Netflix beats on Q1 revenue, issues downbeat Q2 forecast, and says Hastings will leave in June
It’s the streamer’s first earnings report since backing out of the Warner Bros. bidding war in February.
Streaming giant Netflix reported results for its first quarter after markets closed on Thursday. Its shares fell 9% after-hours.
The company reported:
Earnings of $1.23 per share, which included the $2.8 billion termination fee related to the Warner Bros. Discovery deal. Wall Street analysts polled by FactSet had expected $0.76, but that may not be comparable because of the fee.
Revenue of $12.25 billion, compared to the $12.18 billion consensus.
Netflix also said that cofounder Reed Hastings will exit the board in June in order to “focus on his philanthropy and other pursuits.” Hastings has been with the company since 1997 and stepped back from CEO duties in 2023.
Looking ahead to the second quarter, Netflix said it expects revenue growth of 13%, slightly less than what Wall Street expects, and diluted earnings of $0.78 per share, below the analyst consensus of $0.84 per share. Netflix reaffirmed its earlier annual revenue guidance of between $50.7 billion and $51.7 billion.
Thursday’s earnings report marks Netflix’s first since it backed out of the bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery in late February, allowing Paramount to step in. Wall Street has viewed Netflix’s choice to bail as a win, and the stock is up more than 25% since, climbing back to its early December levels (before it first announced the acquisition agreement).
With the decision to walk away, Netflix received a $2.8 billion breakup fee — one of the biggest in the history of media mergers — paid out by Paramount.
What exactly Netflix will do with that cash is still up in the air. Last month, the streamer acquired the Ben Affleck-founded AI company InterPositive for as much as $600 million (if the tool meets certain performance targets). In early April, it launched a gaming app for young children. At the same time, Netflix has been spending less on original films: just 23 were released on the streamer in Q1, the lowest output since 2017.
Netflix further boosted its revenue line last month, when it hiked the price of its subscription tiers for the fourth time in four years.
