The Pivot to Advertising Has Begun

Subscriptions are unbelievable. You have recurring revenue that, ideally, compounds month after month. Nothing else matters because you have growing subscriptions. And then it stops. Suddenly, you report a loss in subscribers. And panic ensues. Suddenly, you ask: should I have been so anti-ad all these years?

So, you’ve got a business that is starting to reach saturation on the subscription product, but since everything has to grow forever, it needs to find new revenue sources. And thus, the pivot to advertising has begun.

After announcing financial results for a difficult quarter, in which Netflix lost subscribers for the first time in a decade, Mr. Hastings told investors on Tuesday that the company planned to look into a lower-priced tier supported by ads “over the next year or two.”