Netflix earnings preview
Netflix will report quarterly results after the bell on Thursday and investors are watching for commentary on content spending and growth in the ad tier following its failed Warner Bros. Discovery bid ( ). Analysts are broadly bullish on the company’s potential to raise prices and expand its ad business heading into the report (businessinsider.com).
Netflix reports first-quarter results after the bell on Thursday, April 16, with Wall Street focused on ads, prices and spending after its Warner Bros. bid collapsed. (ir.netflix.net) Analysts tracked by FactSet expect about $12.18 billion in revenue, up from $10.54 billion a year earlier, and roughly $3.29 billion in net income, up from $2.89 billion. Netflix said it would post results at about 1:01 p.m. Pacific time. (marketwatch.com) (ir.netflix.net) The company enters the report after raising U.S. prices in January 2025, including the standard ad-supported plan to $7.99 a month and the standard ad-free plan to $17.99. Analysts have said those increases should help revenue even if Netflix no longer gives quarterly subscriber updates. (cnbc.com) (marketwatch.com) Advertising is the other big line item. In its January shareholder letter, Netflix said 2025 ad revenue rose more than 2.5 times to more than $1.5 billion, and it forecast ad revenue would roughly double again in 2026. (sec.gov) That matters because Netflix has shifted the way it tells its story to investors. The company said it crossed 325 million paid memberships in the fourth quarter of 2025, but it now emphasizes revenue, operating income and engagement more than quarterly subscriber counts. (s22.q4cdn.com) (hollywoodreporter.com) Content spending is also back in focus after Netflix walked away from Warner Bros. on February 26, 2026, saying it would not raise its offer after Warner determined Paramount Skydance had made a superior proposal. Reuters reported investors are now looking for Netflix to explain how it will build franchises on its own and where it will spend after the failed deal. (ir.netflix.net) (usnews.com) Netflix’s own guidance already points to heavier investment alongside higher profitability. In January, it forecast 2026 revenue of $50.7 billion to $51.7 billion and a 31.5% operating margin, up from 29.5% in 2025, while saying content amortization would grow about 10% this year. (sec.gov) (s22.q4cdn.com) The backdrop is a company that finished 2025 with $45.2 billion in annual revenue, more than $13 billion in operating income and its highest disclosed membership base to date. Thursday’s report will show whether ads and price increases are carrying enough of the load to fund the next round of shows, films and live programming without a studio megadeal. (s22.q4cdn.com) (sec.gov)
