Netflix expects HBO to go binge-first in an ‘internet TV world’

Netflix just announced its final earnings report for 2016 (PDF), revealing that it grew by seven million customers to 93.8 million. That’s two million more than it had projected, up more than 25 percent for the year and puts the 100 million benchmark squarely in its sights for 2017. Beyond revealing that House of Cards will launch in Q2 instead of Q1 this year, Netflix mentioned the strong performance of original series like The OA and 3%. Regarding the latter, Netflix says it was watched by “millions” of US viewers and is the first Portuguese-language show to travel that way.

Ten years after launching Watch Instantly streaming and one year after making it available nearly worldwide, Netflix is now an internet-first video company and according to its letter, expects others to follow. Noting the BBC’s new BritBox plans for online video, the company says it presumes HBO won’t be far behind when it comes to favoring internet viewers over linear ones, by launching series all at once instead of week-by-week.

Also garnering a mention is the incoming administration and its potential effect on net neutrality, which Netflix now says isn’t that big of a deal for its business. That’s because “we are now popular enough with consumers to keep our relationships with ISPs stable.” Despite that, it continued to push for strong net neutrality, saying ” We hope the new US administration and Congress will recognize that keeping the network neutral drives job growth and innovation.”

Developing….

Source: Netflix Q4 2016 Investor Letter (PDF)