image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1400077361/1737587103/articles/WpqtAZ4SW1737626494292/6tbSihCK51737626647650.jpg]
Although Netflix’s interest in live programming is primarily tied to its efforts to sell more commercials, it also appears to be giving current subscribers another reason to stick with the service while also reeling in more viewers to pay for the service. Netflix ended last year with more than 300 million worldwide subscribers, an increase of 41 million from 2023. That eclipsed its previous best year of growth during 2020 when its service added more 36.6 million subscribers amid pandemic lockdowns that kept people corralled at home and desperate for entertainment.
Forrester Research analyst Mike Proulx thinks live programming is quickly becoming Netflix’s “secret ingredient” that is helping to widen its lead over its streaming rivals. “With more choice in programming than ever before, streaming services need to differentiate,” Proulx said. “FOMO (fear of missing out) is a powerful tool in piquing interest and creating stickiness.”
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1400077361/1737587103/articles/WpqtAZ4SW1737626494292/hSqyDtOwq1737626683266.jpg]
The October-December breakdown marked the last time Netflix plans to provide a quarterly count on its total subscribers as management tries to get investors to intensify their focus on the Los Gatos, California company's financial performance.
And those figures were robust in the most recent quarter, with Netflix earning $1.9 billion, or $4.27 per share, nearly doubling from the same time in 2023. Revenue climbed 16% from the same 2023 period to $10.2 billion.
To juice its finances even more this year, Netflix announced in its shareholder letter that it will be raising its prices in the U.S., Canada, Portugal and Argentina in the upcoming weeks. Netflix didn't spell out its new prices in those markets, but the company increases the costs of its plans in increments of a $1 to $2 per month.
image [https://cdn.magzter.com/1400077361/1737587103/articles/WpqtAZ4SW1737626494292/RkqrjVzoz1737626705990.jpg]
Signaling that Netflix is confident the price increases won't trigger a backlash resulting in mass cancellations, Netflix slightly raised its revenue outlook for this year to a mid-range of $44 billion, which would translate into a roughly 13% increase from last...