Netflix Inc. – Execution remains strong, but growth is moderating

  • Both 1Q26 revenue was in line with expectations, slightly exceeding the company’s own guidance for 1Q26. 1Q26 PATMI exceeded expectations, driven by $2.8B termination fee related to the Warner Bros. transaction. 1Q26 revenue/adj. PATMI was at 25% and 21% of our FY26e estimates.
  • Revenue rose + 16% YoY, driven by membership growth, higher pricing, and increased ad revenue (expected 2x in FY26e). Management has projected 13% YoY growth for 2Q26e.
  • Maintain ACCUMULATE with a higher target price of US$110 (prev. US$100). We raise FY26e revenue and PATMI by 1% respectively to account for the price increase. There is no change in terminal growth or WACC assumptions. NFLX is still building on its leadership position in the VoD streaming industry through a strong subscription base, quality content and strong pricing power. Its ARPU is ~2x more than its nearest competitor, Disney.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Positives
+ Strong pricing power on display. NFLX continues to demonstrate robust pricing power, with
recent price increases (8–13% across plans) well absorbed, and early indicators pointing to
stable retention and churn. NFLX delivers one of the lowest costs per viewing hour among
SVOD platforms (we estimate NFLX: $0.31/hour, DIS: $0.35/hour, Hulu: $0.40/hour),
supporting further pricing headroom. The company continues to layer monetisation levers
across its large user base, including differentiated plans, improved discovery, and expansion
into new formats (live events, podcasts, gaming). We view sustained pricing execution,
supported by strong engagement and value perception, as a key driver of long-term earnings
growth.
+ Ad on track to double in FY26e. NFLX’s advertising business continues to scale, supported
by improved ad-tech capabilities and a rapidly expanding advertiser base. The company now
works with >4,000 advertisers (+70% YoY). Management reiterated its expectation for
US$3bn in ad revenue in FY26e (2x YoY). The ad-supported tier remains a key entry point,
accounting for >60% of sign-ups in ad markets, while delivering engagement levels
comparable to ad-free plans. In parallel, NFLX continues to invest in its proprietary ad-tech
stack, enabling better targeting, improved measurement, and new ad formats, which are
attracting a broader pool of advertisers and driving monetisation efficiency.

Netflix Inc. – Content, ads, and scale drive the next leg of growth

Netflix Inc.-Margin pressure raises concern

•     3Q25 revenue was in line with expectations, while PATMI missed on US$619mn dispute with Brazilian tax authorities. Excluding this effect, 9M25 revenue/PATMI was at 73%/83%, in line with our FY25e estimates.

•     Membership growth, pricing adjustments, and increased ad revenue drove revenue growth of 17% YoY. Management has projected 17% YoY growth for 4Q25.
•     Our valuation remains unchanged with a DCF target price of US$950. No change in our FY25e forecast. We maintain our SELL recommendation. Our terminal growth and WACC assumptions remain unchanged. NFLX continues to demonstrate clear leadership in the VOD space and strong pricing power. However, we maintain a cautious view given its elevated valuation and ongoing margin pressures.
 
 

Netflix Inc.- Tough to surpass high expectations

Netflix Inc.- Ability to withstand recession

Netflix Inc. – Stretched valuations

Netflix Inc – Solid results, but valuations look full

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Netflix Inc. – All according to plan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Positives
+ Better-than-expected net additions are driving an acceleration in revenue growth. NFLX added 8.1mn net membership additions, driven by beats in all markets (particularly in India). The net additions outperformance was attributed to 1) a strong content slate, 2) some positive impact from paid sharing, and 3) a lower price point appealing to more cost-conscious consumers. Revenue growth in 2Q24 accelerated to 17% YoY (22% FX neutral) vs 15% YoY (18% FX neutral) in 1Q24, modestly above NFLX’s guidance of 16% YoY.
+ Ads business continues to scale meaningfully. NFLX continues to scale its ads business rapidly, increasing its ad tier membership base 34% QoQ to ~52mn (~19% of NFLX’s total membership) in 2Q24. Ad tiers now account for >45% of all new signups in markets where NFLX has rolled out its Ad tiers. NFLX continues to also grow its Ad inventory to support the business. It still does not expect advertising to be a primary driver of revenue for FY24e or FY25e due to 1) near-term challenges in monetisation – NFLX lacks adequate features for advertisers, and 2) an outsized proportion of existing subscription revenue. We view advertising as the next big margin driver for NFLX (behind price increases).
+ Positive forward guidance for FY24e. Given the better-than-expected membership additions so far this year, NFLX again revised upwards its FY24e targets for revenue growth (13%-15% to 14%-15%) and operating margin (from 25% to 26%). Its 26% OM target would be a YoY improvement of 540bps, indicating significant operating leverage due to its larger scale and cost discipline. NFLX expects consistent YoY margin expansion moving forward. We increase our FY24e operating income and PATMI estimates by 6% each as a result.

 

The Negative
- Nil

Netflix Inc. – Pricing power on display

 

 

The Positives

+ Better-than-expected membership additions despite price hikes. NFLX outperformed consensus expectations with 9.3mn net additions in 1Q24, driven by an 11%/19% YoY growth in its US/EU membership base – reaffirming our investment thesis of its undoubted ability to grow both volume and prices (NFLX increased prices in its US/EU markets mid-4Q23). As a result, revenue growth accelerated to 15% YoY (18% YoY FX neutral). We expect net additions for FY24e to remain fairly resilient (~24mn) due to: 1) continued momentum in Paid Sharing (converting password borrowers) and 2) higher take-up of its lower-priced ads plan. NFLX also translated its subscriber outperformance into a 79% YoY increase in PATMI, showcasing an increase in operating leverage – it beat consensus estimates on its bottom line by ~25%.

 

+ Rapid scaling of its ads business. NFLX continues to scale its ads business rapidly, growing its ad tier membership base 65% QoQ to ~40mn members (~14% of NFLX’s total membership) in 1Q24. Ad inventory has increased, while engagement and CPMs still remain strong. Its ads business is currently under-monetised due to existing supply-demand dynamics, although we expect this to ease as more advertisers come on board – NFLX’s ads business started in 4Q22.

 

+ Positive FY24e guidance indicating further margin expansion. NFLX revised its FY24e operating margin target to 25% (prev. 24%), which would be a 4% point increase vs FY23. NFLX’s commentary surrounding margins also suggests that the capital-intensive portion of building out its business is behind them, with a clear focus on margin expansion ahead. We expect the company to manage this by pulling on its three main levers: 1) organic membership growth through more engaging content, 2) increasing pricing, and 3) driving higher margin advertising revenue while maintaining current cash content spend levels.

 

 

The Negative

- Nil.

Netflix Inc. – Subscribers and margins re-accelerating

 

 

The Positives

+ Increasing subscriber momentum driving revenue growth. 4Q23 ended on a high, with 260mn paid memberships (13% YoY). Subscriber growth momentum increased for a 4th straight quarter. NFLX also added 13.1mn paid memberships (vs. 8.9mn est.) in the quarter, the most in 4Q. We believe the outperformance was driven by NFLX capturing price-sensitive consumers with its lower-priced ad-tier. Moving into FY24e, we expect revenue growth to be supported by: 1) membership growth of 8% YoY; and 2) 3% YoY ARM growth due to a combination of price increases and scaling of its advertising business.

+ Ads business scaling well; laying the ground work for future margin expansion. NFLX continues to scale its ads business well, with 70+% QoQ growth in the last 3 quarters. It has 23mn users on its ads tier, with 40% of new paid memberships opting for the cheaper subscription. Scaling its ads business is important because advertising revenue remains a long-term margin expansion opportunity for the company. However, we only expect advertising to contribute more meaningfully to revenue as it reaches scale in FY25e.

+ Raising margin expectations for FY24e and beyond. NFLX raised its FY24e operating margin guidance by ~150bps from a range of 22-23% to 24%, indicating a sharp ~340bps increase vs 20.6% in FY23. This expectation reflects: 1) FX tailwinds vs FY23; and 2) better-than-expected 4Q23 subscriber additions combined with price increases flowing into FY24e. Moving beyond FY24e, NFLX also expects to steadily improve margins YoY through a combination of price increases and advertising revenue growth.

 

ARM (Average Revenue Per Membership): Streaming revenue divided by average number of streaming paid memberships during a given period.

 

The Negative

- Nil.

Get access to all the latest market news, reports, technical analysis
by signing up for a free account today!