Netflix Adds Over 8 Million Subscriptions to Pass 221 Million in Q4, Nearly All Growth International
In Q4, Netflix added 8.28 million subscribers for a total of 221.84 million. That number is up 16% year over year, when it had roughly 203 million subscribers.
These results fall just short of Netflix’s prediction of an 8.5 million jump in subscribers for the fourth quarter. The company has missed its subscriber targets in three of the last six quarters. Netflix added just 1.19 million new accounts in the U.S. and Canada. Predictably, most growth came internationally, with 3.54 million added in EMEA and 2.58 million in the APAC region. LATAM added fewer than 1 million new accounts.
Netflix expects to add just 2.5 million new accounts in Q1 2022. The company cited increased competition as a headwind around the world.
As of January 14, Netflix raised its prices on all new U.S. subscribers and prices will be going up for Canadian viewers as well. The standard plan went up to $15.49/month, while the 4K plan is now up to $20/month. The most basic plan is an extra $1. Existing subscribers will eventually see their rates rise to those prices.
Netflix announced a significant price change in India a month prior. The mobile-only option plan was changed to 149 rupees ($1.96), meanwhile, the basic, entry-level plan dropped 60% from 499 rupees ($6.57) to just 199 rupees ($2.62). The standard plan now costs 499 rupees ($6.57) whereas the premium plan changed to 799 rupees ($10.59).
Q1 2021 gave viewers 103 releases, then the second quarter gained 96. The third quarter made a significant comeback with 129 releases, and the fourth quarter delivered approximately 143. Right now, we only know of 20 releases scheduled for the first quarter of 2022. Ten new titles have been announced for Q2 so far.
Now that Season 2 of “The Witcher” has since been released, it is now the most-watched show of all time for Netflix. Q4 was exceptionally strong for Netflix, with “Don’t Look Up” and “Red Notice” being the most-watched films in its history. The last three months of 2021 was subsequently in the biggest slate of releases in Netflix history.
New content will be vital for the streaming giant’s success in the first quarter of 2022. For instance, coming to the platform this March is Season 2 of “Bridgerton” which has ranked as the number one most-viewed English-language original Netflix series by hours viewed in just 28 days of its initial release. “Stranger Things,” “Cobra Kai,” “The Umbrella Academy,” “Locke & Key,” and “The Crown” are other popular series that will be coming out with new highly anticipated seasons.
Slated for a 2022 release, “Escape from Spiderhead” with Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller, and Jurnee Smollett, will give George Saunders fans something to look forward to. Another upcoming title is “The Sandman.” Also coming to the platform is “The Gray Man” which will be released in the summer and has A-listers Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans starring. This also marks the first blockbuster that the Russo brothers have directed since “Avengers: Endgame.” Other upcoming titles include “Resident Evil,” “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,” “Vikings: Valhalla,” and lots more.
The company announced that it changed the way it measures viewership by “hours viewed.” Netflix said, “We think engagement, as measured by hours viewed, is a slightly better indicator of the overall success of our titles and member satisfaction.”
For the January 9th Golden Globe Awards, Netflix received 17 film and 10 TV nominations. Netflix won the Best Drama award for “The Power of the Dog.”
Furthermore, this was the period when the streaming giant made its entry into video games, in an attempt to expand beyond TV and films. It is up to 12 titles, which is double the amount from its initial launch. Netflix will continue pushing its boundaries, further branching out into the gaming and interactive video experiments it’s been cooking up.