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Netflix to stop reporting quarterly subscriber numbers in 2025
Love isn’t the only thing that’s blind at Netflix. Touting a blockbuster 9.3 million added subscribers in its first quarter earnings report Thursday, the streaming giant also revealed that it would stop sharing quarterly membership numbers starting in 2025.
“In our early days, when we had little revenue or profit, membership growth was a strong indicator of our future potential. But now we’re generating very substantial profit and free cash flow,” a letter to shareholders read. “We are also developing new revenue streams like advertising and our extra member feature, so memberships are just one component of our growth.”
Netflix also announced another metric would be left off of reports in 2025 — ARM, or average revenue per membership, defined as “streaming revenue divided by the average number of streaming paid memberships divided by the number of months in the period,” per the letter.
“Ultimately we think this is a better approach that reflects the evolution of the business,” Co-CEO Greg Peters said on an earnings call, referencing the company’s shifting priorities from member growth to revenue and profit.
After enjoying steady subscriber growth for years, Netflix lost 200,000 subscribers at the start of 2022, and by July of that year, it had lost almost a million more. Following an accompanying stock price dive, the streamer launched a cheaper, ad-supported plan and netted almost 9 million subscribers from the previous year by the end of 2022.
Subscriber growth increased each quarter in 2023 — the same year Netflix cracked down on password sharing and hiked prices for some of its customers — with another 13.1 million added by the end of the year. The streamer tacked on another 9.3 million in the first quarter of 2024, according to the most recent earnings report.
“Why we focus on engagement is because we believe it’s the single best indicator of member satisfaction with our offering,” Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said on the call. “Happy members watch more, they stick around longer, they tell friends, which all grows engagement, revenue, and profit — our north stars.”
The streamer is also moving into live sports, acquiring the rights to begin airing WWE Raw in 2025 and exclusively broadcasting social media star Jake Paul’s boxing match with Mike Tyson in July.
Deadline reported earlier this month a small number of layoffs were expected as the company reorganized its film department.
CBS News
Kamala Harris will speak with “60 Minutes” tomorrow. Here’s what to know for the interview.
Voters will get the chance to hear from Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday as she presents her case for why she should be president in a “60 Minutes” election special.
For decades, “60 Minutes” has featured both Republican and Democratic nominees for presidents, but this year, former President Donald Trump backed out after previously indicating he would be on the show. Correspondent Scott Pelley, who’d been set to interview Trump, will instead travel to Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of Arizona’s voters and a critical battleground in a key swing state.
One thing is certain about the election; with the U.S. deeply involved in both the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, whoever wins on Nov. 5 will become a wartime president.
What Harris will discuss
Israel’s war started one year ago after Hamas launched a surprise terror attack and correspondent Bill Whitaker will discuss the ongoing war with Harris.
Harris will also discuss the economy, immigration, her record as vice president and the differences between herself and Trump.
Democratic vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz will also appear.
Whitaker joined the Democratic ticket on the campaign trail this week to gain insight into their platform’s priorities and values, and what the candidates believe voters should know.
Why Trump pulled out of the “60 Minutes” interview
Leading up to the candidate hour, Trump, through campaign spokespeople, was the first candidate to accept the “60 Minutes” request to be interviewed for the special, according to CBS News. It had been agreed that both candidates would receive equal time during the broadcast.
Trump last sat down with 60 Minutes in 2020. He walked out during the interview with Lesley Stahl. Trump referenced the incident on Tuesday night at a Milwaukee press conference when asked about his decision not to participate in the Oct. 7 “60 Minutes” election special.
“Well, right now, I went to – they came to me and would like me to do an interview, but first I want to get an apology, because the last time I did an interview with them, if you remember, they challenged me on the computer,” Trump said. “They said the ‘laptop from hell’ was from Russia, and I said it wasn’t from Russia. It was from Hunter, and I never got an apology, so I’m sort of waiting. I’d love to do ’60 Minutes.’ I do everything.”
The Republican nominee for president emphasized that he felt he was owed an apology from “60 Minutes.”
“Let’s see if they do it. I wouldn’t mind doing 60,” Trump continued. “I’ve done ’60 Minutes’ a lot.”
In a statement on Tuesday, Trump campaign communications director Steven Cheung said that Trump’s team had not agreed to an interview.
“Fake News,” Cheung said in a post on X. “60 Minutes begged for an interview, even after they were caught lying about Hunter Biden’s laptop back in 2020. There were initial discussions, but nothing was ever scheduled or locked in. They also insisted on doing live fact checking, which is unprecedented.”
Previous Trump, Harris appearances on 60 Minutes
Trump previously sat down with “60 Minutes'” Mike Wallace in 1985, Pelley in 2015 and Lesley Stahl twice in 2016, first in July of that year and then again in November of 2016. He also spoke with Stahl again in 2018 and 2020.
Harris previously sat down with Whitaker last year. She also was interviewed by Norah O’Donnell, “CBS Evening News” anchor and “60 Minutes” contributing correspondent, in 2020.
How to watch the “60 Minutes” election special
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