Netflix Beats Expectations with Strong Q4 Performance, Sets New Revenue Guidance

Los Angeles, USA - January 18, 2025 - Streaming giant Netflix has reported its best quarter yet, adding a record 19 million subscribers in the fourth quarter driven largely by the highly anticipated Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul and the NFL.

The significant growth brings the platform's total paid subscriptions to an impressive 302 million, excluding Extra Member accounts. This milestone also signifies that 8.5% of total television viewing took place on Netflix in December, marking the highest market share since July 2023, as per data from Nielsen Gauge.

In response to its remarkable performance, Netflix has adjusted its 2025 revenue guidance upwards by $500 million, projecting revenues between $43.5 billion and $44.5 billion. This bump is a testament to the company's high expectations for its Q4 results.

Furthermore, Netflix has achieved an unprecedented milestone in operating income, exceeding $10 billion for the first time in company history in 2024.

In addition to these financial achievements, Netflix has secured exclusive broadcasting rights for the FIFA Women's World Cup from 2027 to 2031. The platform also recently launched its WWE "Raw" package and made it clear that its focus is on creating exciting live events rather than acquiring rights to regular sports packages.

"We're not focusing on acquiring rights to large regular season sports packages; our live strategy is all about delivering can’t-miss, special event programming," the company stated in a letter to shareholders. "Although our live programming will likely be a small percentage of our total view hours and content expense, we think the eventized nature will result in outsized value to both our members and our business."

Starting from its Q1 earnings in April, Netflix announced that it would stop reporting paid membership figures or average revenue per member on a quarterly basis. Instead, the company vowed to announce paid membership milestones as they occur.

As the streaming industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how this decision might impact investors and subscribers.