Netflix to stop reporting subscriber figures from 2025

Surprise move to end quarterly release of numbers likely to rankle investors, say analysts

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LOS ANGELES Netflix on April 18 unexpectedly announced that it will stop reporting subscriber numbers in each quarter, a decision seen as a sign that years of customer gains in the streaming wars are coming to an end.

Shares of the streaming video pioneer fell after it reported a large batch of new customers in the first quarter but gave a revenue forecast that missed analyst targets.

The stock was trading at US$585.41 after hours, down 4.2 per cent from its closing price.

Netflix said its ad-supported streaming plans helped attract 9.3 million new customers, nearly double the consensus forecast of analysts polled by London Stock Exchange Group.

That brought its global total to 269.6 million at the end of March.

Netflix executives have urged investors to focus on revenue and operating margins when assessing the company’s progress, rather than customer additions.

Netflix said it will stop disclosing subscriber additions in each quarter starting with the first quarter of 2025.

Instead, the company will announce them only when major milestones are reached.

“This change is really motivated by wanting to focus on what we see are the key metrics that we think matter most to business,” co-chief executive Greg Peters said in a post-earnings video.