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Netflix had another blowout quarter

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Netflix reported second-quarter earnings after the stock market closed on Thursday. Patrick T. Fallon/Getty Images
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Netflix's subscriber numbers grew more than expected during its second quarter, the latest sign that the company's password crackdown is working.

The streamer attracted 8.05 million new subscribers for the quarter, helped by shows including the third series of "Bridgerton" and "Baby Reindeer." Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg had expected 4.9 million new subscribers.

Revenue grew 17% to $9.56 billion, the company said. Still, shares dropped more than 4% in aftermarket trading before edging back into positive territory after Netflix said Q3 subscriber growth will be lower than the same period last year.

Netflix's subscriber growth has blown past expectations in recent quarters. In April, the company reported 9.33 million new users for its first quarter, roughly double what analysts expected.

The streaming service has cracked down on customers sharing passwords — a move that has been successful for the company as many viewers who used to use someone else's credentials start paying for their own.

Netflix has said it will stop reporting subscriber counts in 2025, leaving investors to focus on more traditional metrics like revenue and profit.

The company also confirmed to multiple news outlets that Peter Naylor, its vice president of ad sales, will leave the company. Naylor is one of two executives — both of whom have now left the company — who joined Netflix from Snap in 2022 to build its advertising business, Variety reported.

Disclosure: Mathias Döpfner, CEO of Business Insider's parent company, Axel Springer, is a Netflix board member.

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Alex Bitter
Alex Bitter is a senior retail reporter covering the gig economy, food, and retail. His work focuses major gig delivery and ride-hailing apps, including Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, and Walmart's Spark. He is interested in everything from what it's like to work on the apps to the companies' business strategies.Some of his recent stories feature gig workers who have been deactivated on the apps, DoorDash hiring traditional employees to make deliveries, gig workers' use of bots, and gig work expanding into new professions, such as nursing.Alex has also written about Aldi's US expansionStarbucks' turnaround efforts, and the fallout from Kraft-Heinz's budget cutting. Convenience store chain Sheetz ended its "smile policy" after his reporting.Before joining Insider in September 2020, he wrote about consumer and retail companies for S&P Global Market Intelligence. He's a graduate of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and grew up on the Big Island.Alex lives in the Washington, DC, area, where you can find him studying ancient coins or searching for Civil War artifacts with his metal detector in his free time.Got a tip? Reach out at abitter@bjinnox.com or via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (808) 854-4501.