在Netflix創(chuàng)立之初,為了給內容創(chuàng)建團隊加油鼓勁,聯(lián)席首席執(zhí)行官泰德?薩蘭多斯經(jīng)常引導他們展望未來。
“我過去總是激勵內容團隊大膽地暢想這項業(yè)務的潛在規(guī)模。我經(jīng)常說,有朝一日,我們會做得很大,我們會有一位負責動漫板塊的副總裁。”薩蘭多斯本周回憶道,“而那一天就是現(xiàn)在。”
果不其然。Netflix在2020年聘請羅伯?佩雷達擔任其動漫業(yè)務的首任負責人。動漫是一種起源于日本的動作卡通。
是的,“那一天就是現(xiàn)在。”這家公司在2020年年底實現(xiàn)了兩個極具象征意義的里程碑。Netflix吸引了超過2億付費用戶。而且,在過去十年花費投資者數(shù)十億美元來彌補巨額赤字之后,Netflix終于實現(xiàn)了財務自給自足,并由此成為一家踏上可持續(xù)發(fā)展之路的娛樂巨頭。
和往常一樣,華爾街關注的是非常具體的運營指標。他們在這個季度增加了多少訂戶?他們此前聲稱會增加多少訂戶?分析師對新增訂戶數(shù)量的預測中值是多少?(順便說一下,答案分別是850萬、600萬和590萬。)
但真正推動Netflix股價飆升的,是這家公司的發(fā)展圖景。Netflix寫給股東的季度財報信的第5頁強調了(或者說隱藏著)這樣一個信息:盡管公司在打造新節(jié)目方面投入了近200億美元,但今年的現(xiàn)金流將轉為正值。Netflix目前持有80億美元的現(xiàn)金,這意味著“我們相信,我們不再需要為日常運營籌集外部資金。”由于現(xiàn)金非常充裕,這家公司甚至計劃回購一些股票。要知道,自2011年以來,Netflix還從未采取過這樣一種常見的股價支撐做法。即使那些連熱播劇集《伯捷頓家族:名門韻事》(Bridgerton)一秒鐘都沒有看過的投資者也知道,這是個利好消息。
在1月20日上午的盤前交易中,市值已經(jīng)超過5000億美元的Netflix上漲了14%,其股價達到近574美元,距離歷史高點僅差2美元。去年,作為疫情期間熱門投資組合的領頭羊,Netflix股價飆漲了67%。但2021年迄今為止,該股已經(jīng)下跌了7%。
這封致股東信還呈現(xiàn)出另一個變化,它更多地體現(xiàn)在語氣和方式上。Netflix向來以不公開收視率著稱,甚至不愿意告訴明星和制片人他們的節(jié)目和電影表現(xiàn)如何。但現(xiàn)在,這家流媒體點播平臺一反常態(tài)地分享了大量數(shù)據(jù)。喬治?克魯尼執(zhí)導的反烏托邦科幻驚悚片《午夜天空》(Midnight Sky)在上映前四周就吸引了7200萬戶家庭。由艾瑪?羅伯茨主演、口碑不佳的度假電影《假日約會》(Holidate)吸引了6800萬戶家庭。在上映前四周,由奧馬爾?塞主演的法國迷你劇《盧平》(Lupin)預計將贏得超過7000萬戶家庭的青睞——順便透露一下,我們全家正在追看這部剛剛在本月上映的劇集。
太贊了!(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:任文科
在Netflix創(chuàng)立之初,為了給內容創(chuàng)建團隊加油鼓勁,聯(lián)席首席執(zhí)行官泰德?薩蘭多斯經(jīng)常引導他們展望未來。
“我過去總是激勵內容團隊大膽地暢想這項業(yè)務的潛在規(guī)模。我經(jīng)常說,有朝一日,我們會做得很大,我們會有一位負責動漫板塊的副總裁。”薩蘭多斯本周回憶道,“而那一天就是現(xiàn)在。”
果不其然。Netflix在2020年聘請羅伯?佩雷達擔任其動漫業(yè)務的首任負責人。動漫是一種起源于日本的動作卡通。
是的,“那一天就是現(xiàn)在。”這家公司在2020年年底實現(xiàn)了兩個極具象征意義的里程碑。Netflix吸引了超過2億付費用戶。而且,在過去十年花費投資者數(shù)十億美元來彌補巨額赤字之后,Netflix終于實現(xiàn)了財務自給自足,并由此成為一家踏上可持續(xù)發(fā)展之路的娛樂巨頭。
和往常一樣,華爾街關注的是非常具體的運營指標。他們在這個季度增加了多少訂戶?他們此前聲稱會增加多少訂戶?分析師對新增訂戶數(shù)量的預測中值是多少?(順便說一下,答案分別是850萬、600萬和590萬。)
但真正推動Netflix股價飆升的,是這家公司的發(fā)展圖景。Netflix寫給股東的季度財報信的第5頁強調了(或者說隱藏著)這樣一個信息:盡管公司在打造新節(jié)目方面投入了近200億美元,但今年的現(xiàn)金流將轉為正值。Netflix目前持有80億美元的現(xiàn)金,這意味著“我們相信,我們不再需要為日常運營籌集外部資金。”由于現(xiàn)金非常充裕,這家公司甚至計劃回購一些股票。要知道,自2011年以來,Netflix還從未采取過這樣一種常見的股價支撐做法。即使那些連熱播劇集《伯捷頓家族:名門韻事》(Bridgerton)一秒鐘都沒有看過的投資者也知道,這是個利好消息。
在1月20日上午的盤前交易中,市值已經(jīng)超過5000億美元的Netflix上漲了14%,其股價達到近574美元,距離歷史高點僅差2美元。去年,作為疫情期間熱門投資組合的領頭羊,Netflix股價飆漲了67%。但2021年迄今為止,該股已經(jīng)下跌了7%。
這封致股東信還呈現(xiàn)出另一個變化,它更多地體現(xiàn)在語氣和方式上。Netflix向來以不公開收視率著稱,甚至不愿意告訴明星和制片人他們的節(jié)目和電影表現(xiàn)如何。但現(xiàn)在,這家流媒體點播平臺一反常態(tài)地分享了大量數(shù)據(jù)。喬治?克魯尼執(zhí)導的反烏托邦科幻驚悚片《午夜天空》(Midnight Sky)在上映前四周就吸引了7200萬戶家庭。由艾瑪?羅伯茨主演、口碑不佳的度假電影《假日約會》(Holidate)吸引了6800萬戶家庭。在上映前四周,由奧馬爾?塞主演的法國迷你劇《盧平》(Lupin)預計將贏得超過7000萬戶家庭的青睞——順便透露一下,我們全家正在追看這部剛剛在本月上映的劇集。
太贊了!(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:任文科
In the early days of Netflix, co-CEO Ted Sarandos used to buck up his team responsible for filling the service with content by looking to the future.
"I used to try to get the team to wrap their head around the potential scale of the business by saying things like, someday we'll be so big, we'll have a VP of anime," Sarandos recalled this week. "And then that someday is now."
It's true—Netflix hired Rob Pereyda last year as its first head of anime, the Japanese action cartoon genre.
And "that someday is now" as the company hit two huge milestones at the end of 2020. Netflix attracted more than 200 million paying subscribers. And, after spending billions and billions of other people's money to cover huge deficits for the past decade, Netflix has reached financial self-sufficiency and created a sustainable entertainment juggernaut.
Wall Street, as usual, focused on the small picture. How many subscribers did they add in the quarter versus how many did they say they would add versus how many did analysts predict on average they would add? (The answers, by the way, were 8.5 million, 6 million, and 5.9 million, respectively.)
But it was more the big picture that sent the stock zooming. Highlighted (or buried) on page 5 of Netflix's quarterly earnings letter to shareholders was the revelation that the company would be cash flow positive this year despite spending close to $20 billion on new programming. And with $8 billion in cash on hand, that means "we believe we no longer have a need to raise external financing for our day-to-day operations." Cash will be so plentiful that the company will even buy back some of its shares, a common price-supporting practice that Netflix hasn't done since 2011. Even investors who haven't watched a second of Bridgerton know that's a positive.
Netflix stock, already worth over $500 billion, gained 14% in premarket trading on January 20 morning to almost $574, within $2 of its all-time high. Although it jumped 67% last year as a leading member of the pandemic portfolio, the stock had previously lost 7% so far in 2021.
There was another change, more in tone and approach, highlighted in the shareholder letter. Netflix used to be known as the studio that wouldn't share viewership numbers and wouldn't tell even stars and producers how well their shows and movies performed. But now there's data galore. Midnight Sky, the George Clooney-directed dystopian sci-fi thriller, attracted 72 million households in its first four weeks. Less-well-reviewed holiday flick Holidate starring Emma Roberts drew 68 million households. And the new favorite in the Pressman household, the French miniseries Lupin starring Omar Sy released this month, is projected to exceed 70 million in its first four weeks.
C’est magnifique!