Netflix slightly beats revenue estimates as subscribers reach 325 million

By Dawn Chmielewski LOS ANGELES, Jan 20 (Reuters) – Netflix narrowly exceeded Wall Street's revenue estimates for its holiday quarter, as viewers tuned in for the final season of the hit sci-fi series "Stranger Things," sending its shares down 4% in after-hours trading. The company forecast annual revenue for 2026 modestly ahead of analyst expectations, even as Netflix surpassed 325 million subscribers globally. Revenue came in at $12.1 billion for October through December – topping forecasts of $11.97 billion for the quarter, according to analysts surveyed by LSEG. Nielsen reported that Netflix's monthly viewership rose 10% in December, thanks largely to the final season of hit sci-fi series "Stranger Things," which generated 15 billion viewing minutes. Netflix also streamed two National Football League games on Christmas Day and released a third film in the "Knives Out" murder-mystery series. Netflix crossed 300 million subscribers at the end of 2024. Investors remain focused on Netflix's $82.7 billion pursuit of Warner Bros Discovery's studio and other entertainment assets, as it seeks to fend off a hostile bid from Paramount Skydance.  Netflix amended its merger agreement to an all-cash offer for the film and television studios, its extensive content library and major entertainment franchises, including "Game of Thrones," "Harry Potter" and DC Comics' superheroes like Batman and Superman. "Our revised all-cash agreement will enable an expedited timeline to a stockholder vote and provide greater financial certainty," Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos said in a statement accompanying Tuesday's amended bid. In its note to investors, Netflix said the Warner Bros acquisition will provide it with an even broader and higher-quality selection of movies and shows for its subscribers, while it will be able to offer more personalized, flexible subscription offers with the addition of HBO Max. The company said it obtained commitments for a $59 billion bridge loan on December 4 to support the Warner acquisition. On Monday, it increased the bridge loan commitment by $8.2 billion to support its all-cash $27.75 per share offer.  In financial results, Netflix reported adjusted per-share earnings of 56 cents for the fourth quarter ended in December, slightly above estimates of 55 cents per share. Netflix forecasts continued growth in 2026, with revenue of $50.7 billion to $51.7 billion. Ad revenue is expected to roughly double, Netflix said. (Reporting by Dawn Chmielewski and Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles; Additional reporting by Zaheer Kachwala in Bengaluru; Editing by Sayantani Ghosh and Matthew Lewis)

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