Netflix has attributed to its live sporting events a decisive role in generating «an enthusiasm and a disproportionate number of subscriptions» in the fourth quarter of 2025, while the platform’s global subscriber base exceeded 325 million.
Fourth-quarter revenue grew 18% year-over-year to $12.05 billion, while net income increased 29% to $2.42 billion. Full-year 2025 revenue and net profit stood at $45.2 billion and $11 billion, respectively. Netflix said it met or exceeded all financial targets set for the full year.
Also notable were Netflix’s 2025 advertising revenues, which more than doubled year-over-year to more than $1.5 billion. In the second half of 2025, the company said hours of viewing increased 2% year-over-year, driven by 9% growth in consumption of branded original content.
Netflix expects first-quarter 2026 revenue of $12.16 billion, which would represent year-over-year growth of 15%, and net income of $3.26 billion. The company also cited live sports programming as a further example of how «every single hour of entertainment has the potential to generate disproportionate value».
In particular, the Netflix broadcast of the boxing match between influencer Jake Paul and two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, which aired in December, attracted 33 million viewers globally. Additionally, the game between the Detroit Lions and the Minnesota Vikings, included in Netflix’s NFL doubleheader on Christmas Day, recorded an average audience of 27.5 million viewers: a record for NFL streaming, then surpassed this month by Amazon Prime Video.
Later this year Netflix will broadcast in Japan the World Baseball Classic 2026 (WBC), marking its first major single-country-specific sports partnership outside of North America.
