The streaming platform cited its live sport investment among contributing factors to the sales surge
Netflix has seen success in live sports(Image: NETFLIX)
Netflix has attributed a surge in subscriptions to its investment in live sport, as quarterly revenue climbed beyond $12bn.
Fourth-quarter results showed income rising by nearly 30 per cent to $2.4bn, whilst subscriber numbers jumped to 325 million.
The streaming service was the exclusive global broadcaster of the bout between influencer Jake Paul and former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, and has a partnership with the NFL to broadcast Christmas Day American football matches.
The platform, which is exploring a potential acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery, also streams live golf events. It stated that the Christmas Day NFL broadcast contributed to more than 400,000 new subscribers in 2025.
Full-year net income for the Stranger Things broadcaster reached $11bn on revenues exceeding $45bn, but shares dropped by seven per cent in Frankfurt early on Wednesday after the platform reiterated its commitment to pursuing a Warner Bros Discovery deal, as reported by City AM.
“Historically, Netflix has not shied away from doing what’s right for long-term growth even at the expense of near-term negative share price reaction,” Michael Ashley Schulman, chief investment officer of Running Point Capital Advisors, told Reuters. “That seems to be the case again.”
The company highlighted that live sport exemplified how “any given hour of entertainment has the potential to deliver outsized value”, whilst year-on-year advertising revenue doubled to $1.5bn. Netflix is set to broadcast the World Baseball Classic in Japan next year, whilst speculation mounts that a potential Warner Bros Discovery takeover could hand the platform access to Champions League and Olympic Games rights indirectly.
The subscriber uptick, bolstered in part by sporting content, arrives as streaming services pour significant capital into sports programming.
Apple is preparing to screen Formula 1 for the first time this year, having clinched broadcasting rights for the motorsport championship throughout North America.
Meanwhile, Amazon Prime has assembled an extensive collection of sports rights, including Tuesday night Champions League fixtures.
