set up reminders, and even adjust your schedule. An arc floor lamp to set the perfect mood lighting without you needing to turn on the harsh, super bright overhead light. This will create the ideal ambiance for you to sink into your rom-com book — you're just about to get to the best part... the fake dating might actually turn real! Some extra foamy bubble bath because, although you're an adult, you deserve some foamy bubbles too! It's been a long work week, so sink into a warm lavender chamomile bath to help nourish your skin and calm your mind. And if it has the extra perk of being able to play with some bubbles? Well, that's just a win-win! And a waterproof bamboo bathtub tray with ample space so you can place down your favorite novel, your glass of wine, or even some snacks as you enjoy your night of relaxation. *AND* a wineglass holder perfect for holding that cup of red so you can feel as luxurious as Frasier Crane, leaning back and enjoying his specially curated bubble bath. A beginner-friendly Click & Grow Indoor Herb Garden Kit — in other words, a smart garden so you can grow the plants you've always wanted, even if you live in a teensy tiny (and somewhat gloomy) apartment. You can select grow pods for cilantro, basil, lavender, wild strawberries, thyme, chili peppers, and more! A color-changing essential oil diffuser and humidifier perfect for surrounding yourself with your favorite calming scents like jasmine, lavender, or citrus. It has color-changing lights (perfect ambiance!), different mist modes, and an auto-shutoff feature. This can help with relieving stress, improving sleep, or even improving your skin by adding moisture to the air! A bestselling cooling full-body pillow to bring you the comfiest night of sleep, whether you're pregnant or not! This will help give you the support you need, so you don't spend all night tossing and turning, trying to contort your body into the perfect angle. A soundproofing strip so you can fully immerse yourself in your own lil' world, without having to hear your ridiculously loud neighbors every single time you try to get some shut-eye. A decorative rainbow window film to stick onto a window for a kaleidoscope of color and light bursting into your room. 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Epoch Times
an hour ago
- Epoch Times
Tourism Australia Taps Robert Irwin to Lure US Travellers Down Under
Australian celebrity Robert Irwin, English television cook Nigella Lawson, Chinese actor Yosh Yu, and other international stars have been unveiled as the new faces to lure overseas tourists Down Under. Videos featuring these celebrities set against iconic Australian landscapes will be part of the federal government's latest tourism campaign aimed at attracting travellers from the UK, United States, China, Japan, and India. Robert Irwin, the son of the late Australian wildlife icon Steve Irwin, will front the advertisement for the American market. Wellness advocate Sara Tendulkar will appear in ads for India, while Chinese actor Yosh (Shi) Yu, the UK's Lawson, and Japanese comedian Abareru-kun will feature in commercials airing in their respective home countries. The $130 million campaign expands on Tourism Australia's ' Come and Say G'day ' initiative, which introduced the beloved animated mascot Ruby the Roo. In the video, an American tourist loses his phone in the desert—only to be rescued by Irwin. 'G'day mate, just going for a stroll?' Irwin greets him. Looking defeated, the tourist responds, 'An emu took my phone.' Irwin grins and says, 'Well, we better go find it.' Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said traditionally, tourism campaigns use one famous face across all markets. 'But for our latest campaign Ruby will be joined by well-known talent from five different markets to showcase personal lasting memories of a holiday to Australia,' Harrison said. 'These international stars combine with local talent ... to create bespoke invitations for five markets.' Tourism Recovery in Australia Since the resumption of global travel, Australia's domestic tourism industry has grown with the number of international arrivals expected to reach a record 10 million in 2026 and 11.8 million in 2029. More than 700,000 jobs and 360,000 Australian businesses depend on tourism, while Chinese travellers remain Australia's second biggest cohort of tourists behind New Zealand, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The advertisements will go live in China on TV and online from Aug. 7. 'Tourism is the lifeblood of so many communities right around the country and creates hundreds of thousands of jobs,' said Tourism Minister Don Farrell. Nonetheless, industry experts have expressed caution about over-relying on China. 'China's slowing economic growth, youth unemployment, and property sector instability could hinder outbound travel demand. A weaker yuan may reduce international travel spend,' said Janene Wardrop, principal of event planning business Ascot Event Management, in a previous interview with The Epoch Times. Wardrop stated that the three main risks of over-relying on the China market are strategic, economic, and geopolitical. 'AUST needs to ensure there is diversification,' she wrote. 'AUST needs to ensure they support the China market whilst also building resilience by building their tourism market by product diversification, risk scenario planning, market diversification and to create constructive and culturally tailored marketing to Tier 2/3 cities. 'Priority should be on quality over quantity and attract high-yield, low-impact travellers.'
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
The Proof That Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner Hasn't Lost His Magic Touch
Media companies don't come much more historic than Disney. The eponymous studio was founded by Walt Disney and his brother Roy 101 years ago and, to this day, only two other executives have been as synonymous with the company as they were. Disney's current chief executive Bob Iger will forever be associated with the Mouse thanks to his acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel, Lucasfilm and 21st Century Fox. They turned Disney into a titan which consistently ranks as the highest-grossing studio in the movie industry. However, neither Iger nor even Walt himself laid the modern-day foundations that Disney is built on. Iger's predecessor Michael Eisner can take the credit for that and his track record at Disney really is the fairest of them all. Few executives have cast as powerful a spell on the entertainment industry as Eisner. When he became Disney's chief executive on September 22, 1984 its stock price was just $1.24 and the studio was in the doldrums. However, by the time he handed over the hot seat to Iger 21 years later, each share was worth $23.80 and Disney was the world's biggest media company. Impressive as this is, it isn't the clearest evidence that Eisner really does have a magic touch. The New York native joined Disney after an eight-year stint as chief executive of Paramount where he launched ground-breaking movies like Saturday Night Fever, Beverly Hills Cop and Raiders of the Lost Ark. At the time, Disney was a shadow of what it is today. Construction costs at Walt Disney World in Orlando had spiralled and attempts to make more modern movies had led to forgettable live-action films such as sci-fi flop The Black Hole and Condorman, starring Michael Crawford. Combined with a failure to focus on new animation, repeated re-releases of its back catalogue and declining quality standards at its theme parks, Disney was at risk. "They lost the company basically by overspending on Walt Disney World," explained Eisner in an interview with this author. "People don't remember that but Walt, and particularly his brother, coming out of the Depression, were afraid of debt, so instead of using debt to build a pretty much over budget theme park in Florida, they used their equity. They sold. They lost control. They also way overspent and they didn't have the attendance so between losing control, not having the attendance, not doing new animation, having very few live-action pictures, re-releasing the old library theatrically prior to home video, the company was at risk." He added that "it was being torn apart. It could have been over in six weeks. When we walked down Main Street the second day in Disneyland I realised what a valuable asset it was." Eisner knew what was needed. "[George]With a wave of his magic wand, Eisner brought Disney back to its roots of hand-drawn animation yielding beloved favourites like Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King. "We concentrated on reinvigorating animation, particularly musical animation," he explained. "We obviously made an early deal with Lucas for Star Tours and Raiders of the Lost Ark because we had no recent movies for which to put in the parks. We then had a lot of recent movies, whether it was the Roger Rabbits, or the Aladdins, or Beauty and the Beast or The Lion King or whatever." Eisner then commissioned rides based on them as well as merchandise to sell in the theme parks so the films acted as promotion for Disney's resorts which in turn drove the sale of toys that would fuel kids' interest in the movies. Eisner doubled down on this spellbinding cycle by building two new theme parks in Florida as well as others in California, Paris and Hong Kong. The 1990s were a golden era for the theme park industry and Disney was at the vanguard of it. So much so in fact that it was referred to as the Disney Decade. As Eisner explained, "we went to Europe. We went to Japan. We started negotiating in Hong Kong. We opened in Hong Kong. All that before I left." In turn, Hong Kong Disneyland paved the way for the opening of the Shanghai Disney Resort in 2016 which, until recently, was the studio's latest park. That only changed in May when it announced that one of its outposts is coming to Abu Dhabi's Yas Island after Iger signed a deal with Mohamed Al Zaabi, the trailblazing chief executive of Miral, the world's leading theme park operator outside Disney and Universal Studios. The impact of Eisner's expansion was magnified by his emphasis on quality and details. He describes his legacy as "the strategy of excellence. The strategy of whatever you do, do it really well." It is no exaggeration. When Disneyland Paris (Euro Disney as it was then known) was being developed, Eisner amassed a team of the world's best designers to make it the most immersive theme park ever built. They included Eddie Sotto, who meticulously created the park's turn-of-the-century themed Main Street, and Tom Morris, the architect of its majestic castle. The clearest evidence they succeeded is the fact that the Disneyland Paris is still Europe's most-visited theme park even though a new attraction hasn't been built there for several decades. As this report revealed, launching Disneyland Paris may actually be the studio's best-ever deal. Eisner's effect didn't just extend to expansion. "We improved the food at Walt Disney World which was terrible in 1984. We built 30,000 hotel rooms, high-quality hotels, which they didn't have - they had two." He added that 'we did that in architecture. We built 80 buildings around the world at Disney. They had never done this before at Disney, they had always done it internally. We went with the best architects around the world.' Eisner's expansion helped Disney to become the world's most-visited theme park operator with 142.1 million guests streaming through its turnstiles in 2023 according to the latest data from the Themed Entertainment Association. That's just the start. In order to ensure that the studio didn't get left behind by the rise of computer-animated movies, Eisner signed a pioneering deal in 1991 to distribute Pixar's modern-day fairytales. Its films like Finding Nemo and Toy Story grossed a total of $3.4 billion during Eisner's tenure paving the way for Disney's $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar in 2006. Ten years after he took over the top job at Disney, Eisner created a new category of entertainment when he gave the green light to a Broadway show based on Beauty and the Beast. It opened at the Palace Theatre in New York in 1994 and was such a success that it set the stage for other shows based on The Lion King, Aladdin, and Frozen. Since then, Disney Theatrical Group's 10 titles have been seen by around 230 million theatergoers in 38 countries with The Lion King alone becoming the most successful show in theatre history playing to more than 115 million people in 100 cities. Instead of resting on his laurels, Eisner pushed the boat out and in 1998 launched Disney Cruise Line which now generates more than $2 billion of annual revenue as I revealed in British newspaper City A.M. Eisner declines to comment on the future of Disney and who should replace Iger. However, he is happy to look back and says that his turnaround of the company was driven by 'new content, invigorated management, diverse management, which we didn't have when I got there, great assets that Walt created that you had to build upon. No one big thing to put the company at risk. Motion pictures that were less than the industry average. All of those things together were a result of what turned Disney around. Going to Broadway, which has been a giant success. And I think the businesses that we put together in those 21 years are still the businesses that Disney is [today].' As the chart below and data here shows, by the time that Eisner stepped down on September 30, 2005, Disney's stock price was $23.80 which was a staggering 19.2 times higher than when he joined the company. It comfortably makes him the most successful boss in Disney's history as its stock price only rose 5.4 times during Iger's initial term which ran until February 25, 2020 when each share was worth $128.19. Former theme parks chief Bob Chapek took over the driving seat and although the stock price hit an all-time high of $201.91 under him, by the time he handed the reins back to Iger on November 20, 2022, it had slumped to just $97.58 which was lower than when he became Disney's boss. When Eisner stepped down he could have retired thanks to his sizeable pile of Disney stock which has soared even higher in value under Iger, closing at $119.35 today. Instead, he built up a boutique media company called Tornante after seeing signs showing the word on a cycling trip through Italy. Meaning 'hairpin turn', the name was fitting as Tornante headed in a completely different direction to Disney by producing hit adult animation series on Netflix such as Bojack Horseman and Tuca and Bertie. Despite his close ties to streaming, Eisner is still a big believer in movie theaters as this reporter revealed in the Daily Mail in 2023. He has also recently written a book called Camp, about the lessons he learned at summer camp, and has diversified outside media. Tornante has made investments in prize-draw company Omaze and trading card business Topps, which was sold to Fanatics in 2022 for an estimated $500 million. However, they were just trailers for the main event. Soon after Eisner turned 75 in 2017 he took perhaps his biggest swing yet when he acquired British soccer club Portsmouth FC. The team was founded in 1898 and was experiencing one of the toughest times in its history. In 2012 the historic team had fallen two tiers below the top flight Premier League after collapsing into administration – the British equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy – for the second time in two years. Its plight was so serious that it had to be rescued by its fans before its real life prince charming came along. Eisner had some experience in sports as under his leadership Disney bought the Los Angeles Angels baseball team and founded the Anaheim Ducks NHL squad which went on to win the World Series and the Stanley Cup respectively. Accordingly, making a success of a soccer team may sound like a cinch, especially for someone who built up the world's biggest media company. However, Eisner wasn't willing to buy his way to the top and burn up blockbuster losses. There is good reason for this. Eisner was one of the first of a string of American celebrities to invest in British soccer teams. He was followed by Ryan Reynolds, Michael B Jordan and Will Ferrell who invested in Wrexham FC, AFC Bournemouth and Leeds United respectively. Eisner wasn't jumping on a bandwagon and instead bought Portmouth FC, or Pompey as it is affectionately known, because he is a devoted soccer fan himself. He even invited Ferrell to matches leading to his investment in Leeds. Eisner's goal is getting Portsmouth back into the prestigious Premier League by building it up organically. What's more, he wanted it to be the springboard for a behind the scenes show along the lines of the hit Ryan Reynolds Disney+ docuseries Welcome to Wrexham. Eisner revealed the rationale behind it in a 2019 interview with this author for the Daily Mail at his office in Beverly Hills. When asked why a media boss would want to own a soccer team he replied 'football is the most direct [investment of my] media strategy. It is the most obvious and the clearest as opposed to the least obvious.' He explained that 'content, in my opinion, is still the essential ingredient in the media and having content is still the most important thing in platform that is appealing to an audience has to have something that lights up the Christmas Tree. And what lights up the Sky Christmas Tree or the ESPN Christmas Tree is live sports.' Known as appointment viewing because fans have to tune in at a specific time to watch it live, sport commands premium prices by broadcasters. "The only thing that demands viewing when it happens is sports. Yes, you have replays and you have all sorts of analysis of sports but if you know the score at the end of the game, the rest is really just icing on the cake." The drama of live sport also yields immensely passionate fans who crave content about their heroes. It explains why Welcome to Wrexham has been so popular but it wasn't the first mover in the streaming space. That accolade goes to Sunderland Til I Die, a 2018 Netflix series about the disputes and dilemmas behind the scenes at Sunderland AFC which had just been relegated from the English Football League Championship to League One. As Eisner explained, "all you have to do is watch Sunderland Til I Die on Netflix to understand the emotion of a team going into dissent." In fact, it was this show that convinced the actor Rob McElhenney to buy a soccer team leading to his investment in Wrexham with Reynolds. At the end of last season Wrexham was promoted to the Championship, one step below the Premier League. The odds seemed stacked against Eisner getting Portsmouth back to the top as English soccer is full of team owners who are prepared to pour billions into their squads in a bid to win on the pitch and earn international acclaim. However, afer seven calendar years in charge, his happy ending is within striking distance. Portsmouth won the League One title in the 2023-2024 season and was promoted to the Championship after a 12-year absence. Since then, the team has retained its place there and will make a renewed charge for promotion to the Premier League when the upcoming season gets underway on Friday. Perhaps indicating Eisner's confidence in its chances, he recently announced that Portsmouth is planning to film behind-the-scenes content over the coming year. It is a momentous milestone as it will give him the content he envisaged back in 2019. Most impressively, Eisner has managed to get this far without burning up blockbuster losses and putting the team in jeopardy. Quite the opposite actually as analysis of its latest financial statements reveals that the team now has the strongest capital structure in its 127-year history with no debt and net assets of $33.5 million (£26.5 million) as of June 30, 2024. Its net asset value has increased more than five fold since the supporters took over the club in 2013 which shows how strong the business has become. The metric is calculated by deducting a company's liabilities from the value of its assets so the higher the value, the lower the level of risk. The net result can be a sign of impending peril and, testimony to this, Portsmouth had net liabilities of $93.8 million (£47.5 million) in 2008 before it collapsed less than two years later. Since Eisner bought the team its cash reserves have risen 16.3% to $3.9 million (£3.1 million) which also gives strong confidence in the business. Its success has been shared amongst its staff as their pay has almost doubled to $13.4 million (£10.6 million) since Eisner took control even though employee numbers have decreased by 26.1% to 275. Staff and players were paid bonuses after the team was promoted and this partly fueled a $7.1 million (£5.6 million) net loss last year which pales in comparison to the red ink burned up by its counterparts in the Premier League. Everton FC for example reported a $67.3 million (£53.2 million) net loss last year whilst Tottenham Hotspur lost $33.1 million (£26.2 million). Both clubs have hundreds of millions of dollars of revenue as they share in the proceeds of the league's broadcast deals which are amongst the biggest in world soccer. It explains why Portsmouth's revenue is far lower though it rose 8.9% last year to $17.2 million (£13.6 million), the highest level since Eisner bought the team. Last year alone, matchday takings increased 6.3% to $8.7 million (£6.9 million) whilst broadcasting revenue rose by almost double that percentage to $3.2 million (£2.5 million). The increased broadcast exposure gave a 21.4% boost to the team's commercial and sponsorship revenue with partners including Nike and Uber Eats paying a total of $2.3 million (£1.8 million) in 2024. It was a family effort as the team is run by Eisner's dynamic entrepreneur sons Anders, founder of zero-sugar brand Activate Drinks, producer Eric and director Breck who made 2005 adventure film Sahara starring Matthew McConaughey and Penélope Cruz. They are accompanied by talented managers including chief executive Andrew Cullen, chief marketing officer Matthew Barker, chief commercial officer Mark Judges and the coach John Mousinho. Although Eisner's spending on Portsmouth hasn't been unchained, he hasn't left the club wanting. Its 2018 financial statements revealed that "the purchase of the club by Tornante resulted in an injection of £10 million [$13.2 million] new working capital which bolstered the balance sheet to a new positive total of £12.6 million [$16.6 million] net assets." It didn't stop there. As of June last year the Eisner family had invested $46.8 million (£37 million) in the club including $24 million (£19 million) alone on the redevelopment of its Fratton Park stadium. This began in June 2021, well ahead of the club's 125th anniversary, and was handled by Robert Stern who Eisner knew through his work at Disney. Stern designed Disney's Feature Animation Building in Burbank, California, with its soaring blue replica of Mickey Mouse's pointy sorcerer's hat. Stern was also behind Walt Disney World's lavish Yacht and Beach Club Resorts, which look like sprawling New England mansions, and their counterpart at Disneyland Paris, the Newport Bay Club. His work on Fratton Park had a magic touch as average attendance increased by around 1,000 to 18,952 in the year to June 30, 2024 and on February 17 last year Portsmouth had its first crowd of more than 20,000 spectators in 13 years. Its latest financial statements add that "in the second half of the season, we capped our season tickets to 15,000 and introduced a season ticket waiting list at Fratton Park for the first time in many years." In turn, the surge in spectators led to record hospitality kiosk and merchandising sales which is perhaps as significant a home run as the team's success on the pitch. "It is a game about winning. It is a game about progressing upwards. It is a game about strategy. It is a game about intelligent management," says Eisner. "Just like in the entertainment business."
