Netflix has experienced its best start to the year since 2020, the year the coronavirus pandemic broke out. The video streaming service added over nine million subscribers in the first quarter of this year. In the first three months of last year, the number of customers decreased to less than two million.
Netflix’s strong performance is partly due to stricter policies on account sharing. It’s estimated that over 100 million people were using an account they hadn’t paid for. But Netflix has also been focusing on improving its range of movies and series. According to experts, the American company has delivered a new hit every few weeks this year so far. Titles such as “Fool Me Once,” “Griselda,” “The Gentlemen,” “3 Body Problem,” and the reality show “Love Is Blind” have been among them.
Investors and analysts closely monitor Netflix’s quarterly subscriber additions. However, Netflix prefers that markets look at more traditional financial figures, such as revenue and profit. These figures were substantial in the last period, exceeding $9 billion and $2 billion, respectively. The company has decided to stop reporting the number of new subscribers starting from the first quarter of next year.
This decision hasn’t been well received on Wall Street. Netflix’s stock took a significant hit on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Presumably, Netflix aims to prevent investors from turning away from the company if growth slows down again, something that will inevitably happen sooner or later. Netflix itself also warns that there will likely be fewer new subscribers in the second quarter of this year due to seasonal effects.
To continue its growth, Netflix has introduced a cheaper version of its app in some countries. This version includes ads between viewing sessions. Additionally, the company has started investing in live broadcasts, including comedy specials, wrestling, and soon a boxing match.