Netflix ($NFLX) has been the top dog in the streaming world for so long it's honestly hard to remember a time when they weren't. Which is why it's so striking to see competition finally show up, a decade after the fact, to take a piece of Netflix's pie. Disney+, HBO Max, and Peacock join the ranks of Hulu and Amazon Prime Streaming in the bid to usurp Netflix's throne. Can the king live on or will a new leader emerge?
We won't know the answer to that question for quite some time, but after it's third-quarter earnings call we do know one thing for sure: Netflix is in the calm before the storm. This was the last report we'll ever get before the launch of Disney+, and things might never be the same again for the streaming juggernaut.
Previous projections had U.S. subscribers going down last quarter, which is the first time that's happened since 2011. According to Zacks Investment Research, based on analysts' forecasts, the consensus EPS for this quarter is $1.05.
As more and more companies siphon away their programming from Netflix, the amount of original series has skyrocketed. But, that comes with the added costs of producing more documentaries, films, TV shows, and strangely enough, expensive stand-up sets. Which is why news broke that trend may be coming to an end soon.
Not for nothing, since so many Netflix series are coming to an end (GLOW, Bojack Horseman, American Vandal, House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, etc.), and with the hype ramping up for Disney+ and The Mandalorian, it makes sense that fanfare is down. Facebook 'Talking About' counts are our way of figuring out what the pulse is on social media for any given company, and while revenue is high, eyeballs are glued to screens for streaming, Netflix's time in the sun might be waning a little bit.
After a strong campaign was run for El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie Twitter followers went up. Let's hope there's more consistency across the board for Netflix in its alternative data so we can project better days ahead.
About the Data:
Thinknum tracks companies using information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales.