Netflix Value Tops $100 Billion

Netflix surged in late trading after a blow-out quarter, vaulting past $100 billion in market value for the first time, according to Bloomberg.

The world’s largest online TV network reported its strongest year of subscriber growth to date. Netflix added 24 million customers in 2017, bringing its global total to 117.6 million. For the final three months of the year, the company crushed Wall Street estimates and suggested it will continue to do so in 2018.

While rival media companies merge, fire staff and fret about the future of their businesses, Netflix keeps chugging along, adding customers at home, in Europe and Latin America. Fourth-quarter sales grew by a third to $3.29 billion, the company said, while earnings almost tripled from a year prior to 41 cents, meeting estimates.

Netflix will plow all of that and more into new TV shows and movies. The company has said it will spend as much as $8 billion on programming this year, and disclosed it will shell out another $2 billion for marketing. Netflix is also dramatically increasing its non-English programming, with plans to release 30 local language productions in 2018.

Netflix signed up 8.33 million customers in the fourth quarter, surpassing analysts’ estimates of 6.34 million, thanks in large part to the popularity of the fantasy series “Stranger Things“ and the new Will Smith movie “Bright.“

International territories accounted for the bulk of the subscriber growth and hold the key to Netflix’s future, with additions of 6.36 million topping the 5.05 million average of analysts’ estimates. Netflix said Rodolphe Belmer, the chief executive officer of Paris-based Eutelsat Communications SA, will join its board.

The U.S. business, where growth had been slowing, also showed vigor. The company signed up 1.98 million new customers at home, up from a year ago and beating analysts’ projections of 1.29 million, according to Bloomberg data.

“In only five years since launching our first original series, Netflix had three of the top five most searched TV shows globally for the second year in a row,“ the company said in its letter to shareholders. Netflix expects to will add 6.35 million customers in the first quarter, more than the average 5.18 million projection of analysts. That includes 1.45 million new subscribers in the U.S.

Splurging on new shows comes at a cost. Netflix will burn through as much as $4 billion in cash this year and said it will borrow again. Critical analysts continue to wonder when spending will level off. The company has stayed around break even for most of its existence, but continues to need cash because of lavish spending on programming. Long-term debt stood at $6.5 billion at year-end, while long-term content liabilities totaled $3.33 billion.

The ability to raise prices could boost Netflix’s profitability in the long-term. The company’s October price increase, $1 a month for the most popular plan, had little impact, if any, on growth in the quarter. While a previous increase slowed subscriber gains, this one passed with less scrutiny or media coverage. The most popular plan costs $11.