Netflix Will Stop Reporting Subscriber Numbers Starting in 2025
Netflix will no longer report subscriber numbers — which has been a key metric for streaming services for years — beginning with the first quarter of 2025.
The company made the announcement in releasing its first-quarter 2024 earnings Thursday. Netflix handily topped expectations for subscribers net adds, gaining 9.33 million in the period, to reach nearly 270 million globally. It also beat Wall Street expectations on the top and bottom lines.
Despite the Q1 earnings beat, Netflix shares dropped more than 4.5% in after-hours trading Thursday, possibly as investors reacted negatively to the news that the streamer will stop reporting quarterly sub totals.
In its Q1 letter to shareholders, Netflix said that engagement — time spent with the service — is its “best proxy for customer satisfaction.” As such, it will no longer report quarterly membership numbers or average revenue per member (which it dubs “ARM”), as of Q1 2025. Netflix said it will announce “major subscriber milestones as we cross them” but will cease disclosing quarterly subscriber numbers. Popular on Variety
Netflix continues to see solid subscriber gains in markets around the world; for example, it netted 2.53 million new customers in the U.S. and Canada in Q1. But eventually those sub numbers will start to plateau, and the company wants to reorient investors toward time-spent-viewing metrics where it has more potential upside in the years ahead.
