Netflix Rises on Strong Subscriber Growth, Bets on Higher Customer Sign-ups

The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Netflix Rises on Strong Subscriber Growth, Bets on Higher Customer Sign-ups

The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)
The Netflix logo is displayed at Netflix corporate offices on September 25, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Getty Images/AFP)

Netflix shares rose 5.2% in premarket trading on Friday, after the streaming giant topped Wall Street estimates for new subscriber additions by more than 1 million and projected higher customer sign-ups for the December quarter.

Netflix on Thursday said it picked up 5.1 million new streaming subscribers in the third quarter, with its ad-supported service accounting for more than 50% of sign-ups in countries where it was available.

“Netflix is the one thing people can’t live without and its latest results are testament to its lasting appeal,” said Dan Coatsworth, investment analyst at AJ Bell, Reuters reported.

The streaming platform projected its customer additions for the December quarter - traditionally a strong period around the holidays - would outpace the September quarter. The second season of Korean drama "Squid Game" is scheduled for release in late December.

Shares of Walt Disney and Warner Bros Discovery rose marginally.

"Peers in the legacy media space are losing money hand over fist, meaning Netflix can push its advantage in content creation while others can’t stomach allocating more capital," said Matt Britzman, senior equity analyst, Hargreaves Lansdown.

Ads are also in the mix for 2025, and price hikes that have started in some markets have the potential to "squeeze more" from existing subscribers, he said.

At least eight analysts raised their price targets on the stock following results, bringing the median target to $750 from $706.38 according to LSEG data.

But while the customer additions outpaced forecasts, it was below the 8.76 million that Netflix picked up in the year-ago quarter.

The company has been trying to shift investor attention away from sign-ups to metrics including revenue growth and profit margins as the pace of subscriber growth mellows.

So far this year, Netflix's stock has risen about 41.2%, Disney has been up 6.9% while Warner Bros has shed about 31%.



OpenAI Unveils ChatGPT Agent to Handle Tasks as AI Apps Evolve

The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (AP)
The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (AP)
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OpenAI Unveils ChatGPT Agent to Handle Tasks as AI Apps Evolve

The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (AP)
The OpenAI logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen displaying output from ChatGPT, March 21, 2023, in Boston. (AP)

OpenAI launched an artificial intelligence agent for its popular chatbot ChatGPT on Thursday that can complete complex tasks as the Microsoft-backed startup looks to get ahead of competitors in the AI race.

AI agents — considered to be an evolution of an assistant — have been embraced across the tech world with large firms, including Microsoft, Salesforce and Oracle, spending billions on the technology to boost productivity and make operations more cost efficient.

OpenAI's agent will combine aspects of its previous agentic features, operator, which can interact with websites, and deep research that can conduct multi-step research for advanced tasks.

Starting Thursday, users of ChatGPT's Pro, Plus and Team tiers can activate the chatbot's agentic capabilities.

ChatGPT's agent can complete tasks such as ordering an outfit for a wedding while taking into account factors like dress code and weather.

The chatbot does this by using its own virtual computer equipped with a number of tools that can interact with the web. It also allows the user to connect apps such as Gmail and Github so ChatGPT can find information relevant to a prompt.