Netflix Will No Longer Borrow, Ending Its Run of Debt (Published 2021) (2024)

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The streaming giant borrowed over $16 billion in less than a decade as it built out its content library. The strategy prompted criticism that the company was unsustainable.

Netflix Will No Longer Borrow, Ending Its Run of Debt (Published 2021) (1)

Netflix has reached a financial milestone: It no longer needs to borrow money.

Netflix announced Tuesday in its fourth-quarter earnings report that it would not “need to raise external financing for our day-to-day operations,” a significant move for the heavily indebted company.

In less than a decade, the streaming giant borrowed over $16 billion to feed its titanic appetite for content. The reason: It didn’t make enough money to cover both its entertainment productions and its business costs, like payroll and rent and marketing.

That fact has caused a longstanding gripe over Netflix’s business model, and it’s why some observers have long argued that Netflix is a debt-ridden house of cards that would eventually come tumbling down.

Reed Hastings, Netflix’s co-chief executive and co-founder, expected Hollywood would soon catch up in the streaming market, and the company stockpiled content as quickly as possible. To finance the hefty licensing and production costs, it borrowed the money. And kept borrowing.

The risk was clear: If Netflix didn’t generate enough cash by the time the debts came due, it would be in serious trouble. Mr. Hastings was betting that the company could attract subscribers (and raise its prices) faster than the debt clock was ticking. (Netflix was surprised that Hollywood waited years to jump into digital television, giving it an even bigger lead.)

The gambit seems to have worked. The company will still have $10 billion to $15 billion in debt, but it said it now made enough revenue to pay back those loans while maintaining its immense content budget.

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Netflix Will No Longer Borrow, Ending Its Run of Debt (Published 2021) (2024)

FAQs

Netflix Will No Longer Borrow, Ending Its Run of Debt (Published 2021)? ›

The streaming giant borrowed over $16 billion in less than a decade as it built out its content library. The strategy prompted criticism that the company was unsustainable. Netflix has reached a financial milestone: It no longer needs to borrow money.

Is Netflix running in debt? ›

Netflix had $15.3 billion in long term debt and $0.5 billion in short term debt at the end of June 2020. During the quarter ended June 2020, Netflix paid $189 million in interest. Its operating income (before interest and tax) was $1.357 billion.

How much debt is Netflix in right now? ›

As you can see below, Netflix had US$14.5b of debt, at December 2023, which is about the same as the year before. You can click the chart for greater detail. However, it does have US$7.14b in cash offsetting this, leading to net debt of about US$7.41b.

Does Netflix have bad debt? ›

Total debt on the balance sheet as of December 2023 : $14.54 B. According to Netflix's latest financial reports the company's total debt is $14.54 B. A company's total debt is the sum of all current and non-current debts.

Will Netflix consider buybacks as it returns to positive cash flow after 2021? ›

Netflix said Tuesday it will be cash-flow positive after 2021 and around break even with cash flow in this year. The company said it doesn't intend to need any more outside financing after borrowing $15 billion since 2011. Netflix will consider share buybacks, which it hasn't done since 2011.

Is Netflix financially stable? ›

The improvement in operating cash flow and net income, alongside effective debt management, further solidifies its financial stability. Netflix's valuation, based on my analysis, aligns closely with its current market price, suggesting the stock is reasonably valued now.

Is Netflix doing well financially? ›

The good news is that Netflix is growing revenues, and EBIT margins improved by 2.8 percentage points to 21%, over the last year.

Why is Netflix in so much debt? ›

The media giant is raising yet another $2B in debt financing to keep its massive list of original content thriving while it burns through money.

What is Netflix's long term debt? ›

Netflix long term debt for 2023 was $14.143B, a 1.46% decline from 2022. Netflix long term debt for 2022 was $14.353B, a 2.31% decline from 2021. Netflix long term debt for 2021 was $14.693B, a 7.06% decline from 2020.

What are Netflix weaknesses? ›

Weaknesses. Content Acquisition Costs: One of the primary weaknesses of Netflix Inc is the high cost associated with content acquisition and production. As the company strives to maintain its competitive edge through original and exclusive content, it faces increasing expenses that impact its profitability.

Why isn't debt killing Netflix any time soon? ›

Netflix's Capital Efficiency

Done right, debt is a powerful tool. And taking on debt strategically, in the long run, is better for shareholders. Financial indicators signal that Netflix is leveraging its capital efficiently. Netflix has increased its return on invested capital since 2017.

Is Apple in debt? ›

Total debt on the balance sheet as of December 2023 : $108.04 B. According to Apple's latest financial reports the company's total debt is $108.04 B. A company's total debt is the sum of all current and non-current debts.

How much is Disney in debt? ›

Total debt on the balance sheet as of December 2023 : $47.69 B. According to Walt Disney's latest financial reports the company's total debt is $47.69 B. A company's total debt is the sum of all current and non-current debts.

Has Netflix made a profit? ›

Revenue at Netflix rose 15% to $9.4bn in the three months to 31 March. Net income jumped 79% to $2.3bn over the same period, clearing analysts' expectations. Netflix, based in Los Gatos, California, pioneered the streaming revolution.

Has Netflix ever reported a profit? ›

Netflix's $9.4 billion in first-quarter revenues and $5.28 profit per share were comfortably above consensus analyst estimates, with Netflix's top and bottom line marks both the best in its history.

What is the expected return for Netflix? ›

NFLX Stock 12 Month Forecast

Based on 40 Wall Street analysts offering 12 month price targets for Netflix in the last 3 months. The average price target is $637.29 with a high forecast of $765.00 and a low forecast of $425.00. The average price target represents a 3.20% change from the last price of $617.52.

Does Netflix make a profit? ›

Netflix's profit compared to other DTC businesses

In 2022, the operating profit of Netflix amounted to around 5.6 billion U.S. dollars, while Paramount, for example, reported DTC losses of nearly two billion U.S. dollars that year. Disney's losses exceeded four billion U.S. dollars.

What is Netflix short-term debt? ›

Netflix Inc (NFLX) Short-Term Debt: $400 Million for the quarter ended December 31st, 2023. Since the quarter ended December 31st, 2008, Netflix Inc's short-term debt has increased from $1.15 Million to $400 Million as of the quarter ended December 31st, 2023.

How much cash does Netflix have? ›

Cash on Hand as of December 2023 : $7.13 B

According to Netflix's latest financial reports the company has $7.13 B in cash and cash equivalents. A company's cash on hand also refered as cash/cash equivalents (CCE) and Short-term investments, is the amount of accessible money a business has.

How big is Netflix budget? ›

The content spending of Netflix worldwide amounted to around 13 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, due to the strikes in Hollywood. This marks the second decline to date compared to the previous year, when the video-on-demand service spent over 16 billion U.S. dollars on content.

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