Netflix Q3 Is ‘Most Profitable’ Quarter Ever, Up by 41 Percent
October 21, 2024
Streaming media giant Netflix continues to post strong revenue growth, with a 15 percent increase to $9.83 billion in Q3, year-over-year. Net income hit $2.36 billion, a 41 percent increase over the same period last year, though the company is forecasting a Q4 dip, to $1.85 billion. Operating margin was up 30 percent (versus 22 percent during the same period last year). Ad-tier memberships increased by 35 percent for the quarter. Overall, global streaming paid subscriptions are up 14.4 percent in the third quarter, for a total of 282.72 million.
The Wall Street Journal calls it Netflix’s “most profitable quarter ever despite slowing subscriber growth,” reporting that Netflix shares rose 4.7 percent on the earnings news with stock “up more than 46 percent so far this year.”
Changes to plan offerings and pricing “have helped Netflix add customers and improve profit,” WSJ reports, adding that “to drive future revenue, Netflix is again asking customers to pay more: After recently raising prices in Japan and parts of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the company said it would raise prices in Italy and Spain.”
Netflix is projecting revenue for the full year to be between $43 billion and $44 billion, as a result of improved series and film offerings. Going forward Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos intends to “double down” on dealmaking terms and its strategy of limited theatrical releases paired with short window debuts on the streaming platform, Variety writes.
Netflix’s shareholder letter explains the platform has been generating large audiences, “making our movies some of the most watched of any studio in the world.”
“With the growth of Netflix and other streamers, top creators are starting to feel the loss of the long-tail income from syndication runs and international licensing, which is now limited to streamers with global scope such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Max and Disney+,” Variety notes. “Eye-popping upfront fees” notwithstanding, “the loss of annuity-like income from successful TV shows and movies has hit Hollywood hard in the pocketbook.”
Variety says Sarandos “poured ice water” on rumors that Netflix was considering “adopting a more traditional licensing approach.”
Netflix posits its subscribers “spend an average of two hours each day using the platform,” The Verge writes, noting that the company “says it currently makes up just under 10 percent of total TV usage in its biggest countries” and believes “there’s a huge opportunity to grow that share” through more quality programming.
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