Netflix shares skidded down 27 percent Wednesday in extended trading after the streaming giant reported slowed subscriber growth at home in the U.S.
The company added a net of 3 million subscribers worldwide in the third quarter that ended Sept. 30 as it expanded into six new European countries, including France and Germany.
But that was down from a projected gain of 3.7 million subs, and included only 980,000 new customers Stateside. During the same period last year, Netflix gained 1.29 million new subscribers. Netflix had estimated that it would add 1.33 million new members during the quarter.
“Year-on-year net additions in the U.S. were down” Netflix said in a statement Wednesday. “This quarter we over-forecasted membership growth.”
Although Wednesday’s numbers could indicate that Netflix is slowing down in its home market, the company grew by 72 percent overseas, climbing to 15.84 million customers.
Netflix’s net income rose to $59.3 million, or 96 cents per share, in the quarter, from $31.8 million, or 52 cents per share, a year earlier. Revenue jumped about 28 percent to $1.41 billion.
Netflix’s slump came on the same day that HBO announced it was diving deeper into the streaming game, revealing plans to offer their HBO Go service unbundled from a television subscription package beginning in 2015.
Read More: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety
Brief Take: Netflix’s slowed growth in the U.S. could indicate that despite a heavy marketing push for its acclaimed originals, the service may be approaching a wall when it comes to American viewers willing to stream content.
Tags: