Tech

Netflix shares hit record as subscriber growth defies odds once again

Published

2 months ago

January 22, 2025

A woman stands next to a logo of Netflix during an event in Mumbai, India, February 29, 2024. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Shares of Netflix (NFLX.O), opens new tab soared 13% to an all-time high on Wednesday after the streaming giant’s big bet on sports helped add a record 18.9 million subscribers in the holiday quarter, ballooning its already sizeable advantage over other players.

The company also unveiled price hikes on Tuesday in markets including the U.S., aiming to boost revenue just as it shifts focus from subscriber growth to other performance metrics such as sales.

“We thought it was a typo. Netflix defied the odds once again, delivering subscriber additions far beyond even the most unreasonable subscriber bogey,” Bernstein analyst Laurent Yoon said.

The company’s global subscriber base now exceeds 300 million, giving it a commanding lead in the streaming wars and more leverage in talks with marketing firms as it looks to grow its ad-supported business.

Netflix, already worth more than the combined valuations of rivals Disney, Comcast, Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery, was set to add more than $50 billion to its market capitalization of about $370 billion, if gains hold.

The stock hit a record high of $988 during early morning trading on Wednesday, paving the way for a potential stock split.

Netflix poised to extend lead as it ends 2024 with 302 mln global subscribers

Its shares soared more than 80% last year, driven by Netflix’s expansion into live sports with content including a boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, as well as the debut of popular National Football League games on Christmas Day – which included a half-time performance from popstar Beyonce.

The Nov. 15 Tyson-Paul bout was the most-streamed sporting event ever and drove the most sign-ups for Netflix for any event since Antenna started tracking this data in 2019. Its strong content slate in the quarter also included the second season of “Squid Game” and the hit streaming movie “Carry-On”.

“Sports rights can be incredibly expensive and it makes sense that Netflix has opted to go with special events. Such events are also perfect for attracting advertisers keen to reach a large audience,” said Dan Coatsworth, analyst at AJ Bell.

Coatsworth, as well as several other analysts, said Netflix would now inevitably start bidding for other major sports rights. The company has already secured U.S. broadcast rights for the 2027 and 2031 editions of FIFA Women’s World Cups.

NARROW REVENUE BEAT

The strong report, however, masked one concern: the subscriber surge did not translate into a similar spike in revenue. Sales rose 16% and were only around $100 million above estimates, while the subscriber growth was about twice the expected number.

The narrow beat could be attributed to both subscriber growth from lower average revenue per user (ARPU) countries and the significant number of sign-ups for the ad-supported tier, said Ben Barringer, technology analyst at Quilter Cheviot.

But he added that the already announced price hikes and those expected to roll out over the course of 2025 should boost sales.

This year, Netflix is expected to showcase new seasons of highly popular shows such as “Stranger Things” and “Wednesday”. It has already started streaming “WWE RAW.”

At least 24 analysts raised their price targets on the stock, bringing the median target to $1,025, according to LSEG data. The stock’s 12-month forward price-to-earnings ratio stands at 35.43 compared with Walt Disney’s 19.19.

Source: www.reuters.com

Tech

EU approves 920 million euro German aid for Infineon chips plant

Published

1 month ago

February 20, 2025

Net News Ghana

The European Commission said on Thursday it had approved a 920 million euro German state aid to Infineon for the construction of a new semiconductor manufacturing plant in Dresden.

The measure will allow Infineon (IFXGn.DE), to complete the MEGAFAB-DD project which will be able to produce a wide range of different types of chips, the Commission added.

Chipmakers across the globe are pouring billions of dollars into new plants, as they take advantage of generous subsidies from the United States and the EU to keep the West ahead of China in developing cutting-edge semiconductor technology.

The European Commission has earmarked 15 billion euros for public and private semiconductor projects by 2030.

“This new manufacturing plant will bring flexible production capacity to the EU and thereby strengthen Europe’s security of supply, resilience and technological autonomy in semiconductor technologies, in line with the objectives set out in the European Chips Act,” the Commission said in a statement.

The Commission said the plant – which will reach full capacity in 2031 – will be a front-end facility, covering wafer processing, testing and separation, adding that its chips will be used in industrial, automotive and consumer applications.

The aid will take the form of a direct grant of up to 920 million euros to Infineon to support its investment amounting to 3.5 billion euros. Infineon has said the plant will be the largest single investment in its history.

Infineon has agreed with the EU to ensure the project will bring wider positive effects to the EU semiconductor value chain and invest in the research and development of the next generation of chips in Europe, the Commission said.

It will also contribute to crisis preparedness by committing to implement priority-rated orders in the case of a supply shortage in line with the European Chips Act.

Source: www.reuters.com

Tech

Trump says he is speaking to China about TikTok

Published

1 month ago

February 20, 2025

Net News Ghana

U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters on Air Force One on Wednesday that he was talking to China about TikTok as the United States seeks to broker a sale of the popular app.

Source://www.reuters.com

Tech

AT&T’s bundled 5G, fiber plans boost holiday-quarter subscriptions

Published

2 months ago

January 27, 2025

Net News Ghana

An AT&T logo is pictured in Pasadena, California, U.S., January 24, 2018. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

AT&T’s (T.N) fourth-quarter wireless subscriber growth surpassed expectations on Monday, fueled by strong demand for its discounted premium plans combining 5G mobile with high-speed fiber data services.

Shares of the company rose about 2% in premarket trading.

The U.S. telecom giant added 482,000 net monthly bill-paying wireless phone subscribers in the holiday quarter, outpacing analysts’ estimated gains of 424,550, according to Visible Alpha.

As the pool of potential new wireless customers shrinks in the United States, AT&T’s strategy of bundling high-speed fiber internet with wireless phone services has helped drive growth for the company.

Its fiber business added 307,000 new customers in the fourth quarter, higher than 226,000 additions in the prior quarter, marking its best fourth-quarter fiber net additions.

The last three months of the year are typically strong for telecom operators, driven by factors such as Black Friday promotions, trade-in deals for new iPhone launches and the gift-giving season around Christmas, all of which contribute to higher subscriber additions.

Rival Verizon (VZ.N) reported its best quarterly wireless subscriber growth in five years on Friday, with 568,000 monthly bill-paying wireless subscribers added in the fourth quarter.

AT&T expects annual adjusted profit between $1.97 and $2.07 per share, excluding the contribution from its 70% stake in DirecTV, which the company is selling for $7.6 billion. It was not immediately clear if the range could be compared with the estimate of $2.18 per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.Nasdaq futures slump after a cheaper Chinese AI model sparks panic in Silicon Valley.

AT&T said last month that it expected free cash flow to be more than $18 billion in 2027 and would reach more than 50 million locations with fiber by 2029.

Excluding items, it reported a profit of 54 cents per share, higher than analysts’ estimate of 50 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Total revenue rose about 1% to $32.3 billion, compared with an estimate of $32.04 billion.

AT&T began offering bill credits for network outages from Jan. 9, part of a new initiative to attract customers in a highly competitive market.

Source: www.reuters.com/