NETFLIX'S GAINS 13M NEW GLOBAL 4Q 40 SUBSCRIBERS AS IT UNWRAPS ITS BEST-EVER HOLIDAY SEASON RESULTS

Netflix registered its third-consecutive quarter of accelerating subscriber growth in the final three months of 2023, closing out a comeback year that included a crackdown on viewers freeloading on the video-streaming service and a smattering of price hikes.

The fourth-quarter results announced this week provided further evidence that Netflix was able to come up with a formula that produced a spike in subscribers even as it became more expensive to watch its lineup of TV shows and movies.

Netflix signaled it will try to justify the higher subscription prices — and perhaps reel in more advertisers to a low-cost plan that includes commercials — with a $10 billion deal announced that will bring the popular wrestling program, WWE’s “Raw,” to its service.

That weekly show, set to move to Netflix next year, will supplement a smorgasbord of TV shows that include the likes of the Emmy-award winning black comedy “Beef” and the Oscar-nominated film, “Maestro.”

Drawing cards like that helped the Los Gatos, California, company add 13.1 million worldwide subscribers during the October-December period, well above analyst projections, according to FactSet Research. The holiday season gains — the biggest Netflix has ever posted in the fourth quarter — exceeded the 8.8 million additional subscribers that Netflix posted in the July-September period, which in turn jumped above the numbers recorded in the quarter starting the year.