Netflix(NFLX) - 2025 Q3 - Quarterly Results

Executive Summary & Outlook This section summarizes Netflix's Q3'25 performance, financial results, and strategic outlook, including Q4'25 and full-year forecasts Q3'25 Performance Highlights Netflix reported Q3'25 revenue growth of 17%, in line with forecasts, but operating margin was below guidance due to a significant expense related to a Brazilian tax dispute. Engagement metrics remained strong, with record view share in the US and UK, and successful content releases including 'Wednesday S2' and 'Happy Gilmore 2'. The company also achieved its best ad sales quarter ever and hosted a record-breaking live boxing event - Q3'25 revenue grew 17%, meeting forecast, but operating margin of 28% was below guidance of 31.5% due to a $619 million expense from a Brazilian tax dispute[4][5] - Engagement remains healthy, with the highest quarterly view share ever in the US and UK, growing 15% and 22% respectively since Q4'22[4] - Key Q3'25 content successes included 'Wednesday S2', 'Bon Appétit, Your Majesty', 'Happy Gilmore 2', and 'KPop Demon Hunters' becoming the most popular film ever. The Canelo vs. Crawford boxing match was the most-viewed men's championship fight this century[4] - Netflix recorded its best ad sales quarter ever and doubled commitments in the US upfront[4] Q3'25 Financial Results & Full-Year Forecast Netflix's Q3'25 financial results showed strong revenue growth but a dip in operating margin and EPS due to a one-time tax expense. The company provided a positive Q4'25 forecast for revenue growth and operating margin improvement, and updated its full-year 2025 revenue and free cash flow expectations, with free cash flow increasing to approximately $9 billion | Metric (in millions except per share data) | Q3'24 | Q4'24 | Q1'25 | Q2'25 | Q3'25 | Q4'25 Forecast | | :--------------------------------- | :---- | :---- | :---- | :---- | :---- | :------------- | | Revenue | $9,825 | $10,247 | $10,543 | $11,079 | $11,510 | $11,960 | | Y/Y % Growth | 15.0 % | 16.0 % | 12.5 % | 15.9 % | 17.2 % | 16.7 % | | Operating Income | $2,909 | $2,273 | $3,347 | $3,775 | $3,248 | $2,860 | | Operating Margin | 29.6 % | 22.2 % | 31.7 % | 34.1 % | 28.2 % | 23.9 % | | Net Income | $2,364 | $1,869 | $2,890 | $3,125 | $2,547 | $2,355 | | Diluted EPS | $5.40 | $4.27 | $6.61 | $7.19 | $5.87 | $5.45 | | Net cash provided by operating activities | $2,321 | $1,537 | $2,789 | $2,423 | $2,825 | | | Free Cash Flow | $2,194 | $1,378 | $2,661 | $2,267 | $2,660 | | | Shares (FD) | 437.9 | 437.8 | 437.0 | 434.9 | 434.0 | | - Q3'25 operating income was $3.2 billion (+12% YoY), with an operating margin of 28% (vs. 30% in Q3'24), impacted by a $619 million expense for Brazilian tax assessments. Diluted EPS was $5.87 (+9% YoY), $1.00 below forecast[5] - For Q4'25, Netflix expects 17% revenue growth (16% F/X neutral) and a 23.9% operating margin, a two percentage point YoY improvement[7] - Full-year 2025 revenue is expected to be $45.1 billion (16% growth), in line with prior expectations. The 2025 operating margin forecast is adjusted to 29% (from 30%) due to the Brazilian tax matter[8] Strategic Priorities & Q4'25 Outlook Netflix continues to focus on delivering diverse and high-quality content to entertain a global audience, driving engagement, retention, and acquisition. The company is finishing the year with strong momentum, anticipating an exciting Q4 slate including major returning series, new films, live sports, and expanded Kids & Family programming, alongside new games and stand-up specials - Netflix's 2025 priorities include delivering a great content slate, achieving record ad sales, and hosting major live events[4] - The Q4'25 slate features the final season of 'Stranger Things', new seasons of 'The Diplomat' and 'Nobody Wants This', films like Guillermo del Toro's 'Frankenstein' and Rian Johnson's 'Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery', NFL Christmas Day games, and the Jake Paul vs. Tank Davis boxing match[4][19] - The company aims to sustain healthy revenue growth, expand operating margin, and deliver growing free cash flow[6] Business Operations & Strategy This section outlines Netflix's content strategy, engagement, product innovation, monetization, and competitive landscape Content and Engagement Netflix's strategy revolves around offering a diverse and high-quality content library to drive member engagement, retention, and acquisition globally. Q3'25 saw significant success with both returning and new series and films, leading to record TV view share in key markets. The company also emphasized the value of big live events in attracting mass audiences and is actively developing major franchises and expanding content universes Q3'25 Content Highlights Netflix's Q3'25 content slate featured successful returning series and new films, driving strong viewership globally - Hit series in Q3'25 included 'Wednesday' (114 million views), 'My Life with the Walter Boys' (36 million views), 'UNTAMED' (87 million views), and 'Bon Appétit, Your Majesty' (32 million views) from South Korea[11] - Successful films included 'Happy Gilmore 2' (126 million views), setting a new Nielsen streaming record, and 'The Thursday Murder Club' (61 million views), topping UK TV rankings[11] Engagement Metrics & Key Events Netflix achieved record TV view share in key markets and hosted a highly successful live boxing event - Netflix achieved record TV view share in Q3'25 in the US and UK, with quarterly TV view share growing 15% and 22% respectively from Q4'22 to Q3'25[12] - The live super middleweight championship bout between Terence Crawford and Canelo Álvarez attracted over 41 million viewers, becoming the most-viewed men's championship boxing match this century[14] Franchise Development & Q4'25 Content Slate Netflix expands successful franchises and prepares a robust Q4'25 content slate with major series, films, and live sports - 'KPop Demon Hunters' is now Netflix's most popular film ever (325 million views), leading to expansion into consumer products and licensing partnerships with Mattel and Hasbro[17] - The Q4'25 slate includes returning seasons of 'Stranger Things', 'The Diplomat', 'The Witcher', new series like 'Death by Lightning', films such as 'Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein', live NFL Christmas games, and new party games like 'Boggle Party' and 'Pictionary: Game Night'[19] Product & Innovation Netflix leverages ML and AI to enhance member experience, empower creators, and optimize advertising solutions Technology & AI Integration Netflix's new TV UI is widely adopted, with ML and AI driving recommendations and GenAI offering new opportunities - Netflix's new TV UI has rolled out to 85% of TV devices, exceeding prelaunch expectations[20] - ML and AI have long powered title recommendations and production/promotion technology, with Generative AI presenting significant opportunities for members, creators, and the business[20] GenAI Applications GenAI enhances member experience, empowers creators in production, and optimizes ad formats and creative - GenAI is being used to enhance member experience through conversational search and localization of promotional assets[20] - Creators are empowered with GenAI tools for production, such as de-aging characters in 'Happy Gilmore 2' and pre-visualization for 'Billionaires' Bunker'[21] - In the ads business, AI is testing new ad formats, generating relevant ad creative/placement, and accelerating media plan development, aiming for dozens of new ad formats by 2026[21] Monetization & Advertising Business Netflix rapidly scaled its advertising business, achieving market presence and doubling US upfront commitments with new DSP integrations - Netflix has grown its ads plan from zero members to sufficient scale in all 12 ad markets within three years, building out sales/operations teams and launching Netflix Ads Suite[22] - The company is on track to more than double its ads revenue in 2025 and successfully doubled commitments in the US upfront[23] - Netflix will integrate Amazon's DSP globally and AJA's DSP in Japan into its programmatic offering starting Q4'25, enhancing targeting and demand sources[23] Competition Netflix operates in a broad and fiercely competitive entertainment landscape, facing rivals from streaming services, linear TV, social media, gaming, and other leisure activities. The company's strategy to compete and grow relies on continuous improvement, optimizing content spend, building global production capabilities, nurturing major franchises, and constantly innovating its user experience and distribution - Netflix faces intense competition from streaming services, linear TV, social media, video gaming, theatrical movies, concerts, and other leisure options[25] - The company's competitive strategy focuses on continuous improvement, optimizing content spend, building global production infrastructure, creating major franchises (e.g., Stranger Things, Squid Game), and innovating user experience, pricing, and partnerships[26] Financial Review This section reviews Netflix's cash flow, capital structure, regional revenue, and F/X neutral operating margin Cash Flow and Capital Structure Netflix prioritizes profitable growth through reinvestment and shareholder returns via share repurchases. The company reported strong Q3'25 operating cash flow and free cash flow, leading to an increased full-year 2025 free cash flow forecast of approximately $9 billion. Netflix also continued share repurchases and maintained a healthy balance sheet - Net cash generated from operating activities in Q3'25 was $2.8 billion, up from $2.3 billion in Q3'24[29] - Free cash flow in Q3'25 totaled $2.7 billion, up from $2.2 billion in Q3'24[29] - The 2025 free cash flow forecast is increased to approximately $9 billion (from $8 billion-$8.5 billion), reflecting timing of cash payments and lower content spend[29] - During Q3'25, Netflix repurchased 1.5 million shares for $1.9 billion, with $10.1 billion remaining under authorization. The quarter ended with gross debt of $14.5 billion and cash/cash equivalents of $9.3 billion[29] Regional Revenue Breakdown Netflix's Q3'25 revenue growth was strong across all regions, with UCAN and EMEA showing robust reported growth, and LATAM and APAC demonstrating significant F/X Neutral growth, indicating underlying strength despite currency fluctuations | (in millions) | Q3'24 Revenue | Q3'24 Y/Y % Growth | Q3'24 F/X Neutral Y/Y % Growth | Q3'25 Revenue | Q3'25 Y/Y % Growth | Q3'25 F/X Neutral Y/Y % Growth | | :------------ | :------------ | :----------------- | :----------------------------- | :------------ | :----------------- | :----------------------------- | | UCAN | $4,322 | 16 % | 16 % | $5,072 | 17 % | 17 % | | EMEA | $3,133 | 16 % | 17 % | $3,699 | 18 % | 15 % | | LATAM | $1,241 | 9 % | 46 % | $1,371 | 10 % | 20 % | | APAC | $1,128 | 19 % | 21 % | $1,369 | 21 % | 20 % | F/X Neutral Operating Margin Disclosure Netflix provides F/X neutral operating margin disclosure to offer transparency on performance against targets, isolating the impact of intra-year currency fluctuations. The year-to-date 2025 operating margin, both as reported and adjusted for F/X impact, stood at 31.3% - Netflix discloses F/X neutral operating margin to allow investors to track performance against targets, excluding intra-year currency fluctuations[33] | $'s in Millions | Full Year 2022 | Full Year 2023 | Full Year 2024 | YTD 2025 | | :-------------- | :------------- | :------------- | :------------- | :------- | | As Reported | | | | | | Revenue | $31,616 | $33,723 | $39,001 | $33,132 | | Operating Profit| $5,633 | $6,954 | $10,418 | $10,370 | | Operating Margin| 17.8% | 20.6% | 26.7% | 31.3% | | Adjusted* | | | | | | Revenue | $32,578 | $33,847 | $39,541 | $32,809 | | Operating Profit| $6,381 | $7,080 | $10,836 | $10,267 | | Operating Margin| 20.0% | 20.9% | 27.4% | 31.3% | Financial Statements & Disclosures This section includes investor relations, non-GAAP measures, forward-looking statements, and consolidated financial statements Investor Relations & Contacts Netflix provides details for its Q3'25 earnings interview, featuring key executives, and contact information for investor relations and corporate communications - A live video interview with Co-CEOs Greg Peters and Ted Sarandos, CFO Spence Neumann, and VP of Finance & Capital Markets Spencer Wang was scheduled for October 21, 2025, at 1:45pm PT on youtube/netflixir[36] Non-GAAP Measures This section clarifies the use of non-GAAP financial measures such as F/X neutral revenue, adjusted operating profit and margin, free cash flow, and net debt. Management believes these metrics provide valuable insights into liquidity, profitability, and leverage, but emphasizes they should be considered supplementary to GAAP measures - Non-GAAP measures used include F/X neutral revenue, adjusted operating profit and margin, free cash flow, and net debt[38] - Management uses free cash flow to measure cash available for debt, acquisitions, investments, and stock repurchases. F/X neutral metrics help compare results without currency fluctuations and restructuring costs[38] - These non-GAAP measures are not substitutes for GAAP financials and forward-looking non-GAAP measures cannot be reconciled without unreasonable effort due to unpredictable reconciling items[38] Forward-Looking Statements The shareholder letter contains forward-looking statements regarding future financial results, growth strategies, partnerships, market opportunities, content offerings, and the impact of various factors. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, as detailed in SEC filings - The letter contains forward-looking statements about expected results for Q4 and full-year 2025, growth strategy, partnerships, market opportunity, content offerings, engagement, tax matters, competitive landscape, ad-supported tier, AI use, and financial metrics[39] - These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the ability to attract/retain members, competitive effectiveness, content quality, macroeconomic conditions, and production risks, as detailed in SEC filings like the Annual Report on Form 10-K[39] Consolidated Statements of Operations The unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations provide a detailed breakdown of Netflix's revenues, expenses, and net income for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, and comparative periods. Key figures include Q3'25 revenue of $11.51 billion, operating income of $3.25 billion, and net income of $2.55 billion, with diluted EPS of $5.87 | (in thousands, except per share data) | Three Months Ended Sep 30, 2025 | Three Months Ended Sep 30, 2024 | Nine Months Ended Sep 30, 2025 | Nine Months Ended Sep 30, 2024 | | :------------------------------------ | :------------------------------ | :------------------------------ | :----------------------------- | :----------------------------- | | Revenues | $11,510,307 | $9,824,703 | $33,132,274 | $28,754,453 | | Cost of revenues | $6,164,250 | $5,119,884 | $16,752,708 | $15,271,100 | | Operating income | $3,248,247 | $2,909,477 | $10,369,940 | $8,144,848 | | Net income | $2,546,916 | $2,363,509 | $8,562,680 | $6,843,024 | | Diluted EPS | $5.87 | $5.40 | $19.67 | $15.56 | Consolidated Balance Sheets The unaudited Consolidated Balance Sheets present Netflix's financial position as of September 30, 2025, compared to December 31, 2024. Key changes include an increase in cash and cash equivalents to $9.29 billion, a slight increase in total assets to $54.93 billion, and an increase in total stockholders' equity to $25.95 billion | (in thousands) | As of Sep 30, 2025 | As of Dec 31, 2024 | | :------------- | :----------------- | :----------------- | | Total current assets | $12,962,935 | $13,100,379 | | Content assets, net | $32,639,879 | $32,452,462 | | Total assets | $54,934,835 | $53,630,374 | | Total current liabilities | $9,731,859 | $10,755,400 | | Long-term debt | $14,463,020 | $13,798,351 | | Total liabilities | $28,980,800 | $28,886,807 | | Total stockholders' equity | $25,954,035 | $24,743,567 | | Cash and cash equivalents | $9,287,287 | $7,804,733 | - Total streaming content obligations decreased from $23.25 billion at December 31, 2024, to $20.94 billion at September 30, 2025[43] Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows The unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows detail the cash generated from operating, investing, and financing activities for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2025, and comparative periods. Net cash provided by operating activities significantly increased to $2.83 billion in Q3'25, contributing to a non-GAAP free cash flow of $2.66 billion for the quarter | (in thousands) | Three Months Ended Sep 30, 2025 | Three Months Ended Sep 30, 2024 | Nine Months Ended Sep 30, 2025 | Nine Months Ended Sep 30, 2024 | | :------------------------------------ | :------------------------------ | :------------------------------ | :----------------------------- | :----------------------------- | | Net cash provided by operating activities | $2,825,174 | $2,321,101 | $8,037,631 | $5,824,470 | | Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | $43,871 | $(1,869,109) | $1,298,217 | $(2,023,110) | | Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | $(1,737,029) | $226,596 | $(8,268,213) | $(3,395,729) | | Non-GAAP free cash flow | $2,660,455 | $2,194,238 | $7,588,746 | $5,543,606 | Non-GAAP Regional Revenue & Net Debt Reconciliation This section provides detailed non-GAAP reconciliations for reported and constant currency revenue growth across UCAN, EMEA, LATAM, and APAC regions for multiple quarters, highlighting the impact of foreign exchange rate movements and hedging. It also includes a reconciliation of total debt to non-GAAP net debt, which stood at $5.20 billion as of September 30, 2025 - Non-GAAP reconciliation tables show regional revenue growth both as reported and on a constant currency basis, adjusting for foreign exchange rate movements and hedging gains/losses[46][47][49] | As of | September 30, 2025 | | :------------------------------------ | :----------------- | | Non-GAAP Net Debt reconciliation: | | | Total debt | $14,463,020 | | Add: Debt issuance costs and original issue discount | $59,480 | | Less: Cash and cash equivalents | $(9,287,287) | | Less: Short-term investments | $(37,105) | | Net debt | $5,198,108 |