San Francisco (AFP) – Netflix on Thursday reported quarterly profit of $2.9 billion as revenue grew 13 percent with help from recent subscription price hikes. The streaming television service said it was “off to a good start in 2025” on revenue of $10.5 billion in the recently ended quarter. Shares in the Silicon Valley-based company were up more than four percent in after-market trades.
Revenue grew due to slightly higher subscription and ad earnings, along with the timing of some expenses, according to Netflix. Earlier this year, the company raised premium and standard memberships in the United States by two dollars more per month, to $25 and $18 respectively, while a standard ad-supported tier increased by one dollar. In a bid to boost sputtering growth, the company launched an ad-subsidized offering in late 2023 around the same time as a crackdown on sharing passwords. Netflix had announced in January that a top priority would be growing its ad business.
Netflix has been steadily improving its ad platform as viewers continue to turn away from traditional television to streaming shows on demand. “We’re executing on our 2025 priorities: improving our series and film offering and growing our ads business; further developing newer initiatives like live programming and games; and sustaining healthy revenue and profit growth,” Netflix said in a letter to shareholders.
Netflix forecast revenue growth of 15 percent in the current quarter, crediting its lineup of shows and films along with improvements to its ad platform. “We remain optimistic about our 2025 slate with a lineup that includes returning favorites, series finales, new discoveries, and unexpected surprises designed to thrill our members,” Netflix told shareholders.
The company touted hits including its “Adolescence” series that has logged some 124 million views, and the Spanish-language film “Counterattack” from Mexico. Netflix said in February it would spend $1 billion over four years producing films and series in Mexico, in a boost to that government’s efforts to attract investment in the face of US tariff threats.
Investors view Netflix as a rare haven in a stock market roiled by US President Donald Trump’s stop-start tariff plans targeting dozens of trade partners. This quarter marks a shift by Netflix to stop reporting subscriber numbers along with its earnings figures. The company, considered by analysts as the leading video streaming service, finished out last year with more than 300 million subscribers.
© 2024 AFP
