Netflix has almost twenty times as many daily viewers as rival HBO in Sweden, a market that both companies entered in the last year, reports Tero Kuittinen for BGR. Netflix has 308,000 daily viewers compared to HBO’s 17,000, and even though this is a sliver of Sweden’s 9.5 million inhabitants, it backs up Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX)’s argument that it will be able to expand rapidly in markets outside the US. It already has plans to offer subscriptions in the Netherlands and it’s hard to imagine the company doesn’t already have a rough timetable for all of Europe, even if it is unofficial.
Netflix well on its way to silencing doubters
Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) has proven itself as a serious company with a viable business plan this year, even if not everyone agrees that it’s the future of television as the company claims. Shares jumped from $50 to $350 so far this year in light of strong subscription growth backed up by a string of critical successes including House of Cards and Orange is the New Black. A second season of House of Cards is coming next year and there has already been talk of a third. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) is also going to start producing more mainstream fare when it releases a few mini-seasons starring Marvel superheroes.
For investors looking at the company now, it seems like the easy price growth is nearing an end. Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX) was $50 when people were still doubting whether it would even be in business a few years from now, something that even bears have to concede at this point. That’s why outpacing HBO in Sweden, while small relative to the size of the company, is really good news for shareholders. It can be seen as a leading indicator for the company’s expansion into the rest of Europe.
Even with high valuation, investors optimistic
“I’d probably wait for the next pullback” before buying into Netflix, Inc. (NASDAQ:NFLX), says Bill Maurer for Seeking Alpha, but he is optimistic on the stock overall. He thinks that profitability may drop while the company is busy expanding, but that between subscription growth and some room for increasing subscription fees, the company has a lot of potential upside in the long term.
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